Item Detail
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22060
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0
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0
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English
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Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and Moonies : A Critical Look at Christian Heterodoxy in Japan
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Japan Christian Quarterly
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Winter 1991
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57
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no.1
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29-35
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The historical background and methods of work in Japan of the Mormon Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Unification Church are examined. Missionary work by the Mormon Church in Japan was begun in 1901, but didn't really begin to attract sizeable numbers of members until 1970. It presently has about 95,000 members in Japan. Missionary work in Japan relies on maintaining a positive public image and a regularly-rotated missionary force of about 1,600. The author contends that investigators are not told about controversial Mormon beliefs often until they have developed an attachment to Mormonism and the Mormon people. The doctrines of baptism for the dead and the idea that Godhood is achievable for all people would be attractive to Japanese people. Of the three religions examined, the Moonies are regarded as being the most active in appropriating and adapting to Japanese culture, even to the point of being deceptive.