The Basis of Moral Education at Doshisha University（同志社大学徳育の基本と為す）

Moreover, this kind of education can never be achieved through a one- sided wisdom education alone. Nor can it be accomplished by Confucianism, which has already lost its grip on the human heart. It must be based on the morality of Christian values, in which one believes in God, loves the truth, and is compassionate toward others, and we make Christian values the basis of our moral education. It is in this respect that we differ from the tendency of current educators.
(“The Intentions for the Establishment of Doshisha University,” 1888, JNE, p. 21)

This is the reason why Christian values are the basis of moral education at Doshisha University. It is for this reason that we wish to establish Doshisha University. Our purpose is as stated above. If anyone considers the establishment of Doshisha University as a means to spread Christianity or to train preachers, he or she still does not understand our ideas. Our purpose is even higher. We are not establishing a university to spread Christianity. We simply believe that Christian values have the vitality to improve the spirit and conduct of young people, and we wish to apply this principle to education and to train people who will further improve their conduct with this principle.
(Ibid., p. 31)

Background

On October 9, 1874, just before his return to Japan, Neesima spoke at the annual conference of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (American Board) held at the Rutland Congregational Church (now Grace Church) in Rutland, Vermont, expressing his passion for evangelism in Japan and his desire to establish a Christian educational institution in Japan. Neesima’s tearful speech touched people’s hearts so much that a lot of people promised to offer a huge amount of donations for his future project. Even a farmer who attended the conference offered two dollars for the return train fare. The donations made in Rutland supported the establishment of Doshisha English School on November 29, 1875.
　The school that Neesima appealed to establish in Rutland was a training school that focused on training missionaries. However, at the time of the establishment of the Doshisha English School, teaching the Bible was forbidden in Kyoto, making it difficult to promote Christianity externally. At the same time, Neesima came to believe that to educate more young people through a new kind of education, it was necessary to establish a school that was not bound by conventional traditions and that could compete with government-run schools. In other words, rather than a training institute for missionaries, as he had envisioned before returning to Japan, Neesima wanted to establish a university with advanced specialized education and Christianity as the basis of its moral education. In his later years, Neesima devoted all his energy to the establishment of the university. Among the thirteen documents, he left behind for his university project, the most complete is “The Intentions for the Establishment of Doshisha University,” which was announced to the entire nation in 1888.
　Although “The Intentions for the Establishment of Doshisha University” is concluded with the name of Neesima, he sent a draft listing the main points to Soho Tokutomi, one of his disciples who was active as a journalist at that time, and Tokutomi made it into a prestigious text. Therefore, it is important to note that “The Intentions for the Establishment of Doshisha University” reflects Neesima’s educational philosophy, and at the same time, contains phrases that Tokutomi preferred. For example, the sentence, “I will strive to produce a person who will apply his conscience to his work,” is often quoted even today, but it is known that this is an expression that should be attributed to Tokutomi, not to Neesima.
　In the first quote above, the contrast between Confucianism and Christianity is clear. Confucianism, as the principle of communal order, has long been the foundation of the Japanese spirit. It has been believed that positioning oneself within the norms of parent-child relationships, master- servant relationships, seniority lists, and the like, and not deviating from these norms creates stability in the family, society, nation, and other communities. However, Neesima believed that this way of thinking could not meet the demands of the new era, and he sought to replace Confucian ideology with Christian values as the “basis of moral education.” This, Neesima believed, was the most important characteristic that distinguished him from other educators.
　In the second quote above, he similarly reaffirms Christianity as “the basis of moral education at Doshisha University.” Still, here Neesima attempts to clear up a misunderstanding of “Christian values” and says that “Christian values” are not about Christian missionary or preacher training, but “Our purpose is even higher.” In Neesima, Christian values are linked to “vitality to improve the spirit and conduct of young people” and are positioned as a source of power to renew one’s spirit and conduct. It is up to us today to consider the concrete specifics of “Our purpose is even higher.”

Contemporary Significance

Christianity as a Catalyst for Promoting Dialogue

Today is an era of religious pluralism, and Christian absolutism, as held by the early Protestant missionaries, can no longer be assumed. Rather than separating itself from other religions and secular society, Christianity should play the role of a catalyst (“salt of the earth”) for reconciling conflicting values and for promoting dialogue among them. It is in the concrete relationships between people (including faculty, staff, and students) and society that Christian values, as a force for renewing the spirit and conduct of young people, will materialize in each life. To equate Christian values with the knowledge of Christianity learned in the classroom is to trivialize Christianity. It is in thinking about and practicing “our purpose is even higher,” that Christian values become a living philosophy.

Not “Judge,” but “Know Together”

In the age of social networking, it has become possible to efficiently collect information that is beneficial to oneself. At the same time, however, it has become the norm to live comfortably within one’s preferred information space, becoming indifferent to opinions that differ from one’s own, and even attacking excessively those who hold dissimilar opinions or are being criticized. We know that relentless criticism of others in digital space can even lead to their suicide. It is precisely in these times that we need a Christian practice that can restrain and overcome indifference, division, and excessive criticism of others. Simply put, it is the practice of “knowing together” (conscience) rather than “judging.”
　In the Gospel according to Matthew 7:1–5 (New Testament), we read the following words of Jesus.

　In an online society where “judging others” is now possible with the touch of a finger, it would be the best practice of Christianity if we could not easily judge others, but rather, sincerely reflect on ourselves and be open to “knowing together” with others.

Control and Transformation of Desires

The modern age is an age of mass consumption. As a result, we produce a large amount of waste including greenhouse gases, which now have a tremendous impact on the global environment. To balance human economic activities with the preservation of the global environment (social sustainability), it is necessary to appropriately control our unlimited desires and transform them into different forms. The idea of “knowing enough” is found in many religions and cultures, including Buddhism, but at a time when this idea is becoming increasingly rare, we should take a fresh look at the following words from the Bible for their contemporary significance.
　In the Gospel according to Matthew 6:25–30, Jesus says the following.

　Eating, drinking, and wearing clothes are important. However, we need a larger worldview (cosmology) that allows us to restrain our desire for “more and more.” Do we pay attention to small natural beings such as birds of the air and the grass of the field? Jesus shows us the wonder of the connection of these small beings to the greatest being (God). A Christianity that restores this sense of wonder should nurture the strength to sustain the future.

Fulfillment and Liberation through “Rest”

Freedom and liberation are themes that run throughout the Bible in which we can see two kinds of liberation: spatial (social) liberation and temporal liberation. The preamble to the Ten Commandments of Moses contains God’s declaration, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 20:2). The Israelites’ journey from Egypt, where they were forced to live in slavery, to Canaan, the promised land of flowing milk and honey, is nothing less than an event of liberation. We might call this spatial and social liberation.
　On the other hand, the Sabbath commandment in the Ten Commandments, “But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work” (Exodus 20:10), can be called a temporal liberation. Recalling that God rested on the seventh day of creation and sanctified that day (Genesis 2:2–3), he says that man must also rest on that day. It is common through all ages to be so busy with work that we forget even the important things we need to keep in mind. We easily become slaves to time. The Bible describes a liberation from this slavery, a temporal liberation. In Japan, this message of the Bible is very vivid, as the virtue of diligence has been emphasized for a long time, and taking a break has been regarded as laziness. A Christian value that incorporates that vividness can liberate and keep people alive.
　Even today in Japan, from an early age, people are often reprimanded by their parents and teachers for doing nothing as laziness, and few adults teach them the significance of “taking a rest.” However, if we grow up without having experienced the positive meaning of “rest” from a young age, how can we develop the ability to look critically at our repetitive daily routines? “Death by overwork” known as “Karo-shi” is one of the notorious tragic consequences of modern Japan. The freedom to move through various worlds without being enslaved to a world that demands patience with inconvenience dwells only in the fulfilled rest. To schooling and labor in general, Christianity can convey the joy of liberation through “rest.”

A Strong Focus on “The Least of These”

Although absolute poverty is decreasing due to various efforts of international aid, economic disparities continue to widen without end. Many people are not only marginalized and poverty-stricken in society, but also discriminated against and dehumanized. And such social structures were seen even in biblical times. Can we reach out to people who need help instead of passing by them? Jesus asks the following question.

　Jesus announced the coming of the Kingdom of God and spoke of it in many parables. The smallest things (birds of the air and grass of the field [Matthew 6:25–30], mustard seeds [Mark 4:31–32], the man half killed by robbers [Luke 10:25–37]) lead to the greatest (God, His Kingdom, His love). How can Christianity apply the great dynamism of this paradox in the present and the future? In every age, this paradoxical truth will never fade away. This is why practicing Christianity is called for (see “The Improvement of Society”).

(Katsuhiro Kohara)