Confucian Values In Traditional Religion : Religion And Traditional Government

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Religion and traditional government were intertwined which meant that all State matters had a religious influence while at the same time politics had a considerable control over the religious practices. These religious practices that were based on Confucian values had an underlying belief that Heaven provided the political power and that the political decisions came from Heaven. Sacrifice to Heaven is one of the three that were directly related the Confucian values. The other two that will be discussed later include sacrifice to ancestors and sacrifice to Confucius. It is important to note that the three sacrifices were the pillars of the traditional government. Heaven formed an important aspect that determined the structure of the universe and all the people living in the universe. It was seen as an essential force that was responsible for the proper functioning of religious activities, political matters, the moral conduct of people and in general the daily their lives. In ancient China, heaven was used in a spiritual perspective and hence the reason for the great influence that religion exerted in political systems. Spiritual matters were viewed to be the driver of everything that happened in the universe and hence sacrifice to Heaven was taken very seriously by the people. The ceremony associated with the sacrifice to heaven was performed with great care according to the writings in the Confucian classics.
Sacrifice to Heaven was performed for different reasons

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