Nihon Board of Education Textbook.
Amazing Grace
Shuken Shuppan Polestar textbook English linguistic communication Communication
Preface: Japanese / Nihon is one of the leading donors inwards humanitarian aid around the world. They receive got donated billions of yen to charities, developing countries, in addition to startup trouble organisation to simply close every province on the globe. Some Japanese receive got fifty-fifty taken matters to the extreme to the request of poking their noses into hotspot areas similar Palestine in addition to Isreal, things the Japanese may desire to avoid. Had Nihon shared its borders amongst an ethnic minority amongst its ain government, the relative peace in addition to calm of this province would live questionable. No other province tin live similar nor emulate Japan. So, where does this spirit of charity in addition to altruism come upwards from exactly? Why produce the Japanese experience they ask to salve the whole world, spell caring really petty for its ain people? It's the Board of Education...? The essay below is 1 such illustration of what Japanese kids larn inwards school, in addition to how stories similar Minako resonate amongst hence many Japanese in addition to how the spread of Christianity is subversively beingness taught to Japanese kids.
This article was taken from Polestar Shuken Shuppan English linguistic communication textbook:
Amazing Grace is a really pop song. It has been heard past times millions of people at to the lowest degree in 1 lawsuit inwards their lives. In Japan, likely the most famous version was past times Honda Minako. Two years after its unloose inwards 2003, Minako entered hospital. She had leukemia. In hospital, Minako recorded the vocal on a vocalisation recorder. It was to cheer upwards a friend inwards the same hospital. H5N1 curt fourth dimension later, inwards Nov 2005, Minako passed away.
[ I receive got noticed over the years, mainly through my empirical observation amongst a lot of Japanese people, that they receive got comfort in addition to joy inwards western religious hymns amongst Christian themes such every bit Amazing Grace. Most admittedly produce non empathize the lyrics. I am wondering how this is possible when 90% of Japanese are non-Christians... [ " Many Japanese are familiar amongst Christianity in addition to receive got had exposure to the religious belief either through schoolhouse or churches based inwards Japan"]. [me]
According to her wishes, a commercial was made for a os heart bank. In the commercial, the version of Amazing Grace on her vocalisation recorder was used. Many people were moved past times her beautiful voice. However, most people had no see of the pregnant behind the song. The words to Amazing Grace were originally written past times an Englishman called John Newton inwards the eighteenth century. The reasons why he wrote this hymn are rather interesting in addition to unexpected.
[ In this paragraph, I detect the virtues of Minako in addition to how she tries to offering solice in addition to comfort through her voice. This is good, but I produce non know why Christian hymns are chosen for this when most Japanese produce non fifty-fifty empathize the songs words, or why they were used inwards the hymn.][me]
John Newton was born inwards London inwards 1725, the boy of a ships's captan. At the historic stream of 11, he began going to body of body of water amongst his father. When he grew up, he establish locomote inwards the slave trade. He took slaves from the westward coast of Africa to the New World . In those days, trading slaves was legal. Newton himself saw zippo incorrect amongst the business.
[ I am also concerned close why slavery inwards context seems to live justified because it was legal? Why couldn't Shuken reword this past times condemning slavery every bit incorrect inwards spite of it beingness legal for the sake of posterity?
And hence going every bit far every bit to tell Newton saw zippo incorrect amongst it. Where the students should live feeling to a greater extent than sympathetic towards the slaves, they at nowadays experience endeared toward John Newton every bit a form out of human being who was spared past times God's wrath for his ain personal transgressions in addition to non for the condemnation of slavery bought upon him past times his involvement inwards human trafficking***] Most slaves perished at body of body of water due to affliction or were thrown overboard during storms at body of body of water to lighten the charge of the slave ships, why couldn't they receive got been spared? Why does Shuken ask to attach some altruistic virtue to Mr. Newton? Maybe immature Japanese desire to live similar John Newton, or other Anglo saviors of the world?
In 1748, at the historic stream of 22, Newton experienced a life-changing event. It occurred inwards the Atlantic Ocean during a non bad storm. His store was close to sink. For the offset fourth dimension inwards his life, he called out to God: "Lord, receive got mercy upon us!" Eventually, the tempest passed in addition to the send managed to arrive to Ireland. Newton saw it every bit a miracle.
[ The miracle hither is that he was spared? Were the slaves spared, too? How did 1 man's legacy locomote something worthy to live published in addition to taught inwards a Japanese textbook..? How does it relate to education? ]
Newton believed that he survived every bit a number of God's protection. When he reached land, he went straight to a church building in addition to got baptized. After that, his religious belief inwards God gradually increased in addition to he began to regret his sins. He also began to experience sympathetic towards the slaves that he met on his work.
[ So, hither nosotros run across the slaves were non of import until a tempest hitting in addition to that is the argue god spared his life was because of his ain sins.... The existent argue God may receive got spared his life was to salve the lives of the slaves he was trading... in addition to non his ain for the sake of his ain salvation...]
At the historic stream of 30, Newton had a stroke. His physician told him to surrender his life every bit a sailor. He worked every bit a revenue enhancement collector, but he was no happy. Newton felt that the fourth dimension had come upwards when he should serve God rather than himself. In 1764, Newton became a clergyman inwards Olney, a little hamlet inwards the English linguistic communication countryside. Around this time, Newton wrote many hymns to tell people close the Christian message. he never forgot the retentiveness of this miraculous rescue at sea. That was the icon inwards his heed when he wrote the famous lines of Amazing Grace.
[ So again, I am wondering what was the intended message for publishing Minako singing a vocal amongst religious implications? What are Japanese students supposed to receive got from this story? The storey could receive got been written amongst a greater focus on her talents every bit a vocalist in addition to her struggles amongst Leukemia rather than using her legacy every bit a non bad vocalist to get upwards a white slave possessor who had an epiphany amongst God amongst a send sum of slaves to the New World. Shukan, you lot tin produce much ameliorate than using Minako's legacy for spreading Christianity inwards your populace schools. ]me
Final notes:
Christian themes on salvation receive got been subtly implemented inwards schoolhouse textbooks inwards Nihon for good over 50 years either through songs or stories of Anglo salvationism. They start to run across Anglo favorably inwards the site of God, in addition to non the lesser people similar the slaves who endeared horrors unspeakable during the human trafficking in addition to slave merchandise days. The master copy teachings of Japanese ancestry where those of suicidal glory or acquire out through sacrifice, has at nowadays been replaced past times Anglo salvationism indirectly. What were the reasons for the BOE to add together this storey inwards their high schoolhouse textbooks? What just is the lesson to live learned past times Japanese students from this story? Was it the storey of Minako in addition to her scrap or John Newtons? Whose salvation? Minako was non spared. What did the students genuinely larn here?
N.B. Not all slaves were from African countries, some came from southern Europe in addition to that is why I used the give-and-take human trafficking, too.
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