Confucianism in cultural studies essay samples

Confucianism is a belief that is greatly valued and taken to be as more of a religion in Asian countries. These ethical beliefs were developed by the Chinese philosopher called Confucius. The founder of the Confucianism did not intend to create a new religion as he developed these moral virtues, but he rather wanted to expand on the dying Zhou religion. These ethical beliefs were developed during the spring and autumn period. Confucianism was later incorporated into the state as an ideology. Despite the impact Confucianism had on the regions where it was exposed, the founder Confucius was not well known. Confucius wanted to be an advisor to one of the leaders in authority in order to ensure that his work is implemented. This is because he viewed himself as someone in a position to provide council to people on good governance. He believed his teachings would make this possible since he emphasized on virtues based on morality and unity. Such virtues are important in facilitating good leadership and he intended to use them to provide council to leaders.
People from the west do not recognize Confucianism as a region because there is no belief of an actual god in this setting. There are no places of worship or shrines. They argue that every religion has the belief of a god, and there are particular places of worship (Hoobler, & Hoobler, 2009). In the Asian countries, there are no people who refer to themselves as Confucianist like in other religions where individuals refer to themselves according to their religion. This statement is correct based on the argument provided. It is clear beyond logical explanation that every religion has a belief and a place of which the Confucius clearly does not have.
However, there are various individuals who have questioned the existence of Confucianism as a religion since there are no teachings on what happens to the dead. This is opposed to other religions where there are certain beliefs on what happens to people after death. Teachings of what occurs after life are greatly considered in many religions. The Confucianism belief states that life after death is beyond any man’s understanding and people should focus on doing what is morally upright (Littlejohn, 2011). Being morally upright creates assurance of going to the right place if there is life after death as suggested by other religions. This is what drives the believers of the Confucianism into doing what is morally right. This has facilitated the growth of Confucianism in the Asian countries. Proper ethics is essential in ensuring there is peace in any country since people are in good relations with each other.
The Confucianism teachings have an influence on the social relations and morals that are exercised in the Chinese community. This is due to the influence Confucianism has had in the region. Confucius spread his belief throughout all regions in small groups where he emphasized on discipline in order for his students to achieve their desired goals. Some individuals termed Confucianism a civil religion following its effect on the people (Yao, 2005). It aimed at imposing social values and morality and could not be termed as a religion as quoted by Robert Bellah who was a sociologist. It is through his teachings that Confucius wanted to foster stability in the society by providing teaching on what is morally acceptable. The strategy would promote unity and order in the society. This is because such virtues are essential in ensuring that individuals live in harmony together. Virtues are essential in shaping people into the desired character.
The Confucianism tries to establish the acceptable morals that should be exercised in a society to ensure that there are good relations among all individuals in the community. This is well-elaborated in his teaching as one of his main aims. The Confucianism teaching aim at establishing good relations through a defined set of terms that will ensure there are mutual obligations to be met to acquire the desired results. All individuals were expected to understand the role they played in the community in order to facilitate the outcome expected through the teachings. His beliefs were aimed at respecting every individual’s beliefs since this would create a platform to facilitate the kind of morals standards and teachings he expected. Respect is essential in ensuring that people uphold morality regardless of the differences they may have. It also creates room for reaching upon solutions to problems that may be affecting the society.
His teachings were greatly valued in china, where his work was put into books by students after his death. His teachings are still used up to date in informing individuals on how to co-exist peacefully with other members of the society (Yao, 2005). His teaching aimed at ensuring that people acted with virtue in all social matters. This would foster unity and order in the community. The Confucius was also composed of ritual ceremonies. These ritual teachings would give procedures on how certain ceremonies should be conducted to facilitate peace.
The Confucius belief has, however, been challenged through rival philosophies such as Taoism. Taoism deals with handling matters through searching for meaning. Despite the difference in the philosophy, they do share a common belief. These philosophies were largely known as philosophies before people started in referring to them as religions. Despite the differences the two philosophies have, they have served as teachings that have directed the Asian community into practicing what is morally acceptable in order to promote the unity they aimed at acquiring.
It is apparent that despite the varying opinions, Confucius main aim in his philosophical work was to ensure that people lived peacefully to promote development and unity. He aimed at minimizing social injustices through providing education on the required code of conduct expected to be practiced in order to maintain high moral standards. His work led to the development of structures which were expected to promote respect between individuals in different levels (Hoobler, & Hoobler, 2009). This is where individuals in a lower authority were expected to respect individuals in higher authority. This ensured that there were high moral standards since respect was reciprocated in all levels. This promoted a peaceful coexistence among all leaders in authority regardless of their level. It is through Confucianism that individuals in Asian communities were able to gain social equality. This is among the factors that have promoted the peaceful livelihood in the Asian communities.
The teachings learned through Confucianism are what have caused the numerous complaints from the Chinese’s directed to the western cultures. This is because the Chinese have believed the western have no respect for authority because there is expression of what they feel and think (Littlejohn, 2011). The Chinese believe that the authority should not be challenged as opposed to what the western people think. Through the Confucian teachings, people are expected to act in accordance to their rank rather that what they feel or think is right. It has been witnessed in the Chinese rule that going against the authority has serious consequences.
The Han Dynasty declared the work of Confucianism to be an official philosophy in the state of china. It later lost its official sanction. However, the restructuring of the Chinese political system affected the successful adoption of this concept. Besides, it is acknowledgeable that Confucianism has found favor in modern China. This is due to the impact the Confucius teaching had in the past governments. This has been good in governing the country since it ensures the country of stability and harmony. The Confucian morals have been used to reduce corruption by exercising the moral ethics in these teachings.
These teachings have been relevant in ensuring there is peaceful coexistence. Peace is an essential element that is required to ensure that countries develop and are not war torn. This is what Confucius expects since his main aim was to ensure that there are peaceful and good social relations among the different social groups available in China. Although notable changes have happened in regard to Confucianism teachings, the main objectives of these teachings remain the same as developed by Confucius.

References

Hoobler, D., &Hoobler, T. (2009). Confucianism. New York: Chelsea House Publishers.
Littlejohn, R. (2011). Confucianism: An introduction. London: I. B. Tauris.
Yao, X. (2005). An introduction to Confucianism. Cambridge [u. a.: Cambridge Univ. Press.