Many new faiths don't try to replace existing ones

By Mary Kaye Ritz
Religion & Ethics Writer

Of the more than 2,000 new religions in Japan, by professor Jay Sakashita's calculations, about 25 have made their way here.

Those 25 have attracted a following he conservatively estimates at 10,000 people — making them about as numerous as Hawai'i's Episcopalians.

The Hawai'i branch of the Kofuku no Kagaku: Institute for Research and Human Happiness, headquartered in Tokyo and led by Sean Matsumoto, is one such new religion. The religion was established in 1986, and the Hawai'i branch began in1995.

"We were very small then," said Matsumoto, who came from Japan in December to serve a congregation he numbers at about 100 people, though only about 20 attend services regularly.

The Institute for Research and Human Happiness holds monthly seminars at hotels and restaurants to raise its profile. Videos by leader Ryuho Okawa are shown. His talks, in Japanese, are dubbed into English.

"We hate those pushy religions," said Matsumoto, who said his faith is based on Buddhism. "We like to influence society in a nonpushy way."

Like many of the religions Sakashita studies, this one doesn't purport to take the place of existing religions, but rather supplements their teachings.

"We don't denounce other religions — they are also ... missions to improve spiritual awareness, one way or another," Matsumoto said, adding that some of his members also belong to Tenrikyo, an older new religion, blended from Shintoism, Christianity and Buddhism.

Often the new religions offer this-world benefits, he said.

But if you want to see the hair bristle on the back of Sakashita's neck, raise the question of whether these new religions from Japan may be run by charlatans or might be considered cults.

"For those who study those new religions, we don't really use the word 'cult,' because of the negative connotations," he said. "'New religions' is more neutral. With 'cult,' you think of the Aum Shinrikyo, who are dangerous. (They were responsible for poison-gas attacks in Japanese subways in the mid-1990s.)

"While I'm sure many of the new religions have (created) a degree of tension in society, they are not dangerous. They may be a threat to some religions, because they are taking members away."