Church of World Messianity
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The Church of World Messianity (世界救世教 Sekai kyūsei kyō in Japanese) is a "new religion" (Shinshukyo) founded in 1935 by Mokichi Okada (1882-1955), a former staff member of Omoto-kyo. The religion's key concept is Johrei, claimed to be a method of channeling divine light into the body of another for the purposes of healing. According to this religion, in 1926, Okada received a divine revelation and was empowered to be a channel of God's Healing Light (johrei) to remove illness, poverty, and strife from the world and inaugurate a new Messianic Age. Okada's teaching is represented by the scripture Johrei, which has been edited and translated by the Society of Johrei, an offshoot of Okada's movement.
The religion currently claims 800,000 followers, including many in Brazil. Sekai Mahikari Bunmei Kyodan founder Yoshikazu Okada (1901-1974) and Sukyo Mahikari founder Keishu Okada (1929- ) were both members of the Church of World Messianity prior to starting their own religions. Shinji Shumeikai (神慈秀明会), also known as Shumei, also follows the teachings of Okada and is considered a descendant of the church by CFAR.[1]
According to a study by a religious anthropologist, Winston Davis (1980), it is clear the Mahikari groups are comparable to Church of World Messianity and follow basically the same healing ritual. [2]
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[edit] COWM in Brazil
Brazil has the largest concentration of Japanese outside of Japan. According to Hideaki Matsuoka, University of California, Berkeley, in a presentation at the Summer 2000 Asian Studies Conference Japan entitled "Messianity Makes the Person Useful: Describing Differences in a Japanese Religion in Brazil," new Japanese religions have propagated in Brazil since the 1930's and they now have at least a million non-Japanese Brazilian followers. Three major religions ranked by the number of followers are, Seicho-No-Ie, Messianity, Mahikari and Perfect Liberty. Besides churches, these religions have their own sacred places around São Paulo state where their headquarters are typically located.
Matsuoka reports that there is a sharp contrast between these Japanese new religions' sacred places and those of other Brazilian religions in their size, structure, and symbolism. Compared to both Catholic churches and gathering places of Brazilian spiritism such as Umbanda and Kardecist Spiritism, the sacred places of these new Japanese religions in Brazil are extensive. They look like small villages in the countryside; they have hills, creeks, and lodgings where pilgrims can stay. He opines that they may be considered theme parks full of religious symbols such as waterfalls, woods, and altars.
In Brazil, Guarapiranga is the sacred place of the Church of World Messianity (or Igreja Messiânica Mundial).
[edit] Notes
- ^ Centers for Apologetics Research (CFAR) - International Countercult Ministries > Search Groups
- ^ Winston, Davis 1980, p. 75-76
[edit] References
- Matsuoka, Hideaki. University of California, Berkeley, "Messianity Makes the Person Useful: Describing Differences in a Japanese Religion in Brazil", presented at the Summer 2000 Asian Studies Conference Japan.
- Wilson, Andrew, ed. (1991). World Scripture: A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts (ISBN 0-89226-129-3). New York, NY: Paragon House Publishers. Contains over 4,000 scriptural passages from 268 sacred texts and 55 oral traditions gathered by Wilson, a follower of Sun Myung Moon. The material is organized under 145 themes common to the texts and traditions. This site contains the complete text of the printed book.
- Davis, Winston (1980), DOJO: Magic and Exorcism in Modern Japan, Standford University Press, pp. 75-76, ISBN 0-8047-1131-3
