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Rel 133 week 5 Team
Confucianism and Contemporary Issues

Confucianism and Contemporary Issues This essay will illustrate the history of Confucianism and the background of Master Kong (Confucius) in the early beginnings of the religion. The purpose of the paper is to discuss the common characteristic of Confucianism with other eastern religions, the contemporary issues it faces, and the interaction between the modern world and Confucianism. Also the paper list the nine most common text of literature used by the religion and it includes the role of women and the five bonds also known as the five great relationships.
History

Confucius was born August27, 551 BC in a small state called Lu. His birth name is Kong Qui or K’ung Fu-tzu. “The modern name of Confucius is an early Western rendering of the sage’s Chinese honorific name “K’ung-fu-tsu”” (Confucius, 2013) It is noted that Confucius was born in answer to his parents prayers. Confucius surname Kong means an utterance of thankfulness when prayers have been answered. He stemmed from the Chang dynasty 500 years before the birth of Christ.
According to the text, the exact details of his childhood vary. Some say that he grew up in a wealthy household. Other reports say that he stemmed from a poverty stricken background. Scholars do agree that Confucius existed during a time of crisis in China. The crisis stemmed from the challenge to the ruler posed by the “three Huan families”. By heredity they had the right to occupy the ministerial offices of the Lu government. It is recorded that he entertained himself during his youth by arranging rituals and staging ceremonies. This turmoil in society had an effect on Confucius. He thought that if the thinking of society would change it would change the way things were done. The notion of society must change. Individuals must strive to be noble as possible. (Confucius, 2013)
During his early adult life, Confucius took on odd jobs to support him-self and assumedly his family. He


References: SARTOR, V. (2009). Confused About Confucius?. Beijing Review, 52(48), 48. Confucius. (2005, 05). China Today, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/235863948?accountid=458 Confucius. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 09:03, Aug 11, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/confucius-9254926. Riegel, Jeffrey, "Confucius", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2013 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = . Confucius. (2013). The Biography Channel website. http://www.biography.com/people/confucius-9254926 Confucius. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. http://www.biography.com/people/confucius-9254926 Beversluis, J. (1995). A SourceBook for Earth 's Community of Religions (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: CoNexus Press. Women and Confucianism. (1996-2012). Retrieved from http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/lesson3.html Molloy, M. (2010). Experiencing the World’s Religions (5th ed.). Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/TOC.aspx?assetdataid=f43149e2-f11e-48ac-88cb-084b164f4f42&assetmetaid=f9d1ca89-97e9-4bc2-a371-b0bc0b895c36.
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