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Old 05-14-2009, 02:33 PM
bongernet's Avatar
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Default Where and when does worship occur and what happens during a worship service/event/tim

Where and when does worship occur and what happens during a worship service/event/time for confucianism?
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Old 05-15-2009, 02:33 PM
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I think it occurs at an altar made in the home and involves ancestor worship. One prays and bows in a ritualistic way to the altar while lighting incense.
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Old 05-19-2009, 02:33 PM
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September 28Th is Confucius' Westernized birthday and as such it is known as Teacher's Day in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. During the celebration, top students turn out in traditional dress along with the intellectual leaders of the community. Judges, politicians, professors and the president will show up to the ceremony. Everyone will have a peacock feather on them as the word for peacock in Mandarin Chinese (Cong tray) is phonetically similar to the word for smart (Cong Ming.)

Chinese people do not worship Confucius in the same way that a Westerner might with Jesus, but rather turn to Confucius around exam time and ask for wisdom and guidance. This is akin to a Christian turning to a saint who specializes in a particular area.

A student will go to the Confucius temple with sprigs of spring onion as an offering because phonetically the word for onion "yang Cong" is similar to the word for smart - "Cong Ming." From there a student will offer incense, place their palms flat together and bow three times. After bowing, the student will state their full name, date of birth, address and what they're asking for guidance on, for example, "Please allow me to pass the bar so that I may become a lawyer."

If the candidate or student is successful, it is customary to bring back a bouquet of flowers or a cash donation for the temple.

There are other instances, but these are the two major ways a Chinese might worship Confucius.
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Old 05-20-2009, 02:33 PM
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I don't know if Confucianism is organized in such a way. My experience with Confucianism is from the many ideas Confucius had about the organization of government and a ruler's treatment of his people. Confucius would travel from ruler to ruler in China trying to teach the leaders of the time how to be more ethical. I suppose if you have to use the idea of "worship", one could say that anytime a person reads about and agrees with a Confucian ethical principle, but that would be a bastardization of the common usage of "worship." I am not aware of Confucius making any direct supernatural claims. Putting an "ism" on the name of a philosophy doesn't make it a religion.

But anyone can pray to or worship anything they want, however they like, and I would be forced to agree that they are worshiping whatever they say they are worshiping.

This feels like a trick question.
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