Wei Zi wishing tree

Love of God is an ancient folk belief in China. Matteo Ricci borrowed this word when he came to China in the Ming Dynasty, and found that the concepts of gods and western gods were the same.

When Matteo Ricci came to China in the Ming Dynasty, most people in China had the habit of offering sacrifices to heaven, ancestors and Confucius. Matteo Ricci considers himself a Western Confucian, upholds the Confucian style and maintains a tolerant attitude towards China customs. He allowed China people to continue these traditional ceremonies. Matteo Ricci advocated using "God" to address the Catholic "God" (Dehousse); Latin); But he also thinks that the Catholic "God" already exists in China's thought, because the traditional "Heaven" and "God" in China are essentially the same as the "One True God" in Catholicism. Sacrificing ancestors and Confucius is just a ceremony to remember ancestors and philosophers, which has nothing to do with faith; As long as you don't mix vows, worship, prayer and other ingredients, it is not against Catholic teachings in essence. Matteo Ricci's missionary strategies and methods have always been followed by Jesuits who came to China to preach, which is the "Matteo Ricci Rule".

In Matteo Ricci's Rules, please pay attention to a passage: "The Catholic" God "has existed in China's thought for a long time, because the traditional" heaven "and" God "in China are essentially the same as the" one true God "mentioned by Catholics.