World Religions · Foundational
Shinto, Confucianism, and Ancestor Veneration
Shinto, Confucianism, and ancestor rites grow from real love of family but treat the dead as able to receive and bless, so believers give their parents all the honor God commands and give worship to God alone.
The lesson walks through the topic one card at a time. The full study is the complete written article, with its sources.
What you'll learn
1
What Shinto and Confucianism teach, in the words their own followers use
2
What families actually do at the altar and the grave, and why they do it
3
How to tell when honoring the dead has become worship
4
How to honor your family at a funeral, a butsudan, or a grave without taking part in worship
5
How Christ answers the fear of death and the grief of a family line
Lessons in this topic
01What Is Ancestor Veneration?Plus7 min02What Do Other Religions Say Happens When We Die?PlusRelated lesson9 min03What Do Buddhists Believe?PlusRelated lesson7 min04What Is Taoism?PlusRelated lesson7 min
Key passages
Exodus 20:3–5Exodus 20:12Ephesians 6:2–31 Timothy 5:41 Timothy 5:8Mark 7:10–13John 19:26–27Hebrews 9:27Luke 16:26–28Isaiah 8:19Psalm 106:281 Corinthians 10:19–211 Corinthians 10:27–29Galatians 3:13Daniel 3:16–182 Timothy 1:3–5Matthew 10:35–37Mark 10:29–301 Peter 1:18–19Hebrews 2:14–15John 11:25–26Ephesians 3:14–15