The Preliminary Study On Wang Zheng's Religious Thought

Wang Zheng is one of scholar-bureaucrats who embraced Catholicism in late period of Ming Dynasty. Although Wang Zheng's contribution to science, technology, military science, linguistics and other areas is outstanding, until now people has always been focusing on research and affirmation on his achievement in science, technology and cultural. Therefore, analysis on Wang Zheng's religious thought is somewhat insufficient. As a scholar-bureaucrat in late Ming who believed in Confucianism in China and then converted to Catholicism, his ideological change accounts for an important and typical significance in studying the interaction between Chinese and Western cultures, Thought Change in late Ming. On the basis of former studies and in combine with relevant historical materials, this essay conducted further analysis and study on Wang Zheng's religious thought. Through method of sociology of religion, revealed the viewpoint of meaning-system change and social transformation affecting individuals. Wang Zheng initiatively accepted the meaning system of Catholic and integrated it with the meaning system of conventional Confucianism. But during the analysis on relevant publications of Wang Zheng's thought, it is found that the conversion of Wang Zheng only finished the process from the meaning system of Catholic and integrated it with the meaning system of Confucianism at that time to Practical Science actually, however, he did not complete the process of internalization of religion. On above mentioned the basis, by using method of religious sociology to analyze the ideological changes of individual, viz. the discussion of Wang Zheng's religious, conversion of motivation and chance, the point of view is enriched. Finally, two typical cases are given as evidences to indicate that how Wang Zheng reconciled and made the choice when facing the conflict of Confucianism and Catholic.