墨子的宗教思想

宗教是人同天（天主）的關係，本文試就墨子的「天志」和「明鬼」論，探討墨子的宗教思想。 戰國期間的墨子，在「天志」、「明鬼」兩篇內，肯定傳統唯一真神天的存在，和佐天行賞罰的鬼神實有。墨子的天不是形體的天，也不是理，更不是抽象的道，而是主宰的天，也就是造物之主。祂的意志（天志）是人類行為的絕對標準，應當絕對服從，不可違背，否則鬼神要佐天行賞罰的。墨家鉅子，是天的代言人。順「天志」，愛人利人的得賞，逆「天志」，害人賊人的受罰。 墨子倡導以「天志」、公「義」為規範的兼愛，兼利。墨子主張：人生要務是法天、事鬼神、修己和愛人。墨子強調非攻，尚賢、尚同、非樂、非命、節用、節葬，並以古代聖王為法。墨子認為貧、富、強、弱，是由於人們是否翕合主旨，是否實踐仁義和努力而來。 墨子和他的門徒，大都具有真誠的法天，事鬼神精神，和宗教虔誠：不畏死、不怕辱、不貪祿、不求人知，惟願承天「天志」兼愛他人，摩頂放踵，為人民謀福利，為天下求太平，因而獲得大眾的敬愛。 墨子的宗教思想，在詩、書之後，可謂出類拔萃。然而以天主教信仰觀點來看，「天志」和「明鬼」論裡的宗教思想，還有許多缺憾。譬如：只注重現世，而不涉及永生；所設為人標準，似乎多有太過火之處；所持論調，似乎太激烈；所陳學理，多有未妥。大約就是這些缺失，使墨子的影響，在戰國後期無形中消歇了！但是墨子信仰天、事鬼神、倡宗教之道；勵人為善，篤人之行；假「天志」、「鬼神」以為制裁人心之力和修德之基；個人的人格崇高，和愛人以摯誠，是值得推崇的！

This treatise deals with Mo-Ti’s thoughts of Religion， from his two articles Tien Chih（天志）， and Ming Kuei（明鬼）， chiefly. A school of wisdom rivalling that of Confucius was that of Mo-Ti or Mo-tzu， who came from the principality of Lu（魯）， and who lived between 480 and 400 B.C. Mo-Ti broadened the Confucian altruism into a doctrine of universal love， preached the pacificism （an advocacy not without merit in the early period of the ‘Warring States（戰國時期）’）and placed a special emphasis on piety towards Heaven （天）， more precisely towards the Lord On High， （上帝）， considered as a personal God， and on service of spirits（鬼神）. Mo-Ti came between Confucius and Mencius（孟子）. His interest， like that of these two， was in the improvement of society. He differed from them in seeking this， not through the observance of ceremonies， but by whole hearted conformity to the will of God（天志）and by reason， aided by logic， and by service of spirits. In contrast with a tendency to identify Heaven with unvarying， unfeeling law， Mo-Ti believed strongly in its personality， and employed the term Shang Ti（上帝）more frequently than the less personal term Tien（天）. He believed that man finds his highest good in conforming to the will of this Supreme Being and since Heaven loves men， favoring righteousness and hating iniquity， men ought to love one another and be righteous in life. Men should， indeed， love all their fellows as they would their own blood brothers. Applying the tests of love and of logic to human institutions， he condemned war as unbrotherly and murderous. While emphatically believing in the existence of Spirits（明鬼神）， he set himself against extravagant funerals， elaborate ceremonies， and even music， as detracting from and not aiding the welfare of the living. Mo-Ti would have a regulated consumption and would confine production to the necessities. He vigorously denounced determinism and held that men could perfect themselves by their own efforts. His views were， not unnaturally， roundly condemned by the Confucianists， particularly by Mencius（孟子）. Mo-Ti gives various proofs of the activity of Heaven（天）， and to prove the existence of spirits（鬼神）he cites a number of instances， from relatively recent history， in which spirits（usually those of the dead）are supposed to have avenged wrongs or rewarded virtue. These spirits， Mo-Ti says， were seen by large nembers of people. In fairness to Mo-Ti we have to remember that he did not say that men might prosper merely by offering sacrifice to Heaven and spirits. On the contrary， he insisted that only the sacrifices of the virtuous would meet with favor.