Silence Lesson Plan

Why might Japan be "the country in the Orient most suited to Christianity"? What exactly does it mean for a country to be "suited" to Christianity, or any other kind of cultural influences, for that matter?

When Rodrigues writes that Japan is "the country in the Orient most suited to Christianity," he is, in part, describing the level of interest in Christian teachings in that country. As he notes, the experiences of European missionaries in Japan have been very different from the experiences of missionaries in China, where "the greater part of the Chinese show no interest" in Christianity. His language thus suggests that Japan has earned a reputation for being receptive...