1. Confucianism

2. Founder, Origin & History
Confucius
Circa BC
China

3. Confucianism Adherents: 5 million

4. God(s) & Universe
none

5. Human Situation & Life’s Purpose
Purpose of life is to fulfill one’s role in society with propriety, honor and loyalty
Five Relationships
Subject to Ruler
Son to Father
Younger Brother to Elder Brother
Wife to Husband
Friend to Friend

6. Afterlife
Not addressed

7. Practices Honesty Politeness Humaneness
Perform correct role in society
Loyalty to family and nation

8. Texts
Analects

9. Taoism

10. Founder, Origin & History
Lao-Tzu
Circa 550 BC
China

11. Adherents Worldwide
20 million

12. Yin-yang – opposites make up a unity
God(s) & Universe
Pantheism –
The Tao pervades all
Yin-yang – opposites make up a unity

13. Human Situation & Life’s Purpose
Inner harmony, peace and longevity
Achieved by living in accordance with the Tao (Way)

14. Afterlife Revert back to state of non-being
Simply the other side of being

15. Practices General attitude of detachment and non-struggle
“go with the flow” of the Tao
Tai chi
Acupuncture

16. Texts
Dao De Ching
Chuang-Tzu

17. Animism

18. Indigenous religion of pre-historic peoples from all over the world
Founder, Origins & History
Indigenous religion of pre-historic peoples from all over the world

19. Adherents Worldwide
unknown

20. God(s) & Universe Multitude of gods and goddesses
Represented in all forms of nature
ALL THINGS HAVE A SPIRIT AND ALL SPIRITS MUST BE APPEASED

21. Human Situation and Life Purposes
The basis for animism is acknowledgment that there is a spiritual realm which humans share the universe with.
The concepts that humans possess souls and that souls have life apart from human bodies before and after death are central to animism, along with the ideas that animals, plants, and celestial bodies have spirits.

22. Afterlife
None addressed

23. Practices
gods often are immortalized by mythology explaining the creation of fire, wind, water, man, animals, and other natural earthly things.
Although specific beliefs of animism vary widely, similarities between the characteristics of gods and goddesses and rituals practiced by animistic societies exist.

24. Texts
none