中国宗教:巫术与伦理或理性的对立和共存

Religion in China: the Opposition and Coexistence between Witchcraft and Ethics (or Rationality)

中国的宗教属于巫术与伦理并存的宗教形态或类型。一方面,以儒家学派为代表的一部分知识与思想的精英基于理性的性质和要求,巫术被认为是一种愚昧和有害的现象而受到排斥或挤压;另一方面,又由于中国宗教本身并未接受革命的洗礼,巫术又自然而然甚至堂而皇之地与理性包括伦理平起平坐。同时,即使是儒家伦理与理性与巫术也始终处于一种非常矛盾的状态:一方面,巫术所特有的迷信或神秘倾向为儒家的伦理诉求与理性精神所不容,因此巫术必然会受到来自儒家知识或精神层面以及制度层面的双重打压,在这里,儒家显示了和亚伯拉罕宗教相似的高贵品格;但另一方面,儒家系统本身却不能保持宗教信仰上的独立性,其不仅不能全然清除巫术,而且还在一定程度上延续或继承着巫术传统,特别是制度层面,更在暗中保持着与巫术的亲昵关系,历朝历代概莫能外。

Religion in China is featured by the coexistence between witchcraft and ethics. On one hand, based on the features and requirements of rationality, Confucian elites with great knowledge and thoughts considered witchcraft to be ignorant and harmful, which resulted in the rejection and suppress of witchcraft. On the other hand, due to the lack of revolutionary innovation of Chinese religion, witchcraft has been set into the equal position as rationality and ethics. Meanwhile, even Confucian ethics and rationality have been in a dilemma on the issue of witchcraft. The superstitious or mysterious features of witchcraft have diverted greatly from the ethic appeals and rational spirits of Confucianism, which has attracted the spiritual and systemic attacks from Confucians. However, Confucianism itself has never been independent of religious belief, which means that Confucianism has inherited the witch traditions and has long been keeping an intimate relationship with witchcraft.