Arguments Against Confucianism

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Confucianism is not a Religion
Provide an argument that is for or against Confucianism as an ethical system rather than a religion.
Confucianism simply put is not a religion; it does not have a God or a creator, and does not have standards of moral virtue. It is more of a philosophy, a theory in itself, that states that people should live in the moment and spread good as they are going through life, know right from wrong and respect the golden rule and apply it to their everyday life. Also Confucianism does not state anything about an afterlife.
Confucianism is characterized as a system of social and ethical philosophy rather than a religion Confucianism is built on an ancient religious foundation, rather than the religion itself, it takes the social values, institutions, and superior ideals of the traditional Chinese society. The main aspects of Confucianism comes from moral understanding, this can also be understood as diffused religion which means that it was not a church and did not consist of priests but rather consists of teachers, parents, and officials. Confucianism cannot be classified as a religion because there are no deities and no teachings about an afterlife as well. Confucius was one who preached about rituals and devoted himself to them. Even without Gods and afterlife, Confucianism plays a role like religion but it is not a religion. This will be discussed more as we get more in to the core values of this idea rather than a religion Confucius set up.
Confucianism is a major event in a person’s lives, it is a way of living, and it is a way of prospering. These teachings were made by Confucius a man who was very influential to his people, the main concerns as discussed in class were that of relationships, such as ...

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... result of Confucianism is that it is a definition problem. If we could define religion into simplistic terms then we could say for certain that it is a religion but because we do not have a specific answer to what is religion we cannot specifically say if Confucianism fits the premises of religion. Confucianism cannot be a religion if there are no defined aspects of a religion, in my mind a religion has a God, disciples, and scripture, an a place of worship to the God, Confucianism is only a set of values, not a religion.

Bibliography for Works Cited
1. Noll, Paul. "Confucianism, major system of thought in China - Page 1." Confucianism, major system of thought in China - Page 1. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. .
2. In Class notes, and information that was verbally given by Professor Sarah Haynes

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