Four Main Pillars

Freedom of Faith

Freedom of faith is the basis of freedom of speech and freedom of thought. In order to preserve well the freedom which is deeply imbedded in the individual, Shinshuren has taken a number of steps.

Before World War II, in Japan religious activities were severely restricted. After the War, freedom of faith was secured by Article 20 of the Japanese Constitution. But the law is only kind of promise, and promises can be broken. We are now proud of the fact that we have freedom of faith, but we want to reflect on the importance of that freedom and strive to insure that it is not violated.

Separation of State and Church

Separation of State and church is a fundamental principle for maintaining freedom of faith. The Japanese Constitution strictly prescribes the relation between religious bodys and state. These regulations were laid down as a reflection of the fact that both and during World War II the Japanese imperial government made use of religions, sought to unite the people spiritually, and made both religious bodies and individual people accept ultra-nationalism. When the government takes part in religious activities politics is used to restricted religious activities which do not favor itself and make use of religions which are favorable to the government. Needless to say, reliable democracy cannot grown in such a society.

Religious Cooperation

Shinshuren is based on the idea of religious cooperation. We have promoted cooperative activities among religious bodies in Japan and abroad based on the idea of mutual understanding and cooperation among religious bodies. We are firmly convinced that the idea of religious cooperation was produced fifty years ago by Shinshuren. We are quite happy that this idea has become a world-wide current. We would like to contribute to human welfare and world peace through avoiding confrontation between religious bodies, promoting dialogue and mutual understanding among them, and by cooperation in both small and large activities.

Faith for Every Citizen

Shinshuren works to bring about to bring about a peaceful society which human life by teaching the importance of faith to everyone in the nation. It is said that Shinshuren wants have the current ethos change from one that is centered on material and goods to a era of heart and mind spirit.

Since 1951 Shinshuren has appealed to all people to live a life based on faith. We believe that all religion works for the same end. But there are many roads to it,just as there are many paths to the mountains top. We also believe that each persons should find faith and walk on the path of faith with which he or she is satisfied. We are convince that this enables us to contribute character building and to the construction of a brighter society.