Taiwan 2002

		Religion
		Confucianism Confucianism is a philosophy with a religious function. It is named after Confucius, whose discourses on ethical behavior have been passed down from generation to generation to become the definitive marker of things Chinese. It embraces some elements of traditional Chinese religion, such as a reverence toward heaven and the worship of ancestors, but is primarily concerned with the moral cultivation of the individual in order to establish harmonious relationships with others and society. It does not assert or deny the existence of a deity. Most Chinese do not identify Confucianism as a religion, but rather view it as a philosophy. They regard Confucian temples more as halls to honor Confucius rather than places of worship. Visitors may witness an elaborate ceremony to honor Confucius at Taipei's Confucian Temple every year on his birthday, September 28, which is also designated as Teachers' Day in the ROC. Copyright (C) July 2002, Government Information Office.   All rights reserved.   Site design by L.F. Lee Best viewed with Netscape 4.x or IE 5.x (medium font) at 800 x 600 True Color (32 bit) resolution