In Japan, new forms of healing and worship bring trance mechanisms together with the Japanese cultural heritage to heal patients suffering from what we would call psychosomatic illnesses. The New Religions developed in response to modern life situations, and particularly, in response to the new illnesses and anxieties felt by many newly urban Japanese. Those millions of Japanese who have moved into cities since the 1950s have found themselves cut off from their accustomed places for ritual practice and sources of religious strength. They also found themselves living in a radically new era, with new kinds of pressures on the job and at home. Let us take a look at one of the new religions, that of Mahikari. Mahikari, meaning “True Light,” was founded in 1959 when a man of lower-class

Question

origins in Tokyo recovered from illness and debt and received a revelation from God that he was to change his name and bring light and health to the people of Japan. This man, now known as Okada Kotama, began to heal people through the use of amulets. His sect grew rapidly in popularity—by the late 1970s Mahikari had over 150 dojos (buildings for practicing spiritual disciplines) and somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 active members.

Which of the following organizational patterns does the author use?

a. example
b. definition
c. summary

Answer 1

a. example