Inter-Religious Focus on Confucianism

Living a Positive Life

Join us as we continue or Inter-Religious study with David Gardiner, speaking about "Confucianism". Confucianism is a term for an ancient and still thriving Chinese tradition that promotes ideals and practices that nurture social harmony. Whether it ought to be considered a religion or not is a matter of debate. Confucius was a secular teacher who lived around 500 BCE, and whose many students put his words into writing. Key themes he emphasized were: benevolence, propriety, reciprocity and humility. He taught at a time when he, and many others, believed that the ethical norms that had sustained classical Chinese culture for centuries were eroding due mainly to the greed and vanity that were fostering political strife. His aim was to set people back on a harmonious and peaceful course of social engagement that embodied a kind of submission to an impersonal cosmic pattern or force known as the Way (or Dao).