THE EXAMPLE OF JAPAN
As the 20th century draws to a close, humanity stands amidst an intellectual void, having lost its previous ideological foundation. Now, it seeks a new cornerstone for rebuilding. The quest for God and religion remains an intrinsic human necessity deeply rooted in our inner being.
Today, humanity is in search of a new guiding philosophy. Those who can provide this new worldview will emerge as leaders of the 21st-century world. According to F.H. Bradley, this new philosophy is essentially a “new religion.” On a deeper level, however, Bradley’s concept of a “new religion” actually aligns with what is traditionally understood as an unaltered or pure religion. Had Bradley understood the distinction between the altered and the unaltered, he would likely have described his ideal as the latter rather than something entirely “new.”
In essence, what modern humanity seeks is none other than Islam. Islam, as a natural and unaltered religion, encompasses complete truth. Although unfamiliar with it, people often refer to this ideal by different names, like a new ideology, new religion, new system, or new revolution.
As humanity approaches the end of the 20th century, it finds itself in an intellectual void. It has lost its former ideological foundation and now seeks a new one to rebuild upon. To illustrate this need, let me recount the example of Japan.
The current imperial family of Japan has ruled for over 1,500 years. For centuries, the Japanese regarded their emperor as a deity known as ‘Kami,’ attributing divine qualities to him. However, after World War II, they began to view their emperor as merely a human, referred to as ‘Hito.’
This shift was a tremendous ideological upheaval for the Japanese people. For 1,500 years, they believed their emperor was a god endowed with divine attributes and capable of protecting them from any power. When the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan’s military might crumble. For the first time in over a millennium, Japan suffered complete defeat against an external power. On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito announced on radio that Japan had lost the war and would surrender to the United States.
Hearing this from their “divine” emperor was a profound shock for the Japanese. They had believed their emperor was invincible, but his admission of defeat shattered that belief. This realization left them with the understanding that their emperor was, after all, just a human being and not a supreme god.
This event proved even more devastating for the Japanese psyche than the atomic bombings themselves. The bombs temporarily destroyed two cities, but the loss of this belief fundamentally and permanently impacted the inner spirit of the Japanese people. The younger generation of Japan today faces deep frustration, having lost a profound source of confidence. The Japanese nation is now searching for a new ‘god’—a spiritual anchor to replace what they lost. This search has become Japan’s most significant challenge.
What happened in Japan reflects, in various forms, the state of modern nations worldwide. Each has lost its traditional ‘god,’ the source upon which they relied. Consciously or unconsciously, each nation is now in search of a new god, a replacement for what they have lost.
This search is not coincidental but rooted in human nature itself. God and religion are not external constructs; they are deeply ingrained within human beings as an essential inner need. Psychological and anthropological research has conclusively shown that humanity cannot exist without a belief in God or religion (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vol. 15, p. 628)
Edmund Burke succinctly summarized this idea, saying, “Man is by his constitution a religious animal.” This is why modern humanity, driven by its intrinsic nature, is in search of a genuine, true God that can fulfil the profound needs of the human soul.
