Is Confucianism A Religion?

[dreams lie]

I'm just wondering, what exactly are the requirements for a religion to be a religion and does Confucianism meet them.

[Aurentuku]

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but in High School, I learn't that Confucianism was a way of life (meaning you adhere to certain morals or philosophies). As for what makes a religion a religion, doesn't a religion require a form of divinity or an aspect of 'holyness' to it(not necessarily requiring a God though), prayers/forms of worshipping? Note that I am not sure at all as I'm just trying to remember what I've learn't before. I could be wrong.

[Shaidar Haran]

Some have turned Confuscionism into a religion. I don't know what the basic principles are, but some people have turned it into a religion.

[Purgatory]

Confucianism is an ideal, not a religion. Although it is somewhat widely practiced.

[Seren]

While it's often treated as a religion, confucianism is really nothing more than a series of moral/ethical/philosophical rules, or a system, meant to keep society in line. I think it's because Confucias is semi-godified (lol, I don't think that's a word, but whatever) that leads to the religion bit. Plus there's emphasis on ancestor worship and whatnot, which probably doesn't help.

As to whether one might officially call it religion, the definition of religion varies between people that it's probably impossible to nail down whether it is one or not. I personally think it's more of a codification of social mores, but others may disagree. However, I think that generally speaking, it's not considered a religion but a way of life.

[drache]

Most religions can be defined as having a set God or group of gods, an organized priesthood, a belief in a life after death, and organized traditions, thus it is debatable whether Confucianism should be called a true "religion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion)". While it prescribes a great deal of ritual, little of it could be construed as worship or meditation in a formal sense. Confucius occasionally made statements about the existence of other-worldly beings that sound distinctly agnostic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnostic) and humanistic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanistic) to European and American ears. Thus, Confucianism is often considered a secular (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular) ethical tradition (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethical_tradition) and not a "religion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion)." It is best described as a philosophy with special rituals and beliefs.
Its effect on Chinese and other East Asian societies and cultures has been immense and parallels the effects of religious movements, seen in other cultures. Those who follow the teachings of Confucius say that they are comforted by it. It includes a great deal of ritual and (in its Neo-Confucian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-Confucianism) formulation) gives a comprehensive explanation of the world, of human nature, etc. Moreover, religions in Chinese culture are not mutually exclusive entities — each tradition is free to find its specific niche, its field of specialisation. One can be a Taoist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoism), Christian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity), Muslim (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam), Shintoist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto) or Buddhist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism) and still profess Confucian beliefs.
Although Confucianism may include ancestor worship, sacrifice to ancestral spirits and an abstract celestial deity, and the deification of ancient kings and even Confucius himself, all these features can be traced back to non-Confucian Chinese beliefs established long before Confucius and, in this respect, make it difficult to claim that such rituals make Confucianism a religion.
Generally speaking, Confucianism is not considered a religion by Chinese or other East Asian people. Part of this attitude may be explained by the stigma placed on many "religions" as being superstitious, illogical, or unable to deal with modernity. Many Buddhists state that Buddhism is not a religion, but a philosophy, and this is partially a reaction to negative popular views of religion. Similarly, Confucians maintain that Confucianism is not a religion, but rather a moral code or philosophic world view.
The question of whether Confucianism is a religion, or otherwise, is ultimately a definitional problem. If the definition used is worship of supernatural entities, the answer may be that Confucianism is not a religion, If, on the other hand, a religion is defined as (for example) a belief system that includes moral stances, guides for daily life, systematic views of humanity and its place in the universe, etc., then Confucianism most definitely qualifies. As with many such important concepts, the definition of religion is quite contentious. Herbert Fingarette's Confucius: The Secular as Sacred is a good treatment of this issue.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianism#Is_Confucianism_a_.22religion.3F.22

so is it a relgion? honestly it depends a hell of a lot on your definition of what a religion is

[GrimaH]

Moral of the story: If you want to mangle a religion's teachings beyond all recognition, spread it to the Chinese.
We do it right. :thumbs

[Giorno Giovanna]

I also thought of it as a philosophy more than a religion.

[Jim]

confucias say man go to bed with itchy butt, wake up with smelly fingers.
u knew it was coming.
no i dont think confucianism is a religion.

[frozenfishsticks]

Confucianism's position in the realm of religion is a bit tough to determine. The deification of Confucius and the ancestors of people doesn't exactly correlate with Confucianism because it comes from Chinese tradition that existed before Confucianism. Confucianism is basically a tradition of ethical and moral beliefs. One of Confucius' students once asked about "the Way of Heaven" but Confucius refused to talk about it. Confucianism is a humanistic (now I'm going to say it) philosophy that emphasizes duty to the family before others, e.g., if your father killed a man, you should do your best to protect him from being detained.

Well, although what I just said is sort of convoluted, I feel like I've spent more than enough time here.

[Holadrim]

Well alongside Taoism I don't find confucianism to be much more then a way of living, as with most religions (except these two aren't monoteistic "religions").

[Red]

It has "ism" at the end. Therefore it's not.