chapter 9
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In this broad universal sense of the word, I say fuism is a religion just as Christianity or Buddhism is a religion. But you will remember I said that fuism is not a religion in the European sense of the word. What is then the differeween fuism and a religion in the European sense of the word? There is, of course, the differehat the one has a supernatural in and element in it, whereas the other has not. But besides this difference of supernatural and non-supernatural, there is also another differeween fuism and a religion in the European sense of the word such as Christianity and Buddhism, and it is this. A religion in the European sense of the word teaches a man to be a good man . But fuism does more than this; fuism teaches a man to be a good citizen. The Christian Catechism asks:_"What is the chief end of man?" But the fu Catechism asks:_"What is the chief end of a citize?.n ?" of man, not in his individual life, but man in his relation with his fellowmen and in his relation to the State? The Christian ahe words of his Catechism by saying:" The chief end of man is to glorify God. " The fuist ahe words of his Catechism by saying: "The chief end of man is to live as a dutiful son and a good citizen. " Tzii Yu, a disciple of fucius, is quoted in the Sayings and Discourses of fucius, saying: "A wise maes his attention to the foundation of life_the chief end of man. When the foundation is laid, wisdion will e. Now to live as a dutiful son and good citizen, is not that the foundation_the chief end of man as a moral being?" In short, a religion in the European sense of the word makes it its object to transform man into a perfect ideal man by himself, into a saint, a Buddha, an angel, whereas fuism limits itself to make man into a good citizen_ to live as a dutiful son and a good citizen. In other words, a religionin the European sense of the word says:_"If you want to have religion, you must be a saint, a Buddha, an angel;" whereas fu-ism says:_"If you live as a dutiful son and a good citizen, you have religion."
In fact, the real differeween fuism and religion in the European sense of the word, such as Christianity or Buddhism, is that the one is a personal religion, or what may be called a Church religion, whereas the other is a social religion, or what may be called a State religion. The greatest service, I say, which fucius has done for the ese nation, is that he gave them a true idea of a State. Now in giving this true idea of a State, fucius made that idea a religion. In Europe politics is a sce, but in a, since, fucius time, politics is a religion. In short, the greatest service which fucius has done for the ese nation, I say, is that he gave them a Social or State religion. fucius taught this State religion in a book which he wrote in the very last days of his life, a book to which he gave the name of c/iim(^^, Spring and Autumn. fucius gave the name of Spring and Autumn to this book because the object of the book is to give the real moral causes which govern th<u>.99ｌｉｂ?</u>e rise and fall_the Spring and Autumn of nations. This book might also be called the Latter Day Annals, like the Latter Day Pamphlets of Carlyle. In this book fucius gave a resume of the history of a false and det state of society and civilisation in which he traced all the suffering and misery of that false and det state of society and civilisation to its real cause_to the fact that men had not a true idea of a State; nht ception of the true nature of the duty which they owe to the State, to the head of the State, their ruler and Sn. In a way fucius in this book taught the divine right of kings. Now I know all of you, or at least most of you, do not now believe in the divine right of kings. I will nue the point with you here. I will only ask you to suspend your judgment until you have heard what I have further to say. In the meantime I will just ask your permission to quote to you here a saying of Carlyle. Carlyle says: "The right of a king to govern us is e<bdi></bdi>ither a divine right or a diabolic wrong. " Now I want you, on this subject of the divine right of kings, to remember and ponder over this saying of Carlyle.
In this book fucius taught that, as in all the ordinary relations and dealings between men in human society, there is, besides the base motives of i and of fear, a higher and nobler motive to influehem in their duct, a higher and nobler motive which rises above all siderations of i and fear, the motive called Duty; so in this importaion of all in human society, the relatioween the people of a State or nation and the Head of that State or nation, there is also this higher and nobler motive of Duty which should influend inspire them in their duct. Bnt what is the rational babbr></abbr>sis of this duty which the people in a State or natioo the head of the State or nation? Now in the feudal age before fucius time, with its semi-patriarchal order of Society and form of Gover, wheate was more or less a family, the poeple did not feel so much the need of having a clear and firm basis for the duty which they owe to the Head of the State, because, as they were all members of one or family, the tie of kinship or natural affe already, in a way, bound them to the Head of the State, who was also the senior member of their or family. But in fucius time the feudal age, as I said, had e to an end; wheate had outgrown the family, wheizens of a State were no longer posed of the members of a or family. It was, therefore, then necessary to find a new, clear, rational and firm basis for the duty which the people in a State or natioo the Head of the State_ their ruler and sn. Now what new basis did fucius find for this duty? Co<cite></cite>nfucius found the new basis for this duty in the word Honour.
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