Why did China not produce harmful native religions
The value of 5000 years of history of China is not in the length of the time, but, in the vast amount of the written records. The experiences of failure and success will provide reference for offspring to avoid mistake again. The experiences of failure and success are wisdom.
Frank Oct. 2, 2014, in waterloo, Ontario, Canada
http://frank-waterloo.blog.163.com/blog/static/20523902920149225033584
[Highlights] According to History records, in 2400 years ago China, Ye County (Today’s Linzhang County, Hebei Province) was frequently suffering floods, the local officials collude with witch to conspiracy levy money by the name of avoiding river flooding by pleasing river God with a girl as wife, and thus drowning innocent girl every year and looting large amount of money from locals. A wise magistrate completely eliminated the evil misdeed by thrown the witch into the river with the name to inform river God that he will chose a more beautiful girl as wife.
The fact was recorded in history books, textbooks and even picture book, in past 2000 years, it has been widely spreading in China, to have played a role as alarm, so that the people of China does not believe the trick of witch or wizard, thus effectively put an end to the budding and development of any religion.
The magistrate also convinced that the ordinary people can only share the enjoyment of success, but cannot share the initiation of the success, which meant that a rational government has to enforce people to do something that will be beneficial to them, but, do not expect to convince them in advance.
Above is a page of picture book about this story.
The picture story has been playing a significant role to avoid credulity witchcraft preaching. For China’s children, it acted as a life-long immune injection to get rid of the harm of deceptive religion.
For centuries, Western religion groups have been sending missionaries to China again and again, with the hope of trying to domesticate the people of China. However, the effect was not obvious. Westerners never knew that people of China has been acquired immunity for thousands years.
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In the book The Essence of Religion, the German Philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach said that: “The religious admiration of divine wisdom in Nature is only an incident of enthusiasm; it refers only to the means, but is extinguished in reflecting on the purposes of Nature. How wonderful is the spider’s web, how wonderful the funnel of the ant-lion in the sand! But what is the purpose of these wise arrangements? Nothing but nourishment.”
I appreciate the view of Ludwig Feuerbach on the nature of the religions.
To conduct killing in the name of faith seems a symbol of Western civilization. The great Crusades – in the name of faith, to induce and even force people to kill each other, which started in 1095. Nearly a thousand years have passed, the name of faith of the religions is still an effective tool to organize and enforce people to conduct killing.
Please look at social unrests in any countries, the vast majority of them are from extremism that cultured by religions. In large extent, religions have developed into the most effective schools in culturing or even training evil forces against human society. There are no one would doubt that such extremists are the fatal threats to people’s normal life. They have pushed everyone living in fear every day without a sense of security.
Plainly says that religions are the tools that have been used by those who lack of humanity to deceive those ignorant people and to drive those ignorant to obtain benefits, in regardless to harm to others and to harm to the world.
Cruel reality shows that, nowadays, religions have become one of the root scourges for the world. It has become a powerful tool that cruel people gain more cruel power by gathering more cruel people to kill good people cruelly.
Facing such a cruel reality, some people still call for religious freedom. For these people, we have enough reason to question their property as the members of human beings?
India and China are both noted as ancient civilizations. But, the absurd religions make the Indians still trek between Modern civilization and Ancient barbaric civilization.
Thousands of women, accused of sorcery, tortured and executed in Indian witch hunts – washingtonpost
Witch Hunting in India: Poor, Low Caste and Widows Main Targets-ibtimes
However, in China, besides those invaded foreign religions, did not form any native religions that heavily harm human society?
Why?
In China, the harmful religions were killed by the wise officials in the stage of their budding.
This article introduces a true case in 2400 years ago China, in Ye County, took the chance of frequently floods, the local officials with witch conspiracy levy money by the name of presenting a girl as wife to please river God to avoid river flooding, and thus drowning innocent girl every year.
A wise magistrate completely eliminated the evil misdeed by thrown the witch and her accomplices into the river with the name of sending a message to the river God.
The magistrate also convinced that the ordinary people can only sahrae enjoying the success but canot share the initiation of the success. It meant that a rational government has to enforce people to do something that will be beneficial to them, but, do not expect to convince them in advance.
The story has been widespread in China with many history books and textbooks, thus, as a rational explicit reference to have effectively inhibited the occurrence of such misdeed – a budding of some kind of religion, due to the subsequent rulers were able to timely distinguish and kill harmful religions. I think that is the main reason for that China did not form any harmful Religions.
The case shows the wise social governance of China in 2400 years ago, and well demonstrated that what is the true human civilization?
People appreciate the 5,000 years continuous civilization of China, however, most of people have overlooked the nature of the civilization, the valuable point, is not in the length of time, but, in the continuously documented historical facts – the facts in success and failure, which made valuable references, so that the future generations can avoid to repeat mistakes with lesser Detour.
The accumulation of experiences is wisdom.
For the sake of national well-being, government must ensure social stability. In some cases, it is rational that government takes coercive force to promote something – such as, to control the religious development.
— Frank Oct. 2, 2014, in waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Ximen Bao’s Administration of Ye County of Ancient China
Frank Oct. 2, 2014, in waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Translated and edited from Mandarin articles. The link of main reference is as follow: http://www.en84.com/article-8563-2.html
Wei was a feudal vassal state of Western Zhou Dynasty (BC 1046 – BC 771) in Ancient China. Its territory lays between the states of Qin and Qi at that time and included parts of provinces of Henan,Hebei, Shanxi, and Shandong in modern China.
Photo resource:http://ookaboo.com/o/pictures/picture/21566541/China_Map_Wei_State_260BCE
According to Historical Records – A Classic Masterpiece for Comprehending the Ancient Chinese History of West Han dynasty China 104 B.C.-101 B.C. Ximen Bao who was an atheist, a famous Statesman, Military strategist and Hydraulic expert with many great exploits when the reign of Duke Weiwen（BC 472-BC 396) in the time of Warring States Period (BC475 – BC221) China.
When he came into office after was appointed as magistrate of Ye County that located in today’s Hebei province of China, he found that the county was a deserted place with sparsely populated, barren land and slump economy.
After visits the local people, he learnt that there a river within the Ye County was always flooding and devouring the lives of many people. Local people have tried many ways, but, helpless, the river was still flooding. Then, there was a witch who said that there was a god in the river, the god must marry every year, if we do not marry him with beautiful young woman, the god would harm people by spells causing Flooding. Since then, every year, the witch will choose beautiful girl to marry the river god.
The county chiefs and local officials took the opportunity to collude with the witch to plunder wealth. They levied several million coins by the name for the marriage of the river god, but with only small partial of them to pay for the girl to marry the river god, and the rest were shared with the witch.
At the day the river god wedding, the witch had a beautiful girl sat on a bed to float down the river and finally the girl to be drowned with the bed was sank into the river.
Due to such fear, people who had good-looking daughters often brought them to distant places to evade to be killed in such way. As a result, the county has become ever more deserted and poverty-stricken.
After learnt the evil fact, Ximen Bao was enraged and conceived a countermeasure.
When the day to send a girl to river god, he came and had a look at the girl, then said to the witch: “This girl is not beautiful. I’ll trouble you to report to the river god that we’ll choose a more beautiful one and send to him in another day.” Then he had the soldiers seize the witch to throw into the river.
“Why did the witch not come back in so long time?” later he said. “Let one of her disciple to hurry her up!” Thus a disciple of the witch was thrown into the river, and then others in a total of three.
“The witch and her disciples are all women, no good at making a clear report to river god,” Ximen Bao said. “I’ll trouble county chiefs to do that.” Thus the county chiefs were thrown into the river.
Ximen Bao pretended respectfully with bowed low and waited with patience. The local officials who were shocked and frightened, with fear of being as messenger thrown into the river, they all bowed on the ground and forehead touchdown again and again, as that of chickens pecking rice on the ground, even head bloodshed.
Later Ximen Bao said relentingly: “You may stand up! The river god seems to detain his guests for a long time, you may dismiss now.”
Thenceforward, no one dared mention the sacrificial marriage for river god again.
Afterwards, Ximen Bao mobilized the people to dig twelve canals to bring the water from the river to irrigate the farming land, and to have ended the flood disaster entirely.
The construction of the canals was hard work, people felt to be troubled and unwilling to continue. Ximen Bao forced them with own administrative power to have finished the canals finally.
Ximen Bao made a famous comment that: the ordinary people can only share enjoying the success but canot share the initiation of the success. Though you may hate me for causing you troubles in today, but, a century later, your descendants will surely thank of what I said today.”
Since then, the irrigation by the canals has been up to today, and the people there have been living in abundant lives due to no disasters of water logging or drought.
Ximen Bao as magistrate of Ye County was famed throughout the state of Wei at that time. With his beneficence affecting countless generations, he has been regarded as a sagacious statesman until today China.
This is why that China has not formed any kind of harmful religions and heresies in the thousands of years civilization, because that rational officials killed them when their budding.
But, some religion with lesser harm, the government was allowed to exist, such as the Buddhism was introduced from India in 2,500 years ago, and existing until to today in China.
Other harmful religions were all invaded, and now are producing terrorists’ also.
Talking about India, it is a country with a long ancient civilization as similar as that of China, but, to be harmed miserable by free proliferation of religions, such as, for seeking happiness, their people are not to seek hard work as that of the people of China, but to pray with hands clasped together.
Indians believed that cattle is deity and letting them free around the streets, people and cattle are both still openly defecation.
Religions made the ignorance of Indians and caused India still in the semi-civilized state.
From the wisdom of an ancient sagacious statesman – Ximen Bao, we may learn that why china did not copy the West, but developed successfully.
And that is why that British Martin Jacques said that China is based on the civilization and the West is based on the nations.
Some reports on China
British Martin Jacques West should learn from China humbly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5sTBR1bxvc
Martin Jacques Understanding The Rise of China
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT8ki6ciopI
