Japanese Lesson 1
Of late, I've been learning a lot about Japanese culture from Japanese physicians visiting from Japan. In terms of religion it seems like it is at best a cultural exercise. Though I have a small sample size, I draw from the generalizations that these physicians provide themselves. Whether Shintoism or Buddhism, many Japanese know little about their "national" religions. The other alternative is they're feigning ignorance because religious devoutness is strange anywhere in the secular world, especially among the highly educated. From the surface the Japanese claim no religion. Yet before they eat a meal they sometimes put their hands together and say "Itadakimasu," which they tell me is a prayer of thanks. But thanks to whom? It is unclear to them. One suggests that it's perhaps thanking the provider of the food (i.e. farmer or chef). Another says they don't know but it's just tradition.

Going back to the comment about feigning ignorance, maybe it is true ignorance. Most U.S.-grown Americans know little about Christianity and relegate Bible stories to mythology.

Evolution vs. "Intelligent Design"
Many people who have had higher education look down upon religion ("opium for the masses"). An exception lies among the exceedingly smart astrophysicists. There seems to be a significant number of them who believe in God -- the Christian God. This is interesting considering these scientists study the origins and composition of the universe at the highest levels. This recognition of a creator may be motivated by the grandness of the universe-in-balance or the incomprehsible orchestration of it's formation.

In contrast, many anthropologists and biologists form a stronghold of atheism because the existence of a god threatens their beloved theory of evolution. The irony is neither astrophysicists nor biologists have rigorous scientific explanations of the origin of the universe or the origin of life; but many have taken opposite sides.