After Confucianism became an official school in the Han Dynasty, due to the essential connotation of safeguarding the patriarchal system in its doctrine, it fundamentally adapted to the needs of feudal rulers. After continuous inheritance and development, Confucianism gradually evolved into Confucianism and became a national religion. . Over the next two thousand years, Confucianism became China's orthodox thought, and the status of Confucianism rose as a result, surpassing Buddhism and Taoism to become the number one religion.

However, for a long time, Confucianism, which ranks first among the "three religions", has been in an embarrassing situation. The reason why I say this is because many scholars in the academic world believe that Confucianism cannot be regarded as a religion, but can only be regarded as a doctrinal sect.

Let’s first understand what religion is? Religion has many definitions, which are quite complex. But it is generally believed that belief and belief in a supernatural mysterious force or entity outside the real world is religion. Religion itself has many characteristics, one of the most important and prominent essential characteristics is the recognition and belief in God, and the belief that all things in the world are created and dominated by him. People can only worship God devoutly, rely on and obey Him in everything, and cannot be disrespectful or disobedient.

If you follow this view, Confucianism cannot be regarded as a religion, because Confucianism does not have a personal god that is worshiped, and there is no other world similar to the "Kingdom of Heaven" of Christianity or the "Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss" of Buddhism. There is no otherworldly thought. Confucianism believes in "the king of heaven and earth, the king, the king, and the master." Heaven and earth are the theological basis for the divine right of kings. The king and the king are the core of China's feudal patriarchal system. The master is equivalent to the clergy who interpret the classics and speak on behalf of the king and the king. Some people also say that the "leader" of Confucianism is Confucius, which is not consistent with reality. Lu Xun once said: "Confucius' presence in China is promoted by the powerful." In fact, in China, whether it is teachers who teach Confucianism or He is a student who studies Confucian classics. Although he admires Confucius, he consciously recognizes that Confucius is a human being and not a god. He never regards Confucius as an omniscient and omnipotent spirit or God like ordinary religious believers.

In addition to the above conditions, these scholars also cited other characteristics to prove that Confucianism is not a religion. First, there is no fairy faction. In addition to the "Three Purities" and "Four Imperial Gods" in Taoism, there are also Heavenly Immortals, Earthly Immortals, Sanxian Immortals, etc.; the gods of Buddhism are more complex; although there are also "Four Matches" and "Twelve Immortals" in Confucian temples. Zhe" etc., but its function is similar to today's memorial hall. Second, there is less mystery. Buddhism has theories about heaven, hell, reincarnation of life and death, and karma. In comparison, Confucianism has much less mysterious elements. Third, there is no dedicated clergy. Buddhist temples, Taoist temples, Christian churches, and Islamic mosques all have specialized clergy, with strict hierarchies and different titles. There are certain procedures and rituals for joining the religion. Confucian believers do not need to hold rituals, and there are no clergy dedicated to priests.

Of course, compared to scholars who do not admit that Confucianism is a religion, more scholars believe that Confucianism is a religion. This is also a piece of Chinese feudal orthodoxy for more than two thousand years. The reason why Confucianism can be called a religion is because of the following reasons:

First of all, Confucianism has its own religious rituals. An important feature of religion is that it has a set of rituals and rituals for sacrifices. For two thousand years, the most important religious ceremony in Confucianism was the suburban shrine where the emperor offered sacrifices to heaven and earth. Among them, the Zen ceremony on Mount Tai was the highest and most solemn. Furthermore, Confucianism has the Confucius Ceremony and the Sacrifice of All Things and Hundreds of Gods represented by Sheji. In the ceremony of worshiping Confucius, Emperor Zhang of the Eastern Han Dynasty also specially composed the "Music of the Six Dynasties" as a special piece of music for worshiping Confucius. Now people are gradually adding Buddhist and Taoist religious rituals to the ceremony of worshiping Confucius, making the ceremony of worshiping Confucius more and more perfect in its development. Perfect, the religious color has become more intense. In addition, Confucianism also has various forms of sacrificial activities such as ancestral temple sacrifices for ancestors and other loyal and martyrs.

Statue of Confucius

Secondly, Confucianism has places for worship. All religions have sacrificial places for believers to carry out activities, and Confucianism is no exception. When the emperor held a suburban community, he would build a round altar in the southern suburbs of the capital, which was called "Yuanqiu"; and a square altar in the northern suburbs, which was called "Fangqiu". The Temple of Heaven and the Temple of Earth in Beijing were the places where the emperor held meetings in the northern and southern suburbs during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The highest religious ceremony of Confucianism, the place of Zen, is located in Mount Tai, Shandong. An altar was built to worship heaven on Mount Tai, and an altar was built to worship earth on Mount Liangfu near Mount Tai. There are more places to worship Confucius. In the second year after Confucius's death (478 BC), Duke Ai of Lu protected three of Confucius' former residences as places of worship. Since the Han Dynasty, the number of Confucius temples has continued to increase and their scale has become larger and larger. By the early 20th century, almost every county in China had a Confucius temple, with the total number reaching about 2,000. Not only in China, but also in foreign countries, with the spread of Confucianism, many Confucius temples dedicated to Confucius appeared. Japan, South Korea, Singapore and other countries all have Confucius temples dedicated to Confucius. Voltaire, the great French Enlightenment thinker, was also deeply influenced by Confucianism. He placed a portrait of Confucius in his auditorium and worshiped day and night. In addition, hundreds of Confucian temples such as the Earth Temple, Sea Temple, and Mountain Temple, as well as special temples for loyal and righteous people, are popping up everywhere.

Thirdly, Confucianism has its own teachings.

Confucianism takes the "Three Cardinal Guides" and the "Five Constants" as its teachings, advocates "preserving the principles of nature and destroying human desires", and the "Thirteen Classics" (i.e. "Book of Changes", "Shang Shu", "Book of Songs", "Zhou Rites", "Rituals" ", "Book of Rites", "Chun Qiu Zuo Zhuan", "Chun Qiu Gong Yang Zhuan", "Chun Qiu Guliang Zhuan", "The Analects of Confucius", "Xiao Jing", "Erya", "Mencius") are Confucian classics. Confucianism actually regards Confucianism as a religion. This belief is reflected in the Chinese people's lifestyle and ideological concepts, and has become an important factor in the long-term continuation of China's feudal society. Confucianism integrates the feudal patriarchal system with mysterious religious concepts. For example, in The Analects, it admits that dead people become ghosts and requires people to respect ghosts and gods. This also makes it easier to make Confucianism religious.

Through the above explanation, we can see that the teachings of Confucianism, or the concepts and propositions of Confucianism, have been deeply rooted in the soil of Chinese culture for thousands of years and have become the basis for all descendants of Yan and Huang* The cultural foundation of ** is different. Whether they are princes, generals, ordinary people, or even those who do not recognize Confucianism as a religion today, they are all consciously or unconsciously influenced by Confucian culture. In this sense, since Confucianism has penetrated into every family, it is meaningless to argue about whether Confucianism is a religion.