China and Western Religious Beliefs Essay

In the early human social, Religious includes world explanation, judicial, moral cultivation and mental comfort, and other functions. In modern society, science and judicial have separated from some religious, but the moral training and mental comfort function will continue to exist. Religion’s belief systems and social groups are an important part of human thought culture and social form. 1.1 The History of Christianity The History of Christianity is the study of the religion started by a Jewish prophet from Nazareth named Jesus. Christianity would grow into one of the world’s major religions, impacting all other religions and changing the course of human history. Christian history mainly concerns the Christian religion and Church, up to contemporary times and denominations. Christianity differs most significantly from the other Abrahamic religions in its claim that Jesus Christ is God the Son. The vast majority of Christians believe in a triune God consisting of three unified and distinct persons: Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Throughout its history, the religion has weathered schisms and theological disputes that have resulted in many distinct churches. The largest branches of Christianity are the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Protestant Churches. Christianity began spreading initially from Jerusalem, and then throughout the Near East, ultimately becoming the state religion of Armenia in 301 , of Ethiopia in 325,of Georgia in 337, and then the State church of the Roman Empire in 380. Becoming common to all of Europe in the Middle Ages, it expanded throughout the world during Europe’s Age of Exploration. Christianity has thus become the world’s largest religion. 1.2 The History of china religious Confucianism, also known as Confucianism, the Confucian doctrine, otherwise known as Confucianism, but does not refer to religion. Confucius as the master of Confucianism, so there is called Confucianis. Confucian classics formed in times of Confucius, but in different age the interpretation of Confucian classics are very different, so it is difficult get a comprehensive define to the Confucian. Essence of Confucianism can be said of social ethics and social management, ethics, or religious interpretation, but not the religion. Ming and Qing dynasties look the Neo-Confucianism that formed in Song Dynasty as official theory so the Neo-Confucianism has spread as mainstream of Confucianism. Comparison between Chinese and English religious beliefs 2.1 The Similarities They have the same background, the Christian was created When the Jews were ruled by The Roman Empire, Jews look forward to a person just like the farseer said who can take them moving towards freedom. While China, Confucianism and Taoism are created when the people were suffering in pain during the Warring States period, 2.2 The Differences 1. Separation of Man and God in Western religions and unity of that in China original sin is the foundation of Christian theory and practice . Because human ancestors, Adam and eva had sinned, corrupt moral invaded their body, and Transmitted to their descendants, the result is men are guilty, all mankind have sin. because of this people are bound to die, and will were punished in all their life. We can see from the original sin all things of Christianity are classified into two worlds: the human world and God’s world. Person’s world is a world separated from God, and human’s world depends on God’s world, so everything is the communication between the two worlds and its results. Obviously, Christianity preached that man and God, the separation of man and nature. While Chinese religion would emphasize that the harmony between man and nature, issues of life within a confined themselves, to solve problems with people- oriented. 2. Monotheism of western religions and pluralism of China religions Christianity is a strictly monotheistic, think that there only have one master of the universe that is God. According to predetermined level of order and purpose God arrange things of the universe. God as God, but also the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Starting this belief, the Christian establish a complete doctrine including Doctrine of God, creationism, human nature, original sin of Christ on, Salvation. Understanding the knowledge and stories of â€Å"Bible† is a very important part of the western cultural training. Therefore after the formation of Christianity it gradually established a fixed, unified values ​​and outlook on life. Those are met with the religious teaching, whether the regulation or the modern thoughts can not be divorced from the relationship with this religious. In practice, Christianity also starting from system to establish unified church organization such as church in urban and rural areas for christians to pray. China’s religious has given people great freedom, so that people can hold religious sentiment in their hearts. Therefore, the God most Chinese people worship is not uniform. Most Chinese people do not belong to a religious organization, however, are more or less exist a unified spirit from Confucianism Buddhism and Taoism. The religious traditions in China, Confucianism has constituted the soul of Chinese culture in the long course of historical development. Many thinkers and politicians in China are based on the Confucian sense of responsibility to pursue truth, to maintain the orthodox and the implementation of reforms. On the other hand, in addition to Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, the Chinese folk religion and worship of God is also very much prosperity and universal, various gods are the object that believers worship incense. the strong contrast between the conceptual life and practical life resulted in the loss of religious values ​​and alienation in China, and also led to the emergence and spread of a variety of primitive superstitious beliefs and event. It caused abnormal development of the spiritual life, so that a heavy burden put on the reality of Chinese culture, many people have a spiritual emptiness