Listen--God only exists in people's minds. Especially in Japan, God's always been kind of a flexible concept. Look at what happened after the war. Douglas MacArthur ordered the divine emperor to quit being God, and he did, making a speech saying he was just an ordinary person. So after 1946 he wasn't God anymore. That's what Japanese gods are like--they can be tweaked and adjusted. Some American comping on a cheap pipe gives the order and presto change-o--God's no longer God. A very postmodern kind of thing. If you think God's there, He is. If you don't, He isn't.~pages 286-287
The quote reflects the idea that the concept of God is subjective and shaped by cultural and historical contexts, particularly in Japan. It illustrates how, following the end of World War II, the divine status of the emperor was altered by external influence, emphasizing that even deities can be modified based on societal needs and perceptions. This suggests that religious beliefs can be fluid, adaptable to the times and circumstances surrounding them.
This perspective maintains that belief in God is a mental construct—if people choose to believe, then God exists for them; if they do not, then God fades away. This highlights a postmodern view of spirituality where authority and divine existence are flexible and can shift with societal changes, illustrating the complex relationship people have with the idea of God and divinity throughout history.
