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Confucian Religion
The Confucian religion is a Chinese religion that originated in the 5th century BC based on the teachings of Confucius (Kong Fuzi). It is an approach to life based on the teachings of Confucius. To conform to the Will of Heaven there must be stability, happiness and prosperity which form the basis of Chinese ethical behavior. This religion is in fact a complex system of moral, social, political and religious thought that has been of influence in East Asia. It endorses meritocracy as the ideal of nobility and rejects legalism for ritualism.
This faith includes a complicated system governing personal duties and relationships. Confucian ethics focus on familial duty, loyalty and humaneness and recognizes the existence of animistic spirits, ghosts and deities. It advocates paying them due respect but also encourages avoidance and no interaction. Confucian thought is such that it is the framework upon which syncretic Neo-Confucianism was built. Syncretic thought is the actual blending of irreconcilable principles.
Neo-Confucianism Neo-Confucianism was created as a blend of Taoism, Confucianism and Chinese Buddhism which was established during the Song dynasty. It can be traced back to the scholars of the tang dynasty. Neo-Confucianism combined Buddhist religious concepts with Taoist yin yang theory as well as the I Ching school of thought. It has blended the best elements of Buddhism and Taoism however, it’s influence on Chinese society has blurred the distinction of all three faiths. New Confucianism New Confucianism is in fact modernist Confucianism, which incorporates modern science and democratic ideals while being conservative in upholding Neo-Confucianist ideals.
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