The literary giants of the late Ming Dynasty began by copying books

Wang Wenlong nodded: "I will take Xijiang to see Ye Wentong in two days."

Wang Wenlong was amused. Ye Zhouze had recently learned a lot of debating skills from reading "On the Nation and the State". Moreover, he was proficient in Buddhist thought and never lost words easily. When Matteo Ricci talked about Christianity being better than Buddhism, The two of them would definitely have to fight with each other.

Matteo Ricci had been in the Ming Dynasty for more than 20 years, and he must have never encountered an opponent who could use logical thinking to fight him to the death.

After speaking ill of Buddhism and Taoism, Matteo Ricci began to vigorously promote the benefits of Catholicism. His propaganda method was also very "changing Buddhism and Confucianism":
"Confucianism is a very great philosophy. Many disciples of saints deny the existence of God. But in fact, I thought that the 'heaven' in the words of saints was God. It was only after being bewitched by Buddhism over the long years that the disciples of saints forgot about it. God’s presence.”

"So I don't agree with Duke Jianyang's help to the Trinity. Buddhism's empty talk about the nature of the mind and its disregard for worldly affairs undermines the original intention of Confucianism in managing the world. The Trinity still wants to integrate Buddhism and Taoism with Confucianism. This is Isn’t it even more of a bad thing? If you want to truly return Confucianism to its origins, you should embrace Catholicism.”

Wang Wenlong looked strange and said: "Xijiang thinks that Catholic Confucianists are the real Confucianists and cannot even compare with Neo-Confucianists?"

Matteo Ricci nodded as he should: "Catholicism's emphasis on food can complement Confucianism. As for Neo-Confucianism, although there are many truths, it also absorbs too much content from Confucianism and Taoism. Isn't it now being regarded by the world? Are people gradually discovering the problem?"

The set of discussions that Matteo Ricci found to spread Catholicism was actually quite consistent with the ideological trends of the Ming Dynasty at that time.

As time gradually entered the late Ming Dynasty, Confucian scholars discovered that there were many problems in the world, and they all wanted to find solutions to the problems and trace their origins, so they pointed the problem at Neo-Confucianism, which dominated the world's thinking.

Neo-Confucianism in the Song and Ming dynasties borrowed a large number of theories from Buddhism and Taoism, and many of the contents were very idealistic. Various problems arose at this time, which naturally became the target of public criticism. Confucian scholars were accused of "empty talk about the nature of the mind without caring about the way of the world."

At this time, the trend of liquidating Neo-Confucianism gradually turned into criticizing Buddhism.

The monk management system in the late Ming Dynasty was destroyed, and many monks committed evil deeds, which also had a very bad impact on Buddhism. For example, when many Catholic missionaries in the late Ming Dynasty debated with local monks, they found that the monks were "lazy and ignorant". After all, being a monk was just a mess. Why do you have to fight so hard to eat? But in comparison, many of the missionaries who came to the Ming Dynasty were really fanatical believers. Without any faith, no one would go all the way to preach in a foreign country.

If a missionary with firm beliefs and a monk who is just a living person debate together, Confucian scholars who are aspiring to change the world will naturally feel that the missionary is better.

This is also the reason why missionaries were screened because it was too difficult to come to the Ming Dynasty. If those Confucian scholars had been to Europe and seen what the European clergy did, most of them would not have such thoughts.

Under the influence of various factors, the missionary method found by Matteo Ricci hit the sore point of the times. Many people even felt that Catholic teachings were more in line with the "teachings of the ancient saints."

But at this time, listening to Matteo Ricci's discussion, Wang Wenlong felt awkward no matter what he thought.

Wang Wenlong said: "Mr. Xijiang, I think it would be the best outcome if Catholicism could spread like Buddhism and Taoism in the Ming Dynasty. As for saying that the God of Catholicism is the God of Confucianism, it is really far-fetched."

He knew that it would be difficult to reconcile Confucianism, which advocates realism and secular power, with monotheism, which believes that God dominates everything.

Following Matteo Ricci's method of replacing Confucian heaven with Catholic God may seem appropriate at first glance, but due to the conflict in fundamental concepts, the result will definitely be a big contradiction. Later missionaries gradually gave up on this path in their missionary missions to China, which is proof that this path is impassable.

But at this time, Matteo Ricci still felt that his theory was very clever. He asked Wang Wenlong: "Mr. Jianyang, have you ever heard of the saying: Man is doing it, God is watching, and there is a god three feet above your head?"

Wang Wenlong nodded.

Tu Long interrupted and said: "The gods and gods in this may be Taoist or Buddhist gods, but they may not necessarily be God."

Matteo Ricci had long been familiar with such debates and replied with a smile: "The heavens and gods in these ancient proverbs are obviously very upright and judge everything, but the creator of Buddhism is cultivated by humans, and even their kindness Ordinary people cannot tell the difference between evil and evil. He is obviously not the upright God in these proverbs. The only such perfect God is the God of Catholicism!"

Tu Long was said to be speechless, but then Wang Wenlong smiled and said: "It may not be Buddhism or God, maybe it is something else?" Matteo Ricci couldn't help but asked: "Could it be that Mr. Jianyang Do you believe in other religions?”

Wang Wenlong shook his head and replied: "I don't really believe in any religion."

Matteo Ricci asked: "Does Mr. Jianyang think there is no god in the world?"

Wang Wenlong said: "I don't know."

This time Tu Long and Matteo Ricci were both surprised.

"What does Jianyang mean?"

Wang Wenlong explained: "I think whether there are gods in the world can not be determined by debating. If there is, there is, and if there is not, there is not. Even if you win the debate, you cannot create a god out of nothing."

"If we want to use scriptures to prove it, the Buddhists say that Mr. Xijiang's records of God are not true, and Mr. Xijiang says that the Buddhist records of the Buddha are not true. I have neither seen God nor the Buddha. How do I know which one is true? It’s better to wait until we see him.”

When these words came out, both of them were stunned.

Then Tu Long looked at Wang Wenlong who was smiling and then at Matteo Ricci who was frowning and looking embarrassed. He couldn't help laughing. He raised his glass and said: "Jianyang's words are so derogatory. After such a Don’t talk about it anywhere in the house anymore.”

Matteo Ricci also looked ugly.

Although he met many de facto atheists during his more than 20 years of preaching in Ming Dynasty.

If such a person were in Europe, he would be destined to be a thorn in the side of not being religious unless he waited for an opportunity to suddenly change his mind. The proportion of such people in the Ming Dynasty was far higher than in Europe. Ricci would not waste too much time with these people and would not offend them.

However, among these atheists, Wang Wenlong was the one who explained his thoughts most clearly, and Ricci found that he really had no way to argue.

Just like he thinks that all Buddhist scriptures are fake, Buddhism can also say that all its Catholic scriptures are fake, but there is really no more evidence except both sides of the scriptures.

Wang Wenlong didn't believe it. Matteo Ricci couldn't call God down and let Wang Wenlong take a look.

Matteo Ricci made a judgment in his mind: Wang Wenlong is a very smart wizard. It is impossible to win him over to Christianity, but there is no need to offend him. On the contrary, he can still make friends.

……

Two days later, the invited Ricci, dressed in Confucian attire, happily came to Huqiu Mountain Temple to attend the Jiangnan Physics Society's machine demonstration.

Wang Wenlong originally planned to return to Nanjing after attending the Huqiu Mountain Conference, but the Physics Club's coin-making machine was successfully developed and was about to be put into production and operation. As the designer of the machine and the honorary president of the Physics Club, Wang Wenlong had to be present.

(End of this chapter)