| Use of statues and pictures | Permitted. |
Veve are encouraged and pictures permitted. |
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| Place of origin | China |
Benin, Haiti |
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| Practices | Visit to temples to pay homage to Ti'en (while it can refer to God or Heaven, it traditionally refers to social power), Confucius, and ancestors; To practice ('Jing zuo, ') or 'Quiet Sitting', a neo-Confucian seeking of self-cultivation. |
Witchcraft; Prayer, Devotion, Invocation, Healing, varies from good to evil (Blessings, curses, etc.) |
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| Life after death | Ancestors and heritage is important, but not worshiped. |
Vilokan is home to the lwa and the deceased. Described as a submerged and forested island, also belief in reincarnation, Life is continuous, |
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| Founder | Kong Qiu (Confucius) |
No founder. |
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| Literal Meaning | Disciple of Confucius. |
'Spirit.' or "Sacred" - Fon Language |
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| Belief of God | Depending on the religion held, usually Buddhist. Confucianism is not strictly a religion but rather advises a schema of social order. |
Bondye is the chief deity, but, other deities or lwas linked to Christian figures are worshipped also. |
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| Clergy | Bureaucrats. |
Hougans(priests), Mambos (priestesses), Bokors, witch doctors, Amateur, etc. |
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| Geographical distribution and predominance | Asia. |
Africa (Benin, Gulf of Guinea nations, Nigeria, and other West African states), the Caribbean (Haiti and Cuba, primarily), the United States and Canada. |
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| Place of worship | Temples. |
Altars, temples. |
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| Followers | Confucianists |
Haitian Vodou |
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| View of the Buddha | Buddha is followed by many Confucians. |
N/A. |
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| Goal of religion | To have a structured society. |
To honor God and the lwas (Saints) and honor and celebration of life. |
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| Holy Days | Chinese New Year, Teacher Day, Ancestor Day. |
Holy days often related to Catholic saint feasts. |
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| Authority of Dalai Lama | N/A. |
No |
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| Original Language(s) | Mandarin or Cantonese |
Fon, Ewe languages, Haitian Creole. |
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| Branches | Han Confucianism; Neo Confucianism; Contemporary Confucianism; Japanese Confucianism; Korean Confucianism; Vietnamese Confucianism; Boston Confucianism. |
Major branches include Haitian, Louisiana, and African forms. These forms are distinct, but closely related and generally mutually recognize each other. Practitioners sometimes belong to more than one branch. |
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| Views on other religion | Sees no contraction in following more than one religion. |
They see no contradiction in following more than one religion(usually Islam). |
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| Status of women | Socially inferior to men. |
Women are High Priestesses (or mambos). The highest form of clergy, To maintain the relationship between the community and the spirits. |
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| Concept of Deity | Most believe in One God, but this is not necessary since Confucianism is not a religion but a belief system about social ordering. |
Numerous deities; Bondye is chief deity (God). All deities are a reflection of a male and female aspect and belief that the gods are real personas. |
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| Time of origin | Approx. 550 B.C.E.(Before Common Era) |
Vodou has its roots in the West African religions of the Yoruba, Ewe, Fon, etc. In the modern day, kinship between the African diaspora faiths is often recognized. Vodou itself originated sometime after the arrival of African slaves in the Carribean. |
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| View of Oriental religions | Confucianists usually follow other Oriental religions too. |
Vodouists see no contradiction in following more than one religion. |
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| Concept of God | One God. |
Omnipresent Creator (Bondye) |
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Comments: Confucianism vs Voodoo