Religion pays more attention to the external, opposing the internal and external, right?

Religion existed as early as primitive society, and its root and foundation lie in the low level of productivity development and the weakness of primitive people to the forces of natural struggle. At that time, religious norms often became social norms that people abided by together.

In the most primitive times, before the emergence of class differentiation, human beings began various religious activities. This can be known in many archaeological discoveries and historical records. Man is the most complicated creature in nature, especially in thought and spirit, which is more complicated than other creatures in nature. And people's actions are dominated by thoughts. Why do spiritual activities, such as people's ideological activities, people's awe of natural forces, and thinking about various phenomena in nature, become social activities like religion? Judging from the origin of primitive religion, religion is the only effective means to limit people's natural attributes, ensure and cultivate people's sociality in an era when organizations that manage people's collective activities such as state machines have not yet appeared and science education is still underdeveloped. From archaeology and folklore, we know that primitive religions worship things around them, such as hunters worshipping various animals and mountain gods; Fishermen worship river gods and water gods; Collectors may worship various plants, such as tree gods and flower gods. The objects of worship are neither abstract spiritual gods nor the only gods that dominate the world, but natural things closely related to human activities. Moreover, the sacrificial activities are attended by all tribal members and presided over by tribal leaders or so-called priests who can communicate with the gods. Therefore, worship is not only a ceremony, but also an activity to enhance the collective consciousness of all employees. Perhaps the latter is the real purpose of worship activities. As for the worship of spiritual sustenance and spiritual comfort and the leading role of religion, it is only the secondary role brought by the development and popularization of religion in the middle and late period of social activities, rather than the fundamental reason why religion has become a very important social activity. With the development of society, the scale of collective activities is growing. Especially with the emergence of the advanced organization form of the state, religious worship has become more and more abstract, and the dead, ghosts and ghosts have all entered the worship object, and the religious worship ceremony has become more and more horrible, and even people have to be worshipped. It is unreasonable to say that these behaviors are spiritual sustenance and spiritual comfort, but it is more reasonable to interpret them as suppressing people's natural characteristics and supporting strengthening people's sociality. The emphasis on obedience and the role of special religions in maintaining social order are the main reasons for the existence and development of religions. Therefore, the rulers of past dynasties were particularly enthusiastic about religious ceremonies, and sometimes they used the state machine in their hands to promote a religion they liked. Even some rulers designate a religion as the state religion, which is consistent with the laws and regulations of the country. The supreme ruler of the country is often the supreme leader of religion. That is to make full use of the role of religion in ensuring and cultivating people's sociality.

Religion and belief

Religion is based on faith, and some people think it is obscurantism. Religion only needs to be believed, not asked why. Religion is not superstitious or feudal, which can be said to be a noble belief.

Some people think that a nation only believes in one religion. Archaeological findings come to the conclusion that beliefs are not innate and can be changed. Ethnic groups, religions and cultures are both related and different.

The influence of religion

Religion exists in every country and nation in the world. So far, it has not been found that a country has no religion.

Religion and politics

The relationship between religion and politics is very complicated, and religious beliefs will affect the law. Religion is also a social ideology and a part of the superstructure. Historically, religion was often used by the ruling class as a spiritual tool to rule the people. On the other hand, religion is often used by rebels as a tool to resist oppression.

In many modern countries, citizens have freedom of religious belief, which is one of the basic rights of citizens. In the Middle Ages, almost all countries in the world adopted the system of the integration of politics and religion. The state power and religion were integrated, and the religious leader was the head of state and directly controlled the state power. If a single religion is established as the state religion, canon is the national law, and citizens must believe in and abide by it. Citizens have no freedom to believe or not to believe in other religions, otherwise they will be regarded as "pagans" and persecuted. However, in ancient China, due to the influence of Confucianism, citizens were allowed the freedom to believe in other religions, but all other religions must be brought into the framework of Confucian ethics.

Marxist view holds that when society develops to communism, religion will disappear.

Monotheism and polytheism

Monotheism refers to a religion with only one starting god (true god), while polytheism has many gods. The origin of monotheism is Semitic, such as Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Christianity is developed on the basis of Judaism. The origin of other religions is usually polytheism.

atheism

Atheism can be divided into broad sense and narrow sense. Atheism in a broad sense means not believing in the existence of God, that is, having no religious belief; Atheism in a narrow sense means believing that there is no God, that is, denying the existence of all supernatural forces.

Religion and science

Religion and science are often antagonistic. The inquisition in medieval Europe tortured all those who violated the words and deeds of the Bible. Many scientists are persecuted. But religion has also promoted the development of science in some ways.

The difference between religion and superstition

Superstition generally refers to blind belief or worship of people or things. Divination, physiognomy, geomantic omen, fortune telling, word-breaking, evocation, dream interpretation, etc. in Chinese history. , is a long-term activity, mostly produced or popular in feudal society, customarily called feudal superstition. Religious belief and superstition do have something in common in epistemology. They all believe in and worship gods or supernatural forces. But superstition does not belong to the religious category, the difference lies in:

First, religion is a social ideology, a historical phenomenon when human society develops to a certain stage, and it has objective laws of its occurrence, development and extinction. In the process of adapting to the long-term development of human society, religion has formed unique religious beliefs, religious feelings, and religious theories, doctrines and regulations that are compatible with this belief. There are strict religious ceremonies, relatively fixed places for religious activities, strict religious organizations and religious systems. Superstition, on the other hand, has no common object of worship, no established purpose, regulation or ceremony, and no common place of activity. The object of superstition may be ghosts, mountains and trees. Superstition generally refers to fortune-telling, divination, drawing lots, spelling, dream interpretation, falling immortals, watching Feng Shui and other activities. , is carried out by gods, witches and superstitious professionals with witchcraft. The masses go to see the fortune only to predict the future and destiny, and do not regard it as their own worldview; Superstitious professionals just use these activities to defraud people of money as a means of making a living.

Second, religion is a cultural phenomenon. In the process of its formation and development, religion constantly absorbs various human thoughts and cultures, permeates and tolerates politics, philosophy, law and culture, including literature, poetry, architecture, art, painting, sculpture, music and morality, and becomes an integral part of the world's rich culture. Superstition does not have these characteristics.

Third, religions have social organizations established according to law, managed according to law and carried out standardized religious activities. To protect the normal religious activities and social welfare undertakings of religious organizations within the scope of national laws. The national religious policy encourages religions to carry forward fine traditions and positive factors and adapt to socialist society. Superstition is just a scam of a few superstitious professionals who sacrifice their lives for money. Some superstitious organizations are even places that shelter evil people from evil practices, endanger the masses and even engage in illegal and criminal activities.

The state has clear policy boundaries in dealing with religious beliefs and superstitions. The state implements the policy of freedom of religious belief, guarantees all normal religious activities, and resolutely cracks down on all illegal and criminal activities carried out by religion, as well as all kinds of superstitious activities that do not belong to the scope of religion and endanger the national interests and the safety of people's lives and property. All people who take fortune-telling and geomantic omen as their profession should be educated, persuaded and helped to make a living and stand on their own feet. They should not engage in such activities of deceiving people by superstition. If you don't comply, you should also ban it according to law. Article 300 of the Criminal Law of People's Republic of China (PRC) stipulates: "Whoever organizes or uses religious sects or cult organizations or uses superstition to undermine the implementation of state laws and administrative regulations shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than seven years; If the circumstances are particularly serious, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of more than seven years. " Those who use feudal superstitions to endanger national interests, social stability and the safety of people's lives and property, which constitute illegal crimes, must be resolutely cracked down according to law. For printing and disseminating fortune-telling books, lottery fortune-telling and divination, hell to pay is required.

Religious studies

Some people think that people who are not religious can't learn religion. But people cannot believe in multiple religions at the same time. Therefore, they think it is impossible to study religion in religion. But in fact, many religious believers are studying other religious factions with great concentration.

Major religions in the world

I. Judaism

Second, Christianity, including

Christianity (Protestantism)

Catholicism

Orthodox Church

Christian Maronites (Nestorianism, Niesto Liberalism, Nestorianism)

Mormon church

Third, Buddhism.

Hinayana

② Mahayana Buddhism, including

1. Xianzong, including

& lt 1 & gt； Empty door, including

Chan sect

Lupai

Fa Xiang Zong (three essays)

Dharma school (yoga school)

Huayan Sect

Tiantai Sect

& lt2> Pure Land Sect and Pure Land Sect

2. Tantric Buddhism, which is Tibetan Buddhism.

Four. Islam, including

Sunnis (a sect of Islam)

Shiites. Compare SＵＮＮI

Sufi school

Chinese Islam

Baha 'i (Iran)

5. Hinduism (also known as Hinduism)

Before the rise of Buddhism, it was called Brahmanism; During the decline of India, after the Hindu reform, Buddhism was renamed Hinduism.

Sixth, Confucianism.

Seven, (China) Taoism, including

Zhengyi Road (Shitian Road)

Quanzhen road

Taiyi avenue

ave

and

Yiguang Road (Taiwan Province Province)

Tiandao (North Korea, South Korea)

Vietnamese Taoism

Eight, (Japan) Shintoism

Nine, (Tibet) this religion

X. Sikh religion (India)

Zoroastrianism (Zoroastrianism)

12. Manichaeism (Persian Zoroastrianism)

Thirteen, Jainism

Fourteen Wiccan Sect

Fifteen. Emerging religions

The blind obedience mentality in China's traditional religious consciousness is not conducive to the emergence of modern civilization. In the Ming Dynasty, due to the development of commodity economy, the inherent religious view of literati was strongly loosened, which further affected the official religious policy and folk religious consciousness. God's status is gradually declining, and his concern for real life is increasing day by day, thus providing an opportunity for the introduction of western learning. Therefore, China's modern civilization is endogenous first. The spread of western learning to the east has promoted the pace of modern civilization. Under the combined action of internal and external factors, the light gradually dimmed and the dawn began to appear.

[Keywords:] Ming religious consciousness, the beginning of modern civilization

introduce

The Ming Dynasty was an era of "the sky were to fall and the earth were to fall" (in Huang Zongxi's words). After more than 2,000 years of painstaking construction, the temples in feudal society in China have been "dilapidated". "Their outer walls are bright and rosy, and the old ones are hard to change, but the middle ones are embarrassing." [1] Scholars in Ming Dynasty gradually realized the necessity of profound reflection on traditional consciousness. The development of commodity economy has impacted the feudal ideological and cultural barriers like a flood, providing a good atmosphere for scholars to make such criticism and reflection. In the Ming dynasty, especially in the late Ming dynasty, there was a split in the ideological circle.

The split of ideological circles in Ming Dynasty really brought a fresh breath to China society, which was different from the feudal culture of more than 2,000 years, which was recognized by academic circles. But the problem is: with the Eight Banners' iron hoof set foot on the Central Plains, the enlightenment culture of the Ming Dynasty seems to have died in the cradle, and the stones thrown by scholars in a stagnant pool of feudal society seem to have no voice in modern culture. So that in modern times, any new bachelor must be called western learning; The spread of western learning to the east in the late Ming Dynasty seems to have become the origin of modern civilization in China.

Social consciousness has its historical inheritance. Every nation's culture must have its own internal origin. For China, an ancient oriental country with a long history, it would be almost inconceivable if there were no ideological changes in the huge feudal empire, no internal bud of modern civilization in China, and no exotic "Western learning" introduced into this mysterious land by some Jesuits.

Since we think that it is incorrect to regard China's modern civilization as a completely "foreign" ideology and an "exotic" with no national foundation at all, it is all the more necessary to explore the source of China's modern civilization. As far as the worldwide modernization trend is concerned, the modernization of Europe, especially the modernization of ideology and culture, is marked by the Renaissance. Thinkers standing on the threshold of the middle ages and the new century pointed their finger at religion and led the European continent from the world of God to the world of man. In China, although religion has never achieved the lofty status of surpassing the secular regime like Christianity in Western Europe, it has also undergone a different evolution from the previous generation in the dawn of modernization. Studying this evolution can, to a certain extent, reflect the process of China's modern civilization gestating and growing in its matrix.

China culture believes that there is a founder and the object of worship is "Zong"; There are a group of followers, and a certain ceremony is "teaching"; The religion of western culture evolved from Latin "re" and "legere", which means "re" and "get together". It refers to a group of people who get together for a purpose and develop to the point where they have the same belief, the same belief, and are not afraid of life and death for this belief.

It is worth noting that in Chinese, the word religion is not equivalent to the meaning of English religous belief. Religion was originally a Buddhist term, not its present connotation and extension. For example, Taoism in China is not called this in history. The word religion is used to refer to the changes in the meaning of all religious beliefs due to translation. As a special Buddhist term, the meaning of the word religion, that is, calling yourself a sect and converting to other religions, has been forgotten.