God gave His important and saving “word” to mankind through this blessed and talented man. For well over 2000 years this wise and wonderful collection of “words” presented by Confucius was the proper way men had to proceed in order to find their way to their final eternal home.
Although Confucius never mentioned “God” by name, he believed he had a personal commission to spread these teachings. He said at one time: “Heaven has appointed me to teach this doctrine”. Another time he said: “There is Heaven – that knows me!”
Confucians today say that behind all true humanism, in the natural and visible world, there is a spiritual power, which in some mysterious way has decreed the ordering laws of the universe. Confucianism is a social order in connection with a cosmic order.
This religion was one of the great gifts of God to mankind well before the birth of Christ, who was also known as the “Word”. Many of Confucius’ words parallel the later sayings of Christ. The two plans of salvation are in harmony, but addressed to two different cultures. The “Word” gave each culture of men their salvation through following the inspired “Word”.
Confucius was an ordinary man, just like his peers, yet he was chosen to deliver the “Word” that was badly needed by mankind. By hearing Confucius’ teachings, men became committed to the Godly way by following them. His words were blessed and they became an involuntary motivation in the hearts of the hearers, propelling them to truth, righteousness, love of the Good and benevolence to their fellow man.
Man’s Sub C, or as Confucius said, his “second nature” is what every man uses to rule over his “primitive nature”. This primitive state is the ordinary conscious state of man in which he uses reason to make choices according to what makes him feel good. He chooses the things, which ultimately affect him spiritually, through his emotions and gut feelings. These conscious decisions direct his inner motivations. What other men think of him, what he thinks of the men who have lived before him (whom he admires) and what they have done, as well as what he deems as the “true” from his present life’s input; all this affect the choices he makes with his conscious or “ primitive nature”.
In practicing Confucianism, a man must feel that he pleases tradition as well as choosing a personal path that seems good and right to him. Many things will affect him, his feelings, and his final motivations. With his personal intellectual admiration of the timeless wise Analects, with the personal approval of the tranquility he sees in those using this pattern of life, a man receives a growing mind set. This is now used by his second nature to work toward the inner commitment of his highest nature. He has complete motivation. This practice of life becomes a part of him. The attainment of this “Deliberate Tradition” gives man a progressive commitment to building an involuntary motivation, which then gradually becomes ingrained in him. With all those of his culture, he reveres the wise and the good. Man want his character to be admired by his peers. He also receives earthly satisfaction as he gains veneration. Now the Super C of man is reached with this commitment to the total good. His eternal life as a part of Heaven is accomplished.
Man undergoes a type of self-hypnosis as he devotes his mind to studies of Confucius’ words. He admires, reveres, and loves the Analects that answer his questions and enlighten him. By following these wise words in all that he does in life, he enjoys approval of the living and pleases in retrospect, those who have gone before. He is motivated to live according to these Analects and emulate the examples Confucius set. As a man lives daily by these precepts, he strives more and harder. Deliberate Tradition merges as involuntary motivation and give him a complete dedication to the “Word”.
Although Confucius was very reticent when he came to talking of the Supernatural, he said that somewhere in the Universe, there was a Power that was on the side of right. The spread of righteousness was a cosmic demand. He knew that he had been appointed to teach this.
There is a great parallel among all great religions, and Confucianism is one of the great God-given sources for men’s salvation, which was given to this one particular culture.