Right Action over Right Belief

“There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples;
my philosophy is kindness.” – Dalai Lama
Man is innately good; the sole purpose of religion is to maintain the goodness of man by following
ethical and moral standards set by a supreme being. In Christianity, it is important to obey God to become
morally good and be rewarded by Him. However, some Christians only highlight the word reward and oversee
the purpose of His commandments, which is to be a Good Samaritan. In some religions, such as Confucianism,
humans are the most relevant being that needs to be prioritized. Confucians believe that the goodness of man
can still exist in this sinful world without a supreme being. What makes man moral is to be a genuine human
being to other human beings. Although Confucianism and Christianity are both religions, their perception of the
morality of a human person differs since one does not believe in a divine being.
Confucianism is more of a way of life instead of a religion. But it does not mean that the absence of a
god in one’s life affects the morality of that person. Being humane and compassionate to others is enough to be
living a virtuous life. It is evident in the Five Confucian virtues that Confucianism is centered on man and
focuses on the welfare of others. Ren is the first virtue, which means the consciousness of human others. This
teaching of Confucius prevented the people to have selfish and narcissistic thoughts. The golden rule “Do not
do to others what you do not want others to do to you” is something one must carry through the whole journey
of life since this is what every religion teaches. Confucianism, China’s official state religion, made a great
impact on the way of life and the stream of thought in Chinese society. Now, China is known to have a stable
structure in society because of the teachings and practices of Confucianism about the proper ritual of civilized
life. The influence of Confucianism in ancient China until the present has become an example of a perfect
society because of man’s individual effort to avoid disharmony.
Christianity is centered on God. They aim to have eternal life with Him. In the bible, it is stated in John
14:6 that the way to salvation is through Jesus Christ because He is the way, the truth, and the life. Since God is
the way to salvation, Christians act the way God wants them to. This belief is why morality in this religion is
less sincere because they do good things not because they want to, but they are required to, to avoid eternal
damnation. Being born in a Christian family is hard because they have no other choice but to become one. For
some Christians, loving God is not a choice but a responsibility because it is what they are accustomed to
believe. Imagine someone going to church every Sunday, attending church activities, and doing other Christian
practices but not applying what they learned at church in real life. Not being able to apply the teachings of God
in life makes some Christians still be immoral even if they have a religion. No matter how good the purpose of
religion is, if the follower does not see it through their heart, then the faith that they have invested in that
religion will go to waste. If a person is active at church but does evil things, then he is a hypocrite.
A person that behaves morally does not mean that he believes in God. It also does not mean that one
does evil deeds because he does not have a god to guide him. Right action over right belief is what a moral
person should always remember. Believing in something but not doing anything can ruin everything.
Confucianism proved that a human person does not need a religion or a god. What we need is to become
a self-transformed man in the anthropocosmic reality. A Confucian ideology that aims to cultivate virtues and
value others is far better than a religion that tolerates hypocrites and ignores sinful acts since they will be
forgiven by God. Looking at someone above will only make us neglect those who are with us.