The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-04-13
CHINESE RELIGION.
The Three Principal Sects or Faiths in
FlOwerv Kinrs1Opu

The Three Principal ,.cts or Faiths In the
FlOwery Kingdom.
There are three sects in China-Con-
fucianism. Buddhism and Taoism or
Rationalism. All of these are very an
cient. and considerably antedate the
introduction of the Christian teligion
into the country. COnfucianism is the
state religion. The state officers are
the priests of the religion and the En-
peror is hierarch. or high priest. State
ceremonials are conducted at various
seasons of the year, and the sacrifices
are offered to the heavens. the earth.
the great temple of the ancestors, the
gods of the land and grain. the sun.
the moon, etc. This state religion is
little more than a mere snowy pageant
allied with the symbolism of Confucius,
and protesting. in so far as it processes
any thing. the ethical principles that
he laid down. 1t is the sect of the
higher classes. principally because it is
the religion accepted by the ruling
powers. The religion of the Tao. OIL
the supreme reason. was founded by
Lau-tse (born 6O4 B. c.. fifty-four years
before Confucius). According to him,
reason is before and superior to all Iii.
whites. lie recommended retirement
and contemplation as the most effect
ual means of purifying the spiritual
nature. The priests of the Tao rclig-
ion live in temples and small commu-
mites with their families, and secure a
precarious living by the sale of charms.
The religion of the mass of the people
is the worship of FO. or Buddha. But
the Chinese, as a people. are very in
different to religion. They have, in
deed, no word in their language to de-
scribe religion as we understand it;
their only similar word is kiao,
which means simply doctrine or creed.
The Chinese are generally tolerant
of all religious beliefs, because
they care so little for religion of any
kind. Their three sects have SO few
distinctive characteristics, that man
may worship at Buddhist shrine or
join in Taoist festival and still accept
all the tenets of Confucius and worship
with the state religion. The Buddhist
faith was introduced from India about
65 A. d.. and obtained very great in
fiuence over the minds of the common
people. principally because of its claim
to certain knowledge concerning the
nature of gods and future state. for
on these points the religions of Con-
fucius and Tao offered simply nega-
tons. There are also MOhammedan
communities in China. and temples for
the followers Of Lamaism, the religion
of Thibet. But the one real religion
Of the Chinese. though it does not bear
that name, that i'm which more than
any thing else they trust. and to which
they look for consolation and reward,
is the worship of deceased ancestors.
DIR. Williams says: 1.-The doctrines Of
Confucius and the ceremonials of the
state religion exhibit the speculative.
intellectual dogmas Of the educated
literati and thinkers, who have early
been taught the high ideal Of the
Princely Man set forth by their sages.
The tenets Of Lau-tse and the sorcery
and lamentations of his followers show
the mystic and marvellous part Of the
popular belief. Buddhism takes hold
of the common life of man, offers relief
in times of distress, escape from n
future hell at a cheap rate, and en-
ployment in round of prayers, study.
or work, ending in the nirvana. But
the heart of the Nation reposes more
upon the rites offered at the family
shrine to the two Living divinities'
who preside in the hall of ancestors than
to all the rest" There is no doubt that
the attempt to uproOt or forbid thisswor-
ship of ancestors has been the main
cause of the outbreak against the
missionaries. At to Christian missions
in China, there is good evidence that
they existed ut q very early date. 1t
is certain that the HISTORIANS began
missions there in the seventh century.
and these existed until one hundred
years after the first entrance of Ro-
man Catholic missions into the country.
in the thirteenth century. The latter
carried on their teachings until near
the fourteenth century, when it is
thought that they withdrew into Gen.
trail Asia. In 1882 they were estab-
lished in the country again. and they
have maintained themselves there ever
since, though severe edicts were passed
against them in the latter part of tho
eighteenth century. In 1881 they re-
ported the population of Roman
Catholic converts ut 1,O92,S1S souls.
They hal 81 colleges and as many con-
vents. $50 native priests, 664 European
priests and Al Bishops. The first
Protestant missionary in China was
sent out in 1907 by the London Mission
airy Society. an organization of ths
English Church. Since that date muci
has been done by Protestant Christians
of both England and America. and also
of Germany and Holland. belonging 10
the Methodist. Presbyterians, Pro-:
estant Episcopal. Baptist and other
churches. We can not separate
their converts by denominations, bit
may note that they have nearly hur-
dred stations where missionaries live.
and some $50 stations visited OCCASION
ally or in charge Of native preachers.
They have S2S organized churches. and
nearly $4,000 church members They
support number Of schools. hospitals
and dispensaries. and have several
printing presses in Chinese cities. and
issue a number of newspapers and
books printed in the Chinese language