Across families
Shinto and Umbanda
Different families with 11 axes in close agreement — the sort of pairing a quiz weighting only the divine axes would never surface. Mean distance across all seventeen axes: 0.17 (0 would be identical).
Kami are everywhere — in rivers, mountains, ancestors and the occasional remarkable person — and the religion is what you do rather than what you believe. There is no sin to be saved from, only impurity to be washed off.
A Brazilian synthesis of Yoruba orixás, Kardecist reincarnation and Catholic saints, in which spirits work through mediums to do practical good. Charity is the point, syncretism is the method, and no existing quiz can return it.
Where they agree
B3 Institutional authority
Both sit at leaning clergy and tradition decide — a gap of 0.02.
D1 Mechanism of the ultimate good
Both sit at between given as grace and achieved by effort or insight — a gap of 0.02.
D3 The body
Both sit at between to be disciplined and to be celebrated — a gap of 0.02.
A4 Locus
Both sit at fully present within it — a gap of 0.03.
D2 Centrality of ritual
Both sit at essential and prescribed — a gap of 0.03.
A3 Plurality
Both sit at many powers and spirits — a gap of 0.06.
A1 Divine reality
Both sit at a divine reality certainly exists — a gap of 0.08.
B2 Reading of sacred text
Both sit at leaning metaphorical, or no text at all and metaphorical, or no text at all respectively — a gap of 0.10.
E2 Origin of the cosmos
Both sit at leaning an intentional act — a gap of 0.10.
E4 Standing of nature
Both sit at animate and itself sacred — a gap of 0.10.
E1 Exclusivity
Both sit at leaning many valid paths and many valid paths respectively — a gap of 0.12.
Where they part company
C2 Shape of time
Shinto: leaning one life, then judgment. Umbanda: cyclical return. A gap of 0.53 on an axis running from “one life, then judgment” to “cyclical return”.
E3 Locus of belonging
Shinto: a people, inherited. Umbanda: between a people, inherited and an individual choice. A gap of 0.47 on an axis running from “a people, inherited” to “an individual choice”.
C1 Survival of the self
Shinto: between ends at death and continues in some form. Umbanda: continues in some form. A gap of 0.43 on an axis running from “ends at death” to “continues in some form”.
All seventeen axes
| Axis | Shinto | Umbanda | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Divine reality | a divine reality certainly exists | a divine reality certainly exists | 0.08 |
| A2 Personhood | between impersonal principle or order and a personal being one can address | leaning a personal being one can address | 0.23 |
| A3 Plurality | many powers and spirits | many powers and spirits | 0.06 |
| A4 Locus | fully present within it | fully present within it | 0.03 |
| B1 Source of truth | between revealed and fixed and reason and direct experience | leaning reason and direct experience | 0.37 |
| B2 Reading of sacred text | leaning metaphorical, or no text at all | metaphorical, or no text at all | 0.10 |
| B3 Institutional authority | leaning clergy and tradition decide | leaning clergy and tradition decide | 0.02 |
| C1 Survival of the self | between ends at death and continues in some form | continues in some form | 0.43 |
| C2 Shape of time | leaning one life, then judgment | cyclical return | 0.53 |
| C3 The human condition | ignorant but fundamentally sound | leaning ignorant but fundamentally sound | 0.18 |
| D1 Mechanism of the ultimate good | between given as grace and achieved by effort or insight | between given as grace and achieved by effort or insight | 0.02 |
| D2 Centrality of ritual | essential and prescribed | essential and prescribed | 0.03 |
| D3 The body | between to be disciplined and to be celebrated | between to be disciplined and to be celebrated | 0.02 |
| E1 Exclusivity | leaning many valid paths | many valid paths | 0.12 |
| E2 Origin of the cosmos | leaning an intentional act | leaning an intentional act | 0.10 |
| E3 Locus of belonging | a people, inherited | between a people, inherited and an individual choice | 0.47 |
| E4 Standing of nature | animate and itself sacred | animate and itself sacred | 0.10 |
Positions for Shinto rest principally on Kojiki, Nihon Shoki, and Jinja Honcho practice guidance; for Umbanda, on Umbanda terreiro practice and Ortiz, A Morte Branca do Feiticeiro Negro. Per-cell sources are listed on each tradition’s own page.
The questionnaire places your answers on these same axes and ranks all 65 traditions by how closely they match. Take it.