对儒学宗教论若干论据的质疑——与李申研究员商榷

A Query to Some Arguments in the Theory of Confucian Religion——A Discussing with Research Fellow Li Shen

本文对李申判定“儒学是宗教”的若干论据提出质疑 ,认为孔子整理“六经”只是述而不作 ,“六经”中的上帝鬼神信仰并不是孔子及儒家的思想和行为基础 ;“六经”中《尚书》及《诗经》所涉及的不同时期的不同人物 ,对于“天”的含义有不同理解 ,不能一概视为天命论 ,孟子和朱熹都将其中的“上帝”、“天命”阐述为人世间可观察理解的道理。将上帝鬼神作为“主宰一切、赏善罚恶”之根据的是墨家而不是儒家 ,儒家“以天为不明 ,以鬼为不神” ,对之作出否定。作者还进而论证了

This article puts up a query to Li Shen's arguments for determining 'Confucianism is a religion'. The author takes that Confucius was just interpreting instead of creating in compiling 'the six scriptures'. The faith in deity and ghost in the six scriptures was not a foundation for Confucian thought and behaviour. In the six scriptures, various characters in different periods referred in Book of History and Book of Odes had different understandings in the meaning of 'Heaven', which could not be considered roughly as 'Destiny by Heaven'. Mencius and Zhu Xi interperated 'deity' and 'destiny by heaven' as observable and understandable reasons in human society. It was Moist School, not Confucianism, that took deity and ghost as the ground for 'governing all, and rewarding the good and punishing the evil', while Confucianism denied it by 'taking heaven as being not illuminating, and taking ghosts as being not gods'. The author also expounds that whether believing or not the existence of deity and ghost should not be an effective criterion in distinguishing religion and non religion.