Confucianism Interview, please read!

[darlandgabe]

Hello, my name is Gabe. I am a senior in high school in Oregon and I am currently enrolled in a world religions class.
For my next assignment I get the opportunity to interview someone with a different world view than my own.
I have chosen confucianism because I truly know nothing about it and enjoy nothing more than to be able to
learn others perspectives and views in a respectful way. Below are the questions I have in order to fill out my paper.
If anyone is willing to answer these and a few more personal ones I would greatly appreciate your time.

Thank you


How would you describe your religious beliefs? *
(What religion are you?)

1: Were you born into believing this religion or did you come to it later in life?

2: What about that religion was initially appealing to you?

3: How has your religion effected your life?

4: What are the key beliefs of your religion?

5: What is your favorite part of your religion?

6: What are the main practices or rituals that go along with your religion?

7: What does your religion say about humanity, it's purpose and what happens to humans when they die?

8: What does your religion say about the existence of God(s) or Godess(es)?

9: What does your religion say about the beginning of time and the ending of time?

10: What is the hardest thing about being in your religion?

12: What are you looking forward to most in life or death or the hereafter?

13: How is your religion different from other religions?

14: Is there anything else you would like to tell me about your religion? Perhaps you would like to tell me your story.

 

[Antibush5]

1: Were you born into believing this religion or did you come to it later in life?
I came upon it later in life
2: What about that religion was initially appealing to you?
It appealed to my conservative and family oriented nature
3: How has your religion effected your life?
It made me work a lot harder academically and made me feel slightly better over all, though it's made dating somewhat harder because more traditional women are hard to come by.
4: What are the key beliefs of your religion?
Family is good, you should have one, a person should work hard to try to support them, most good things stem from that idea.
Another belief is that you don't know God/gods and should instead work on trying to become a more moral person, you won't become a moral person through a god, this has lead to me being more lenient on immoral clergy.
Learning is a good thing since from it you can become a moral person if you apply yourself in the right way.
5: What is your favorite part of your religion?
I'm terrible at picking favourites.
6: What are the main practices or rituals that go along with your religion?
For that you'd mostly need to look into traditional Chinese religious practices, they do things like burn money and incense at shrines, but that's the extent I know.
7: What does your religion say about humanity, it's purpose and what happens to humans when they die?
Humanity's purpose, now that's a toughy, I don't believe it's been brought up. A major thing Confucius said is that we don't know what happens when we die, so there is no sense stressing about it, it'll come when it comes, so he ended up not saying anything about the afterlife.
8: What does your religion say about the existence of God(s) or Godess(es)?
Confucius was a believer in Heaven or Tian, whether it was meant to be a symbol of perfect morality and the font from which if flows or a god is debated.
9: What does your religion say about the beginning of time and the ending of time?
It was never discussed.
10: What is the hardest thing about being in your religion?
Starting a family, it's all well and good reading the books, but settling down is harder.
12: What are you looking forward to most in life or death or the hereafter?
In life, I'd say being a moral person is what I'd like to be. In death, it doesn't bother me, hopefully it won't be too painful.
13: How is your religion different from other religions?
I think you can get that from what I've said
14: Is there anything else you would like to tell me about your religion? Perhaps you would like to tell me your story.
I got nothin, other then I hope you pass your course with flying colours. Also learn a trade after you graduate, they are applicable everywhere.