Is Confucianism compatible with Judaism according to the Torah?

Answer 1

I am no expert in Confucianism, so you may wish to take this answer with a grain of salt.

If I am reading the question correctly, it is asking either of the following:

A) If a Torah Jew decided to live as a Confucianist, would he have to give up all or part of the Jewish traditions and laws to achieve this?

-OR-

B) Would a Confucianist have to give up Confucian principles to become a Torah Jew?

(They are really the same question, but this answer will proceed from the "A" reading of the question since Judaism is more expansive than Confucianism.)

General Answer

It would at first appear that there is no major objection to a religious Jew embracing the philosophy of Confucianism, as much of it flows along similar lines to Jewish teaching and instruction. However, there are some subtler points about Judaism and Confucianism that do not seem to agree. In addition to the philosophy, Confucianism (contrary to what people may think) also has a ritual/religious component. It incorporates concepts such as ancestor worship, communal prayer, life-cycle traditions, belief in spirits, and the presence of other-worldly creatures such as dragons. While there appears to be no set dogma for these ritual/religious elements and many are dictated by culture, they can and sometimes do conflict with Judaism.

Confucian Philosophy

Probably the most fundamental agreements between Confucianism and Judaism are that both faiths hold:

1) The Possibility of Achieving Complete Moral Goodness:

Meaning: A human does have the capability to fully express moral good by following the necessary laws and strictures.

Confucianism: Jen, the Confucian concept of the perfect moral good, is informed by the Li, the following of social rules and constructs. Therefore a person who follows the Li will be able to achieve Jen (or come close) and fully express proper morals.

Judaism: This is the core of Judaism, the idea that behavior in line with the Halakha (Jewish religious law) will make the adherent a conduit of moral good, because the Law is a gift from God whose intent is to best allow His benevolence to reach everyone.

2) Reverence for Others:

Meaning: Relationships between different people should be characterized by honorable and reverential relationships between the parties.

Confucianism: The Li concept of Filial Piety creates certain status-relationships that are specifically defined by required tenets of behavior. This is the most important feature of Li.

Judaism: In Halakha, there are special levels of reverence directed towards God, towards one's parents, the entirety of the world, the Jewish people, the Levites, and the Cohens; and cordial conduct towards everyone else as well. Behavior along these lines is central to living according to Halakha.

3) Positive Nature of the Human Soul:

Meaning: A human by nature has the proclivity to be a good person.

Confucianism: Yi is an intuitive moral sense that every soul has and provides a natural intuition to be good.

Judaism: The soul has two forces, the Yetzer Ha-Ra, the evil inclination; and the Yetzer Ha-Tov, the good inclination; and the Yetzer Ha-Tov is the naturally stronger force in the soul, but needs to be "exercised" to retain one's moral strength.

4) Honesty Is the Best Policy:

Meaning: Honesty and forthrightness are desirable even when greater earthly reward would seem to come by lying.

Confucianism: The Te in Confucianism promotes honesty in all workings of government.

Judaism: The Talmud notes that even on pain of death, a person should not misquote Halakha; and dishonesty and lying are sins.

Probably the biggest philosophical disagreement between Confucianism and Judaism is the Confucian concept of Chih (moral wisdom) that asserts that knowledge of good and evil is innate in people. Judaism holds that a Divine Source outside of humanity is necessary to provide moral wisdom. However, the remaining aspects of Chih, such as the ability to rationally discuss and determine right from wrong once the basic rules are established, are also viable in Judaism and are responsible for the blossoming of Jewish jurisprudence.

On the surface, the Five Filial Relationships of Confucianism seem to pose no objection in Judaism, provided that the Emperor is still subject to the same Halakha as the commoner, which may be absent from Confucianism.

The only other major philosophical difference is that Confucianism claims universality, while Torah Judaism divides the world between Jews and non-Jews in terms of which laws are applicable and the way in which they are applicable.

Confucian Religion

Judaism disavows all of the following Confucian practices: Ancestor worship, talking to or meditating with Spirits, exhorting help from dragons or other mythological creatures, non-circumcision, permissibility of cremation, and accepting that any human (specifically the Emperor) is divine. While these may be more a part of Shenism (Chinese Folk Religion) than formal Confucianism, it is not clear where Confucianism ends and these religious practices begin.

Judaism also has a number of religious aspects that have no parallel in Confucianism, such as: Olam Ha-Ba/Resurrection of the Dead, the Heavenly Court, Divine Revelation, Prophecy, Holy Lands, required times for worship, a hierarchical-organized clergy, and a method to perfect jurisprudence.