Confucianism And Religion

Confucianism has remained the predominant ideology that influenced social aspects of East Asia’s inhabitants across centuries. It is a taught system of moral wisdom with characteristics of dominant religions, though it lacks a deity, a belief in life after death, or priesthood. In assessing Confucianism as a religious doctrine, its evolution, characteristics, and belief systems occupy fundamental parts.

The central concept of Confucianism is ren, the central virtue founded on the values of goodness, benevolence, humanity, and kind-heartedness. Established by Kong Qiu, his teachings have been influential since the sixth century B.C.E. Perturbed by civil strife and selfishness, Qiu set a moral order through individual responsibility for proper

In fact, Confucianism appears as a social-humanistic and ethical teaching than a religion. As ethical teaching, it focuses on establishing proper relations between people and the capacity of individuals to develop a moral personality. Confucianism is central in defining and preserving a set of traditions and rituals. The rituals were institutionalized in the Confucian temple called Miao and a state ceremony overseen by the Confucian school. Though numerous ritual performances exist, the main one is the Shih-Tien sacrificial ceremony conducted biannually in memory of Confucius and his disciples. Unfortunately, Confucianism lacks the element of the religious transcendence that claims a deity who reveals his or her scriptures through disciples lives outside a mortal world; however, the doctrine believes in the endpoint called T’ien or heaven. Confucianism is interesting as any virtuous individuals may transform their state of being to become

During this period, the doctrine was judged as a backward and conservative tradition responsible for all that ailed China. However, in recent times, a new school of thought has emerged, which challenges the concept of T’ien and the emphasis that Confucianism should advance as a set of moral teachings. These Late Confucians reject the ideas of abstract heaven arguing a human focus should be on becoming a moral person in the real ethical world. Arguably, the doctrine plays a key role in political and cultural transformation. As a worldview, it has given individuals a meaning and moral