Confucianism Religion

According to Prothero, Confucianism is a religion. However, it is not well known in the west and seen as more of a way of philosophical thought. Prothero clearly answers the simple question we answer in class about each religion; What is the problem? What is the solution? How do you get there? In Confucianism the problem is chaos, where evil and anguish are inescapable within a mortals life. The solution is a sort of cast system or social order. Here women obey their husbands and servants obey their masters, everyone has their place and their role within society. I think there are a few reasons why the west may not consider Confucianism as a religion. Mostly because there are not gods or God and there are no traditions or rituals. Confucianism relies on filling these …show more content…
Prothero again answers within his texts, the basic questions we answer in class; What is the problem? What is the solution? How do you get there? The main problem that Daosim is the lifelessness in life, to solve this you must practice Dao, or “The Way.” Dao is the ultimate truth in the universe; it is the root of all things. Again why people may not consider this a religion is probably because of how the west’s unfamiliarity with their practices comparatively to their dominant, monotheistic and very ritualistic styles. In Daosim, there is not good or evil. This conflicts with how most of the west thinks. For example, Catholics believe that we are all born with original sin due to Adam and Eve and their whole existence is to live a sinless life in order to achieve forgiveness. I think another form of belief in Daoism that would be hard for westerns to grasp is their immense polytheistic views. I use polytheistic because I do not know a better word choice for it but though there are many gods and goddesses within their beliefs, a Daoist does not consider any of them to be an all powerful or eternal god on any hierarchal