Cultural Differences between East and West: A Religious Perspective
Today, in the past or in the future, orientals and westerners are the same. Just like everyone's strengths and weaknesses, each nation also has its own characteristics and culture. There are many factors that affect each country and culture, such as different regions, politics, economy, technology, history and religion. These factors have shaped and perfected the cultures of various regions, ethnic groups and countries.
Keywords: _ _ _ Buddhism and Confucianism, cultural and religious differences between the East and the West
Religion is a social and historical phenomenon, a social ideology of human beings, and a kind of self-consciousness or self-feeling that people feel unable to control their own destiny when facing nature, society and life, so they pray for some transcendental power as the support and spiritual destination of their own destiny. Most religions believe in supernatural forces or entities outside the real world. Religion is composed of * * * the same beliefs, moral norms, religious organizations and other elements. Religious ideas and behaviors are accompanied by certain social and historical conditions and are restricted by them. At the same time, it also affects the social life, political structure, cultural fashion and moral ethics of a nation or country in their respective historical periods. Religion is a common social phenomenon in human history. At present, religion exists in all countries in the world, whether in the East or the West. However, different religions in different places have influenced the cultures of different places to some extent. As far as eastern and western religions are concerned, _ _ _ is the main religion in the west; In the East, Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism dominate.
First, the influence of religion on westerners.
The Bible begins with a philosophical story: There are two trees in the Garden of Eden, one is the tree of life and the other is the tree of knowledge. God ordered Adam to say, "You can eat whatever you like from all the trees in the garden;" Tell the fruit of the tree of good and evil that you can't eat it, because if you eat it, you will die! " However, the sly snake said to Eve, "You don't have to die, because God knows that your eyes will be bright when you eat the fruit, and you will know good and evil like God." Eve saw that the fruit of the tree of knowledge was pleasing to the eyes and could make people wise, so she picked the fruit from the tree and gave it to her husband Adam. Their eyes lit up at once, but God drove them out of the beautiful Garden of Eden and came into this world. The Lord said to Eve, "When you are pregnant, I will greatly increase your pain;" When you give birth to a child, you also have to suffer greatly. You will long for your husband and your husband will rule you. " He said to Adam, "Because you listened to your wife and ate the fruit of the tree that I told you not to eat, you are cursed for your own sake. You will have to work hard all your life to get food from the ground. Thorns and thistles will grow for you, and you will eat the vegetables of the field. You will make a living sweating until you return to the earth, because you are from the earth; You are dust, and you will return to dust. "
Although this story seems absurd, it has become the mainstream of western culture. In Christ _ _ _ _, man and everything were created by God. However, because of the "original sin" of human beings, they were driven out of heaven and rushed to the world, so the world is sinful and painful; This earthly life is not worth remembering. Only by believing in the Lord and Jesus Christ to atone for sin can there be happiness in the afterlife. Therefore, the earthly life of Christ _ _ _ is to do more good deeds, make atonement with more rational brilliance, and thus get God's redemption. Therefore, it is not worth crying for the death of this life at all. On the contrary, death in this life is the only step to enter the afterlife paradise. Man has an immortal soul and can seek communication with God. Therefore, under the influence of Greek thought, the so-called absolute omnipotent Lord, which has no beginning and no end, has become something similar to Plato's idea. It is at this core point that Christ _ _ _
Second, the influence of religion on eastern culture.
The Three-Character Classic first expounds the truth that "human nature is good". At first, the fairy tales in the East, such as "Goddess Mending Heaven", "Jingwei Reclaiming the Sea" and "Dayu Harnessing Water", all emphasized the good side of human nature and God's selfless help when people were helpless. It is not difficult to see from these that Confucianism is a life philosophy based on life and caring for life; In addition, the traditional culture dominated by Confucianism also places great emphasis on "ethics", "morality" and "three cardinal guides and five permanents". In Confucian philosophy of life, the individual is a part of the whole. If you love the whole, the individual will reap what he wants, but if you leave the whole, the individual will wither like a branch on a big tree, without caring about his trunk, just like being swept away by the west wind. However, _ _ _ _ is a personal religion. Everyone has a unique soul. It is said that this soul was not given by parents, but created by God. Therefore, whether you go to heaven or go to hell, you should be responsible for yourself. Therefore, in western culture, great attention is paid to individuals, which is individualism when translated into Chinese, but individualism here is not individualism as opposed to collectivism in Chinese, but focuses on individual independence and personal development. Unlike some young people in China now, they still depend on their parents for granted when they are adults. That's because Confucianism first pays attention to people's personality, and he strives to build a harmonious and cheerful family, like a warm stove and a warm embrace. Therefore, on the one hand, young people in the eastern countries headed by China are also happy to grow up in this warm embrace, and they never worry that they will rot and deteriorate one day; On the other hand, with this stove and hug, there is no need for religious comfort. So many people in China are not religious.
Third, the difference of religious influence on eastern and western cultures.
The purpose of _ _ is human salvation and eternal life. However, this redemption is not reported in this world, but a blank check. Throughout his life, Christ loved to write checks to those who ruined his life. Confucianism will never give people blank checks. As long as people are willing to settle down in this happy family, it is always suitable for redemption. Therefore, in the eastern culture centered on China, the group is the core.
Many facts show that different religions have different influences on cultures in different regions. Of course, they are not factors that affect different cultures. With the increasingly frequent and close communication between the East and the West today, as contemporary college students, with these background knowledge, they will have a deeper experience and understanding of different cultural phenomena.
References:
Gao Xudong. Tree of Life and Tree of Knowledge: A Comparison between Chinese and Western Cultures [M]. Peking University Publishing House, 20 10.
[2] Luo Haifeng, Zhou Duo. On the Different Attitudes of the East and the West towards Religion [J]. Modern Enterprise Education, 2008.
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