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【Abstract】Different from Chinese filial piety, Western filial piety hasn’t developed into an independent system, only with the meaning of filial piety infiltrating into the religious belief and religious culture. In this sense, Western filial piety bears a strong sense of logical thinking and religious belief, which has much to do with Western classical philosophy.
【Key Words】Western filial piety; concept of God and people; the norms and principles
1.The connotation and nature of Western filial piety
Different from Chinese filial piety, Western filial piety not only refers to filial piety towards one’s parents, but more importantly towards God, the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." In this sense, Western filial piety carries two layers of meaning: first, filial piety towards God; second, filial piety towards one’s parents. Besides, filial piety towards God is much more important than filial piety towards one’s parents. The nature of Western filial piety is nothing but a part of Christian faith and Christian culture, a concern of Western rational and faithful philosophy.
2. Western filial piety and concept of God and people
Why filial piety towards God is so highly praised in Western countries? Generally speaking, this has much to do with Christian faith and Christian culture. To put it simply, this has much to do with the concept of God and people in Western world.
First, the Bible treats and evaluates people from the perspective of their relationship with God. In the opinion of Christianity, human beings are not the product of natural evolution, but the master piece that God creates carefully and elaborately. "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed." God is not only the creator of human beings, but also the care-taker and the teacher of human beings all over the world, so Christ teaches his disciples to call God as "Our Father which art in heaven" when praying. So the relationship between God and people is not only the relationship of master and servants, but also the relationship of parent and children. God loves people all over the world; Father in heaven loves children on earth. This is the affection and charity of parents. People all over the world "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength"; children on earth love Father in heaven. This is the filial piety of children. Second, the Bible also treats and resolves the problem of death and everlasting life from the perspective of the relationship between God and people. Different from Chinese fake comfort of desire for eternal life, the Bible offers the definite guarantee and the real way to this common desire of human beings. The original ancestor of human beings, Adam and Eve, stole and ate "fruits of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil", and committed the original sin. So God brought sentences to them, including death, and this sentence was also brought to their future generations—the whole human beings. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."
Though trying all acts, making all efforts, people still could not get rid of the crime, could not offset the punishment caused by the crime, could not calm down the anger of God’s justice. Only the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, on the cross, had this effect; "he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever". God has done all for human beings, sacrificing the life of his only begotten Son for re-establishing a close rapport with human beings; for human beings, what they have to do is to "believeth in Jesus Christ, believeth in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ". This is the only way to the salvation of mankind, the conquering over death and the access to eternal life. "But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
3.The norms and principles of Western filial piety
Since Western filial piety carries two layers of meaning, the norms and principles of Western filial piety are not mainly reflected in children’s behavior towards their parents, but more importantly in religious belief and religious culture.
3.1 Filial piety towards God
In Western classical philosophy, the affection and charity of the Father in heaven towards people determine the filial piety of people towards their Father in heaven. In other words, it is because God love people first that people love God accordingly. "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." "We love him, because he first loved us." The filial piety towards God is mainly reflected in Christian dedication and devotion, beginning with the material and monetary dedication and devotion, which lie in the donations to churches and the development of Christian business, for the matter of disseminating the Gospel. Besides, the material and monetary dedication and devotion also lie in the relief of the distressed and poverty-stricken. "As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever." "Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." So the filial piety towards God has much to do with pious dedication and devotion, which begin with the material and monetary dedication and devotion.
On another hand, Christian dedication and devotion focus on and pay much attention to the dedication and devotion of the whole life, which mean that the whole life and the whole soul is possessed and dominated by the Lord; follow the Lord, live for the Lord, die also for the Lord; and contribute all the glory to the Lord, so as to glorify the Lord and establish the reputation of the Lord. "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."
3.2 Filial piety towards one’s parents
In Western classical philosophy, the filial piety towards one’s parents is not mainly reflected in children’s behavior towards their parents, but more importantly in religious belief and religious culture. "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.". As the scripture shows, Western filial piety is not regarded as the natural emotion and conscience of human beings, but the command of God; it is not because others reasons but only because "the Lord thy God hath commanded thee" that people love their parents, "honour thy father and thy mother" "For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition." These scriptures suggest that the filial piety towards one’s parents was also a part of religious belief and religious culture.
References：
[1]肖朗.中西孝爱观比较[J].孝感学院学报.2009.
【Key Words】Western filial piety; concept of God and people; the norms and principles
1.The connotation and nature of Western filial piety
Different from Chinese filial piety, Western filial piety not only refers to filial piety towards one’s parents, but more importantly towards God, the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." In this sense, Western filial piety carries two layers of meaning: first, filial piety towards God; second, filial piety towards one’s parents. Besides, filial piety towards God is much more important than filial piety towards one’s parents. The nature of Western filial piety is nothing but a part of Christian faith and Christian culture, a concern of Western rational and faithful philosophy.
2. Western filial piety and concept of God and people
Why filial piety towards God is so highly praised in Western countries? Generally speaking, this has much to do with Christian faith and Christian culture. To put it simply, this has much to do with the concept of God and people in Western world.
First, the Bible treats and evaluates people from the perspective of their relationship with God. In the opinion of Christianity, human beings are not the product of natural evolution, but the master piece that God creates carefully and elaborately. "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed." God is not only the creator of human beings, but also the care-taker and the teacher of human beings all over the world, so Christ teaches his disciples to call God as "Our Father which art in heaven" when praying. So the relationship between God and people is not only the relationship of master and servants, but also the relationship of parent and children. God loves people all over the world; Father in heaven loves children on earth. This is the affection and charity of parents. People all over the world "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength"; children on earth love Father in heaven. This is the filial piety of children. Second, the Bible also treats and resolves the problem of death and everlasting life from the perspective of the relationship between God and people. Different from Chinese fake comfort of desire for eternal life, the Bible offers the definite guarantee and the real way to this common desire of human beings. The original ancestor of human beings, Adam and Eve, stole and ate "fruits of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil", and committed the original sin. So God brought sentences to them, including death, and this sentence was also brought to their future generations—the whole human beings. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."
Though trying all acts, making all efforts, people still could not get rid of the crime, could not offset the punishment caused by the crime, could not calm down the anger of God’s justice. Only the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, on the cross, had this effect; "he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever". God has done all for human beings, sacrificing the life of his only begotten Son for re-establishing a close rapport with human beings; for human beings, what they have to do is to "believeth in Jesus Christ, believeth in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ". This is the only way to the salvation of mankind, the conquering over death and the access to eternal life. "But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
3.The norms and principles of Western filial piety
Since Western filial piety carries two layers of meaning, the norms and principles of Western filial piety are not mainly reflected in children’s behavior towards their parents, but more importantly in religious belief and religious culture.
3.1 Filial piety towards God
In Western classical philosophy, the affection and charity of the Father in heaven towards people determine the filial piety of people towards their Father in heaven. In other words, it is because God love people first that people love God accordingly. "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." "We love him, because he first loved us." The filial piety towards God is mainly reflected in Christian dedication and devotion, beginning with the material and monetary dedication and devotion, which lie in the donations to churches and the development of Christian business, for the matter of disseminating the Gospel. Besides, the material and monetary dedication and devotion also lie in the relief of the distressed and poverty-stricken. "As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever." "Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." So the filial piety towards God has much to do with pious dedication and devotion, which begin with the material and monetary dedication and devotion.
On another hand, Christian dedication and devotion focus on and pay much attention to the dedication and devotion of the whole life, which mean that the whole life and the whole soul is possessed and dominated by the Lord; follow the Lord, live for the Lord, die also for the Lord; and contribute all the glory to the Lord, so as to glorify the Lord and establish the reputation of the Lord. "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."
3.2 Filial piety towards one’s parents
In Western classical philosophy, the filial piety towards one’s parents is not mainly reflected in children’s behavior towards their parents, but more importantly in religious belief and religious culture. "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.". As the scripture shows, Western filial piety is not regarded as the natural emotion and conscience of human beings, but the command of God; it is not because others reasons but only because "the Lord thy God hath commanded thee" that people love their parents, "honour thy father and thy mother" "For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition." These scriptures suggest that the filial piety towards one’s parents was also a part of religious belief and religious culture.
References：
[1]肖朗.中西孝爱观比较[J].孝感学院学报.2009.