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Central to Confucius' teaching are relationships and social roles. There are five great
relationships:

1.c Kindness in the father and obedient devotion in the son

2.c Gentility in the eldest brother and humility and respect in the younger
3.c Righteous behavior in the husband and obedience in the wife
4.c Humane consideration in elders and deference in juniors
5.c Benevolence in rulers and loyalty of ministers and subjects

If these attitudes are practiced there will be harmony among all.

The most important relationship is the family, the basic unit of all humanity. Consistent with the
pantheistic world view, Confucius did not believe in an individual self or soul. One's roles and
relationships define that person. The goal of living is to achieve harmony through acting
appropriately in those roles and relationships. Our family relationship is projected into the life of
the community and the world.

In the family unit, the father is the key figure. He must be a good example to his sons. It is the
son's duty to obey without questioning and honor his father, even after death. When the father
dies, obedience is given to the oldest brother. Confucius states in the ^
 "Meng I Tzu
asked about the treatment of parents. The Master said, 'Never disobey! . . . While they are alive,
serve them according to ritual. When they die, bury them according to ritual and sacrifice to
them according to ritual.'" (^
 II: 5)

Confucius taught that government should be for the people. Feudal lords are to be responsive to
the needs of the people at large. If the rulers lived by the highest principles, the people would
then follow and there would be reform from the greatest to the least. The duty of those in
subordinate positions is to be unquestioningly loyal to their superiors. Confucius states, "It is
said that if good people work for a country for a hundred years, it is possible to overcome
violence and eliminate killing. This saying is indeed true." (^
 13:11) Confucius believed
that a good society would be achieved through education.

There are points of agreement here between Confucius and the Bible. Confucius believed the
virtues he espoused are lived out in relationships. The same is true for Christianity. Our
relationship with God is reflected in our relationships with one another. The truth of the Christian
life is lived out in a community, not in isolation. The family is the key social unit, and the father
is the leader of the family. However, Christianity takes relationships one step farther than
Confucius. Not only can we have the five relationships espoused by Confucius, we can have a
personal relationship with God. It is from this connection that our earthly relationships find their
greatest meaning.

For Confucius, this does not help in practical daily living, so I assume he did not feel the need to
address the issue. Confucius did not instigate a new religion, but he introduced a philosophy of
ethics. His system articulated the proper conduct in relationships, ceremony, and government.
The core problem of mankind, according to Confucius, is that people are not educated and do not
know how to conduct themselves properly in their societal roles. The chief goal of life is to
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become educated and live a moral life. There is no divine help for man in this endeavor.
Confucius says, "He who has put himself in the wrong with heaven has no means of expiation
left." è^
 3:13) The Bible teaches our core problem is that we are separated from God and
in need of a savior. God has provided a savior, His Son, Jesus, and through His sacrificial death
on the cross and resurrection, we can have a relationship with God.

What I have learned is this, that of all things that people live by, Li is the greatest. Without Li,
we do not know how to conduct a proper worship of the spirits of the universe; or how to
establish the proper status of the king and the ministers, the rule and the ruled, and the elders and
the juniors; or how to establish the moral relationships between the sexes; between parents and
children, and between brothers; or how to distinguish the different degrees of relationship in the
family. That is why a gentleman holds Li in such high regard.{2}

There is much to appreciate regarding the life and teachings of Confucius. The Christian would
find many points of agreement with Confucius' ethical code. We would agree that demonstrating
respect, grace, and concern for others develops good relationships. We both value family
relationships, and consider it the central unit to society.

What accounts for the similarity in ethics in Confucianism and other religious systems is, as I
mentioned before, what Paul states in Romans 2. Within every man there exists a God-given
conscience or natural law that guides our moral conduct. This is because we are created in the
image of God, so we reflect His character. However, similarity in ethical codes does not mean
the religions are the same. As demonstrated in this article, the teachings of Confucius and Jesus
differ at the most fundamental level.

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The Teachings of Taoism

The Tao

In The Tao Te King, the central concept is that of the Tao. Finding the proper definition of the
term is no easy task, for while the word "Tao" literally means "way" or "path," the concept goes
far beyond that. The opening words of The Tao Te King express the Thought that the Tao that
can be understood is not the real Tao. The name that can be named is not the real name.

A famous Taoist saying is, "Those who know don't say and Those who say don't know." It is a
mysterious term beyond all our understanding, imagination and senses. Yet it is the way of
ultimate reality, the ground of all existence. It is the way of the universe, the way by which one
should order his life.

The cosmic Tao is invisible, inaudible, unnamable, undiscussable, inexpressible (Max Mueller,
ed., Sacred Books of the East, London: Krishna Press, 1879-1910, 40:68, 69).

The perfect man is peaceful like the Tao (Ibid, 39: 1992-193).
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The ideal condition is a by-gone utopian simplicity in a state of nature (Ibid., 39:278).
Vacancy, stillness, placidity, tastelessness, quietude, silence, non-action this is the level of
Heaven and Earth, and the perfection of the Tao (Ibid.,39:331).

The question arises, how does one get his life in harmony with the Tao? If mankind's chief aim is
to conform his existence to the way of the Tao, what must he do to accomplish this? The Tao Te
King teaches this can be done by practicing the basic attitude of Wu Wei, which literally means
inaction.
This principle calls for the avoidance of all aggressiveness by doing that which is natural and
spontaneous. Mankind should live passively, avoiding all forms of stress and violence to
properly commune with nature. In doing this, his life will flow with the Tao.

Yin and Yang

A concept that has been accepted in Confucianism, as well as philosophical and religious
Taoism, is that of the yin and yang. AlTaough all things emanate from the Tao, there are Those
elements that are contrary to each other, such as good and evil and life and death. The positive
side is known as the "yang" and the negative side the "yin." These opposites can be expressed in
the following manner:

Yang Yin
Male Female
Positive Negative
Good Evil
Light Darkness
Life Death
Summer Winter
Active Passive

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