are there any still practicing the art of the Samurai?

[sirdarksol]

Originally Posted by disgruntled

although shintoism is based around the belief that people are decendent of god and so forth, and you must be loyal to Japan.... i do not think that these beliefs cannot be translated to another culture. granted something will be lost, as with all translations, but i think the aspects you listed are more superficial.

I both agree and disagree with you, here.
On the one hand, I agree that the concepts of Shintoism can be practiced by a non-Japanese.
On the other, I have studied a bit of Shintoism myself, and there is a belief, within the religion, that you must be Japanese to be Shinto. As it is not my religion to make these decisions, I have no right to tell them that they're wrong.
It's a kind of paradox for me. I try to respect others' religions, but there are things that really bother me about them.