•With no CLERGY or GODS - Confucianism is not a religionin the TRADITIONAL sense
•ETHICAL system provides direction for personal behavior
•Practiced mostly in CHINA – about 6.3 million followers
•Based on the teachings of Chinese scholar CONFUCIUS
•Confucius (551–479 BC)- teacher, editor, politician, andphilosopher
•Born at a time of CRISIS and VIOLENCE in China
•Hoped his beliefs and teachings would restore order tosociety
CONFUCIANISM
•Philosophy of Confucius emphasized personal andgovernmental morality - correctness of socialrelationships -justice and sincerity
•Confucius's principles - based on common Chinesetradition and belief
•Believed in: strong family loyalty - ancestor worship -respect of elders by their children and of husbands bytheir wives
•His principle "Do not do to others what you do notwant done to yourself", an early version of theGolden Rule
CONFUCIUS
•Confucius believed order, harmony, good government couldbe restored if society were organized around the:
FIVE KEY RELATIONSHIPS
•1. RULER - SUBJECT
•2. FATHER - SON
•3. HUSBAND - WIFE
•4. OLDER BROTHER – YOUNGER BROTHER
•5. FRIEND - FRIEND
FIVE KEY RELATIONSHIPS
•Except for FRIENDSHIPS – none of therelationships were EQUAL
•OLDER superior to YOUNGER
•MEN superior to WOMEN
{Were not supposed to take
advantage of position but serve as a
guide or role model}
FIVE KEY RELATIONSHIPS
•FILIAL PIETY is respect for one's parents andancestors:
*to be good and take care of parents
*show love, respect, courtesy and support
*display sorrow for their sickness and death
•Filial Piety emphasized in Confucianism becausedevotion to one's parents was associated with one'sdevotion to the state; it also meant honoring theirparents’ memories after death
FILIAL PIETY
•ANALECTS: the collection of writings, sayingsand ideas of Confucius
ANALECTS
•SHINTO is the traditional religion of JAPAN
•Shinto means “WAY OF THE GODS”
•About 4 Million people practice Shinto
•Shinto – based on respect for forces of NATURE andANCESTOR worship
•Shinto is sometimes seen more as a way of liferather than a religion by the Japanese due to its longhistorical and cultural significance
SHINTO
•KAMI – divine spirits in NATURE - KAMI thought to controlpowerful forces of nature
SPIRITS•KAMI are worshipped in the religion of Shinto - they are elementsin nature, animals, as well as SPIRITS of the deceased
•Many Kami are considered the ancient ancestors of entire clans,and some ancestors became Kami upon their death if they wereable to embody the values and virtues of Kami in life{Traditionally great or charismatic leaders like the Emperor couldbe kami}
•In Shinto - Kami are not separate from nature, but are of nature,possessing positive and negative, good and evil characteristics
KAMI
•Believers respected the Kami and triedto win their favor through prayer andofferings. The shared beliefs of thefollowers of Shinto eventually helpedunite all of Japan.
KAMI
•BUDDHISM was introduced to Japan from KOREA in the 6thCentury
•Some Buddhist rituals became Shinto rituals and someShinto traditions were practiced in Buddhist temples.
•Most “LIFE" events are handled by Shinto and “DEATH" or"afterlife" events are handled by Buddhism
{*Example: it is typical in Japan to celebrate a birth at a Shinto shrinewhile funeral arrangements are generally dictated by Buddhisttradition}
SHINTO-BUDDHISM
•Traditional African people developed beliefsystems that helped them understand andorganize information about their world.
•Nearly all religions involved a belief in onecreator or god.
•They also included elements of Animism
ANIMISM
•Animism is not a SPECIFIC religion but more of aterm to describe TRADITIONAL religious beliefs
•Animism is the belief that there is no separationbetween the SPIRITUAL and PHYSICAL (or material)world
• Souls or Spirits exist, not only in humans, but also inall other animals, plants, and other natural forces.
•Animism believes spirits of deceased ANCESTORScan have a POSITIVE or NEGATIVE effect on life
ANIMISM
