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Kelsie Nelson
Dr. Dragani
RS 206
5 September 2015
Confucianism and Judaism
The religious rituals preformed, beliefs, behaviors, sacred texts, and individuals who play
a role in the various religions have always peaked my interest. In World Religions, I have been
able to learn about religions I knew very little about and ones I did not know existed. One that I
took particular interest in that we studied in class was Judaism. While I knew this religion
existed, I did not know its interesting background or the stories that are still being passed down
throughout its followers. Confucianism is a religion I have never heard of before, so I decided to
begin my research with the background of Confucianism.
The first philosopher in China was Confucius. Confucius can be known by his personal
name (Qiu, or Chiiu), as well as a formal name (Zhongni, or Chung-ni) (Hansen). He is known
as Kong Fuzi (Kung Fu-tzu; Master Kong) by the westerners. Confuciuss father passed away
soon after he was born, which led his family into poverty. This led Confucius to dedicate his life
to learning, joining a growing class of impoverished descendants of aristocrats who made their
careers by acquiring knowledge of feudal ritual (Hansen). Eventually, he began to teach others.
Although he was a famous philosopher, he never wrote down or collected any of his philosophy.
There were historical classics located within his school, and tradition gives him credit to editing
them. A popular book that came into play after Confuciuss death, known as the Analects, is said
to document what Confucius said (Hansen). The book itself was not written in any type of
structured philosophy, so it is said to have contradictions, along with philosophical doctrines

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having more than one interpretation. However, the Analects became the religious viewpoint for
all of those who were Chinese, and its teachings considerably impacted Chinese life. The
collection relates to Confucius because it portrays him as a dedicated individual who preserved
ritual practices that were considered to be traditional (Hansen). An important lesson that
Confucius taught his students is how to become a gentleman, as well as all walks of life. The key
to following the path is through the individuals behavior and beliefs. In order to harmonize their
inner self with the way they were meant to be, they were to follow the path (tao). The tao meant
for good health, along with well-being. It was the ultimate moral way for all (Fowler, Jeaneane,
and Merv Fowler 77-78).
The mysteries of life are hard for anyone to ignore, but in order for Confucius to ignore
them, he had to center his spirit on the world. Throughout Confucius lifetime, the Zhou dynasty
was ongoing many conflicts, most of which were political (Violatti). During this political
struggle, Confucius ideas flourished. It was a time when order did not exist, and he struggled
with strategies to get society back to the way it had always been. When he finally came up with
something, it was going to traditional ways. He mentions some of the sage-emperors of the past:
Emperor Yao, Emperor Shun and the Duke of Zhou, who were considered responsible of
establishing the foundations of Chinese culture (Violatti). To Confucius, these emperors were
models for any society and were far more functional than supernatural beings.
Many religions focus on the three same things: God, an afterlife, or how the universe
came about. This is where Confucianism differs from many other religious beliefs and teachings.
Humanism is the central feature of Confucianism (Violatti). This focuses on family issues,
right and wrong behaviors of an individual, and the duties of a good ruler. A government that is
well run should be ruled by virtue and moral example rather than punishment or force

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(Violatti). Confucius teachings in the Analects highlight practicing moral virtues, sincerity
(cheng), filiality (hsiao), and most important was humaneness (jen) (Bassett, Brinkman, and
Pedersen 64). Although it is not certain that the Analects truly do contain the message of
Confucius, it is considered to be the most trustworthy source of his view.
Just recently, the Communist Party has begun searching for a new system of ideas that
can account for their government. This led them to return to Confucius. By returning to their old
ways, they see China as its own political culture (Simon). They wish for the society to be
harmonious, while the country succeeds. Along with the Communists, ordinary people are going
back to the teachings of Confucius for the spiritual satisfaction that is currently not there. Many
believe that Confucianism is not suitable with democratic values. For example, President Xi
Jinping and the Chinese government will confirm it is not suitable (Simon). Within the world
today, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan are societies that impacted by Confucianism but are
democratic. History may be setting the example that you can be Confucian while being a
democrat.
By focusing this paper on Confucianism and Judaism, I learned several differences along
with some similarities between both of the religions. There are over 13,500,000 adherents of
Judaism; however, there are only 5,000,000 adherents of Confucianism (Side by Side
Comparison). The Judaism adherents believe in God and is a monotheistic religion whereas
Confucianism adherents focus on various gods and their ancestors. The religions were formed,
influenced and founded at different times. Sacred times, sacred spaces, rites and leadership in
these two religions differ. There are three major sacred texts for Judaism and Confucianism, and
each which have different names and meanings. With that being said, their scriptures are also
unalike (Side by Side Comparison).

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According to Leora Batnitzky, the individual who established the modern Jewish thought
is said to be Moses Mendlessohn, whom was born in Dessau, Germany (Batnitzky 13). He began
his studies at a young age, which led him to receiving traditional Jewish education. At age
fourteen, he traveled to Berlin to continue his education. Similar to Confucianism, Confucius and
Mendlessohn were both young, but they dedicated their lives to learning (Batnitzky 13). In a
way, both religions viewed human nature in significant ways. In Judaism, human nature is
located inside of an image that is divine, having never-ending value. In Confucianism, it is
believed that the purpose of existence is to gain the highest potential you can as a human. Within
both religions, there is suffering and evil. In Confucianism, it is believed to help an individual
grow (Side by Side Comparison).
There are many religions worldwide that are being practiced that have been passed down
for several decades. Many of these religions have numerous things in common. For example,
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all monotheistic religions, meaning they believe in one God.
On the other hand, there are religions that have barely anything in common. For example,
Confucianism and Judaism share many differences but few similarities. Each religion has its own
unique characteristics located within and can only be exposed if we take time to learn more about
their beginnings, rituals, and beliefs.

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Works Cited
Bassett, Libby, John T. Brinkman, and Kusumita P. Pedersen, editors. Earth and Faith: A Book
of Reflection for Action. United Nations Environment Programme, 2000.
Batnitzky, Leora. How Judaism Became A Religion. Princeton University Press, 2011.
Fowler, Jeaneane, and Merv Fowler. Chinese Religions: Beliefs and Practices. Sussex AP, 2008.
Hansen, Chad. "Confucianism." Scholastic, 2016.
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/confucianism.
"Side by Side Comparison." Pantheos Library, 2008-2016.
http://www.patheos.com/Library/Lenses/Side-By-Side?path1=&path2=x404&path3=x1295
Violatti, Cristian. "Confucianism." Ancient History Encyclopedia, 31 Aug. 2013,
http://www.ancient.eu/Confucianism/.
Worrall, Simon. "Why is Confucius Still Relevant Today? His Sound Bites Hold Up." National
Geographic, 25 Mar. 2015, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/150325confucius-china-asia-philosophy-communist-party-ngbooktalk/.