Confucianism, the second major religion in China, is a religion that really caught my attention among all the religions studied in the comparative religion class. It is exceptional for the reason that it emphasizes on a single man, Confucius, who actually created a religious belief from Chinese values and practices. Actually, Confucianism is not a prophetic religion, and that is why I would like to compare it with my own religion, Islam. Islam, compared to Confucianism, is a very young and prophetic religion. Indeed, these two religions could be very interesting to compare. In this paper, I would like to examine how these two religions identify the knowledge of the Sacred. Let us begin by having a clear and concise idea about these religions before analyzing their perceptions of the knowledge of the sacred. First, Confucianism is the second major religion in China after Daoism, as stated before. It has emerged in about five hundred years BC. One can say that it characterizes the essence of the traditional Chinese culture. It was centered on Confucius, a holly man who was recognized as a moral teacher more than as an original thinker. "His teachings and writings dealt with individual morality and ethics, and the proper use of political power" . He emphasized on important values, such as love, honesty, loyalty and benevolence. The fact is that he had absolutely no idea about religion and the Sacred, and this is the reason why he was so famous for the way he interpreted what the Chinese believed.
[...] Moreover, the principle of Shu, which is included in the principle of Jen and represents the Golden rule in the negative, states: not do unto others what you do not want others do unto All of these illustrate the significance given to the relationships in general, and to the right way to behave in order to reach the divine. Actually, there is no direct proof telling Confucians what to do exactly to reach the Sacred. The only directive given is to behave in a respectful and moderate manner with each other. [...]
[...] Thus, Confucianism can be considered as a combination of the Chinese practices, values and institutions. One can say that Confucianism is basically a synthesis of rules a community should follow. However, it is more than that. Chinese people consider Confucianism as a religion, with its own set of beliefs, even if it is not prophetic. Thus, one can ask the following question: how do the Confucians reach the Sacred? Confucius is, actually, the author of many books stressing the Chinese values and practices that one should follow in order to be a good Confucian. [...]
[...] “Confucianism is not a religion in the sense of man worshiping a god or gods, but is mainly an ethical system dealing with getting along with one's fellow Meaning that there is no God in Confucianism, and that it is more a code of conduct than anything else. As mentioned earlier, Confucians use to believe in some daily practices of values and rules. Even though they do not believe in God, they are convinced of the existence of a superior force, the one which created nature. [...]
[...] Also, there are a lot of principles in Islam that emphasize on the importance of behaving as a good Muslim. The five pillars of Islam are the best illustration of that. They stress the necessity of priers, of reciting the Shahada, and also for pilgrimage if we have the possibility to do so. Being a god Muslim and reaching the Divine implies a conduct to follow, even if we are under the entire power of God. Here, one can notice the difference with Confucianism, because the principles to follow are divergent. [...]
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