Confucianism

Group 7:

1. Confucianism is a way of life taught by Confucius in the 6th–5th century BCE.At times
confusionism was considered more of a philosophy than a religion. In china, and other
authoriratain government’s in central Asia, there is a slight conflict into regarding Confucianism
as a religion. Reasons for this include that Confucianism was established 2,500 years ago(a pretty
long time) it was developed by dynasties. Due to it being developed from long time ago, some of
the laws Confucianism provides does not follow modern day laws which is very hard for people
to follow now a days.
2. Regarding violence,confusicismon opposes the idea of violence. Confusionism is a philosophy
which leads into peace and harmony thus not causing any violence towards anyone. In Islam,
violence is not opposed in any shape or size. Islam teaches one how to make peace upon others
disregarding their religon.

Group 6: Sections Research Group

1) After the death of Confucius, Confucianism was divided into 8 sects. The 8 sects were Mencius, Xunzi, Dong Zhongshu, Song Confucianism, Ming Confucianism, Korean Confucianism, Qing Confucianism, and Modern Confucianism. The belief system divided into branches because after Confucius stopped spreading his teachings, new people came along and interpreted his ideas differently, therefore making a new branch each time.

2) In the fourth century B.C., Mencius used the Confucian standards to teach that human nature was important and good for us. He was a student of Confucius. He also supported the idea to exercise the mind as well as the body. His beliefs were that if a person followed the ways of Confucius, they could live a good life. In the third century B.C., Xunzi was the next philosopher to think like Confucius. However, his beliefs were the opposite of what Mencius thought. He taught his followers that human nature is essentially evil. Something that was similar between Xunzi, Mencius and Confucius is that they all believed that education was important. However, Xunzi also differed from them because he believed in the importance of authority, social structure and intense scholastic work. He thought it would stop human nature from spreading too widely. In 179-104 B.C., Dong was very committed to education. Dong was also a student of Confucius. He didn’t believe that human nature was evil nor good. His beliefs were that people’s actions led to their consequences. In 960-1279, Song Confucianism used many of the scholar teachings of Confucian ideals. The men in this school believed in living a life of self-cultivation. Confucianism during the Song Dynasty was focused more on education, politics, literature and history than on promoting the powers of the military. In 1368-1644, the next Confucian school was started during the Ming Dynasty in China. They focused on trying to connect the mind to their actions and to the earth rather than the heavens. Moral idealism was an important belief for the Ming Confucians. The Ming Confucians thought that they should balance Confucianism with everyday life. Xu Heng taught Confucianism to the former by starting with the sons of Mongolian nobility. Because of his and others' work, Wang Yangming advocated using greater thought and meditation in a person's personal and vocational life. Confucianism is also a religion to many in Korea. Yi T’oegye (1501-1570), was an important scholar who stood out. Yi discussed how having a relationship with yourself is necessary for a good life. By the mid-17th century, Confucianism in the Qing Dynasty in China was becoming more politic-based. Dai Zhen, a Confucian philosopher, created the idea of the studies in the humanities. It didn’t relate to much of the spiritual and philosophic beliefs. Religion and politics in the West influenced the East at the start of the 19th century. One of the religions was Confucianism. China and Japan were both very important contributors to Modern Confucianism. They liked the idea of democracy and science. There were many protests led by student such as the May Fourth Movement. However, Confucianism, had been in Chinese culture for thousands of years and had not yet disappeared. Scholars today still use the teachings of Confucianism to their personal lives. This resulted in more difficult teachings and tests, which are relevant to education today.

3) There were eight main branches of Confucianism. These branches differentiated from the original belief system. The original belief of Confucianism involved respecting elders, having high morals and believing in the goodness of human nature. The branch, Mencius, practiced that people who lived as Confucius could not be corrupted by human temptations. This showed that this specific branch believed in living exactly as Confucius while the original belief involved living life and not being corrupted by power, riches and poverty. The branch, Xunzi, taught that human nature was evil, it was very different to the original belief system. It taught the importance of authority, social structure and education. This shows how Xunzi had different valued teachings that were completely opposite of the original belief system set by Confucius. The branch Dong Zhongshu focused on taking a neutral stance on human nature. Another large difference was the extreme focus on the five natural elements. Dong focused on Confucius's cosmological theory when using these elements. Song Confucianism was a collection of different Confucian beliefs. It however focused more on politics, literature and history. Ming Confucianism focused on uniting actions and thoughts with Earth rather than the Heavens. The branch Korean Confucianism focused on the intellectual teachings of Mencius, this caused it to be very different from the original belief system. Qing Confucianism was associated with politics rather than religion which was one main difference. A consequence of this was that through the spread of Confucius’s teachings it could not enrage the current emperor. This proves that each branch had certain aspects that drastically differentiated from the original set beliefs from Confucian.

4) Since each branch of confucianism was based of the original belief system they had many similarities. The Mencius branch believed human nature was essentially good. This related to the original set belief by Confucius because he believed human nature was good. The Xunzi branch taught the importance of education and its important values. The Dong Zhongshu branch taught education and valued being a great scholar. Song Confucianism taught self cultivation and education. Confucius specified the importance of education and being a spectacular scholar. Ming Confucianism taught how to balance the original beliefs of Confucianism with day to day life. Korean Confucianism taught Mencius’ concept of the four emotions and seven feelings. Qing Confucianism focused on scholarly lifestyles and philosophy and literature. This shows how the branches because they were based off of the original belief system had many similarities.

5)

6)Though there was never a large “divide” in the religion of Confucianism, the religion did eventually break into many branches over time. The different sects of Confucianism that now exist are Mencius, Xunzi, Dong Zhongshu, Song Confucianism, Ming Confucianism, Korean Confucianism, and Modern Confucianism. The Mencius divide happened when Mencius began to interpret and add to the original teachings of Confucius, and eventually, a new sect of the religion was founded. Xunzi disagreed with Mencius’ teachings, so he started his own sect of Confucianism, and his teachings opposed Mencius’. Dong Zhongshu took a more neutral stance and founded his own sect, basing his ideas off the five natural elements. The rest of the divides happened mostly because of changes in political leadership and ideologies. These changes most likely could not have been avoided because they didn’t harm the general idea of Confucianism, but actually made it so people could find a sect they completely agreed with, instead of following a religion they didn’t feel was completely correct. According to the article, “Confucianism”, “While there were differing interpretations of Confucianism and disagreements about its meaning, enduring sects with independent organizational structures never formed in the case of Confucianism.” Clearly. the division of Confucianism into sects could not have been avoided because people had different opinions and they chose to follow different sects. However, these divisions improved Confucianism instead of harming it by making it more appealing.

GROUP 5 PRESENT DAY RESEARCH GROUP

1. Can women and men hold the leadership/spiritual roles within the belief system? (Example: can women leader prayer or become a priest)* Explain.

The major holidays or festivals that are associated with the belief system are Confucius’ birthday and Qingming Festival. Confucius’ birthday is held on September 28th annually to respect the founder of Confucianism at 4 in the morning and this holiday lasts 10 days. Also, the ceremonies are usually held throughout the island of Qufu (Shandong), which is the birthplace of Confucius. Qingming Festival or Ching Ming Festival is known as the Tomb Sweeping Day or Pure Brightness Festival because on the day of the festival there will be a mixture of sorrow and happiness. Additionally, the Han and minority ethnic groups view Qingming Festival as the most important day of sacrifice because they offer sacrifices on that day to their ancestors by not cooking food and serving cold food to them. The festival happens usually on April 4-6 annually to pay their respects to their ancestors by going to their ancestors’ graves, sweeping their tombs, and giving them offerings including food, flowers, and and favorites of the dead. Thus, Confucius’ birthday and Qingming Festival are the major holidays or festivals that are associated with the belief system.

3. What are 2-3 of the major holidays/festivals that are associated with the belief system? Briefly describe them and their significance in your own words.

The major holidays or festivals that are associated with the belief system are Confucius’ birthday and Qingming Festival. Confucius’ birthday is held on September 28th annually to respect the founder of Confucianism at 4 in the morning. This holiday lasts 10 days. Also, the ceremonies are usually held throughout the island of Qufu (Shandong), which is the birthplace of Confucius.
Qingming Festival or Ching Ming Festival is known as the Tomb Sweeping Day or Pure Brightness Festival because on the day of the festival there will be a mixture of sorrow and happiness. Additionally, the Han and minority ethnic groups view the Qingming Festival as the most important day of sacrifice because they offer sacrifices on that day to their ancestors by not cooking food and serving cold food. The festival usually happens on April 4-6 annually to pay their respects to their ancestors by going to their ancestors’ graves, sweeping their tombs, and giving them offerings including food, flowers, and and favorites of the dead. Thus, Confucius’ birthday and Qingming Festival are the major holidays or festivals that are associated with the belief system.

5. How many adherents (followers) does this belief system have? What percentage of the world population practices this belief system?

Today there is about 6.3 million followers in Confucianism. That is about less than 1% of the world population believing in Confucianism. There is about 26,000 adults that consider themselves as Confucians. Other believers live in China, or other parts of Asia. There are about 5 million people in South Korea that are believers of Confucianism. Other countries like Belgium, Sweden, Japan, Thailand, Burma, Brunei and the continent Australia, also have believers of Confucianism.

2. Name two important historical figures, other than the founder/supreme being (that come out of this belief system and explain why they are important. If the religion is polytheistic, discuss 2 gods or goddesses).

Like all religions, confucianism have important figures however, since it is not a religion but a belief system, there are no gods nor goddesses. One of these important figures is Mencius, who was influential to the development of Confucianism. He stressed the importance of family and the idea of humanity rather than war. For instance, in order to gain support from the citizens the government should respect the citizens instead of war in order to get what they want.
Another of these significant figures is Xunzi, who taught the idea that “the nature of man is bad.” He points out the bad characteristics of us as humans. Also, Xunzi is an influential legalist. In conclusion, Mencius and Xunzi are two of the many important figures.

4. Where is the belief system is mainly practiced today? Why? Explain. If it is not commonly practiced today, explain why.

Today Confucianism is most commonly practiced in China, Korea, Vietnam. It is still practiced in these areas because it was originated in that area. This is used because it was a complex system of moral, social, and religious thoughts in their civilization. However, this isn’t commonly practiced anymore because this religion was used to help shape the government and society of China many years ago.

6. Is the belief system religiously tolerant? How does the religion promote peace (NOTE: they all do)? Explain.

Confucianism is tolerant. Their belief system is that confucianism is an all-encompassing way of thinking and living that entails ancestor reverence and a profound human-centred religiousness. They use confucianism as a way to explain the revolvement of life. Some rules in the belief is, always be considerate to others, respect your ancestors, try for harmony and balance in all things, avoid extremes in behavior and emotion, if you live in peace and harmony, then you will be in contact with the spiritual forces of the universe, including nature. These rules help promote peace to all people. Respect and authority is shown in this religion.

SOURCES

http://10cpconfucianism.weebly.com/holidays-and-festivals.html
http://www.china.org.cn/english/olympic/211894.htm
http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/Festivals/78319.htm
http://www.religioustolerance.org/worldrel.htm
http://chartsbin.com/view/6uq
http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/lesson3.html
http://www.patheos.com/Library/Confucianism/Ethics-Morality-Community/Gender-and-Sexuality
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/china_1000bce_confucius_intro.htm

Group 4: Beliefs Research Group!

What are the values of the belief system? Describe and explain each value.
There are three important values of the belief system which are filial piety, humaneness, and ritual. Filial piety is the most essential value that demands respect for your parents and to worship your ancestors. Since the older generation is supporting the younger generation the older generation earns the respect of the younger generation. This is needed to bring order in society. Humaneness is the second value of this belief system. Humaneness is the concern and care about other people, even if they are not part of your family. Confucius said "...The humane man, desiring to be established himself, seeks to establish others; desiring himself to succeed, he helps others to succeed. To judge others by what one knows of oneself is the method of achieving humanity...". If other person is in need, then another person should be able to help that person to function as humans together in a society. Ritual consciousness is the third and final virtue of the three Confucian values. Ritual consciousness is the proper ways of doing tasks in a more deeply thought way. Ritual are very important in Confucianism because it teaches people proper relationships with different people such as children, adults, and the elderly. There are many types of ritual that focuses on certain part of life like birth, capping(which is a coming of age ceremony for boys), marriage, and death. The point of rituals is to help during certain aspects of life that were stressed as necessary by Confucius.

What are some of the holy/important/symbolic places that are associated with the belief system? Explain.

The Confucian temple in Qufu in Shandong Province is a holy place associated with Confucianism because it has the Cemetery of Confucius where the family and descendants of Confucius are buried. There is also the Temple of Confucius which is an important place associated with Confucianism because it is the most famous and largest temple in honor of Confucius.The Confucian Family Mansion is a symbolic place associated with Confucianism because as Dynasties came and went, the First Family under Heaven has lasted the longest. A holy and important place associated with Confucianism is Mount Tai. This is because Mount Tai is closely associated with the rise of Confucianism and is 40 miles from Confucius’ birthplace in Qufu.

Is there a central administration for the belief system? If yes, how is it organized?(Example: Catholicism is organized by the Pope.) Explain.
Yes, there is a central administration for Confucianism. Confucianism is organized by qualified government officials. The first step for a Confucian wanting to be a government official he needs to become a scholar first.To earn a scholar you have to pass a test about Confucius’s teachings. Once the scholar has passed the test he will have to be a selected from a small group of highly educated scholars to become a government official. According to, afe.easia.columbia.edu, the website states, “ If he passed the examination, there was virtually only one career open to him, and that was to enter government service. Consequently, the government bureaucracy was composed of rigorously trained scholar-artists; conversely, poets and painters held official positions as powerful politicians.” This demonstrates how an educated scholar could do when he passes the test. Government officials administer Confucianism by showing good morals and enforcing education.

What are the major beliefs of the belief system?
The major beliefs of confucianism are 5 basic relationships. These 5 relationships demand you must respect your ruler if you are a follower, you must respect your father if you are his son or daughter, you must respect your husband if you are his wife, you must respect your elders especially if they are related to you and a friend must respect his friend (ibiblio.org). They also believed in 5 virtues in which those who indulge confucianism must follow . These 5 virtues were humaneness, honesty, propriety behavior, wisdom and sincerity. Each of these virtues make up an ideal citizen (worldreligons.org). Confucianism beliefs state a group (notably family) was more important than a single individual so individuals should work hard to maintain stability in their family. They also believed education was indispensable to life (chinahighlights.com). Most importantly, they stated everything in life (living because living) has a place in the universe.

What does the place of worship look like? (if there is one) What is the name of the structure? Why is this the place of worship?

The place of worship that confucianist pray or worship at is home, domestic altars, or family temples. These are the places of worship because they are“where the name plaques or tablets drawn from family genealogical tables are kept” according to patheos.com, this means that they spots where family tablets are kept so they could worship their ancestors whenever they wanted to. The confucius temples are big on the outside and the inside. On the inside of the temples they have large shrines. Some of the offerings that they offer are cooked rice, fresh fruit, and offerings of incense.

Describe the belief system’s views about death and the afterlife. If there are any important ceremonies that take place include them also. Explain.
Unlike other religions, Confucianism do not believe in Heaven and Hell. Confucians believe that they should live a meaningful life without expecting a reward or punishment afterwards. The definition of a meaningful life for Confucians is that they need to develop one natural moral potential and make sure they accomplish their social obligations. One ceremony that relates to the afterlife in the Confucianism religion is the ancestor worship. The ancestor worship is a ritual practice in which the family of the deceased ensure that the deceased legacy is lived on. To perform the ritual family of the deceased must put offerings like food, a favorite item, a sacred possession, etc., in the casket. After the funeral, the family sets up a home altar for the worshiping. The altar includes a portrait of the ancestor and a plaque with a farewell message or a description of the family member.

Sites: http://www.religionfacts.com/confucianism
http://www.patheos.com/Library/Confucianism
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/religion/confucianism/
http://www.britannica.com/topic/Confucianism
http://religions.findthedata.com/l/4/Confucianism
http://www.ancient.eu/Confucianism/

Group 3: Origins Research Group

1. In approximately what year and place did this belief system originate?
Confucianism was founded by Confucius. He believed his teachings to be a way of life. This philosophy, or religion, originated in China. It was founded around 479 BCE.

3. Explain who is the supreme being(s) (if there is one)
There are no supreme beings of Confucianism.

5. What is the symbol of the belief system? Explain why this symbol is used to represent the belief system.
Yin yang is the symbol for Confucianism. It symbolizes balance in nature between contradictory forces. Another symbol of Confucianism was the Confucian symbol. The Confucian symbol symbolizes total righteousness and harmony within yourself and others. The last symbol of belief of Confucianism was the Ideogram. The Ideogram symbolizes water and represents the source of life in Chinese philosophy.

6. How did this belief system spread to other regions?
The spread of Confucianism across East Asia was accomplished largely through voluntary and consensual means, rather than by conquest or conversion.

2. Who is the founder and how did the belief system originate? If there is no founder how did the belief system come about? Explain.
The founder of Confucianism was a Chinese philosopher named K'ung Fu-tzu or Confucius. Confucius was born in 551 B.C.E. He had a government job which he gave up to devote his life to teaching people how to behave.He believed that a society could become perfect, if the people who lived in it exhibited "beautiful conduct." Today over five million people, mostly in China and the Far East, practice Confucianism. Religious leaders:

Confucius (孔子, circa 551 BC – circa 479 BC)
Mencius (孟子, circa 371 – circa 289)

4. Are there any religious leaders in general of the belief system? Explain their role, whether it be from the past or present.
There were two religious leaders including Confucius and Mencius. Confucius played an important role of being the founder Confucianism. This was an era of philosophical and religious creativity, and since then, Confucius has been more popular and influential than any other seminal philosophers of his era. “Mencius is now considered the second most important Confucian philosopher. However, during his era, he was more influential than Confucius himself because he taught influential noblemen and rulers. He helped develop the strain of Confucianism teaching that was much later adopted in the doctrines of Confucianism based on the idea that man is born innately good.”

Work Cited Page:
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