This book considers the ways in which religious beliefs and
practices have contributed to the formation of Chinese legal
culture. It does so by describing two forms of overlap between
religion and the law: the ideology of justice and the performance
of judicial rituals.
One of the most important conceptual underpinnings of the
Chinese ideology of justice is the belief in the inevitability of
retribution. Similar values permeate Chinese religious traditions,
all of which contend that justice will prevail despite corruption
and incompetence among judicial officials in this world and even
the underworld, with all wrongdoers eventually suffering some form
of punishment. The second form of overlap between religion and the
law may be found in the realm of practice, and involves instances
when men and women perform judicial rituals like oaths,
chicken-beheadings, and underworld indictments in order to enhance
the legitimacy of their positions, deal with cases of perceived
injustice, and resolve disputes. These rites coexist with other
forms of legal practice, including private mediation and the
courts, comprising a wide-ranging spectrum of practices
Divine Justice will be of enormous interest to scholars of the
Chinese legal system and the development of Chinese culture and
society more generally.
General
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