Why did Mencius stay away from ghosts and gods?

Because although he doesn't believe it, he can't prove that ghosts and gods don't exist. Before Confucius, the concept of ghosts and gods was very popular and had a certain system. According to "Uncle Li Zhouguan Chunzong Bo", "Uncle is in charge of the ceremonies of gods, ghosts and earth, helping Wang Jian defend his country. Auspicious ceremonies are manifested in serving the country's ghosts and gods, offering sacrifices to the gods, offering real firewood to the sun, the moon, the stars and the morning, offering sacrifices to the commander-in-chief, the teacher and the rain teacher, offering sacrifices to the country and the five mountains with blood, offering sacrifices to mountains and rivers with raccoons, and offering sacrifices to everything in the four directions with _ Gu, so as to enjoy the first place. As can be seen from the above materials, there was a three-layer structure of ghosts and gods in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and a system of gods was formed in the Shang Dynasty. God can refer to the gods in the sky, such as sun, moon, star, morning, wind and rain. Ghost is a title for people after death, and it can also refer to the ancestor god. Soil can generally refer to mountains, rivers, rivers and other things on the ground. According to the above classification, gods can refer to ghosts and gods in general, and ghosts refer to human gods and ancestral gods in particular. The ghosts and gods in Confucius' view of ghosts and gods should refer to "ancestor gods" There is no doubt that Confucius' thought of ghosts and gods is bound to be influenced by this spiritual system. Confucius' ancestors were descendants of Yin people, and Confucius himself was of Yin and Shang descent. According to "Historical Records Confucius Family", "Confucius was born and made friends in Changping Township, Lu. First, the Song people also said that Confucius was against uncles. Prevent uncle from being born, but be born in Shu. Ge Heyan's daughter met unexpectedly and gave birth to Confucius. Pray for Confucius Niqiu. " According to "Seven Years of Zuo Gong", Confucius' predecessor was a descendant of the royal family in Shang Dynasty, and later a nobleman in Song Dynasty. "Why did his father and his father have a Song Dynasty, awarded to Gong Li?" And the father, and Dai, Wu, Xuan, three people benefit * * * ". It can be seen from the blood relationship that Confucius, as a descendant of Yin people, should inherit the culture of Shang Dynasty. Lu, where Confucius was born, also has a large number of Yin adherents. According to the four years of Zuo Zhuan, the king of Zhou was once "sealed in the city because of the people selected by the merchants", and divided the "six families of Yin people, the Tiao family, the Xu family, the Xiao family, the Suo family, the Changshao family and the Wei Shaoshi family" into bo birds, asking him to "start business and take Zhou Suo from Xinjiang". Du Yu's "Spring and Autumn Zuozhuan Collection" notes: "Living in Yin's hometown, because of its customs, must use its politics. "Merchants Elected by the People" shows that the aborigines in Shandong are Yin people, and at the same time, the "six Yin families" moved to Shandong with Bo birds, so most of them should be Yin adherents except some rulers in the upper class who are Zhou people. Confucius' immigration status in Shang Dynasty and Lu's market status determined that it was difficult for Confucius to get rid of the influence of Shang cultural tradition from birth. Fu Sinian, a modern scholar, believes that from the early Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period, Yin culture confronted Zhou Wenhua but was not completely assimilated, and the culture of Yin Shang and Wu went hand in hand with the culture of rites and music in the Western Zhou Dynasty. This assertion of Fu Sinian may provide some enlightenment for us to examine the cultural background of Confucius and the cultural system he inherited. It is debatable to divide Yin Shang culture and Western Zhou culture into two different cultural systems, but we can't overemphasize that Confucius thought originated in the Western Zhou Dynasty and ignore the influence of Confucius' lineage and Yin Shang culture on Confucius thought. In Confucius' thoughts, the tradition of "worshipping ghosts and gods" of Yin people and the humanistic tradition of "respecting morality and protecting people" of Zhou people should always coexist. Confucius' thought should develop from the fusion of opposites between two cultures. From the source of "Confucianism", Confucianism has existed for a long time and is a person with special skills. Xu Shen pointed out in Shuo Wen Jie Zi: "Confucianism and softness are also called warlocks. From people, you need sound. In The Analects of Confucius, Huang Kan pointed out: "Confucianism is also generous. "If you study for a long time, you will be immersed, so it is called Confucianism." Since modern times, many scholars have studied the origin of Confucianism. Hu Shi made a detailed investigation on the origin of Confucianism in Shuowen Xue Jie, and combined with the explanation that "Confucianism is moderate" in Shuowen Xue Jie, pointed out that Confucianism is the priests of the Yin people, their clothes are elegant, their religion is elegant, their outlook on life is a gentle outlook on national subjugation, and funeral ceremonies are their profession. Xu Zhongshu pointed out in the article "Confucianism as Seen by Oracle Bone Inscriptions" that "need" and "Confucianism" in Oracle Bone Inscriptions are the same word, and thought that Confucianism had existed for a long time in Shang Dynasty and was of the same origin as Confucianism in history. He even thought that Confucianism was a religious organization with religious orders and parishes in the Yin Dynasty. Through the research of the above scholars, it is not difficult to see that Confucianism should come from the culture of Yin and Shang dynasties and is related to sacrifice. As the pioneer of Confucian school, Confucius is very familiar with these, which can also explain why Confucius attaches so much importance to the etiquette of offering sacrifices to ghosts and gods. Source: the human world