When did people start following Confucius's beliefs?

Answer 1

In the Monotheistic religions, a person can be a Muslim, a Jew, or a Christian and nothing else at the same time. That does not apply in a number of other systems. Confucius ran a school. He had his own religious beliefs. He made no attempt to separate his religious beliefs from his teaching as teachers do in the United States. His teachings examined all of life, both secular and sacred. We place that school as beginning about 520 B.C. His students found jobs in the courts of Chinese nobles. That was the beginning of his influence. His school continued after his death. Books were published and attributed to him. Many scholars question if he actually wrote them. Still, the books and ideas presented by his schools had tremendous influence. There were other schools teaching other philosophies. In 140 BC the Han Dynasty made Confucius's teachings the official teachings of the court. So people followed Confucius's beliefs during his lifetime but they developed and became far richer for several hundred years. They still have use today. (In China a person can be a Buddhist, a Taoist, and a Confucianist at the same time.)