On October 28, 2004, a Colloquium on "Mutually Exclusive, either-or values versus Mutually Permeable, both-and values" on a particular crux of 'henotheism' as opposed to 'monotheism' and 'polytheism' was held, with a gentler atmosphere, at the Media Lounge of the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ) located in the very heart of Tokyo. This special Colloquium, organized and hosted by the International Shinto Foundation (ISF), was participated by a fairly good number of people including scholars, researchers, academics, journalists as well as diplomatic dignitaries. The presentation was delivered by Prof. Masao Kunihiro, a distinguished Visiting Professor at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, University of Edinburgh, UK; Legislative Aide to ex-Prime Minister Takeo Miki; former Member of the House of Councillors, the National Diet of Japan; and an author of numerous volumes of selected essays who is also well known to the Japanese public as the international anchor person on Nihon television and as a Professor on NHK's educational TV service.
     In the introduction of his presentation, Prof. Kunihiro excellently sketched a comparative analysis of decisive factors that lead to declining religious values in the contemporary world with special reference to North America and Europe. Then he proceeded with one of the most critical questions of what the world's major religions convey the messages regarding their ultimate destiny. He critically opined that while religion in the United States, one of the most religious of all the world's large nations, is an integral part of its societal culture, 45 percent of US citizens regularly participate in religious services which may be compared to 7.5 percent of UK citizens, 12 percent of French, 16 percent of German catholics, 25 percent of Israeli, and 5 percent of Swedish citizens. Presenting these factual data, Prof. Kunihiro overtly criticized that we are wondering to see whether the influence of the evangelic faith of George W. Bush, who is among the most openly religious presidents in American history, a daily Bible reader who often talks about how Jesus changed his heart, goes beyond public eloquence to frame his foreign policy in regard to Iraq and the Middle East.
     He then came up with the focal points of his speech. At this step, quoting the diverse intrinsic doctrines of religious values as delineated by Max Muller, a noted German Orientalist, Prof. Kunihiro impeccably looked into the debate with these concepts. The continuance of henotheism in ancient religion is a historical fact, the comprehensive study of which contradicts the universal scientific status on the controversy of the genesis of religion. On the principle of its approach to polytheism, Monotheism can be classified into two types: 'inclusive monotheism' and 'exclusive monotheism'. Inclusive monotheism claims that all polytheistic deities are just different names for the single monotheistic God, on the other hand, exclusive monotheism maintains that these deities are distinct from the monotheistic God, and false (either invented, or demonic, in nature). That a person has faith in multiple gods does not mean that he or she necessarily worships them all. Many polytheists believe in the existence of several gods, but worship only one. Some people regard henotheism as a form of monotheism, others as monism; some historians have argued that the monotheistic religions originated in henotheism. However, in practice, today, all Jews, Christians and Muslims view henotheism as polytheism.
     Prof. Kunihiro's presentation fairly demonstrated the scholarly controversies regarding the Buddhist paradigm of 'tetralemma', i.e. the following four testimonies considered both 'mutually exclusive' and 'jointly exhaustive': (i) the God Incarnate exists after death, (ii) the God does not exist after death; (iii) the God both does and does not exist after death; (iv) the God neither does nor does not exist after death. Thus, the four argumentations logically explored and rejected the affirmation of a proposition, its denial, the joint affirmation and denial, and finally, the rejection of its affirmation and denial. In this interrelation, he also referred the doctrine of 'trilemma'. A number of theologians claim that trilemma is the basic impetus behind all of the world's religions, and that enlightenment how each religion harmonizes this trilemma is the answer to perceiving that religion. It is argued that if there is no deity, then the trilemma fails into a sole purpose of human suffering as a natural situation, human nature, as well as psychology of values.
     Drawing an Asian perspective in general, the presentation sharply showed that in East Asia a large number of people follow multiple religions - Shintoism and Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, Paganism and any combo of the above. But those diverse religions do not, in fact, make any contradictory insistences. More specifically, the presentation evinced, for example, in Japan where there is a divergence of ideologies, Shinto and Buddhism have together shaped many of the religious faiths and practices of the Japanese. In Japan, religions are characteristically not 'mutually exclusive', and most people do not attach to one specific religion, but follow a combination of beliefs and traditions. Shinto, where there are eight million gods, is more vibrantly observed in the Japanese socio-cultural life than as a robustly entrenched theology or philosophy, and it has yet been closely connected with the value system and ways of thinking and acting of the Japanese people. In this backdrop, Prof. Kunihiro also highlighted some spiritual values of Hinduism, particularly 'Ahimsa' (non-violence) which has been the central doctrine of Indian culture from the earliest days of its history. He assessed the effects of the practice of Ahimsa, the noblest and best of traits that are found expressed in the daily life and activities of perfected souls.
      The presentation from the perspectives of religious doctrines, however, rarely touched on the perception of Islam, a truly universal religion. It should be enumerated that the very foundation of Islam is: "there is no deity except the 'One God". No other theism or non-theism has been so despised by Islam as that of polytheism. The fundamental principle of 'tawheed' (the faith in the Oneness of God) which abominates polytheism, is absolutely opposite of any dogma that encourages the worship or belief in more than one god. In Islam, it is the most serious offence to create, venerate or worship any deity other than the 'One God'. Furthermore, while the presentation investigated all of the related issues more concretely and comprehensively, it did not aptly answer the question of why Christianity has not flourished in today's Japan as it has in some of its Asian neighbors. Perhaps, in Japan where most people are Shintoist or Buddhist, Christianity is still considered a 'foreign creed', but not suitable for ordinary Japanese. Practicing Christianity in Japan has not always been easy, and sometimes it is quite frustrating. Moreover, for most Japanese, there is an idea that becoming Christian is often viewed as a betrayal of Japanese culture.
     Followed by a stimulating Q&A Session, the Colloquium splendidly concluded with some invaluable remarks drawn by Prof. Kunihiro. While the Western thought oftentimes aims to insist upon 'mutually exclusive' and 'independent opposites' (i.e. as external and internal), in Shinto, however, fundamental interactions are considered 'interdependent'. As a non-Aristotelian nurtured in the tradition where something is and is not at the same time in a 'mutually permeable' way, where something is fair and unfair simultaneously, where 'mutual exclusivity' or the digital language of computing, 'yes or no', 'zero or one', 'true or false' dichotomy is, actually, not the name of the game. Prof Kunihiro is both positive and negative regarding values in Japan, and he is well-versed of both strengths and weaknesses, both successes and failures, and will endeavor to put both of them in some sort of objectivity. Finally, he maintained that Japanese youngsters today, on a somewhat different level, appear to be long on hedonism and short on the kind of Shinto-Confucian-Buddhist work ethic which, so far, accounts for much of the future success of Japan.
     Despite reservations to a very few extents, the Colloquium was really worthwhile and fruitful with its intellectual rigor and scholarly flavor. The informative seminar provided all the guest participants with an enjoyable time in expanding their boundaries of knowledge on Japanese cultural and religious values from a comparative context.