Confucianism

==Catholic controversy over Chinese rites==
{{main|Chinese Rites controversy}}
Ever since Europeans first encountered Confucianism, the issue of how Confucianism should be classified has been subject to debate. In the 16th and the 17th centuries, the earliest European arrivals in China, the Christian [[Jesuits]], considered Confucianism to be an ethical system, not a religion, and one that was compatible with Christianity to boot.<ref name="Elman">{{Harvnb|Elman|2005|p=112}}.</ref> The Jesuits, including [[Matteo Ricci]], saw Chinese rituals as "civil rituals" that could co-exist alongside the spiritual rituals of Catholicism.<ref name="Elman" />

By the early 18th century, this initial portrayal was rejected by the [[Dominican Order|Dominicans]] and [[Franciscans]], creating a dispute among Catholics in [[East Asia]] that was known as the "Rites Controversy".<ref name="Gunn">{{Harvnb|Gunn|2003|p=108}}.</ref> The Dominicans and Franciscans argued that [[Chinese ancestral worship]] was a form of idolatry that was contradictory to the tenets of Christianity. This view was reinforced by [[Pope Benedict XIV]], who ordered a ban on Chinese rituals,<ref name="Gunn" /> though this ban was re-assessed and repealed in 1939 by [[Pope Pius XII]], provided that such traditions harmonize with the true and authentic spirit of the liturgy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sacrosanctum concilium |url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html |access-date=2023-03-17 |website=www.vatican.va}}</ref>

Some critics view Confucianism as definitely [[pantheism|pantheistic]] and [[nontheism|nontheistic]], in that it is not based on the belief in the supernatural or in a personal god existing separate from the temporal plane.{{sfnb|Adler|2014|p=12}}<ref name="Yang">{{Harvnb|Yang|1961|p=26}}.</ref> Confucius views about ''tian'' and about the divine providence ruling the world, can be found above (in this page) and in Analects 6:26, 7:22, and 9:12, for example. On spirituality, Confucius said to Chi Lu, one of his students: "You are not yet able to serve men, how can you serve spirits?"<ref name="Sinaiko">{{Harvnb|Sinaiko|1998|p=176}}.</ref> Attributes such as [[ancestor worship]], [[ritual]], and [[sacrifice]] were advocated by Confucius as necessary for social harmony; these attributes may be traced to the traditional [[Chinese folk religion]].

Scholars recognise that classification ultimately depends on how one defines religion. Using stricter definitions of religion, Confucianism has been described as a moral science or philosophy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Centre for Confucian Science (Korea) |url=http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~tkang/welcome_files/religion.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090716073420/http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~tkang/welcome_files/religion.htm |archive-date=16 July 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Introduction to Confucianism |url=http://urantiabook.org/archive/readers/601_confucianism.htm |website=urantiabook.org}}</ref> But using a broader definition, such as [[Frederick Streng]]'s characterisation of religion as "a means of ultimate transformation",<ref>Streng, Frederick, "Understanding Religious Life," 3rd ed. (1985), p. 2</ref> Confucianism could be described as a "sociopolitical doctrine having religious qualities."<ref name="Yang" /> With the latter definition, Confucianism is religious, even if non-theistic, in the sense that it "performs some of the basic psycho-social functions of full-fledged religions."<ref name="Yang" />
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