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... On the contrary, I am in full respect of, most especially, the main world religions of today – Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and several others.
To better iterate the point I am trying to make, I hold the observation that all religions generally advocate or hold laws and teachings that guide and aid their believers down a path of righteousness; down a path to being good, wholesome human beings. ... What defines a wholesome human being? ...
For the purpose of supporting my observation, I shall explore the two of the world’s religions, Confucianism and Judaism, in this essay. ... In Confucianism, the main ethical concepts can be found in Confucius’ ideals and the Mandate of Heaven. In Judaism, they can be found in the Torah of the Hebrew Bible. ...
Before delving into the different traditions and ethical concepts that Confucianism and Judaism hold, I shall look at the origination of these two religions first.
Confucianism was derived from the ideals and beliefs of Confucius, the major teacher of this second great Chinese school of thought after Taoism. ...
The Mandate of Heaven together with Confucius’ ideals and teachings sets the nature of the moral codes and ethics in Confucianism. The ultimate goal in Confucianism is to fulfill the Mandate of Heaven.
Following this introduction to the origination of Confucianism, let us now look at
how the Torah was derived in Judaism. ...
Recalling that the ultimate goal in Confucianism is for the Chinese to fulfill the Mandate of Heaven, we can see the contrast with Judaism, where the people of Israel are to keep the covenant between them and their God, Yahweh. ... For Confucians, the moral authority is Heaven (Tian), through the emperor as the mediator between the human realm and Heaven. ...
Tian in Confucianism is an impersonal divinity while Yahweh in Judaism is looked up to as a powerful and glorious being. Herein lies the difference where the ethical bases in Judaism and the moral codes of conduct in Confucianism stem from. The originations of the culture and tradition of Confucianism and Judaism set the nature of the moral codes and ethics for the two religions of which I will be discussing in the following paragraphs.
In Confucianism, the foundations of the ethics lie in Confucius’ ideals and the Mandate of Heaven. On the other hand, the main laws of moral conduct for Judaism are found in the teachings and commandments in the Torah. ... This brings me to introduce The Five Great Relationships in Confucianism, which ties in perfectly with the Mandate of Heaven in cultivating a harmonious society. ... Following this, he firmly believed that each human being is capable of being good and refined. ...
These five virtues together with The Five Great Relationships that advocates how people should relate to each other in society, and if followed correctly by the Chinese,
will enable them to fulfill the Mandate of Heaven – the ultimate goal of Confucianism.
In Judaism, the ancient Israelites have the Torah containing the Ten Commandments and teachings to guide the Jews in keeping their covenant with God as the ancient Israelites were commanded to oblige thousands of years ago. ... 166-7)
There are hundred over commandments and teachings in the Torah and I shall discuss some of them, which very much parallels Confucianism virtues in their ethical foundation. ... These teachings are similar to Confucianism’s husband-wife relationship of the Five Great Relationships.
Approximate Word count = 2762
Approximate Pages = 11
(250 words per page double spaced)
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