Is Confucianism a Religion?

Its usual description as an ethical system seems to suggest that it is not. It lacks a clergy, a theology, and seems entirely concentrated on behavior in the here and now. But if we spend even a brief period of time browsing through Confucius’ collected sayings, the Analects (an accessible version in English with helpful annotations is available here), the impression rapidly changes. A humble example (Verse 8, Chapter 15):

Confucius said:
“Men with aspiration and men with benevolence do not sacrifice benevolence to stay alive, but would sacrifice themselves for benevolence.”

To see that Confucianism is a religion, one has to understand both the limitations and the potentials of words. One must appreciate what a word like ethics holds within it. As for the rest it is instructive actually to take verses from the Analects—there are plenty of them and therefore why not choose those that seem interesting—and to think about them for a while. A simplistic definition of religion excludes Confucius. An enlightened definition includes the old sage.