Danka System
When the last samurai regime of Japan, led by the Tokugawa clan, started its administration all over Japan in the early 17th century, there was a big problem: Christianity.
The king of samurais, called the shogun, gradually started to feel a grave influence of Christianity in the Japanese society which might have led to denial of authority of the shogun.
Missionaries and priests sent by the Vatican or other Catholic organizations were then very successful in Japan as they had been engaged in propagation of the Christian faith in the Japanese society since the middle of 16th century. They acquired many followers not only among ordinary citizens but also among high-ranking samurais and feudal lords who were expected to obey the Tokugawa shogun without reservation. The shogun was afraid that his subjects and vassals would respect Christ or the Pope more than him.
Though trade with Spain and Portugal was very profitable for the samurai regime, they finally decided to ban Christianity, severing connections with those Catholic countries (while keeping a trade relationship with the Netherlands, a protestant country). So, Japan virtually closed the country from the early 17th century to the middle of the 19th century (except trade with Holland and China in a restricted port).
The Tokugawa shogun also stipulated a very stern law to forbid people to believe and practice Christianity. If a citizen had been found to be a Christian and would not abandon the religion, he was surely to receive death sentence in a court ruled by samurai bureaucrats.
In order to reinforce these measures against Christianity, the Tokugawa regime adopted a special system called the Danka system. Every citizen in Japan was ordered to belong to a Buddhist temple. Though there were many schools and factions of Buddhists in Japan, each family had in most cases a special connection with a certain school of Buddhism (there were a few temples in a standard village). This connection was officially strengthened by the samurai regime. Like a public office in a village or a town, a Buddhist temple recorded birth, marriage, death of each individual. Actually official family registry was kept in Buddhist temples all over Japan.
In return to this official service by temples, the samurai government provided special rewards for monks, priests, and bishops in Buddhist temples. They in fact came to possess fiefs. Their living was protected and enhanced. Rice and other agricultural products from these domains supported living of monks who could also exchange those products with money in the market. They did not have to work hard and practice stern religious acts any more to acquire believers who would provide essential goods for temples. Those Buddhist priests and bishops became members of the establishment in the samurai world.
But, this situation led to corruption and stagnancy of the Buddhist community in the Japanese society.
Though those Buddhist temples in villages and towns became a place for children to learn how to read and write as temples came to be deeply involved in daily lives of villagers and townspeople, thus increasing a literacy rate in Japan, great academic development of the Japanese Buddhism was not observed, in general terms, during the Tokugawa samurai era from the early 17th century to the late 19th century.
So, churches and temples should not function as a public office in any country.
The danka system, also known as jidan system is a system of voluntary and long-term affiliation between Buddhist temples and households in use in Japan since the Heian period.[1] In it, households (the danka) financially support a Buddhist temple which, in exchange, provides for their spiritual needs.[1] Although its existence long predates the Edo period (1603–1868), the system is best known for its repressive use made at that time by the Tokugawa, who made the affiliation with a Buddhist temple compulsory to all citizens.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danka_system
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Joh 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
Joh 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.