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Essence of World Religions
impurity is a religious transgression. Shintoists believe in moral and spiritual uprightness as the cornerstone of religious ethics and in the supreme value of loyalty to all your acts. The supernatural reveals itself through all that is natural and beautiful, and these are more valuable than philosophical or theological doctrines. Everything is a divine Spirit, that the world is one brotherhood, that all men are capable of deep affinity with the Divine, and that there exists no evil in the world. Shintoist believes in the practical use of ceremony and ritual, and in the worship of the deities that animate nature, including the Sun Goddess, the Star God, and the Storm God.
Symbols A wooden gate called Torii is the symbol of Shintoism. The word Shinto is derived from "Shen Tao” which means the "Way of the gods." A Torii stands at the entrance of a Shinto temple. It consists of two posts connected by crossbars. The posts represent pillars that support the sky, and the crossbar symbolizes the earth.
Those who look outwards look in vain
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