A Comparative Study Of Mencius And Paul's Ethics Of Life And Death

Life and death are two endpoints of a line,as the pros and cons of a coin.For any one,death is irresistible and can not be escaped.Precisely because of the existence of death,life is full of tension and stress,stimulating us to consider the meaning of life value.In modern society,the problem is increasingly prominent,death becomes accidental and unpredictability more and more.It is strongly necessary to strengthen the study of life-death,to explore the wisdom of life-death in traditional religion and philosophy,to serve for the public life and the ultimate-concern.In this paper,a comparison was made from the era of Mencius and Paul,human nature,life-value,and the thought of beyond life-death.We hope that through a glimpse of the comparison of Confucian and Christian life-death ethics,to make a Communication and conversation of Chinese and western life-death wisdom,to Settle and ascend individual soul,to construct the social ultimate concern system.Specific era and life experience is the realistic foundation of life-death ethics.Mencius was born in Zhanguo period,many people were killed,the ruling class competing interests each other,tyranny exorbitant were imposed,people living in hot water,the idea of Yangzhu-Modi prevailing,the thoughts of benevolent and righteousness of Confucius can not be revealed.On suffering consciousness,Mencius opposing war and tyranny,advocating the implementation of benevolent governance,calling the policy measures to made people rich,appealing that special attention should be payed to the disadvantaged groups.Paul lives in Jewish society under the rule of the Roman empire,by the double influence of Jewish tradition and Greek culture,in the face of national disaster and the challenge of traditional Law,in the face of moral corruption,persecution of life,discrimination against women,sexual immorality.All these contributed to his thought.In holy church through the Gospel,he was to save all the nations,to criticize the ideology of the heresy,to purify people's beliefs.It is universal mind beyond the secular moral.Theory of human nature is the foundation of life-death thought.Mencius insists that human nature is so different from animals that good terminal buds is inherent in it.Evil is not intrinsic factor but from the external.Due to the reason cannot control the perceptual desire,or because of the negative influence of environment,good nature lost.From the beginning of goodness to moral character,a honesty reflection and cultivating must be gone through.Paul emphasizes that,created by God,human being have God's image,thus have the Original Good.The first man Adam against the commandment of the God,lead to estranged from the God,thus is Original Sin.Later generations inherit Adam's Original Sin.Born with Sin,they can't get rid of the bondage of Sin by themselves.The sacrifice of Jesus Christ forgiveness the Sin.The evil is rooted in Sin,in estranged from the God,in indulgence of flesh degradation.By following Law cannot be saved,only faith in Jesus Christ,the grace of Christ,is the only way to get rid of the bondage of Sin.Mencius argues that cultivating one's morality,Paul insists that saving rely on God.But they all admit that a root resource of transcendence,weakness and changeable in human nature,and it should be improved and perfected.Theory of life-value is the key of life-death ethics.Mencius advocates that independent personality and achievement of cultivation,responsibility of the family and society.By contributing to society and inheriting Confucius' thought,one realizes own life-value.To achieve this goal,it is not only depends on a great intentionally ambition to cultivate his moral character,achievement sage,Destiny is calling and a limitations also.Paul considers that,in God,we have redemption and Original Sin forgiveness.The life-value is in accomplishing the great cause of God.So,every one of us should live in a manner worthy of gospel of Christ,follow Christ,glorify Christ and in the hope of Christ.By faith in Christ,as God's clay jars,through the Holy Spirit,through working together with God,conversion our secular life into a holy life.Full of Awe and piety,full of love,put away your former way of life to become a new one.Thus living in the Holy Spirit.Mencius expanding to the achievement of goodness and ultimate goal,to accomplish the personality of righteous and sacred cause of the God.But they both admit divinity life and personality equality,emphasize the responsibility and the meaning of the job,stress the positive value of suffering life.The theory of transcend death is the core of life-death ethics.Mencius argues that through our intellectual and intentionally Cultivation,a series of training of transcendence of life-death,through the establishment to achieve immortality in the history.Paul insists that through a commitment to God,rely on the immutability of the holy spirit to achieve transcendence,he firmly believes that the resurrection of Jesus can gain eternal life.On the premise and foundation of transcendence,Mencius is from the difference of human being and beasts,Paul is from human being with God's image.On the power of transcendence,Mencius argues that dominated by mind,through Self cultivation and education,implementation transformation and transcendence among daily life.Paul stressed working together with God,glorify God in body and spirit,present body as a living sacrifice for God righteousness.By the grace of God,in the universal fraternity of love neighbor enemy,conversion of secular life.The target Mencius to achieve accomplishment of the sage an,to achieve immortality in history.The goal of Paul is to rise from the dead,is the resurrection and a eternal life after death.Although there are differences above,they both achieve a combination of limited life and infinite spirit,make life got settled in ascension and update,with the spirit of immortality beyond the limitation of the flesh.Comparative study of Mencius and Paul life-death,there are a lot of enlightenment for the contemporary society.In terms of individuals,it enlighten us that the most indispensable character is humanity compassion and independent personality,is constant pursuit for the eternal enterprise.A spiritual faith,can overcome suffering,achieve happiness,prevent the degradation and destruction of life,make life with purpose and sense of mission.In terms of social aspects,the basic survival rights of citizens should not only be ensured from material aspects,the dignity of death as a basic human rights must be guaranteed also.Life-death education must be popular and as a national life-long project.Not only the traditional life-death wisdom Should be carried forward,but the resources of the life-death wisdom in religion should be absorbed also.