The Application of Cognitive Dissonance Theory in Scientific Atheism Education

Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Marxist scientific atheism education aimed at the broad masses of the basic population has never ceased for a moment. From schools to society to organizations at all levels, Marxist scientific atheism education has been carried out alongside ideological and political education; this has always been an inherent part of the construction of socialist cultural-ethical progress. However, the paradox lies in the fact that while Marxist scientific atheism education has never slackened, theism and its activities have continuously expanded. Usually, people understand this paradox as a negative effect of the effectiveness of Marxist scientific atheism education. How can this negative effect be overcome? How can the scientificity, rationality, and effectiveness of Marxist scientific atheism education be improved? The author, starting solely from the cognitive psychology of the individual being educated, reflects on this major practical issue, seeking to offer insights for the consideration of experts.

新中国成立以来，面向广大基本群众的马克思主义科学无神论教育一刻也没有停止过，从学校到社会再到各级组织，马克思主义科学无神论教育伴随思想政治教育一道进行，这从来都是社会主义精神文明建设的题中之意。然而，悖论在于马克思主义科学无神论教育一直毫不松懈，有神论及其活动却不断扩大。通常，人们把这种悖论理解为马克思主义科学无神论教育效果的负面效应。如何克服这种负面效应呢?怎样才能提高马克思主义科学无神论教育的科学性、合理性和有效性呢?笔者仅从个体受教育的认知心理出发，对这一重大的现实课题做出反思，以就教方家。

From the perspective of cognitive psychology, in the process of receiving external information, the individual’s internal cognitive structure plays a crucial role, manifested in two aspects. First, the individual’s cognitive structure has a certain filtering function for incoming information. In other words, not all information occurring around the individual can effectively act upon the individual. Second, external information that acts upon the individual and effectively influences them must undergo “internalization,” “accommodation,” and “equilibration” through the individual’s cognitive structure, forming a new cognitive structure. Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget stated: “The process of the formation and change of schemas is the process of psychological development. The continuously developing state of equilibrium achieved through assimilation and accommodation is, in fact, psychological development.” [1]1 Feng Zhongliang et al., *Educational Psychology*, People’s Education Press, 2000, p. 205. Thus, psychological development is a process of continuous change in cognitive structure. The development of cognitive structure occurs within each individual, a continuous process of construction through the alternating action of assimilation and accommodation. This process is continuously enriched, raised, and developed in the cycle of “disequilibrium—equilibrium—new disequilibrium.” This equilibrium is not a static equilibrium of forces but a dynamic equilibrium with self-regulating functions. “We believe that psychological equilibrium, and even biological equilibrium, implies a kind of activity of the subject. This activity resides in an adjustment directed toward compensation.” [2]2 Zhang Aiqing, *Modern Educational Psychology*, Anhui People’s Publishing House, 2000, p. 54. In the process of the dynamic equilibrium of cognitive structure, people learn new knowledge, form new understandings, and generate new behaviors.

在认知心理学看来，人们在接受外部信息的过程中，个体内在的认知结构起着至关重要的作用，表现在两个方面。一是，个体认知结构对输入的信息具有一定的筛选功能。换言之，并非所有发生在个体周围的信息都能对个体形成有效作用。二是，对于作用于个体并对个体形成有效作用的外部信息，必须通过个体认知结构的“内化”、“顺应”、“平衡”，形成新的认知结构。瑞士心理学家皮亚杰说过:“图式的形成和变化的过程就是心理发展的过程，通过同化和顺应而导致的不断发展着的平衡状态，实际上就是心理的发展。”①可见，心理发展是认知结构不断变化的过程。认知结构的发展，是发生在每一个个体内部的，经过同化和顺应的交替作用而发生的连续建构过程。这一过程在“不平衡——平衡——新的不平衡”的循环中得到不断丰富、提高和发展。这种平衡不是静态的力的平衡，而是动态的平衡，具有自我调节作用。“我们相信心理平衡甚至生物平衡意味着主体的一种能动性。这种能动性存在于指向补偿的一种调整之中。”②人们在认知结构的动态平衡过程中学习新的知识，形成新的认识，产生新的行为。

The renowned American psychologist Leon Festinger, in his study of the process of attitude change in humans, proposed the famous “cognitive dissonance theory.” This theory holds that people tend to maintain a state of cognitive consistency or psychological equilibrium. Once inconsistency or disequilibrium occurs, people will actively adjust. Many factors influence the dynamic equilibrium of cognitive structure. Among them, contradictions and oppositions easily arise between old and new cognitions, between cognition and behavior, and between cognition and attitude. Opposing cognitions, behaviors, and attitudes cause people to experience psychological conflict; this is “cognitive dissonance.” However, the psyche of a normal person cannot remain in a state of inconsistency forever, because when inconsistency occurs among the various components of an individual’s cognition, negative psychological feelings such as anxiety and tension arise, which over time can lead to mental illness. Therefore, once cognitive dissonance occurs, the pressure caused by these negative feelings transforms into a driving force for the individual to strive to reduce or eliminate this dissonance. The individual’s cognitive structure will actively adjust, either accepting, rejecting, or reducing the contradictory state, in order to restore psychological balance and acquire new cognition. Hence, the state of cognitive dissonance becomes an important internal driving force that promotes purposeful volitional behavior in humans.

美国著名心理学家费斯汀格在研究人类态度转变的过程中，提出了著名的“认知失调理论”。该理论认为，人都倾向于维持认知的协调或心理的平衡状态，一旦出现不协调或不平衡，人就会主动调整。诸多因素影响认知结构的动态平衡。其中，旧认知与新认知之间、认知与行为之间、认知与态度之间容易产生矛盾对立。对立的认知、行为和态度，使人产生矛盾心理，这就是“认知失调”。但是，正常人的心理不可能永远处在不协调状态中，因为个体的认知各成分之间出现不协调状态时，就会出现焦虑、紧张等负性心理感受，久而久之就会产生心理疾病。所以，一旦产生认知不协调，这种负性感受引发的压力，会转化为个体努力减轻或消除这种不协调的动力，人的认知结构就会主动调整，或接纳或拒绝或降低矛盾状态，以使心理平衡，获得新的认知。因此，认知不协调状态成为推动人类有目的性的意志行为的重要内驱力。

This theory provides beneficial insights for reflecting on the perplexities currently faced by scientific atheism education in our country: Why does “positive education” yield little effect? Why, after ten or even decades of “positive education,” can an individual be subverted by theism in an unguarded moment? Why, in the process of “salvage education,” does scientific atheism education achieve little effect? Apart from the need for continuous improvement in mechanisms, systems, and educational models, at the technical level, making good use of the techniques of cognitive dissonance in scientific atheism, and strengthening targeted and effective education, is the necessary path to improving and enhancing Marxist scientific atheism education.

这一理论对反思当前我国科学无神论教育面临的困惑提供了有益启示:为什么“正面教育”会收效甚微?为什么“正面教育”十几年甚至几十年，个体却会在不经意间被有神论颠覆?为什么在“挽救教育”进程中科学无神论教育收效甚微?除了机制、制度和教育模式等方面需要不断完善外，从技术层面，利用好科学无神论认知失调技巧，加强针对性和有效性教育，是改善和提高马克思主义科学无神论教育的必由之路。

Marxist scientific atheism education confronts living individuals, each with their own life background and knowledge background. The individual’s life background and knowledge background invariably leave a deep imprint on their cognitive structure, thereby determining whether the cognitive information of atheism can be accepted by the individual and whether it creates dissonance within the individual’s pre-existing cognitive structure. Regrettably, Marxist scientific atheism education, whether in terms of content, form, or method, shows almost no differentiation. Difference is not the goal, but a means to achieve the goal. We treat Marxist scientific atheism education as a panacea suitable for all ages, yet the result is a dose of brown sugar water that, while pure in color, lacks the function of preventing or curing disease. To overcome this defect, it is necessary to strengthen targeting, create cognitive contradictions, and open the sluice gates of the individual’s cognitive structure.

马克思主义科学无神论教育面对的是各具生活背景、知识背景的鲜活个体，个体的生活背景和知识背景无不在其认知结构中打上深刻烙印，从而决定无神论的认知信息是否能被个体接受，是否在个体的旧有认知结构中产生不协调。遗憾的是，马克思主义科学无神论教育，无论是在教育的内容上还是在形式上，或者方式上，几乎没有什么差别。差别不是目的，而是达到目的的手段。我们把马克思主义科学无神论教育作为老少咸宜的灵丹妙药，结果却成为一剂颜色纯正却没有防病治病功能的红糖水。克服这样的弊病，就必须加强针对性，制造认知矛盾，打开个体认知结构的闸口。

First, at the level of positive education, the age characteristics and psychological traits of the individual must be considered, and the level that the cognitive structure can accept and understand must be fully taken into account, in order to stimulate cognitive dissonance between “atheism” and “theism.” Only by stimulating the logical contradiction in their cognition and guiding them according to the circumstances can their related cognitive structures be continuously updated, forming an atheistic cognition at a higher level. Second, at the level of salvage education, Marxist scientific atheism education confronts complex individuals, and it is even more necessary to fully consider the individual’s knowledge background, life background, and personal experience, striving to break the cognitive system that the individual has already formed or is in the process of forming. If our education cannot stimulate the individual’s cognitive contradiction in a targeted manner, no matter how long the education lasts or what methods are adopted, the expected educational effect will not be produced. Third, whether in positive education or salvage education, educators must learn to “create contradictions” and “utilize contradictions,” forming cognitive dissonance in the educatee, and scientifically advance the practical effect of Marxist scientific atheism education. There are two aspects to this. First, if the educatee faced by the educator has been consistently influenced by Marxist scientific atheism education and the basic framework of their cognitive structure positively points toward atheism, then the educator, in the process of teaching, should, based on the educatee’s already formed atheistic thought, arouse the educatee’s curiosity and interest in higher-level atheistic thought, transmit new, higher-level educational content, and consolidate and develop their understanding and practical ability to implement atheistic thought.

首先，在正面教育层面，必须考虑个体的年龄特点和心理特征，充分考虑认知结构能够接受、能够理解的水平，激发在“无神”与“有神”之间产生认知不协调。只有激发其认知的逻辑矛盾，因势利导，才能不断更新其相关的认知结构，在更高水平上形成无神论的认知。其次，在挽救教育层面，马克思主义科学无神论教育面对的是复杂的个体，更要充分考虑个体的知识背景、生活背景和个体经验，着力打破个体业已形成或正在形成的认知体系。如果我们的教育不能有针对性地激发个体的认知矛盾，无论教育多久，无论采取何种方法，都不会产生预期的教育效果。再次，无论是正面教育还是挽救性教育，教育者要学会“制造矛盾”、“利用矛盾”，形成受教育者的认知不协调，科学推进马克思主义科学无神论教育的实际效果。这里有两个层面的问题。其一，如果教育者面对的受教育者是一直受马克思主义科学无神论教育影响，且认知结构的基本框架是正面指向无神论的，那么，教育者在施教过程中就要根据受教育者业已形成的无神论思想，引发受教育者对更高层次无神论思想的好奇、兴趣，传输新的更高层次的教育内容，巩固和发展对无神论思想的理解和实际践行能力。

Second, if the educator faces educatees who are half-convinced and half-doubtful about atheistic thought, or even those more seriously influenced by theistic thought, the educator must find ways to cause psychological contradiction in the educatee, open a gap in their cognitive structure for accepting atheistic thought, and form a new cognitive structure guided by atheistic thought. The specific method lies in creating dissonance between the educatee’s old cognition and new cognition—that is, using atheistic concepts to cause the educatee to question theistic thought; creating dissonance between the educatee’s old theistic cognition and new atheistic behavior—for example, deliberately arranging for the educatee to engage in some atheistic activity, causing a contradiction between their cognition and behavior, forming dissonance; creating dissonance between the educatee’s old cognition and new attitude—for example, by creating a certain atheistic situation, allowing the educatee to be personally present, generating a change in their attitude toward atheism, thereby stimulating their cognitive dissonance, and subsequently opening the cognitive gap for Marxist scientific atheism education.

其二，如果教育者面对的是对无神论思想半信半疑，甚至受有神论思想影响较为严重的受教育者，就要设法让受教育者产生心理矛盾，打开其接受无神论思想的认知结构缺口，形成新的、受无神论思想引导的认知结构。具体做法在于让受教育者在旧认知与新认知之间产生不协调，即以无神论的观念引发受教育者质疑有神论思想;让受教育者的有神论的旧认知和无神论的新行为之间产生不协调，如故意安排受教育者践行某种无神论的活动，让他的认知与行为之间产生矛盾，形成不协调;让受教育者的旧认知和新态度之间产生不协调，如通过创设一定无神论的情境，让受教育者身临其境，产生对无神论态度的变化，从而激发其认知不协调，进而打开马克思主义科学无神论教育的认知缺口。

The content of Marxist scientific atheism education faces the need for reform to keep pace with the times. Marxist atheist thought is the guiding ideology and policy we must clearly uphold. However, in specific educational content, it is necessary to distinguish between traditional cultural customs and superstitious ideas; to maintain scientific confidence in areas yet to be explored on the basis of existing scientific achievements; to clarify the gray intermediate zone easily blurred between Marxist scientific atheism education and real life; and to pre-process the concepts of "atheism" and "theism" ideologically. When individuals face complex life situations and cognitive situations, a clear-cut cognitive boundary emerges. Once this boundary is crossed, the individual's cognitive structure produces logical contradictions and "uncomfortable" cognitive psychology, thereby sustaining the educational effects brought by positive education. At the same time, it enhances the positive guiding role of individual cognition of atheism for the meaning of life and the negative role of theism. It must be emphasized that this "individual cognition" must be genuinely cognized by each individual, not a so-called oral "understanding" produced by preaching without personal experience. Only when individual cognition of atheism is generated on the basis of profound comprehension can the individual's existing cognitive structure, when facing specific situations of various theisms, self-reject and self-defend against the erosion and harm brought by theism. This requires that, in the process of Marxist scientific atheism education, we consciously increase the "opposition" to theism, and this opposition must be deeply comprehended by the educated.

马克思主义科学无神论教育内容面临着与时俱进的改革，马克思主义无神论思想是我们旗帜鲜明必须坚持的指导思想和方针。但是，在具体的教育内容上必须分清传统文化习俗和迷信思想的区别;坚持在已知的科学成就基础上对有待探索的未知领域的科学信心，分清马克思主义科学无神论教育和现实生活之间易于模糊的灰色中间地带，把“无神”和“有神”在观念上先期加以处理。当个体在面临复杂的生活情境和认知情境时，产生泾渭分明的认知界限。一旦跨越这种界限，个体认知结构就会产生逻辑上的矛盾和“难受的认知心理，从而持续正面教育带来的教育效果。同时，增强个体认知无神论，对人生意义的积极指导作用和对有神论的消极作用。需要强调的是，这种“个体认知”必须是每个个体切实认知的，而不是因为说教产生的没有切肤之痛的所谓口头“认识”。在深刻体悟基础上产生的无神论个体认知，在面对形形色色有神论的具体情境时，个体旧有的认知结构才能自我排斥、自我防御有神论带来的各种侵蚀和毒害。这就要求我们在进行马克思主义科学无神论教育的过程中，有意识地增加和有神论的“对立”，而且这种对立必须得到受教育者的深刻体悟。

Any educational process is a dynamic process in which the cognitive structure moves from dissonance to consonance, and then from consonance to new dissonance. Marxist scientific atheism education is an educational activity oriented toward the individual's mind and soul, far more complex than pure scientific knowledge education or humanistic literacy education. The complexity lies in the fact that atheist thought and theist concepts collide almost daily in people's daily lives, and currently theist thought still has a fairly broad space and soil for existence among certain populations. Therefore, stimulating individual participation, training the educated's cognitive coordination ability, and consciously coordinating and discarding the intrusion of theist thought are particularly important. In view of this, Marxist scientific atheism education must, in its educational strategy, fully consider the factors affecting individual active participation, and train and strengthen the cognitive structural ability of atheist thought.

任何教育过程都是认知结构由不协调到协调，再由协调再到新的不协调的动态过程。马克思主义科学无神论教育是面向个体心灵和思想的教育活动，比之纯粹的科学知识教育、人文素养教育要复杂得多。其中的复杂性在于，无神论思想和有神论的观念在人们的日常生活中几乎每天都会产生碰撞，而且目前有神论思想在一定的人群中具有相当广阔的存在空间和土壤。因此，激发个体参与，训练受教育者认知协调能力，自觉协调和抛弃有神论思想的侵扰显得尤其重要。有鉴于此，马克思主义科学无神论教育在教育的策略上必须充分考虑影响个体主动参与的要素，训练和强化无神论思想的认知结构能力。

First, the educated should be given more choice. So-called choice does not mean choosing between atheism and theism, but rather giving the educated a sense of choice in the process of Marxist scientific atheism education, so that it is "I chose this thought," not "this thought chose me, making me accept this thought." An important defense mechanism of self-choice lies in self-esteem. Once an individual self-chooses a certain thought or behavior, they will self-resist subsequent opposing thoughts or behaviors. This resistance has nothing to do with the individual's ideological realm but is related to the individual's self-esteem. Self-esteem resists external thoughts or behaviors and makes negative evaluations of one's own choice; people will try every means to emphasize the correctness of their original self-choice, reducing the negating effect of later information on their self-choice. The goal of Marxist scientific atheism education is clear: to establish the correct worldview, outlook on life, and values of the educated through education. However, the selectivity in the educational process, through the self-esteem of the educated, strengthens the effect of Marxist scientific atheism education, can enhance the immediate educational effect, and also has a fairly strong positive defensive effect on extending the educational effect and preventing the erosion of theist thought.

首先，要让受教育者多一些选择性。所谓选择性，不是指在无神论和有神论之间选择，而是让受教育者在马克思主义科学无神论教育过程中增加选择感，是“我选择了这种思想”，而不是“这种思想选择了我，让我接受这种思想”。自7我选择的一个重要防御机制在于自尊。一旦个体自我选择某种思想或者行为时，就会对其后产生的对立的思想或行为进行自我抵触。这种抵触和个体的思想境界没有关系，却和个体的自尊心有关。自尊心会抵制外来的思想或者行为，对自己的选择做出否定性的评价，人们会想方设法强调自己当初自我选择的正确性，降低后来的信息对自我选择的否定作用。马克思主义科学无神论教育的目的是明确的，就是通过教育确立受教育者正确的世界观、人生观和价值观。但是，教育过程中的选择性，通过受教育者的自尊作用，强化了马克思主义科学无神论教育的效果，可以提升即时的教育效果，对教育效果的延伸和防止有神论思想的侵蚀，也具有相当强的积极防御作用。

Second, let the educated make their own decisions. In the field of ideological and political education, indoctrination is necessary, but if indoctrination is one-sided, the educational effect will inevitably be negatively affected. Most importantly, the negative factors brought by indoctrination are everywhere. Among them, when atheist thought is eroded by theist thought or behavior, the indoctrinated Marxist scientific atheism education, when facing living theist situations, finds it difficult to form effective psychological defense. Therefore, in the process of Marxist scientific atheism education, it is necessary and essential for the educated to make self-decisions. The self-decision of the educated means that in the process of atheist education, their atheist cognitive structure is self-formed, an atheist ideological system, attitude, and behavior consciously formed on the basis of the accumulation of individual viewpoints, concepts, and thoughts. As the individual's self-defense mechanism accepts more and more atheist viewpoints and establishes concepts, external theist thought finds it difficult to trigger internal new and old cognitive dissonance. Even if a major event or important influence source temporarily impacts the individual's atheist thought, the individual will eliminate it through the self-adjustment process of the cognitive structure, or even directly "ignore" it, which greatly benefits strengthening and improving the individual's self-education ability in atheism.

其次，让受教育者自己做出决断。在思想政治教育领域，灌输是必要的，但是一味地灌输，教育效果必然受到消极影响。最重要的是，灌输带来的消极因素随处可见。其中，当无神论的思想受到有神论思想或者行为侵蚀的时候，灌输的马克思主义科学无神论教育面对活生生的有神论情境时，难以形成有效的心理防御。因此，在马克思主义科学无神论教育过程中，让受教育者自我决断是必要的也是必需的。受教育者的自我决断，意味着在无神论的教育过程中其无神论的认知结构是自我形成的，是在一个个观点、观念和思想叠加的基础上，自觉形成的无神论思想体系、态度和行为。个体的自我防御机制随着越来越多无神论观点的接受和观念的确立，外在的有神论思想难以引发内在的新旧认知失调。即便因为重大事件或者重要影响源对个体无神论思想形成暂时的冲击，个体也会在认知结构的自我调适过程中加以排除，甚至直接“忽略”，这对强化和提高个体无神论自我教育能力有莫大的助益。

Third, pay attention to the educated's sense of satisfaction. An individual's certain cognition, behavior, or attitude is positively correlated with the result of accepting the corresponding cognition, behavior, or attitude. In other words, a cognition that brings positive individual experience will strengthen that cognition; a cognition that brings negative individual experience will weaken or even overturn that cognition. Therefore, the positive experience of the educated in the process of Marxist scientific atheism education is very important. The problem is that Marxist scientific atheism education cannot produce immediate effects like scientific knowledge education, nor can it produce a sense of achievement or pleasure like scientific education because a certain problem is clarified; this is a shortcoming of Marxist scientific atheism education. However, it should be seen that atheist thought is broad and profound, having both its historical origins and its life materials. The exploration of the "human-God relationship" by atheism has a long history, almost synchronous with human ideological civilization; the resolution of the "human-God relationship" by Marxist scientific atheism not only brings spiritual enjoyment like other important human thoughts, but the debate between atheism and theism concerns the daily life of every individual and should have strong appeal to every educated person. Educators should consciously pay attention to the historical depth of atheist thought and the practical guiding significance of atheist thought for individual life, striving to enable the educated to gain a sense of satisfaction in the educational process.

再次，注重受教育者的满足感。个体的某种认知、行为或态度，与接受相应的认知、行为和态度后的结果成正相关。换言之，一种认知带来积极的个体体验，就会强化这种认知;一种认知带来消极的个体体验，就会弱化甚至颠覆这种认知。因此，马克思主义科学无神论教育过程中受教育者的正面体验是非常重要的。问题在于，马克思主义科学无神论教育不能像科学知识的教育那样产生即时性效果，也不能像科学教育那样，因为搞清某个问题而产生成就感或愉悦感，这是马克思主义科学无神论教育的短板。但是，应该看到无神论思想博大精深，既有其历史的渊源，也有其生活的素材。无神论关于“人—神关系”的探索历来已久，几乎和人类思想文明同步;马克思主义科学无神论对“人—神关系”的解决等，不仅和其他人类重要思想一样给人带来精神享受，而且无神论和有神论之争关乎每个个体的日常生活，对每个受教育者而言，应该具备很强的吸引力。教育者应有意识注意无神论思想的历史纵深，和无神论思想对个体生活的实际指导意义，努力使受教育者在受教育过程中获得满足感。

Finally, form and strengthen the educated's sense of responsibility. Atheism and theism are opposing "human-God relationships," both of which have practical guiding and influencing effects on individual life. The purpose of Marxist scientific atheism education is to achieve a leap in individual thought through the transmission of atheist thought, and thereby transform the objective world. In the process of Marxist scientific atheism education, forming and strengthening the educated's sense of responsibility not only helps consolidate the educational effect of Marxist scientific atheism but also plays a constraining and guiding role in consciously forming individual atheist behavior and attitude. In implementing Marxist scientific atheism education, it is necessary to make the educated develop a sense of responsibility for their own thoughts and behavior. This requires combining Marxist scientific atheism education with the individual's life goals and reality. For the individual, accepting correct ideological guidance produces correct life behavior and expected life results; accepting erroneous ideological guidance produces erroneous life behavior and expected results. It needs to be pointed out that there is no completely mechanical correspondence between thought and result. It further needs to be pointed out that, in past and current Marxist scientific atheism education, the educational methods divorced from reality and the educational strategies of reading from scripts lie in the failure to combine Marxist scientific atheism education with individual reality, giving rise to the illusion of a "dual-track system" between individual atheist thought and actual life, i.e., since atheism cannot affect my life, it does not matter whether I accept atheist thought or not. Clearly, atheism cannot be responsible for the individual's life, and the individual will not be responsible for this thought either.

最后，形成和强化受教育者的责任感。无神论和有神论是对立的“人—神关系”，它们均对个体的生活具备实际的指导和影响作用。马克思主义科学无神论教育的目的，是通过无神论思想的传输实现个体思想的飞跃，进而改造客观世界。在马克思主义科学无神论教育过程中，形成和强化受教育者的责任感，不仅有助于巩固马克思主义科学无神论的教育效果，也对自觉形成个体无神论的行为和态度起到制约和指导作用。在实施马克思主义科学无神论教育的过程中，要使受教育者对自己的思想和行为产生责任感，这就要把马克思主义科学无神论教育和个体的生活目标和实际结合起来对个体而言，接受正确的思想指导，产生正确的人生行为和预期的人生结果;接受错误的思想指导，产生错误的人生行为和预期结果。需要指出，思想和结果之间不存在完全机械的对应关系。更需要指出，在过去和当下的马克思主义科学无神论教育过程中，脱离实际的教育方式和照本宣科的教育策略，在于没有把马克思主义科学无神论教育和个体实际结合起来，给个体无神论思想和实际生活产生“两轨制”的错觉，即既然无神论不能影响我的生活，我接受或不接受无神论思想都没有关系。显然，无神论不能为个体的生活负责个体也不会为这种思想负责。

“As science advances, one army after another lays down its arms, one fortress after another surrenders, until at last the boundless and infinite domains of nature are entirely conquered by science, leaving no foothold for the Creator.” [3]3 *Selected Works of Marx and Engels*, Vol. 4, People’s Publishing House, 1995, p. 309. We believe that Marxist scientific atheism represents the general scientific direction of humanity’s understanding of the world. As long as we clearly and resolutely uphold Marxist scientific atheist thought and adhere to scientific educational methods, Marxist scientific atheism education will certainly play an increasingly greater role in advancing the historical process of human civilization.

“在科学的推进下，一支又一支部队放下武器，一座又一座城堡投降，直到最后，自然界无边无沿的领域全部被科学征服，不再给造物主留下一点立足之地。”③我们相信，马克思主义科学无神论代表着人类认识世界总的科学的发展方向。只要旗帜鲜明地坚持马克思主义科学无神论思想，坚持科学的教育方法，马克思主义科学无神论教育就一定能够在推动人类文明的历史进程中，发挥越来越大的作用。

Notes:

注释:

[1]1 Feng Zhongliang et al., *Educational Psychology*, People’s Education Press, 2000, p. 205. Feng Zhongliang et al., *Educational Psychology*, People’s Education Press, 2000, p. 205.

①冯忠良等:《教育心理学》，人民教育出版社，2000年205页。

[2]2 Zhang Aiqing, *Modern Educational Psychology*, Anhui People’s Publishing House, 2000, p. 54. Zhang Aiqing, *Modern Educational Psychology*, Anhui People’s Publishing House, 2000, p. 54.

②张爱卿:《现代教育心理学》，安徽人民出版社，200年，54页。

[3]3 *Selected Works of Marx and Engels*, Vol. 4, People’s Publishing House, 1995, p. 309. *Selected Works of Marx and Engels*, Vol. 4, People’s Publishing House, 1995, p. 309.

③《马克思恩格斯选集》第4卷，人民出版社，1995年309页。

Online editor: Jia Fei

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