Religion and Theology

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Religion and Theology
Confucianism is the way of life followed by the Chinese people. It was propagated in the 5th -6th Century BC by Confucius (Weiming, 1). Confucianism is regarded as a philosophy, not a religion due to various reasons. Firstly, it was founded by the philosopher Kongzi or Confucius (551-479 B.C.E) whose aim was to create values and norms in social organizations and human relationships (Violatti, 1). Every individual in society was required to fathom their roles.
Secondly, Confucianism is associated with ethical and social philosophies as well as political ideologies, a scholarly tradition and a way of life (Violatti, 1). These factors make it more of a philosophy than a religion. Studies show that Confucianism originated from an ancient religious foundation aimed to create social values, institutions and uplifting ideals of traditional Chinese society. Therefore, Confucianism is more of philosophy as opposed to religion because of its social and ethical ideals.
The Chinese state banned Confucianism and Daoism because they were considered to be outdated and superstitious (Weiming, 2). The state thought that Confucianism and Daoism brought evil in China. After the ban, the temples were converted into museums and libraries, the artefacts were destroyed and burned, the belief system of the Confucian was denounced, and the scholars tortured and murdered (Violatti, 1).
The incorporation of Confucian and Daoist ideals are significant in understanding today’s Chinese culture in the sense that understanding the Chinese culture requires knowledge about Confucius. It is because Confucius was a system of political and social beliefs focused on how to live peacefully with other people in society and how leaders should govern (Violatti, 1). Confucian aimed to promote peace and harmony in society. Attaining this objective would be possible if the Chinese people knew their roles and position in the community. Today, China has revitalized Confucius since the teachings are believed not only to promote stability and peace but also address corruption and inequality (Weiming, 3). For th...