Religion in Ancient China

The Shang believed in an afterlife

Their dead ancestors had spirits and could help or hurt the living

They used oracle bones to tell the future and communicate with their ancestors

Ancestor Worship

When the Zhou overthrew the Shang they had to convince people they had authority so they claimed a mandate of heaven

Heaven told them they had to rule and if they were good people they would stay in power

Mandate of Heaven

The Mandate of Heaven is based on four principles:

The right to rule is granted by Heaven. There is only one Heaven therefore there

can be only one ruler. The right to rule is based on the virtue of

the ruler. The right to rule is not limited to one

dynasty, others can take over if they are better.

Mandate of Heaven

Confucius founded this religion or way of life

Focused on good behavior, principles taught through short sayings

“Do not do unto others, what you would not want others to do to you”

Confucianism

Lao-Tzu founded itTaoism means the “way to happiness” (more of a philosophy than a religion)

Taoism teaches to meditate and see things as they really are

Taoism