Why China does not need Western religions?

If you visit Manhattan’s Chinatown, you will see several statues of some of the most influential people in Chinese history. There is a statue of Confucius. There is also a statue of Sun Yat-sen. Under both statues, you will see this inscription: “All under heaven is public(天下为公).”

This Confucian teaching represents a key Chinese political ideal. Not only does it discourage the use of politics for self-gains, but it also advocates the notion of serving the people. I would say that this is also a teaching which gives life meaning. Confucianism is not a religion by Western standards. However, one of the main functions of traditional religions is to give life meaning. I contend that Confucianism serves this purpose well.

Pew Research surveyed representative samples of people from 17 countries. It asked the different populations what they consider as their main source of meaning. As expected, people from most countries consider “Family” as their chief source of meaning. But the result from Taiwan was an exception. Many Taiwanese people chose “Society” as their first choice of meaning. This is probably a reflection of the Confucian teaching about social concern and responsibility.

Carl Jung once related an important message an old alchemist told to console one of his disciples. He said, “No matter how isolated you are and how…