by Aulus Dionysius Mencius on Sat Aug 16, 2003 1:03 pm
Salvete omnes
During my stay in China, I was confronted with ancestor worship, ie a ceremonial offering. So I got interested in the matter and learned that , in my view, there are similarities with the Roman version.
First, I wish to present the Chinese view, starting from the marriage, the beginning of a family.
As said, the marriage of a man and a woman is the start. When you have a family, the marriage of its younger members is needed to ensure the continuance of the family.
An individual must die, but, if he has descendants, death is not the absolute end of his life. If one has descendants, one enjoys a biological immortality, which is the case for all living creatures, I think. The only difference with animal life is, that this is brought into view through the social organistation of the family.
With this organisation of the family, the deceased also enjoys an ideal immortality through their works and their families. In their works one's own work is continued, and in their memories one continues to be known. This is the traditional view on marriage. According to 'Sacred Books of the East , the Li Chi, or Book of Rites, says that the purpose of marriage is " to secure the service for the ancestral temple for the past, and the continuation of the family for the future."
According to tradition, it was a great duty for a son to become father. If he failed to do this, not only would his own life face extinction, but what is more important, the life of his ancestors, carried on by him, would also be terminated.
If a man has sons and grandsons, he is at peace, because he knows that his life and that of his ancestors has already been entrusted to others. There is no reason in worrying whether or not his soul would live on after death when he is already assured of his remebrance, and thus immortality.
This is the essential meaning of ancestral worship (in China). It has both social and spiritual function. Socially, it served as a means for solidarity amongst the family. Since the Chinese family system was very complex, its solidarity depended upon some symbol of unity, and the ancestors were the natural symbol.
In this case, in the practise of ancestral worship the deceased, whether good or bad, great or insignificant, has a role in the living world again. And also, he who practises the worship, does so with the conviction that he will be known by his descendants in the same way.
What I find very interesting, is that in such circumstances, he feels that his life is a link in an indefinite chain of lives, and this fact is the insignificance and significance of his existance at the same time.
I believe that in Roman ancestral worship it is quite the same. My question to you all is the following.
The Chinese don't see this practise as a religious one, because no superstitous elements are present. When talking about the Roman ancestral worship, do we, and why is it that we, Westerners, talk about it being part of Religio Romana?
Sorry for the long read, amici... but nevertheless, I await reactions.
Aulus Dionysius Mencius
Praefectus Belgicae, Rector of ColMil et Senator