|
|
| About site: Philosophy/Eastern Philosophy/Confucianism - Confucianism: An Introduction |
Return to Society also Society
|
| About site: http://www.ubfellowship.org/archive/readers/601_confucianism.htm |
Title: Philosophy/Eastern Philosophy/Confucianism - Confucianism: An Introduction A brief historical overview of Confucianism and description of basic Confucian beliefs, by Meredith Sprunger. From the Urantia Book Fellowship.
|
| Alexa statistic for http://www.ubfellowship.org/archive/readers/601_confucianism.htm |
Please visit: http://www.ubfellowship.org/archive/readers/601_confucianism.htm
|
| Related sites for http://www.ubfellowship.org/archive/readers/601_confucianism.htm |
| OH__The_Domestic_Violence_Shelter,_Mansfield_Ohio 24-Hour crisis line, emergency shelter, domestic violence victim assistance for Richland, Ashland and Huron Counties. Offering shelter services, educational programs and support groups for all ages of | | Events_and_Adventures Provides various activities for Denver, Colorado area singles every month. Schedule, membership and contact information included. | | Sons_of_Confederate_Veterans Main site of national organization open to all male descendants of any veteran of the Confederate armed forces. Membership requirements, news and calendar of events. | | Assyrian4all Resource for Assyrians and those wanting to learn about them. Information on Assyrian history and culture. Includes Assyrian songs, a photo gallery, holidays, and a flag. | | The_First_Year,_What_a_Learning_Experience The issues and trials of our first year of marriage. | | Transnational_Law_Database Online database of international arbitration awards. | | Columbus__Was_He_a_Hero_or_a_Villain? Opinion piece from the Chico State University newspaper explains why the school chose not to observe Columbus Day. | | Office_of_Inspector_General_Health_Fraud_Prevention_and_Detection Provides current information, news, and reports related to Medicare fraud. | | eWEBMOB Los Angeles-based web designer. | | Magri,_Lawrence_A Singer, song writer, and guitarist. My home on the web. Interests include music, sports, and computers. | | Wyss,_Balz Personal and educational background with photographs of family and friends. | | Vree,_Willem A professor at Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands. Includes his research interests, a list of journal publications and technical reports, and a downloadable "Gold Pusher" game. | | Phoenix Consultancy offering articles on a variety of tax subjects. | | History_of_Islam An account of the rise and historical development of Islam, written from a Baha'i perspective including emphasis on the Shi'ite lineage from which the Baha'i religion sprang. | | Apology_of_the_Augsburg_Confession The reformer's response to the Roman Catholic Confutation, a critique of the original Lutheran statement of belief. | | He_Whakatauki! Reload the page to see another Maori whakatauki (proverb), with English translation. | | University_of_Alberta_Chapter Message board, photo galleries, links and contact information. | | Aleister_Crowley_Foundation An association of Thelemites who are united for the Great Work of Thelema. | | Islamophobia_Watch A weblog which documents material in the public domain which advocates a fear and hatred of the Muslim peoples of the world and Islam as a religion. | | Lawrence_of_Brindisi,_OFM_Cap_ Capuchin, Doctor of the Church, d. 1619. |
|
This is websites2007.org cache of m/ as retrieved on 2008.07.20 websites2007.org's cache is the snapshot that we took of the page as we crawled the web. The page may have changed since that time.
|
Untitled Document
Home
Site Index
Online UB
Audio
Community
Contributions
WEB STORE 
SITE SEARCH:
Religious Issues Archive
An Introduction to Confucianism
Dr. Meredith Sprunger
This document contains a brief historical
overview of Confucianism and a description of basic Confucian beliefs.
Related
Documents in this archive:
The
Social Problems of Religion
Religion in Human
Experience
The Urantia Book's synopsis of Confucian
teachings
VI. CONFUCIANISM
The Religion of Social Propriety
Confucianism has been the chief cultural influence of China for centuries.
The teachings of Confucius were never intended to be a religion. It has
no revelatory sacred writings, no priesthood, no doctrine of an afterlife,
and frowned on asceticism and monasticism. Later Confucius was deified
and raised to the rank of Emperor and Co-assessor with the deities in Heaven
and Earth. Official animal sacrifices were made at the tomb of Confucius
for centuries. In 1982 Confucianism claims 156,070,100 adherents.
The Chinese name of Confucius was Kung. His disciples called him Kung,
the master (Kung Fu-tse) which western missionaries Latinized to "Confucius."
He was born in 551 B. C. of an aristocratic family who had lost their wealth
and position. His father, who died before Confucius was three, is said
to have been a famous warrior of gigantic size and strength who was seventy
years old when Confucius was conceived. Confucius was the youngest of eleven
children. He grew up in poverty but received a good education. In his teens
he accepted a minor government position, married and fathered a son but
the marriage ended in divorce.
In his twenties, following his mother's death, Confucius set himself
up as a teacher. He taught the traditional Six Disciplines: history, poetry,
government, propriety (ethics), music, and divination. Confucius became
one of the great teachers of history but aspired to public office. He had
supreme confidence in his ability to reorder society.
Legend has it that at the age of fifty Confucius ascended through the
offices of Minister of Public Works and Minister of Justice to Prime Minister.
His government was ideal. Enemies, however, conspired against him and he
was forced to retire at the age of fifty-five. In reality, scholarly speculation
has assumed that contemporary rulers were much too afraid of Confucius'
candor and integrity to appoint him to any position involving power.
During the next twelve years Confucius wandered from place to place
with a few of his disciples. He was jeered at and even placed in jail.
At the age of sixty-seven a position was found for him as an advisor to
the Duke of Ai. During the next years he spent his time teaching and compiling
some of the classic Chinese texts. He died in 479 B. C. Confucius was not
only a wise man, he was an incorruptible, human-hearted man. Although largely
defeated in his purpose of reforming society, he died with courage, saying,
"There is not one in the empire that will make me his master!"
Li (social propriety) is the greatest principle of living. When society
lives by li it moves smoothly. Confucius saw the embodiment of this society
in the idealized form of feudalistic government, illustrated by the Five
Relationships: kindness in the father, filial piety in the son; gentility
in the eldest brother, humility and respect in the younger; righteousness
behavior in the husband, obedience in the wife; humane consideration in
elders, deference in juniors; benevolence in rulers, loyalty in ministers
and subjects. Li may also refer to the "middle way" in all things.
Just as li is the outward expression of the superior man, jen (goodness,
humaneness, love) is the inner ideal. Confucius taught that men should
love one another and practice respect and courtesy. If li and jen were
operative in a person, the end product would be the Confucian goal: the
superior man. Confucius believed in the natural goodness or at least the
natural perfectibility of man. He stressed government by virtue (Te) and
the arts of peace (Wen). Since filial piety is the root of all virtue this
concern for parental respect is seen in the veneration of age and ancestor
worship. Confucius was a pragmatic man who thought one should respect the
spirits but keep them at a distance.
Confucius regarded himself as a transmitter, not the originator, of
social values and wisdom. Although Confucianism does not claim revelatory
scriptures, the Five Classics and the Four Books are regarded as the touch-stone
of Confucian conduct and wisdom. Mencius and Hsun Tzu were the great expositors
of Confucius in the fourth and third centuries B.C. and did much to popularize
and spread his teachings. During the Han Dynasty there developed a cult
of Confucius himself. By the sixth century A.D. every prefecture in China
had a temple to honor Confucius.
The Confucian cult was checked in 1503 when the images of Confucius
were ordered removed from the temples and replaced with wooden tablets
inscribed with his teachings. All titles were removed and he was spoken
of simply as "Master Kung, the perfect teacher of antiquity."
In 1906 there was an attempt to revive the Confucian cult but with the
birth of the People's Republic of China all sacrifices to Confucius and
other religious observances were officially abandoned.
Index to the Full Series
I. Hinduism: The Religion
of Divine Immanence and an Hereditary Graded Social Structure
II. Jainism: The Religion
of Asceticism
III. Buddhism: The Religion
of Peaceful, Ethical Self-culture
IV. Sikhism: The Religion
of Syncretism
V. Taoism: The Religion of
the Divine Way
VI. Confucianism: The
Religion of Social Propriety
VII. Shinto: The Religion
of Nature Worship, Emperor Worship and Purity
VIII. Zoroastrianism:
The Religion of the Free Will Choice Between Good and Evil
IX. Judaism: The Religion
of Ethical Monotheism
X. Christianity: The
Religion of the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man Mediated by
Jesus Christ
XI. Islam: The Religion of
Submission to God
If this material is of interest to you, you may be
very interested in The Urantia Book.
What is The Urantia Book?
A Service of
The Urantia Book Fellowship
HomesubscriptionsAbout UsPrivacy Policy
function MM_reloadPage(init) { //reloads the window if Nav4 resized
if (init==true) with (navigator) {if ((appName=="Netscape")&&(parseInt(appVersion)==4)) {
document.MM_pgW=innerWidth; document.MM_pgH=innerHeight; onresize=MM_reloadPage; }}
else if (innerWidth!=document.MM_pgW || innerHeight!=document.MM_pgH) location.reload();
}
MM_reloadPage(true);
-->
function ShowUBQuote(reference) {
var QuoteWindow=window.open (reference,'UBQuote','scrollbars=yes, resizable=yes, width=500, height=175');
QuoteWindow.focus();
}
function Closer(){
var QuoteWindow = window.open("","UBQuote","");
QuoteWindow.close()
}
|
|
| |
A | brief | historical | overview | of | Confucianism | and | description | of | basic | Confucian | beliefs, | by | Meredith | Sprunger. | | From | the | Urantia | Book | Fellowship. |
|
http://www.ubfellowship.org/archive/readers/601_confucianism.htm
Confucianism: An Introduction 2008 July
dvd rental
dvd
A brief historical overview of Confucianism and description of basic Confucian beliefs, by Meredith Sprunger. From the Urantia Book Fellowship.
Rules
|
© 2008 Internet Explorer 5+ or Netscape 6+
|
|
Recommended Sites: 1.
Arts -
Business -
Computers -
Games -
Health -
Home -
Kids and Teens -
News -
Recreation -
Reference -
Regional -
Science -
Shopping -
Society -
Sports -
World
Miss Gallery
- Top Anime Hentai
- DVD rental by mail
- Credit Card Consolidation - Loans - Credit Card Consolidation - Problem Mortgage - Mortgage Loans
|
Home
Site Index
Online UB
Audio
Community
Contributions
WEB STORE