92:6.9 [[Ancestor]] [[worship]] onetime constituted a decided advance in [[religious]] [[evolution]], but it is both amazing and regrettable that this [[primitive]] [[concept]] persists in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China China], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan Japan], and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India India] amidst so much that is [[relatively]] more advanced, such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism Buddhism] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism Hinduism]. In the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occident Occident], [[ancestor]] [[worship]] [[developed]] into the [[veneration]] of national gods and [[respect]] for racial [[heroes]]. In the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_century twentieth century] this [[hero]]-venerating nationalistic religion makes its [[appearance]] in the various [[radical]] and nationalistic [[secularism]]s which characterize many [[races]] and [[nations]] of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occident Occident]. Much of this same [[attitude]] is also found in the great [[universities]] and the larger [[industrial]] communities of the [[English]]-speaking peoples. Not very [[different]] from these [[concepts]] is the idea that [[religion]] is but "a shared quest of the good life." The "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_religion national religions]" are nothing more than a reversion to the early [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_emperors Roman emperor] [[worship]] and to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto Shinto]—[[worship]] of the [[state]] in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Family_of_Japan imperial family]. | 92:6.9 [[Ancestor]] [[worship]] onetime constituted a decided advance in [[religious]] [[evolution]], but it is both amazing and regrettable that this [[primitive]] [[concept]] persists in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China China], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan Japan], and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India India] amidst so much that is [[relatively]] more advanced, such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism Buddhism] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism Hinduism]. In the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occident Occident], [[ancestor]] [[worship]] [[developed]] into the [[veneration]] of national gods and [[respect]] for racial [[heroes]]. In the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_century twentieth century] this [[hero]]-venerating nationalistic religion makes its [[appearance]] in the various [[radical]] and nationalistic [[secularism]]s which characterize many [[races]] and [[nations]] of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occident Occident]. Much of this same [[attitude]] is also found in the great [[universities]] and the larger [[industrial]] communities of the [[English]]-speaking peoples. Not very [[different]] from these [[concepts]] is the idea that [[religion]] is but "a shared quest of the good life." The "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_religion national religions]" are nothing more than a reversion to the early [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_emperors Roman emperor] [[worship]] and to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto Shinto]—[[worship]] of the [[state]] in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Family_of_Japan imperial family]. |