Aidian Peterson-Perry

REL-100 Religion(s) Overview

Religion(s): East Asian

Estimated Worldwide Adherents:Confucianism & Daoism - ~25 to 400 millionShinto - ~5 to 100 million

Approximate Date Founded/Age: Confucianism developed from the teachings of Master K’ung 551-479 BCE

Founder(s): Confucianism – Master K’ungDaoism – Lao Zi

Original Setting: Confucianism and Daoism – Ancient ChinaShinto – Indigenous Japan

Sacred Text(s): Highly practical religions with few texts on teachings.

Major Sects, Branches, and Divisions: Confucianism, Daoism and Shinto

Religious Leaders or Authorities:

Places of Worship: Temples, Shrines and the home

Current Geographical Distribution: China, Korea, Japan

Deity or Deities/Ultimate Reality: Being fully Human, Harmony with nature

Shinto – Kami and Amaterasu

Major Beliefs and Doctrines:Immanence of Gods and Spirits Inner sagehoodOuter NobilitySimplicity

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Hierarchical relationships

Forms of Worship, Rituals, and Practices:MeditationFeng ShuiMartial ArtsGood character

Important Holy Days:Birthday of Deities Chinese New YearCherry Blossom Festival Japan

Major Historical Figures, Prophets, and/or Leaders:Master K’ung / Confucius Lao Zi

Important Contemporary Figures, Prophets, and/or Leaders:

Important Historical Events:Establishment of BuddhismImperialism and Colonialism and acceptance of practices (education, medicine, technology, etc)

Important Contemporary Issues and Trends:Western adaption and interpretation of East Asian religious practices, feng shui, acupuncture, tai chi

Further Comments or Questions:

Would people of East Asian religious consider borrowing certain aspects and using their interpretation blasphemy?

Aidian Peterson-Perry

Multiple Choice - ResultsYou answered 18 out of 20 questions correctly, for a score of 90%.1. Correct. You answered: c. 40. What percentage of the world’s

population is East Asian?The correct answer was: c. 40. 2. Correct. You answered: a. Han. The people of the core region of China

are calledThe correct answer was: a. Han. 3. Correct. You answered: b. Neo-Confucianists. China’s medieval

scholars who were influenced by Buddhism are known by Westerners asThe correct answer was: b. Neo-Confucianists.

4. Correct. You answered: b. kami. Which one of the following is NOT one of the aspects of applied Daoism developed to manage worldly life?The correct answer was: b. kami.

5. Correct. You answered: d. all of the above. Beliefs prevalent in early China that were foundational for later East Asia’s diffuse religion includedThe correct answer was: d. all of the above.

6. Correct. You answered: d. axial age. The time when the East Asian visionaries, the Indian sages, and the Greek philosophers made definitive contributions to the world’s social and spiritual framework is referred to as theThe correct answer was: d. axial age.

7. Correct. You answered: a. active social service. Characteristics of Confucianism includeThe correct answer was: a. active social service.

8. Correct. You answered: c. individual retreat. Characteristics of Daoism includeThe correct answer was: c. individual retreat.

9. Correct. You answered: b. filial piety. The bond between child and parent is the model for which Confucian ideal?The correct answer was: b. filial piety.

10. Incorrect. You answered: d. none of the above. The compilation of Master K’ung’s teaching episodes, anecdotes, and aphorism is called theThe correct answer was: b. Analects.

11. Incorrect. You answered: b. to live a simple life and conform to the state’s expectations. The political message of Daoism wasThe correct answer was: d. return to primal simplicity, with the state interfering as little as possible.

12. Correct. You answered: b. Lao Zi, the Buddha, Guanyin. At the popular level, religious Daoism eventually incorporated which of the following into the Daoist pantheon?The correct answer was: b. Lao Zi, the Buddha, Guanyin.

13. Correct. You answered: b. dark. Characteristics of yin includeThe correct answer was: b. dark.

14. Correct. You answered: a. Amaterasu. The kami of the sun, a goddess, is calledThe correct answer was: a. Amaterasu.

15. Correct. You answered: b. Confucianism. What tradition teaches that the person is “a center of relatedness”?The correct answer was: b. Confucianism.

16. Correct. You answered: b. considered Europeans to be “barbarians”.

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When the Chinese first had regular contact with the Europeans in the 1500s, theyThe correct answer was: b. considered Europeans to be “barbarians”.

17. Correct. You answered: a. dislike of Buddhism. What led the shogunate Nobunaga in the 1500s to be receptive to the first Jesuit missionaries?The correct answer was: a. dislike of Buddhism.

18. Correct. You answered: c. South Korea. The most “Confucian” nation in East Asia isThe correct answer was: c. South Korea.

19. Correct. You answered: b. ling. The spiritual force that inhabits springs, rivers, and especially mountain peaks and legendary figures is calledThe correct answer was: b. ling. Correct. You answered: d. Five Classics. The Confucian canon, officially established around 175 ce, is called theThe correct answer was: d. Five Classics.