Animism is the world’s oldest belief system.

Animism’s central belief is the belief that spirits exist in the

natural world.

Animists believe that everything in nature

has a spirit. A rock has a

spirit. A river has a spirit. The earth has a

spirit.

Animism is still practiced in parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Animists believe that the spirits influence the natural world and daily affairs.

Animists offer prayers and sacrifices to the spirits.

Shintoism is a form of Animism. Shintoism is the oldest religion of Japan. It is Japanese animism.

Kami is the Japanese word for spirits. The Japanese view the Kami as friendly and benevolent.

Shinto shrines or temples are found in nature – near a lake or on a mountain. Nature is important.

Amaterasu is the sun goddess. The Japanese believed that the emperor of Japan was a descendant of the sun goddess.

But after Japan’s defeat in World War II, the emperor announced on the radio that he was not divine.

However, Shintoism is still a popular religion in Japan.