CONFUCIANISM
Confucianism was the major school of thought in China throughout history. Confucianism was developed from the teachings of Confucius and his disciples, and covered the areas of social relationships, principles of good conduct, practical wisdom. Confucianism has influenced the Chinese attitude toward life, set the patterns of living, and provided the background for Chinese political theories and institutions. It has spread through various countries from Korea, Japan, and Vietnam and has aroused interest among Western scholars. Although Confucianism became the official ideology of the Chinese state, Confucianism has never existed as an established religion. Amazingly, Chinese scholars honored Confucius as a great teacher but did not worship him as a personal god. Unlike Christian churches, the temples built to Confucius were not places in which organized community groups gathered to worship, but public places designed for annual ceremonies.
About the 200 AD, popular Taoist religious organizations concerned with faith healing began to appear. Taoism was recognized as the official religion of China for several brief periods. Various Taoist sects eventually developed, and in 1019 the leader of one of these was given an extensive tract of land in Jiangxi Province. The successors of this patriarch maintained control over this tract and nominal supremacy over local Taoist clergy until 1927, when the Chinese Communists ousted them. Inapt to the development of a clear political theory, Taoism exerted its greatest influence on Chinese aesthetics, hygiene, and religion. Taoism also developed at a cult level in which immortality was sought through magic and the use of various potions. Experimentation in alchemy gave way to the development, between the 3rd and 6th centuries, of various hygiene cults that sought to prolong life. These developed into a general hygiene system, still practiced, that stresses regular breathing and concentration to
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Approximate Word count = 677
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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