Religion And Confucianism: The Definition Of Religion

The definition of religion has long been debated. Many argue what it means to be considered one, and consequently there is not a unified meaning of the word religion. It seems to be a matter of preference. Some think it is an ultimate transformation while others think it is the worshipping of what is sacred to them. However, I feel that no matter how one slices their own definition of religion, they cannot categorize Confucianism as such. Rather, I feel that it fits under the category of an ethical system. It was built on non-religious foundations, it lacks some of the most common aspects of all known religions, and its teachers and followers have even separated themselves from the term of religion. In order to understand the reasoning of
calling Confucianism an ethical system as opposed to a religion, it is essential to look at its beginnings and its founder. Confucius lived in China from about 551 to 479 B.C.E. He was born and raised of nobility that had followed his family for many generations. According to the life story of Confucius, as told by Mencius, he was a politician in the city of Lu, in the year 509 B.C.E. He was a director of crime and even an advisor to the Duke of the city at the time. It is said that Confucius disapproved of politicians, even though he was one of them. He saw them as corrupt, but he wanted to try and fix this. After seeing what Chinese society could potentially devolve into, he decided to take the hard journey of bettering the community of China. His teachings were about bettering society by bettering oneself. He loved the idea of the Junzi, a perfect man, and ren, or humanity. He thought that honoring elders and superiors were important with his 5 types of relationships. He wanted these virtues to morph his dissatisfaction into harmony, and to say the least, he achieved this very well. He collected this system of pre-existing moral standards, with no intentions of starting a religion. The man even said himself that if one cannot get their own lives on earth together, how could one even focus on other spiritual aspects of life. Even after Confucius’ life, his message of ethics continued to spread across chinese people. Over time, a consensus between both the teachers and students formed. They decided that Confucianism should not be considered a religion. An example of this was the great teacher named Xunzi. He lived and taught Confucius’ teachings about social order throughout his life in China from 300-255 B.C.E. You could say he followed Confucius religiously. He believed that man was selfish by nature but through ritual and education, man can reach goodness. Almost everything that Confucius ever said, he believed. However, He, in fact, did not believe in religion. He thought of it as just a superstition. For him, there was no place for a god or worshiping sacred things on the path to making one’s life more fulfilling. This style of thought has since carried on throughout the generations of Chinese society. This is apparent when looking at the multitudinous people who are a part of both Confucianism and Daoism. Upon speculation, one would have trouble seeing how a person could be a member of two different religions. However, when Confucianism is looked at as an ethical system, it makes this practice much more feasible.
Across the board of the religions of the world, there are common factors that exist in all.
It also seems the when one compares Confucianism with them, they find a serious lack of these like traits. The foundation of almost every religion starts with a deity. It gives the believers a sense of meaning of how they were created, or why they exist. In Confucianism, there is no mention of a god at any time. Rather than an origin of life, they focus on present life. Another part that is essential to these religions is the idea of religious gatherings. It is a vital aspect for members of most religions to meet up with other believers to praise at a place of worship. It is important to connect with one another. This is not present for Confucianists. It is important for them to focus on bettering themselves. Even though it is important to treat others well, the principals they live by are very self involved. Never do they agglomerate to rejoice with other followers of Confucius’ teachings. The final aspect of almost all world religions is the belief of an afterlife. The believers find comfort in an afterlife, knowing that if they achieve some sort of goal on Earth or do many acts of kindness, they will find peace in an eternal existence after death. In Confucianism, they also believe that it is important to act kind and have good morals. However, instead of doing this to achieve eternal life, the only purpose is to maintain social order. After comparing, it is clear to see that Confucianism does not meet the merit of being a
religion. All in all, it is clear to see that Confucianism fits into the slot of an ethical system, rather than an actual religion. From the seed of origin that Confucius planted, to the followers that sprouted from it, the aspects of this system just do not match up to the other religions, or at least what people perceive as religion. However, this should not denounce its importance to society. It has influenced countless people, and it should always be a vital part of ancient Chinese history.