s, we are permitted to hear; but about Man's nature and ways of Heaven he will not tell us anything at all" (Confucius, Analects 5.12). The!
             idea that everything has chi (matter) and li (form) was not developed until more than 1500 years after the death of Confucius. This metaphysical ordering of the universe is from the first Neo-Confusion school known as the, School of Principle or Reason.
             Confucius often made references to T'ien (heaven), but never went into great detail on the matter. It was as though he knew that something else was out there, but he felt that before one could comprehend any knowledge of heaven, an individual must first attain the knowledge of oneself and living things. "Tzu-lu asked how one should serve ghosts and spirits. The Master said, Till you have learnt to serve men, how can you serve ghosts? Tzu-lu then ventured upon a question about the dead. The Master said, Till you know about the living, how are you to know about the dead" (Analects 11.11)? Confucius does not say that you cannot investigate a spiritual side or spiritual beings, but he does say you should have superb knowledge of the living first. This really is a logical argument, particularly, when one considers the time in which Confucius was living. Confucius was living in the middle of Civil War throughout China that lasted over 500 years. Confucius also views the Imp!
             erial Emperor to be the son of T'ien, but this should not strike any Christian as strange, for David and Samuel are believed to have been chosen by God. Confucius is speaking figuratively by referring to the emperor as the son of heaven. The purpose is the same as that of Christians. It is to give more credit to the emperor and help the people feel like they have the right leader in charge.
             The Jesuits were the first group of Missionaries to reach China with the goal of spreading Catholicism. Matteo Ricci, a very brilliant...