Judaism And Confucianism Similarities

Our world is constantly changing and with that comes the creation of new and unique religions. Throughout the fall semester our World Religions class has studied several of the most common religions that are still practiced in the world today. The two religions that I have found to be particularly interesting are Judaism and Confucianism. Judaism was one of the religions that we had previously learned about in class. Confucianism on the other hand, is a religion that was not taught in class, but was a religion that I had wanted to learn more about. In this essay I will explain more about Confucianism and its origin, teachings, practices, and current status in today’s world as well as explain how Confucianism and Judaism are different and how …show more content…
Confucius was a government official who had wandered from region to region in China with the goal of finding an office in need of his philosophy in the government. When he was not able to enter office, he became a teacher and passed on his political philosophies to his students. Confucius taught about his beliefs in harmony which came from a hierarchy of human relationships in which everyone accepts his or her place and behaves with virtue toward others. His thoughts were focused on the importance of tradition, obedience to authority, rites and etiquette in the regulation of daily life, and a rational, benevolent existence. Although there are no surviving written works of Confucius, his followers have been credited with …show more content…
For example, Confucianism was adopted as the political philosophy of ruling sovereigns. However, when the 20th century rolled around, revolutions brought political, economic, and social upheaval and change to Eastern Asia and Confucianism was eventually denounced as an ethical prop of the old system and for some period of time was abandoned. The religious aspects of Confucianism are that it is practiced in many different countries. Confucianism is considered to be polytheistic and Confucians believe in many gods other than their own. Confucius also believed that society needed ‘li’, which translates to ‘ritual’. However, the rituals that the people are to perform vary depending on age, social status, gender, and context. For instance, the family ritual refers to the rites of mourning and it depends on one’s kinship relation to the deceased. Offerings to the gods are also highly regulated: the sacrifices of each social class are restricted to specific social classes of deities