You read about the teachings of Confucius earlier in this lesson. Confucianism is unique among the early religions because it does not promote the worship of a deity. Instead, it provides a moral code that people should use as they act individually, within a family, as members of their local communities, and as part of humanity. Confucianism was so influential in China that many of its principles are still practiced there today. Learn more in these flashcards.
Confucius lived during the Zhou Dynasty, from 551-479 BCE, before China was unified. The dynasty rose as the Zhou conquered its neighboring states, and Zhou rulers found it hard to maintain order amongst those conquered peoples. Zhou rulers needed help governing their diverse, resentful people, and created a central government whose laws were carried out in distant provinces by members of that government. Confucius was one of these regional governors.
What did Confucius do?
He represented and maintained the power of the Zhou ruler by making sure the ruler’s laws were enforced in the provinces.
As a bureaucrat, or government official, Confucius could read and write. This meant he read the records of previous rulers, and had a sense of Chinese history. He had access to ideas and knowledge about the world that most Chinese people did not have. He used that knowledge to address questions about the natural world of storms, drought, flood, and famine, things that made average people afraid and led them to make offerings to mountain, river, ocean, rain, and sun gods. Confucius came to believe there was a natural order to all life on Earth.
How was traditional Chinese religion like Greek or Roman religion?
It was polytheistic, and people turned to their gods for help and protection, rather than trying to change their own behaviors or act morally.
Confucius believed that all people were under the control of heaven. The gods created the world, then assigned kings to organize human society properly. Kings, or rulers, were gods on Earth and authority figures who had to give laws to create order. All people were the children of the ruler. Within the family, the father was the ruler, and members of the family were under his authority. Respect for authority, that of the ruler and the father, was central to Confucius’ philosophy. The ruler or father was responsible for using his authority wisely, and everyone else was responsible for obeying authority. Rulers and fathers who died remained powerful. They could help people from the afterlife. Ancestor worship became a powerful force in Chinese culture.
What is ancestor worship?
The belief that humans who die enter an afterlife where they live as minor gods who can influence life on Earth. People make offerings to the spirits of their ancestors, ask them for help, and perceive their role in events.
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Question
How was the practice of Confucianism similar to other classical religions?
