Confucianism and Taoism are both Chinese religions that emphasize on improving the people and communities despite their differences. They started as the reflections of various ethical philosophers that have been observed and followed via the centuries. The purpose of the paper is then to compare and contrast the major themes and terms of Taoism and Confucianism. Taoism concentrates more on self-development via the virtuous path compared to other things. It gives equal significance to both the male and female. It uses sensationalism to some points. It talks about the godly being Laozi, the return of Lao Tzu, life after death, and the devotion to the way (Adler, 2002). Furthermore, Taoism needs its followers to continually go the shrines and fulfill their responsibilities in the religion. Its rituals comprise of mysticism that includes divination, shamanism as well as street parades. On the other hand, Confucianism professes on the way of God. It contains religious reverence but to various deities, especially Confucius, the God of Heaven, or his ancestors. It gives females lesser significance in the communities than men. The followers of Confucian are to do their rituals and rites as part of social enhancement, which is similar to those of their ancestors (Adler, 2002). The two religions are complementary since most of their objectives are similar. Taoism focuses on nature, and its main objective is to have a balanced life while Confucianism emphasizes on improving societies and to create peace in the communities. It, therefore, means that both religions focus on promoting harmony in the day to day life of individuals. Their teachings have various similarities that are drawn from the scriptures that existed. References Adler, J. A. (2002). Chinese religions. London: Routledge.

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