ABSTRACT
In this paper, two frequently expressed theories of the development of Japan’s New Religions will be discussed. The two theories, designated respectively the ‘Emperor-Substitute Theory’ and the ‘Urban Anomie Theory’, have this in common; they both hold that the New Religions function as substitutes or alternatives for traditional institutions or norms that have ceased to function or are malfunctioning in one way or another. This seems to be the most widespread view of the New Religions. When they are criticised as being ‘magical, superstitious, feudalistic’, and so forth, the implication is that they possess these ‘pre-modern’ characteristics, appealing to certain segments of the population who for one reason or another have been unable to make the transition into the ‘modern scientific age’. Yet it must be said that such a view of the New Religions cannot account for the fact that they continue to exist, and to attract (though decreasingly so), a substantial number of new converts amongst the younger and more educated groups. It is the purpose of this chapter to examine the two current theories to see whether there is an alternative viewpoint that might overcome this difficulty.
