Download Ancient Chinese Religion

Ancient Chinese Religion
In the Shang Dynasty (about 2000 BC), the earliest period we know much about,
people in China worshipped a lot of different gods - weather gods and sky gods - and
also a higher god who ruled over the other gods, called Shang-Ti. People who lived
during the Shang Dynasty also believed that their ancestors - their parents and
grandparents - became like gods when they died, and that their ancestors wanted to be
worshipped too, like gods. Each family worshipped their own ancestors.
By the time of the Chou Dynasty (about 1100 BC), the Chinese were also
worshipping a natural force called t'ien, which we usually translate as Heaven. Like
Shang-Ti, Heaven ruled over all the other gods. Heaven also decided who would be
the Emperor or Empress of China. The emperor or empress could only rule as long as
he or she had the Mandate of Heaven (as long as Heaven wanted him or her to rule).
You knew when the emperor or empress had lost the Mandate of Heaven because he
or she would then be overthrown by somebody else who would become the new
empress or emperor.
Around 600 BC, under the Eastern Chou Dynasty, and for the next two hundred years,
there were a lot of new ideas in Chinese religion. First, a Chinese philosopher named
Lao Tzu (he may be mythical) created the philosophy of Taoism, which became very
popular. Taoism holds that people should not try to get their way by force, but
through compromise and using natural forces in their favor. It is partly a philosophy,
and partly a religious faith. Taoists believe that there is a universal force flowing
through all living things, and that respecting that force is essential to a happy life.
Not long after Lao Tzu, another Chinese scholar called Confucius created a different
philosophical system we call Confucianism, which disagreed with Taoism but also
became very popular. Confucianism holds that people should do their duty and follow
their leaders and the gods faithfully. Order is the way to peace. If everyone just does
what they are told, and what they are supposed to do, there won't be any fighting and
nobody will be upset.
But these new philosophies did not end the old religious practices. Everybody kept on
worshipping their ancestors and the traditional Chinese gods, and they kept on
believing in the Mandate of Heaven.
Summarise the different religions during these four
different dynasties in the boxes on the next page. Put
a dot point note for each number.
Shang Dynasty
Chou Dynasty
1 2000 BC
1
1100 bc
2 believed in their ancestors
2 worshiped natual forces
3 there ancestors were there own god 3 emperor and empress
4 called the Shang ti people
4 they made all the rules
5 believed that ancestors needed to
be worshiped
5 they only stayed king and queen as
long as heaven wanted then to
6 earliest dynasty ever recorded
6 they gor overrun
7every family in china worshiped
there own gods
7 tien = heaven
Eastern Chou Dynasty
1 600
BC
2 created most of the Chinese religion
rituals
3 philosopher named lao tzu
Confucius
1HE WAS A SCHOLAR
2 CREATED CONFUSIONISM
3 HAS TO FOLLOW GOD IN EVERY
WAY
4 ORDER IS THE WAY TO PEACE
4 BELIEVED IN UNIVERSAL
FORCES
5 RELIGION IS NOT BIG IN THAT
DYNASTY
6 THEY RESPECT ALL LIVING
FORCES
7 TAOISM
5 IF EVERY BODY WAS CALM
THER WOULD BE NO FIGHTING
6 not all people were happy
7 mandate was still popular