| Historically, the Chinese people consider both the healing of a community and the healing of a sick person as beneficent deeds. For Confucian scholars, making an effort to heal society is more than a good idea; it is an actual duty.;This present study of two forms of classical literature--either Confucian or Christian in background or association--is both analytical and practical. The author's procedure involves three steps: (1) examining some key documents that represent these two cultural mainstreams; (2) analyzing them for materials pertaining to ethical behavior, particularly when resulting from what is called "moral purification"; and (3) seeking possible solutions posed in them to present-day moral dilemmas faced by individuals and the society.;The literature examined includes ancient and more modern writings, both Oriental and Occidental, which provide ethical perspectives on the society from which they originated--whether the truths they proclaim are considered products of literature, philosophy, or religion. Excerpts are quoted in translations into English, but sometimes words or phrases are given in the original language. Literary data are analyzed in these terms: (1) what the written records say; (2) why their authors wrote as they did within their own time; and (3) how both factors may relate to our current cultural dilemma in regard to establishing and maintaining standards of ethical human conduct--an issue linked to any society's very survival.;Using this critical inquiry as his base, the author concludes that contemporary civilization lacks a special kind of wisdom which has been traditionally instilled in a citizenry and then perpetuated through various socialization and educational means.;For Christians, curing the soul within the body constitutes the great plan of individual salvation. Yet there is also a cultural mandate to claim the culture for Christ, to bring morality to those who are not yet leading ethically enlightened lives, and thus are infecting the society around them. |
