I cited the example of the Ainu as a device to make a rather narrow and specific point to spraynasal.Furthermore,I'm fully aware of the severe limitations of wikipedia and personally would NEVER use it as a first port of call for information on ANY topic.However,I note that many people on the BJ like to reference it in their blogs so I use it because they are familiar with it.Anyway,thanks for dropping by.It's always good to receive feedback from thoughtful,educated people.

@atheling:

I would say you are mistaken. The so called westernization of Japan began with the Meiji Restoration in the 1870s. It was this restoration that paved the way for the Japan that attacked Pearl Harbor. For example, the Japanese constitution of the Meiji Era granted civil rights within the limits of the law, and such laws were easily changed as the “Peace Preservation Laws” from the 1880s and the large number of suppressed civil rights movements shows (people know the Satsuma Rebellion, which had the -unjustified- hype around the “Last Samurai”, but barely anyone knows about the struggle of the peasants and workers for their rights and the extremely brutal reaction from the government and military). The constitution also placed the emperor on top of everything as an overly present “father figure” of the Japanese people and began spreading nationalism, following the European role model (the people didn’t consider themselves to be “Japanese” before that, people were from Morioka, Edo, or Aki province (just three random examples), the term "nippon-jin" pops up with the arrival of massive Western influence). The military soon took advantage of politics and the result was a terrible war.

Additionally, the atrocities in China and other places can not, under no circumstances, be blamed on traditional Japanese values. These events did not happen because of these old values. In fact, if the members of the Japanese military, who committed crimes, would have followed these old values, the atrocities would not have happened. Someone, who follows the old bushido (as defined by Yamamoto Tsunetomo’s “Hagakure” or Taira Shigesuke’s “Bushido shoshinshu” in the late 1600s and early 1700s), does not rape women and bayonet children. Bushido strictly forbids such behavior. The bushido used by the Japanese military before and during the war, however, is a mutilated version that focuses only on absolute loyalty and obedience towards the emperor. Original bushido shows seven virtues, loyalty being only one of them (compassion, for example, is another.)

Korea, China and the rest of Asia, were sacked by Japan AFTER the restoration of the imperial reign, which brought an opening towards the west and a greater influence by the west (INCLUDING Christianity.) Yes, Toyotomi Hideyoshi tried to take Korea in the 1590s, and failed. However, Tokugawa Ieyasu and his samurai did not take part in the two wars and under the Tokugawa reign the country shut itself off and did not attempt to invade anyone or anything. Invasions and expansion became a factor under the imperial rule, and the simple reason for this is: the Western influence (in comparison, the Tokugawa Bakufu showed no wish for expansion towards Korea or China.) Great Britain, the Netherlands, France and later Germany were all countries that had or aspired colonies. Japan wanted to follow this idea, of course. Japan wanted to make sure that it would not share the fate of China (which had foreign forces of occupation in many different places). Japan, more or less, tried to play in the big league with the Western countries and for that, the country needed expansion, needed colonies (all the so called Christian super powers of those days had such.) The result was just as disgusting and horrible as the colonization done by the “Christian” countries.

@Atlanticist911:

The problems for the Ainu really began with the Meiji Restoration. Before that, nobody in Edo gave a damn about Hokkaido. It was there, yes, but it was pretty much unimportant. Being sent there for common duty was not privilege for the normal samurai, it was a punishment. Yes, there were a couple of battles, but largely nothing much happened. The Ainu lost some land, but the Tokugawa Bakufu never made any attempts of eradicating or assimilating them (unlike the Meiji government, which was, as I mentioned above, following the Western role model.)

With the restoration, the country was supposed to be modernized (it was not, however, the majority of the Japanese population remained horribly poor until WW2, the only thing that changed for the normal people was that the Tokugawa rulers and their allies -a dictatorship- had been replaced with the emperor and his allies of the Satsuma-Choshu-Tosa oligarchy -another dictatorship).

Additionally, don’t believe everything wiki says. Universities discourage the use of wikipedia for research for a reason.

Considering the jackbooted thugs arresting people that day...its ironic they grabbed a German

"Would you deny that countries like Japan...have reached an acceptable level of human development?"
 
Well, try substituting  the word 'Ainu' for the words 'Native American',then you tell me?
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ainu_people
 

You fail to differentiate between the fact that Christianity forbids murder (and I mean it in the legal sense) of innocent people and Islam supports it (i.e. killing infidels who refuse to convert). People who happen to be Christian or come from a Christian country still commit murder and other crimes IN SPITE of Christianity's teachings.

Muslims, however, commmit murder and other crimes BECAUSE of Islam's teachings.

Your example of Japan is erroneous. Japan's atrocities during WWII (and prior to that - recall their occupation of Korea) cannot be exempted. Japan's "development", as you like to call it, is a result of its WESTERNIZATION, which cannot be separated from the fact that the West is Christian-influenced.

But in so far the only killings you mentioned were christian ones.
Is it racism or religious prejudice we se there?

Great news,Atheling.Perhaps Dr Thornton might consider writing a series of commentaries on the 'Belgium Crisis',which he could later incorporate into his lectures on "The Rise and Fall of Western Europe".(see link,below).One can but hope...
 
http://www.vdh2008.com/
 
 

I don't say, Mr Traveller, that bad christian are more guilty than others. On the other hand would you deny that countries like Japan, who are not of christian tradition, have reached an acceptable level of human development? Christianity is one way to a better humanity, but not the only one and this way has to be cleaned and improved..like all the others ways. By pointing out at historical deviances of christianity, I don't reject it: True love, simply, is not blindness...

I just discovered your comments about the murderous christians.
This continuous bullshit about the christians being responsible for all evil on earth is disgusting.
The only countries with a universal social welfaresystem are christian nations, the only nations with an acceptable wealth distribution are christian nations.
Through the whole human history the only humanitatian evolution was through christianity.
Slavery was from all times, all cultures and was only stopped by christian governments. So please stop this bullshit about the bad christians. TODAY there are no governments with an acceptable human program except in the so-called christian hemisphere, because of their christian roots. Of course they are now, influenced by socialism and communism, allowing comfort-abortions and comfort-euthanasia and it will not take very long for the socialists and free-masons to decide who will live and who will die by genetic pre-selection and this, my friend, will be because we abandon christianity.
STOP this masochism and self-chastising

You're right about the romanticism spread about the American Indian. They also treated women harshly, and engaged in slavery and torture!

Funny you should be quoting Dr. Thornton on this. I just emailed him and got a reply about the Brussels Demo (I sent him a link to this site) and he is going see about writing this up in a column!

(I met him in Seattle during a seminar "Islam and the West" sponsored by the conservative think tank, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute). Brilliant thinker!

The Indian ecologist is a myth no more true than the picture of Puritan-Indian harmony.Like all peoples in human history,American Indians exploited their harsh environment...Pre-contact Indians used fire extensively to clear forest for farming,promote tree species more useful to them,and facilitate travel and hunting.Whole herds of game were driven off cliffs,with no regard whatsoever for modern ecological conceptions of waste or conservation...
 
Excerpted from: "A Time for Real Indians" by Bruce Thornton.
 
 
Rocky Mountain tribes entertained Lewis and Clark "by applying torches to sap-dripping fir trees,which then exploded like Roman candles" The Great Plains is mostly an artifact of Indian burning,and the presence of bison in the East was due to Indians,who burned off forests and thus created a landscape more suitable for bison...
 
Excerpted from: "New World,Old Myths". again by Bruce Thornton.

The Crusades....

"Black men" (slavery?)...

Global poverty...

Etc.,...

Appreciate the courage this person has to quietly demonstrate against the Establishment.
Is there any law against false arrest? What charges did they bring against these folks?  Can they get away with jailing these people for doing NOTHING???

What the hell are you spraying into your nasal cavity?

@ spraynasal
 
"In the name of the cross we have submitted the native people of America..."
 
Now,that ahistorical generalization makes me cross...
 
http://www.badeagle.com/html/nation_building.html
 
Title: Nation Building,Comanche Style. 

In the name of the cross, and in violation of God's laws.. we have also killed in Jerusalem under Godfrey of Bouillon. In the name of the cross, at that time, we have also burned Byzantium. In the name of the cross we have submitted the native people of America, destroyed the Inca Empire, and later enslaved the blacks once there were not enough indians left.The miracle of God is that Christianity still exist, after so many betrayals, that we can still rely on faith and hope and charity to give our children solid values and vision of long-lasting values As for fearing the islam...the West now changing their ways better than in the past...Even radical Muslims got converted to yahoo mail, MP3, google search engines and portable cell phones. Western technology keeps becoming universal. True ennemies of christians are utter poverty of too many...and destruction of the global ecosystem. Not other religions...

Sir,If you happen to be reading this then I thank you for your witness account and dedicate the following link to you.

Title: The Once and Future Christendom

http://www.amconmag.com/2007/2007_09_10/cover.html