prothero taoism vs confucianism
The word Taoism is used to refer to a philosophy and a set of spiritual doctrines. According to Smith, literally, Tao means ‘path’ or ‘way’. Historically, there have been three ways to understand what is meant by ‘Tao’: it is a way of ultimate reality, is ultimately transcendent, and is refer to the way of human life. The western culture portrays wandering as punishment, but in Daoism wandering is opportunity rather than punishment. It is believed that roaming in company of the Dao leads you to discover your true self (flourishing). Taoists want to nurture life so that we can live long, happy lives, and eventually, maybe, reach immortality. A person can get there by wandering through the mountains and being natural. Laozi is the attributed author of the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching) which means “The Classic of the Way and Its Power”, and written in the 3 rd or 4th century. It contains the central beliefs of Daoism , but I don’t think they use it as their holy book.
Reading about Confucianism was interesting since I know nothing about it. I really like the idea of a formula for social order, the five relationships and the five virtues. The culture and tradition I grew up in is very similar, so the reading was definitely more engaging for me than either of the chapters before it. When Prothero refers to Confucianism as being “the most un-American religion”, I understand his point. In Confucianism, the problem is chaos because of lack of social order, so the goal is social harmony and social order. (Prothero interview). The structural system of societal order in Confucianism is different from the system we have in America. Confucianism is on the surface, out of date and old, but if it changes its old ways, it could potentially be a promising and growing religion. We need a social order in the society, but bowing down for others and the inequality part of this religion is the only thing I didn’t like about it. Prothero said, “Human beings are learners, and as we learn we become ourselves” (pg111). Confucianism is deeply rooted in being social and educating citizens so they can behave sensibly, but I think that isolation (individualism) does little for education and growth.

Daoist philosophy characteristically contrasts the Cosmic Dao in its naturalness, spontaneity, and eternal rhythmic fluctuation with the artificiality, constraint, and stasis of human society and culture. Humanity will flourish only to the extent that the human way (rendao) is attuned to or harmonized with the Cosmic Dao, in part through the wise rule of sage-kings who practice wuwei, or the virtue of taking no action that is not in accord with nature.
A lover of antiquity, Confucius broadly attempted to revive the learning, cultural values, and ritual practices of the early Zhou kingdom (beginning in the 11th century BCE) as a means of morally renewing the violent and chaotic society of his day (that of the Spring and Autumn Period) and of promoting individual self-cultivation—the task of acquiring virtue (ren, or “humaneness”) and of becoming a moral exemplar (junzi, or “gentleman”). According to Confucius, all people, no matter their station, are capable of possessing ren, which is manifested when one’s social interactions demonstrate humaneness and benevolence toward others. Self-cultivated junzi possess ethical maturity and self-knowledge, attained through years of study, reflection, and practice; they are thus contrasted with petty people (xiaoren; literally “small person”), who are morally like children.

quiz 3 moodle questions
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In Religious Literacy, Prothero demonstrated how little Americans know about their own religious traditions and why the world’s religions should be taught in public schools. Now, in God Is Not One, Prothero provides readers with this much-needed content about each of the eight great religions. To claim that all religions are the same is to misunderstand that each attempts to solve a different human problem. For example: –Islam: the problem is pride / the solution is submission –Christianity: the problem is sin / the solution is salvation –Confucianism: the problem is chaos / the solution is social order –Buddhism: the problem is suffering / the solution is awakening –Judaism: the problem is exile / the solution is to return to God
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The core principles of each tweet are distilled from Prothero’s research for his upcoming book, The Great Religions, due out next year. At first, he says, the information flow was strictly one way — book to Twitter. Then things shifted.
Providing a synopsis of each of eight major world religions in Twitter-speak (with a 140-character limit) takes creative condensation and inventive linguistics. For example, on Stephen Prothero’s feed, an “Ahh!” at the end of a tweet indicates that a religious philosophy includes a final payoff, such as heaven. It’s there for Christianity and Islam; his take on Hinduism ends with “Om Apu Ahh!” in a reference to Americans’ best-known Hindu, Apu from The Simpsons. But his Judaism tweet concludes with “2010 in 97500!” (Translation: the Passover pledge, “Next year in Jerusalem!”)
References:
http://www.britannica.com/story/what-is-the-difference-between-daoism-and-confucianism
http://www.coursehero.com/file/p555vqs/According-to-Prothero-on-what-grounds-could-it-be-argued-that-Confucian/
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AATVRx3ReKU
http://www.bu.edu/articles/2009/tweeting-on-high/
http://studybay.com/blog/proposing-a-solution-essay-topics/