Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Christianity vs Confucianism
Confucius’s influence
Christianity vs Confucianism
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Christianity vs Confucianism
Comparing Confucianism and Christianity
The premise of Confucian teachings are centered around the idea of Jen
or the ³virtue of humanity (Ching 68).² To accomplish this divinity, five
relationships must be honored: ruler and minister, father and son, husband and
wife, elder and younger brother, and friend and friend (Hopfe). These
relationships led a push for a revolution of the political system to adopt the
methods of Jen. Confucius sought to revive the ancient Chinese culture by
redefining the importance of society and government. He described a society
governed by ³reasonable, humane, and just sensibilities, not by the passions of
individuals arbitrarily empowered by hereditary status² (Clearly). He felt
that this could be achieved through education and the unification of cultural
beliefs. He believed that a nation would be benefited by citizens that were ³
cultivated people whose intellects and emotions had been developed and matured
by conscious people² (Clearly). He felt that those born into the feudal system
were had a personal duty to excel socially by means of power. Those who were of
lesser class should also seek out education to better themselves. All purposes
for betterment of man and society as one whole is known as Li. Li means ³the
rationalized social order² (Yutang). Confucius felt that love and respect for
authority was a key to a perfect society; this strict respect was practiced
through rituals and magic (Smith). The Confucius traditions have caused a
tradition to set within its institution and is extremely active. It has,
unfortunately, allowed the political institution to manipulate the Confucius
system. As with Christianity.
Christianity also preaches a divine, brotherly love. Modern
Christianity seeks to discover a ³rational understanding of the person² as did
Confucius (Ess ed. 381); yet, Christianity feels that faith in the Jesus Christ
as a personal savior is essential to this enlightenment. It was also under the
guise of Christianity that it had to confront totalitarian systems ³[dehumanize]
uses of power in its sphere of influence (state and church, and [these] systems
triumphed under the banner of de-Christianization (Ess ed. 384). Unlike
Confucius reformers of their corrupt state pushed the beliefs of the true ideals
of Confucius, Christians believed in an ³Absolute against all absolvi...
... middle of paper ...
...942.
Hughes, E. R. and K. Religion in China. Hutchinson's University Library,
London; 1950.
Kelen, Betty. Confucius: In Life and Legend. Thomas Nelson INC., New York;
1971.
King. Hans and ed. Christianity and the World Religions. Doubleday, New
York; 1986
McCuen., Gary E. The Religious Right. Hudson, Wisconsin; 1989.
O'Briare, S. J. Fifty Years of Chinese Garment. Lutterworth Press, London;
1951.
Siu, R. G. H. The Man of Many Qualities: A Legacy of the I Ching.
Smith, Huston. The Religions of Man. Harper & Row, New York; 1958
Smith, Howard. Confucius. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York; 1973
Soper, Edmund Davison. The Religions of Mankind. Abingdon Press, New York;
1966.
Toynbee, Arnold. Christianity Among the Religions of the World. Charles
Scribner's Sons, New York; 1957
Weber, Max. The Religion of China. The Free Press, New York; 1951.
Wieger, L. History of Religious Belief and Philosophical Opinions in China.
Catholic Mission, Hsein-sein, China; 1927.
Yang, C. K. Religion in Chinese Society. University of California Press,
Berkeley and Los Angeles; 1961.
Yutang, Lin. The Wisdom of Confucius. The Modern library, New York; 1938.
that were; the clergy, the nobility, and the common people. They were each striving for
This paper is a comparison between two very different religions. Specifically Christianity and Buddhism. Coming from opposite sides of the globe these two religions could not be any farther apart in any aspect. I will discuss who Christ is for Christians and who Buddha is for Buddhists. I will also get into the aspects of charity, love, and compassion in both religions and I will be looking at the individual self and how christians see resurrection where the buddhists feel about the afterlife. One thing to keep in mind is that the two religions are very different but they seem to have a very similar underlying pattern. Both believe that there was a savior of their people, Buddha and Christ, and both believe that there is something good that happens to us when our time is done here on earth. This is a very generalized summarization but in order to go in to depth I need to explain the two religions more to fully convey this theory.
In India, around the 6th century B.C., a man gave up his royal lifestyle to attain enlightenment, and began teaching others the path to enlightenment as well. This prince-turned-teacher became known as the Buddha. At the same time, in China, Confucius too was just initiating his teachings in social construction. Their teachings became important and are still influential in their home countries. For India, and later on in China too, Buddhism became a religion and in China, Confucianism became a social structure model. Throughout their teachings, three philosophies were covered by both teachers in their own way. These viewpoints were humanity without selfishness, education in the fundamentals of firmness of beliefs and keeping fresh minds, and
Confucianism is a philosophy and way of life formed in China by Confucius, an early Chinese philosopher. It began as a simple concept with ideals of personal virtue, simple filial piety, and basic gender distinctions and social inequalities. But, over time with the emergence of Neo-Confucianism it began to transform into a way of life that was degrading towards women with certain hostilities towards rivaling religions. In its early period, from around 500 B.C.E to the Common Era, Confucianism changed in that it became the leading belief system and a major part of Chinese tradition. From the transition into the Common Era to the end of the Classical time period, Confucianism was altered because of a loss of popularity following the collapse of the Han dynasty and the corruption in the governing political system. In its ending period, the post-classical era, Confucianism underwent perhaps its biggest adjustments with the emergence of Neo-Confucianism. The ideas and virtues presented in the “rebirth of Confucian philosophies” of intolerance of foreign religions and extreme filial piety...
Each religion has many different ways that worship, some may be public and some may be private. I have chosen to investigate the different forms of worship from Christianity and although both religions have similarities both of them are unique in their own way.
It is widely debated among scholars and among laypeople interested in Confucianism whether or not Confucianism is a religion or just a philosophy with some spiritual aspects. The early dynasties, and some of the ideas developed later by post-Confucius philosophers point to confucianism being more of a religion.
While possessing similar goals, Confucianism and Daoism texts have conflicting information on how to achieve these goals. Confucianism and Daoism have some similarities such as the belief that “human fulfillment lay in harmonizing our thinking and behavior with the Way (dao)” and a refinement of the self to gain an objective (Adler, Chinese Religious Traditions, 15). Both traditions recognize that we can do better as humans. While there are similarities between these religious traditions, their written teachings have very different instruction on how to achieve the Dao. Confucianism encourages the notion of ru, which is “evoking a commitment to learning, refinement, cultural accomplishments, and the practice of rites and
...he teachings, rather than worshipping a specific God. Confucianism teaches that all people are good and it emphasizes the importance of every individual to be good to one another. Buddhism is teaching the importance of reaching a certain level of enlightenment, meaning a moment in their lives where they do not do anything morally wrong and have a high level of understanding in their life (pbs.org). Confucianism encourages their young to obey their elders. The idea expects the inferiors of the house hold or social class obey their superiors and show respect. There is great admiration for the elders in Confucianism. Buddhism highlights the four noble truths, which state they we as humans are born into suffering, “we cause our own suffering, we should stop doing things that make us suffer and follow an enlightened path to end our suffering” (people.opposingviews.com).
Confucianism and Daoism are two influential schools of thoughts that have existed in ancient China around the 6th century BCE. The former, led by the politician and philosopher Confucius, proposed that humans live in society according to a set of predefined rules and that they transform society through political action. Whereas the latter, led by the philosopher Lao-Tzu, promoted the idea of inaction; people should go with the flow instead of taking action to control their lives and dominate their surroundings. Although, at first glance Daoism and Confucianism seem to be two opposing philosophies, a more in depth analysis of two of their key ideas –filial piety and education—reveals that they do share some similarities.
“If I were asked to define the Hindu creed, I should simply say: Search after truth through non-violent means. A man may not believe in God and still call himself a Hindu. Hinduism is a relentless pursuit after truth... Hinduism is the religion of truth. Truth is God.”
Confucianism is a moral and religious system of China. Its origins go back to the Analects, the sayings attributed to Confucius, and to ancient writings, including that of Mencius. Confucius was born a mandarin under the name Kongzi. It was developed around 550 B.C. In its earliest form Confucianism was primarily a system of ethical concepts for the control of society. It saw man as a social creature that is bound to his fellow men by jen, or “humanity.” Jen is expressed through the five relationships—sovereign and subject, parent and child, elder and younger brother, husband and wife, and friend and friend. Of these, the filial relation is most important.
China is a country with a vast cultural and historical background. It is a country with four billon people with extreme cultural diversity, which is nourished by different philosophies of its own. These philosophies are the beginning ideas of Chinese morality and spiritual belief, which were enriched by different intellectual heroes like Confucius.
Although Judaism and Confucianism appear to be on different realms of the religious spectrum, they have similar traditions deriving from dissimilar roots. The significance of family in Confucianism is strongly upheld by the filial piety rooted within all of the traditions and beliefs. Meanwhile, Judaism’s emphasis on God’s word as being the ultimate path for a righteous life is supported throughout the Jewish adherence to the special laws commanded by God. Whether the foundation of the religion is rooted from filial piety or God’s commandments, both Judaism and Confucianism reflect similar standards in family rituals, religious beliefs, and moral conduct.
Hinduism, as well as Buddism, both came into existence in India. Both religions are similar in many ways. The religions both believe in reincarnation and that the specific purpose of their teachings is to escape this cycle.
The concept of Confucianism has contributed immensely in the forming of Chinese character, behaviour and the way to live, with its main purpose being to achieve harmony which is considered the greatest social value. Confucianism firmly highlights the impression of mercy, social order and fulfilment of responsibilities. The effects of Confucianism had impacted both China and Japan to the extent that the changes are still noticeable to this day.