Isn’t it a pleasure to study and practice what you have learned? (Confucius)
Thinking about the musings from DAY 25: The Basics Of Confucianism…
I would submit to you that for those who are believers of Confucianism, ranging anywhere from 6 million to 350 million, depending on which website you are looking at, it works for them. I also submit to you that once you dig a little deeper into Confucianism, there is one basic logical conclusion that doesn’t seem…logical.
What Confucianism does prove logically is the fact that…
Someone Upstairs Runs The Show.
So…is Confucianism a logical belief system?
That depends on what your definition of a belief system is.
If you believe that the definition of a belief system is dealing with humans living on planet Earth during their lifetime, then I would submit to you that the application of syllogism to Confucianism would flow like this:
PART A – A follower of Confucianism, will experience respect, order and structure in their life;
PART B – I follow Confucianism;
PART C – Therefore, since I follow Confucianism, I will experience respect, order and structure in my life.
At first glance, the logic seems reasonable. If you follow the basic tenants of Confucianism, you will then experience respect, order and structure in your life. Now consider what your life would look like if your entire family…neighborhood…workplace…state…and country…
All practiced Confucianism.
On the surface, who wouldn’t want to be a follower of Confucianism?
Who doesn’t want respect, order and structure in their life?
When thinking about Confucianism under these conditions, it appears that we could agree that Confucianism sounds great for those who are searching for more: respect, order, and structure in their lives…
On a day-to-day basis.
However, what about Confucianism as a belief system?
If you believe the definition of a belief system is dealing with what happens to your soul, (or atman, as explained in Day 20 The Basics Of Hinduism), after your physical passing here on planet Earth, then I would submit to you that Confucianism most certainly does not pass as a belief system at all.
I know that there is information out there that tries to justify Confucianism as a religion at least 4 different ways:
1) Confucianism is both a philosophy and a religion;
2) Confucianism is built on ancient religious foundations that were intended to establish ultimately Chinese society;
3) Confucianism is a “civil or diffused religion”, (“a sense of religious identity and common moral understanding at the foundation of a society’s central institutions.”) and;
4) Confucianism as a part of “the Chinese social fabric and way of life…everyday life was the arena of religion.”
The problem with these 4 attempts to justify Confucianism as a religion is the simple fact that these viewpoints come from other people, not from the founder Confucius. When other people, (who, we do not even know if they even practice Confucianism themselves), in other time periods, and in other parts of the world, attempt to apply their ideas onto past historical events, is known as presentism.
For details on presentism, please refer back to:
Day 15: Are You Guilty Of Presentism?
Day 16: Does Presentism Affect The Way You View The World? and;
Day 17: The Dangers Of Presentism.
No matter how much presentism is applied to those who currently endorse and follow Confucianism, this fact cannot be changed:
The founder of Confucianism, Confucius, never intended to found a new religion.
Instead, Confucianism was intended to address the moral and ethical dilemmas that were facing China during the transition from the Zhou to the Han Dynasties during the Warring States Period.
Confucius was dealing with the immediate issues concerning Chinese society during his lifetime.
In other words, Confucianism is a philosophy not a religion.
Consider the context of what Confucius was dealing with during his lifetime. He was concerned with how humans were treating other humans in China during the Warring States Period from 403 – 221 BCE. Now there is an ancestor component for those who have passed on however, Confucianism revolves around the fact that how you respect, (or disrespect), those ancestors, those actions will affect your present life on Earth.
Confucianism was founded on the idea of how to deal with Chinese society during their lifetimes, and thus, he wanted to fix that immediate concern.
It is one thing to discuss what constitutes corruption, dishonesty, and immorality in a society. It can be quite another determining the most effective, beneficial and efficient ways to return to a respectful, orderly and structured society.
These discussions however all revolve around the here and now. These discussions do not address dealing with your soul, for eternity.
If we apply syllogism to Confucianism as a religion, perhaps it would look like this:
PART A – If I follow Confucianism, I am following a philosophy and not a religion;
PART B – If I follow a religion, I am following steps needed regarding my soul for eternity;
PART C – By following Confucianism, there is no guarantee as to what will happen to my soul for eternity.
At the end of the day, the Confucian belief system is a philosophy, not a religion. Once you accept the fact the Confucius intended his ideas to deal with the trials and tribulations of those living among him during the Warring States Period in ancient China, trusting it as a religion is a stretch indeed.
The idea of following Confucianism as the best avenue for getting my soul to where I want it to be for eternity, knowing it is a philosophy and not a religion, is a shaky proposition indeed.
Do not feel discouraged if you are have not figured out the Confucian belief system. Do not feel discouraged if you are still trying to process the Confucian belief system. Instead, embrace the idea that after gaining some simple knowledge on now 4 of the earliest belief systems known to man, your logical conclusions as to the validity of these belief systems should be more focused and clear.
15 Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. (Matthew 7:15 KJV)
Was today’s blog a little confusing at times? Was the content perhaps a little overwhelming? Did you feel lost not understanding some or most of the subject matter?
Those feelings are totally understandable and it is ok to have one or more of those feelings. Remember that you are reading Day 26: The Validity Of Confucianism.
If you haven’t been in class since the first day of school…or when the project began…or when the contract was first signed, etc., these feelings make perfect and logistical sense.
Please feel free to go back to where all of this began: