ABSTRACT
If 'religion' is taken in a narrow yet stereotypical sense, as the worship of God and participation in an institutionalized church and its sacraments, it is difficult to conceive Confucianism as a religion. With its close attention to personal cultivation, living as a harmonious community and in dialogical relationship with the Transcendent, Confucianism can offer a set of regulative ideas to guide our lives in all respects. Confucianism, or strictly speaking politicized Confucianism, was the ideology of the Chinese monarchy for almost 2,000 years but has been under severe attack and held responsible for national decline by anti-traditionalists since the early twentieth century. However, the climate is changing, and there have been growing needs in China in the past two decades that call for the revival of Confucianism. It may be noted that there are also diverse views on Confucianism amongst academics in mainland China.
