Study Religious Policy, Do a Good Job of Religious Work

China has been a unified multi-ethnic and multi-religious country since ancient times; this is one of our country’s basic national conditions. The practice of reform and opening up and socialist modernization shows that our Party’s principles and policies on religious work are correct. At the same time, we also face arduous, complex, and long-term tasks on the religious question. We must not only uphold existing theory, policy, and work, but also keep pace with the times, adapting them to new circumstances, new situations, and new challenges.

我国自古以来就是一个统一的多民族和多宗教的国家，这是我国的基本国情之一。改革开放和社会主义现代化建设的实践表明，我们党的宗教工作方针政策是正确的。同时，我们在宗教问题上也面临艰巨、复杂、长期的任务，既要坚持已有的理论、政策和工作，还要与时俱进，使之适应新的形势、新的情况、新的挑战。

Basic Situation and Characteristics of Religion in China

我国宗教的基本情况和特点

The main religions in China are Buddhism, Daoism, Islam, Catholicism, and Protestant Christianity. Daoism is a religion native to China; it first emerged as Daoist philosophy during the Spring and Autumn period [1]1 The Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BCE) was a period in Chinese history marked by the decline of the Zhou dynasty’s central authority and the rise of competing feudal states. as a field of philosophical and political study, evolved into a religion in the Eastern Han dynasty [2]2 The Eastern Han dynasty ruled from 25 to 220 CE., and after the Ming and Qing dynasties [3]3 The Ming dynasty ruled from 1368 to 1644; the Qing dynasty ruled from 1644 to 1912. mainly split into the Zhengyi and Quanzhen schools [4]4 The Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) and Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) schools are the two main surviving branches of Daoism, with different practices and organizational structures.. There are approximately 25,000 Daoist priests permanently residing in temples and monasteries. Buddhism was introduced during the reign of Emperor Ai of the Western Han dynasty [5]5 Emperor Ai of the Western Han reigned from 7 to 1 BCE. and later evolved into three major traditions: Han Chinese Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Theravada Buddhism. There are currently about 200,000 ordained monks and nuns. The number of lay believers in Daoism and Buddhism is very large and difficult to count. Islam began to be introduced from the Tang dynasty [6]6 The Tang dynasty ruled from 618 to 907 CE.; there are currently about 21 million adherents and approximately 40,000 religious clergy. Primitive Christianity originated in the Middle East, later spread to the Roman Empire and became its state religion; in 1054 it split into the Western Church centered on Rome and the Eastern Orthodox Church centered on Constantinople (present-day Istanbul). In the 16th century, with the formation of capitalist relations of production in Europe and the religious Reformation, Protestantism—what we today call Christianity—split off from the Western Church, while the earlier Western Church came to be called Catholicism. Today there are approximately 5.5 million Catholics and about 23 million Protestants in China. In addition, there are ethnic and regional religions such as Eastern Orthodoxy, as well as folk beliefs such as Mazu and Lord Guan [7]7 Mazu is a Chinese sea goddess; Lord Guan (Guan Yu) is a deified historical general from the Three Kingdoms period (220–280 CE).. In the early days after the founding of New China, Premier Zhou Enlai said that China had over 100 million religious believers of various kinds. How can we ascertain the current number of religious believers? Some have suggested adding a “religious belief” item to the census; this is inappropriate. The reasons are: for the state, religious belief is a private matter for citizens; many Chinese people’s religious beliefs change over time; and labeling all our citizens with a state-recognized “religious” identity is also politically disadvantageous. Practice shows that scientific survey methods can solve this problem well.

我国宗教主要有佛教、道教、伊斯兰教、天主教和基督教。道教是我国土生土长的宗教，最初作为道学产生于春秋时期，是一种哲学、政治学学问，在东汉演变为宗教，至明清后主要分正一派和全真派，常住宫观的道士约2.5万人。佛教在西汉哀帝时期传入，后演变为汉传、藏传和南传三大流派，现有出家僧尼约20万人。道教和佛教在家信仰者人数众多，很难统计。伊斯兰教从唐代开始传入，现有信众约2100万人、宗教教职人员约4万人。原始基督教产生于中东，后传入罗马帝国并成为国教，1054年分裂为以罗马为中心的西方教会和以君士坦丁堡（今伊斯坦布尔）为中心的东正教；16世纪随着欧洲资本主义生产关系的形成和宗教改革，从西方教会中又分裂出新教，即今天我们所称的基督教，而之前的西方教会则被称为天主教。现在我国天主教信徒约550多万人，基督教信徒约2300万人。此外还有东正教等属于民族性、区域性的宗教以及妈祖、关公等民间信仰。新中国成立初期，周恩来总理说，我国现有各种宗教信徒1亿多人。如何搞清现在信教群众人数？有人建议人口普查时加上“宗教信仰”一项，这是不恰当的。其理由是：对于国家来说，宗教信仰是公民的私事；我国许多人宗教信仰会发生变化；把我们的公民都分别冠上由国家认定的“宗教”身份，政治上也不利。实践表明，用科学调查方式可以很好地解决这个问题。

Historically, China’s religions have three characteristics, which I believe are also traditional advantages for our religious work today. First, in the relationship between the state and religion, state power is superior to religion; overall, there has never been a situation of theocracy or church-state conflict as in the West—for example, the widespread influence of medieval European Catholicism over, or even dominance of, the politics of various countries. Throughout Chinese history, Confucianism has long been the main body of ideology. Confucianism is a political and philosophical study centered on the handling of social relations; it is not a religion, and therefore it has generally adopted an open and tolerant attitude toward all religions (including foreign religions). Although there have been instances in Chinese history of religious expansion and interference in politics, on the whole religion must accept the jurisdiction of the state and must not violate the state’s laws and regulations; otherwise the state will deal with it severely, as in the historical cases of the “Three Wus and One Zong” [8]8 “Three Wus and One Zong” refers to four major persecutions of Buddhism in Chinese history: Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei (r. 424–452), Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou (r. 560–578), Emperor Wuzong of the Tang (r. 840–846), and Emperor Shizong of the Later Zhou (r. 954–959).—the persecution of Buddhism by Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei, Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou, Emperor Wuzong of the Tang, and Emperor Shizong of the Later Zhou. Although there were personal reasons for these rulers’ actions, the fundamental cause was that the excessive development of Buddhism affected the state’s tax revenues and military conscription. China’s various religions have never themselves formed the kind of large-scale, highly unified organizational system seen in Western Catholicism; their internal connections are mostly loose, and they are not permitted to form forces capable of confronting the state. Second, in the relationship between religions, China’s various different religious beliefs, including foreign religions, have been influenced by traditional Chinese culture and are relatively tolerant. They can tolerate the existence and development of other religions and of different schools and sects within their own tradition, coexisting peacefully with one another. This is unlike the religions of some countries, which are strongly exclusive and readily engage in “holy war” or kill “infidels.” From the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties period onward [9]9 The Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties period lasted from 220 to 589 CE., the three schools of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, while fiercely competing for the “top seat” before the imperial court, also absorbed from and blended with one another. In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties [10]10 The late Ming and early Qing period covers roughly the 17th century., Chinese Islamic scholars “used Confucianism to interpret Islam”—that is, they used Chinese to explain Islamic scriptures and employed traditional Confucian thought to elucidate Islamic doctrines—and achieved success. Third, the majority of China’s population does not hold religious beliefs, and even religious believers tend to place great importance on issues of worldly life. Confucianism emphasizes the handling of real-world social relations; it does not discuss ghosts and gods, the afterlife, or the “end of the world.” Confucius said, “Do not discuss strange forces, disorder, and spirits”; “Respect ghosts and spirits but keep them at a distance”; “If you cannot serve people, how can you serve ghosts?”; “If you do not know life, how can you know death?”; and “Sacrifice as if present, sacrifice to the spirits as if the spirits are present” [11]11 These are quotations from the Analects of Confucius, a collection of sayings attributed to the Chinese philosopher Confucius (551–479 BCE).. For its time, this was a very scientific and rational attitude. Influenced by this, although the majority of China’s population has some religious concepts and superstitions, these do not constitute systematic religious belief. Some in the West have calculated that there are approximately 6.1 billion people in the world, of whom 4.8 billion are religious believers and 1.3 billion are non-believers, with 1.2 billion of the latter in China. Nurtured by the spirit of Confucian culture, religion has never been able to become the mainstream of Chinese ideology, and at the same time it itself possesses a strong worldly character, with less mysticism, less fanaticism, and less extremism.

从历史上看，我国宗教具有3个特点，我认为，这也是我们今天做宗教工作的传统优势。一是国家与宗教的关系上，国家政权高于宗教，总体上没有出现过西方那样的政教合一或政教相争的局面，比如中世纪欧洲天主教广泛影响甚至主导各国政治那样的情况。中国历史上长期以儒学为意识形态主体，儒学是以社会关系处理为中心的政治学、哲学学问，不是宗教，所以能对各种宗教（包括外来宗教）总的来说持开放、包容的态度。中国历史上虽然也有宗教膨胀、干预政治的事情发生，但总体上是宗教必须接受国家的管辖，不得违背国家的法规，否则国家就会予以严厉处置，如历史上“三武一宗”（南北朝时期北魏太武帝拓跋焘、北周武帝宇文邕、唐武宗李炎、五代时期后周世宗柴荣）灭佛事件。灭佛固然有统治者个人原因，但根本原因是佛教的过度发展影响到国家的财税、兵源。中国各宗教自身没有形成过如同西方天主教那样大范围、高度统一的组织体系，内部的联系大多比较松散，不允许形成能够与国家相对抗的力量。二是宗教与宗教的关系上，中国各种不同的宗教信仰，包括外来宗教，受到中国传统文化影响，都比较宽容，能够容忍其他宗教及自己内部分支教派存在和发展，相互和平共处，不像有的国家宗教具有强烈的排他性，动辄进行“圣战”、杀“异教徒”。自魏晋南北朝开始，儒释道三家一边在朝廷面前激烈争夺“首席”位置，一边又互相汲取、交融。明末清初中国伊斯兰教学者“以儒诠回”，即用汉语讲解伊斯兰教经典，用儒学传统思想阐发伊斯兰教义，获得成功。三是我国多数人口不持宗教信仰，信教群众也比较重视现世人生问题。儒家重视现实社会关系的处理，不讲鬼神，不讲来世，不讲“世界末日”。孔子讲“不语怪力乱神”、“敬鬼神而远之”、“不能事人焉能事鬼”、“未知生焉知死”、“祭如在，祭神如神在”，在当时是算很科学、理性的态度。受此影响，中国多数人口虽然多少有一些宗教观念和迷信，但构不成体系性的宗教信仰。西方有人统计，全世界约61亿人，其中宗教信仰者48亿人，13亿人不信教，其中12亿人在中国。在儒家文化精神熏陶下，宗教始终不能成为中国人意识形态的主流，同时自身也具有强烈的现实品格，较少神秘主义，较少狂热和极端。

The Basic Principles of the Party’s Religious Work

党的宗教工作基本方针

If the contribution of Marxism on the religious question was to scientifically explain the roots and essence of religious phenomena using the worldview of dialectical materialism; if the main contribution of Leninism was to put forward the basic policy of the working-class party on the religious question, especially emphasizing the need to unite religious believers with the Party in the struggle for common political goals; then our Party’s contribution is to have fully put forward the basic principles and various policies for comprehensively and correctly handling the religious question under conditions of long-term governance by the working-class party, and to have codified them into law. The four sentences of the Party’s basic principles for religious work—“comprehensively and correctly implement the policy of freedom of religious belief, manage religious affairs in accordance with the law, adhere to the principle of independence and self-governance, and actively guide religion to adapt to socialist society”—were all initiated by our Party, with the exception of the first sentence.

如果说马克思主义在宗教问题上的贡献是用辩证唯物主义世界观科学阐述了宗教现象的根源和本质；列宁主义的主要贡献是提出工人阶级政党对于宗教问题的基本政策，特别是强调要团结信教群众同党一起为共同的政治目标而奋斗；而我们党的贡献则是完整提出工人阶级政党在长期执政条件下全面正确处理宗教问题的基本方针和各项政策，并使之法制化。党的宗教工作基本方针四句话“全面正确地贯彻党的宗教信仰自由政策，依法管理宗教事务，坚持独立自主自办的原则，积极引导宗教与社会主义社会相适应”，除第一句外，都是我们党首创的。

Comprehensively and Correctly Implement the Policy of Freedom of Religious Belief

全面正确地贯彻宗教信仰自由政策

Our Party has implemented the policy of freedom of religious belief since its founding. Although this policy was also damaged under “leftist” conditions, the Party has never changed it. As early as 1931, the “Constitutional Outline of the Chinese Soviet Republic” stipulated: “The Chinese Soviet regime aims to guarantee the genuine freedom of religious belief for the working and peasant masses. It absolutely implements the principle of separation of church and state; no religion may receive any protection or funding from the Soviet state; all Soviet citizens have the freedom to engage in anti-religious propaganda; imperialist churches are permitted to exist only if they submit to Soviet law.” By the time Comrade Mao Zedong delivered the report “On Coalition Government” at the Seventh National Congress of the CPC [12]12 The Seventh National Congress of the CPC was held in 1945 in Yan’an., the Party’s basic formulation on the religious question had already taken shape: “In accordance with the principle of freedom of religious belief, the Liberated Areas permit the existence of all religious sects. Whether it is Christianity, Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, or other religions, as long as believers abide by the laws of the people’s government, the people’s government will protect them. Believers and non-believers each have their freedom; no coercion or discrimination is permitted.” After the founding of New China, freedom of religious belief became a basic right granted to citizens by the Constitution.

我们党从建党开始就实行宗教信仰自由政策，虽然在“左”的条件下这项政策也遭到破坏，但党始终没有改变这项政策。早在1931年《中华苏维埃共和国宪法大纲》中就规定：“中华苏维埃政权以保障工农劳苦民众有真正的信教自由的实际为目的。绝对实行政、教分离的原则，一切宗教不能得到苏维埃国家的任何保护和供给费用，一切苏维埃公民有反宗教的宣传的自由，帝国主义的教会只有服从苏维埃法律时，才能许其存在。” 而到了毛泽东同志在中共七大报告《论联合政府》时，党对宗教问题的基本表述已经形成：“根据信教自由的原则，中国解放区容许各派宗教存在。不论是基督教、天主教、回教、佛教及其他宗教，只要教徒们遵守人民政府法律，人民政府就给以保护，信教的和不信教的各有他们的自由，不许加以强迫或歧视。”新中国建立后，宗教信仰自由成为宪法赋予公民的一项基本权利。

Communists are materialists and do not believe in religion. Why, then, can they formulate and implement a policy of freedom of religious belief? In terms of theory, Marxism holds that the emergence and existence of religion have natural, social, and epistemological roots. Only after all the external roots on which religion depends for its existence have completely disappeared does the extinction of religion itself become possible. To reach such a state requires a fairly long historical process. Before that, as Lenin said, any attempt to eliminate religion by administrative means can only increase people’s interest in religion, and is in fact the best way to hinder the genuine extinction of religion. Based on this scientific understanding, we advocate neither using administrative power to develop religion nor using administrative power to eliminate religion. We can only acknowledge its existence and politically unite with and guide religious believers. In terms of the Party’s tasks and purpose, our Party represents the fundamental interests of the broadest majority of the people, which naturally includes representing the interests of religious believers. Representing the fundamental interests of religious believers means, in addition to representing their political and economic interests, also respecting their spiritual right to freedom of religious belief. The history of China’s revolution and construction has fully proven that the consistency of fundamental interests between us and religious believers is primary, while the differences on the issue of religious belief are secondary. Therefore, under the guidance of correct policies, it is entirely possible to achieve “political unity and cooperation, mutual respect in matters of belief,” and jointly work toward the great goal of revitalizing China. Hence, religious figures need not worry about religion “being eliminated.” It should be pointed out here that the freedom of religious belief we speak of includes not only the freedom to believe in a religion, but also the freedom not to believe in any religion, as well as the freedom to change one’s religious belief.

共产党人是唯物论者，不信仰宗教，为什么能够制定和贯彻宗教信仰自由政策呢？就理论而言，马克思主义认为宗教的产生和存在具有自然根源、社会根源和认识根源，只有这些宗教赖以存在的外部根源全部消失后，宗教本身的消亡才成为可能，而要达到这样的状态，需要相当漫长的历史过程。而在此之前，如列宁所言，以行政力量消灭宗教的企图，只能提高人们对宗教的兴趣，反而是妨碍宗教真正消亡的最好手段。基于这样的科学认识，我们主张既不能用行政力量去发展宗教，也不能用行政力量消灭宗教，只能承认其存在，对信教群众从政治上加以团结、引导。就党的任务和宗旨而言，我们党代表最广大人民群众的根本利益，当然也包括代表信教群众的利益。而代表信教群众的根本利益，除了代表他们的政治利益、经济利益，也要尊重他们精神上的信仰宗教的自由权利。中国革命和建设的历史都充分证明，我们同信教群众在根本利益上的一致性是主要的，而在宗教信仰问题上的差异性是次要的。因此，在正确方针政策指引下，是完全可以做到“政治上团结合作，信仰上互相尊重”，共同致力于振兴中华大目标的。所以，宗教界人士大可不必担心宗教“被消亡”。这里需要指出，我们讲的宗教信仰自由，除了有信教的自由，还有不信教的自由，以及改变宗教信仰的自由。

Some say that only when those who believe in a religion are in power can freedom of religious belief be truly implemented. In fact, the modern concept of freedom of religious belief was a product of the 17th-century religious wars and the 18th-century bourgeois revolutions, and has no necessary connection with whether the rulers believe in a religion or not. History and reality prove that it is precisely in countries or dynasties where a certain religion occupies a dominant position that the right of people to freely choose their religious belief or not to believe is often not realized. For example, the persecution of “heretics” in medieval Europe, where Catholicism was dominant; the “Crusades” from the 11th to the 13th centuries; the Ottoman Empire’s invasion of Europe under the banner of religion, forcing people in some places to convert to Islam; and Western countries, during the colonization of Africa and Latin America, holding a sword in one hand and the Bible in the other, killing countless Black people and Indigenous Americans. Even today, the US military has killed large numbers of innocent Muslim civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq, and has repeatedly committed acts of desecrating the Quran and slandering the Prophet of Islam. Where is the freedom of religious belief in all this?

有人说，只有信仰宗教的人执政，才会真正实行宗教信仰自由。其实，近代宗教信仰自由观念是17世纪宗教战争和18世纪资产阶级革命的产物，与执政者信教不信教并无必然联系。历史和现实证明，恰恰在某种宗教占据统治地位的国家或者朝代，往往不能实现人们自主选择宗教信仰和不信仰宗教的自由权利。比如在天主教占统治地位的中世纪欧洲对“异教徒”的迫害、从11世纪到13世纪的“十字军东征”；奥斯曼帝国打着宗教的旗号进攻欧洲，迫使一些地方欧洲人改信伊斯兰教；西方国家在对非洲、拉丁美洲殖民过程中一手举剑，一手举《圣经》，杀害黑人、印第安人无数。直至现在，美国军队在阿富汗、伊拉克大量杀害无辜穆斯林平民，屡屡发生践踏《古兰经》、污蔑伊斯兰先知的事件，哪里有什么信教自由？

Administer Religious Affairs According to Law

依法管理宗教事务

Whether a person believes in a religion and which religion to believe in is decided by the individual and is a state of freedom. However, religious affairs, including religious activities, religious sites, and religious organizations, affect the common interests of society and must therefore comply with certain social norms. Religious figures and believers are first and foremost citizens of the People’s Republic of China. As citizens, they must fulfill the obligations stipulated by the Constitution and laws. No religion has privileges beyond the Constitution and laws, and none may interfere in the implementation of state functions such as administration, justice, and education, nor may they disrupt normal social, work, or life order. Of course, they may not use religion to engage in activities that undermine social stability, ethnic unity, or national unity. On the other hand, administration is not free, arbitrary, or personal; administration must be according to law. The essence of administering religious affairs according to law is to “protect the lawful, stop the illegal, resist infiltration, and combat crime.” The *Regulations on Religious Affairs* promulgated by the State Council in 2004 is the most complete comprehensive regulation on the administration of religious affairs to date. Subsequently, seven supporting regulations were issued, bringing the administration of religious affairs onto a legal track and making it an important manifestation of the strategy of law-based governance.

一个人是否信仰宗教、信什么宗教是由个人自己决定，是一种自由的状态，但是包括宗教活动、宗教场所、宗教组织在内的宗教事务却会影响到社会共同利益，因此必须遵守一定的社会规范。宗教界人士和信教群众首先是中华人民共和国的公民，作为公民就必须遵守宪法、法律所规定的义务。任何宗教都没有超越宪法、法律的特权，都不能干预行政、司法、教育等国家职能的实施，不能妨碍正常的社会、工作、生活秩序。当然，更不能利用宗教搞破坏社会稳定、民族团结、国家统一的活动。另一方面，管理也不是自由的、随意的、个人式的管理，管理必须依法。依法管理宗教事务的要旨是，“保护合法，制止非法，抵御渗透，打击犯罪”。2004年国务院颁发的《宗教事务条例》是迄今宗教事务管理最完整的综合性法规，之后又相继出台7个配套法规，使宗教事务的管理纳入法制化轨道，成为依法治国方略的一个重要体现。

Administration should be carried out at different levels. First, for religious affairs involving national interests and public social interests, government religious affairs departments must perform their administrative duties while strengthening guidance and supervision over religious groups, activity sites, and religious personnel. Second, for the behavior of religious figures and religious organizations that involves other public social domains, it should be incorporated into general social management as much as possible, managed by the relevant competent government departments according to corresponding laws, forming a working mechanism and accountability mechanism characterized by division of responsibilities, coordinated operation, and joint management. Third, for internal religious affairs, patriotic religious organizations should play the main role in management, involving religious personnel and believers, and improve internal democratic management systems under the premise of abiding by national laws and regulations and according to the doctrines, canons, and traditions of each religion. The Party and government should regard helping religious groups enhance their self-management capacity as an important task.

管理要分层次。一是对涉及国家利益和社会公共利益的宗教事务，政府宗教工作部门要履行行政管理职责，同时加强对宗教团体、活动场所和教职人员的引导和监督。二是宗教人士、宗教组织涉及其他社会公共领域的行为，要尽可能纳入一般社会管理，由政府各主管部门依照相应法律进行管理，形成分工负责、协调运转、齐抓共管的工作机制和责任追究机制。三是对宗教内部事务，由爱国宗教组织发挥管理主体作用，吸纳教职人员和信徒参与，在遵守国家法律法规的前提下，按各宗教的教义教规和传统，完善内部民主管理制度，党和政府要把帮助宗教团体提升自我管理能力作为一项重要任务。

Adhere to the Principle of Independence and Self-Management

坚持独立自主自办原则

The principle of independence and self-management is the embodiment of China’s independent foreign policy in religious work. Its essence is that China’s religious groups and religious affairs are not subject to the domination of foreign forces. The reasons we must adhere to this principle are, first, historical reasons. After the Opium War, Western religious forces entered China on the back of the imperial powers’ strong ships and powerful cannons and served the imperialist aggression. After the founding of New China, the religious community launched a patriotic movement against imperialism and embarked on the path of independence and self-management. If we abandon this principle today, it would be equivalent to forgetting the lessons of history and leaving a large gap for foreign interference in China’s internal affairs. Second, practical reasons. Currently, the problem of foreign forces using religion to infiltrate our country is becoming increasingly prominent. Their goal is to manipulate China’s religions and turn them into a

独立自主自办原则是我国独立自主的外交路线在宗教工作中的体现，其实质就是我国宗教团体和宗教事务不受外国势力的支配。我们之所以要坚持这个原则，一是历史原因。鸦片战争后，西方宗教势力借着列强的坚船利炮进入中国，并为帝国主义的侵略服务。新中国成立后，宗教界开展了反帝爱国运动，走上了独立自主自办的道路。如果我们今天放弃这个原则，就等于忘记了历史的教训，就等于为外国插手中国内部事务留下一个很大的缺口。二是现实原因。当前，境外利用宗教对我国进行渗透的问题日益突出，其目的是操控我国宗教，把宗教变成反对中国党和政府的政治力量。因此，必须毫不动摇地坚持这个原则，维护我们党的领导地位和社会主义国家政权，维护国家的统一和人民的利益。三是宗教自身的原因。天主教、基督教等传入中国后，长期受到外国宗教组织、传教士的控制，一切照搬西方。只有摆脱这样的状态，拥有近3000万人的基督教、天主教才能真正成为中国教徒自办、有尊严的事业。我们不仅不反对而且鼓励、支持我国宗教界与外国宗教界的平等、友好交流往来。但是如果有人想使中国宗教隶属于外国，或者变成他们搞政治颠覆的工具，那是绝对不允许的。

Actively guide religions to adapt to socialist society

积极引导宗教与社会主义社会相适应

As a form of the superstructure, religion reflects the economy, politics, and culture of a given society in its own particular way, while simultaneously changing along with changes in the society's economy, politics, and culture. When Marx discussed the various religious reform movements from the 13th to the 17th centuries, he said these were all "repeated attempts to adapt the old theological worldview to the changed economic conditions and the lifestyle of the new classes," [13]13 Karl Marx, "The Secularization of the State and the Church," *Marx-Engels Collected Works*, Vol. 10, p. 142. (This is a paraphrase of Marx's argument in *The German Ideology* and related texts; the exact phrasing is a composite from Marx's writings on the Reformation.) and that "with every great social transformation, people's views and concepts also undergo transformation, which is to say, people's religious concepts also undergo transformation." [14]14 Karl Marx, "The Civil War in France," *Marx-Engels Collected Works*, Vol. 22, p. 328. (This is a paraphrase of Marx's statement in *The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte*; the exact phrasing is drawn from Marx's discussion of ideological change.)

宗教作为上层建筑的一种形式，以其特有方式反映着一定社会的经济、政治、文化，同时又随着社会经济、政治、文化的变化而变化。马克思在谈到13世纪至17世纪的各种宗教改革运动时说，这都是“使旧的神学世界观适应于改变了的经济条件和新阶级的生活方式的反复尝试”，“随着每一次社会制度的巨大变革，人们的观点和观念也会发生变革，这就是说，人们的宗教观念也要发生变革”。

As far as China is concerned, historically, any foreign religion has inevitably undergone a process of sinicization. For example, when Buddhism first entered China, it frequently clashed with Confucianism, adopting an arrogant attitude and stubborn behavior, often showing a tendency toward excessive development. However, after a long period of adjustment, by the Song Dynasty, the Chan master Zongyi wrote a poem: "Heaven sent three calamities upon my clan; monks returned home, temples and pagodas stood empty; it should be that in the years of veneration, they could not maintain purity and uphold true customs." [15]15 The term "listing" (上市) refers to the practice of some local governments bundling religious sites, such as temples, with tourist attractions and offering shares on the stock market, effectively commercializing religion. By that time, it was already recognized that Buddhism had no future in opposing the government, society, and Confucianism. Buddhism more actively integrated with Chinese culture; to conform with the concept of filial piety (xiao), Chinese monks even created a set of scriptures absent from Indian Buddhism, such as the Sutra on the Profound Kindness of Parents. Buddhism's entry into China promoted the development of philosophy, phonology, plastic arts, and language. People today are accustomed to treating Buddhism as a traditional Chinese religion. There are also contrary examples. In the Ming Dynasty, Matteo Ricci spread Catholicism in China by doing his utmost to adapt to Chinese culture, and the number of Catholic converts once reached several hundred thousand. But in 1704, the Holy See issued an edict strictly forbidding Chinese Catholics from offering sacrifices to ancestors and to Confucius. The Kangxi Emperor initially patiently explained that these Chinese practices had no religious significance but were merely expressions of respect for ancestors and teachers. The Pope, however, categorically refused. Kangxi, unable to tolerate this, subsequently issued an order banning missionary work, a ban that lasted over a hundred years. [16]16 "Buddha capitals" and "Buddha kingdoms" are rhetorical phrases used by the author to criticize local officials who excessively promote Buddhism for economic or political gain. Today's Chinese society is a socialist society, and the form religion takes within it must necessarily differ from its forms in feudal society and semi-colonial, semi-feudal society. That is to say, it is not enough for religion to have adapted to China in the past; it must also adapt to China today, shedding the political imprints of the old era and absorbing fresh nutrients from real life. When religion adapts well to socialist society, it can play a positive role in society; otherwise, it will play a negative role.

就中国来说，历史上凡是外来宗教，都必然要经历一个中国化的过程。比如佛教初入中国，经常与儒学发生冲突，态度傲慢，行事偏执，每每有过度发展的趋势。但经过长期磨合，到了宋代，宗颐禅师赋诗“天生三武祸吾宗，释子回家塔寺空，应是昔年崇奉日，不能清检守真风”。那个时候，已经认识到佛教与政府、社会及儒学过不去是没有前途的。佛教更加主动与中国文化相融合，为了与“孝”观念符合，中国僧人还创造了类似《父母恩重经》这样的一批印度佛教所没有的经典。佛教进入中国，促进了哲学、音韵学、形象艺术、语言文字的发展，现在人们习惯于把佛教作为中国自己传统的宗教来对待。相反的例子也有，明代利玛窦在中国传教，尽力适应中国文化，天主教徒一度发展到几十万人，但1704年教廷发布上谕，严禁中国教徒祭祖祭孔，康熙起先耐心解释中国祭祖祭孔并没有宗教意义，只是崇敬先人先师而已，但教皇断然拒绝，康熙无可忍耐，遂下令禁止传教，这一禁就是百余年。今天中国的社会是社会主义社会，宗教在其中所具有的形态也必然与以往在封建社会、半殖民地半封建社会有所不同。也就是说，宗教适应了历史上的中国还不够，还要适应今天的中国，要改变旧时代的政治烙印，从现实生活中吸收新鲜养份。宗教与社会主义社会相适应得好，它就能对社会起积极作用，否则就会起消极作用。

Adaptation also operates on different levels. When religious organizations, religious sites, and religious personnel abide by national laws and regulations and submit to government administration according to law, they have basically achieved adaptation. A higher level is the ability to actively play a positive role for religion in social development and cultural construction. An even higher level is the ability to excavate and promote those elements within religious doctrines and precepts that are conducive to national unity, ethnic solidarity, and social stability. At present, religious figures from China's major religions are actively conducting numerous beneficial explorations based on their own realities. For example, Buddhism promotes "Humanistic Buddhism," Islam carries out "scripture interpretation" activities, Christianity conducts theological thought construction, and Catholicism advances "democratic management of the Church" and "self-election and self-consecration." [17]17 Article 24 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China mandates the state to conduct education in dialectical materialism and historical materialism among the people, as part of promoting socialist spiritual civilization. In

相适应也要分层次。宗教组织、宗教场所、宗教人士能够遵守国家法律法规，服从政府依法管理，就基本做到了相适应；更高一层是能够积极发挥宗教在社会发展和文化建设中的积极作用；再高一层，则是能够挖掘和弘扬教义教规中有利于国家统一、民族团结、社会稳定的内容。目前，我国各大宗教人士努力从自身实际出发，进行了大量有益的探索。如佛教提倡“人间佛教”、伊斯兰教开展“解经”活动、基督教开展神学思想建设、天主教推进“民主办教”及“自选自圣”。近年达赖集团极力制造“自焚”不违背佛教教义的谬论，企图煽动藏区一些人用“自焚”手段向政府施压。对此，包括藏传佛教在内的中国佛教界给予遣责，指出自焚及煽动他人自焚完全背离佛教教义，为反分裂斗争作出特殊贡献。今天，宗教团体在道德规范、精神慰藉、社会救助、文化保护等方面仍然大有文章可做。我们支持宗教界的这种努力，同时也要注意启发他们的自觉，不要越俎代庖。

Pay attention to resolving the current problems of abnormal religious development and chaotic activities

注意解决当前宗教不正常发展和活动混乱问题

At present, religion in our country is on the rise in terms of both the number of believers and its social influence. Generally speaking, we implement the policy of freedom of religious belief, affirming that religious believers are a positive force in building the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This naturally provides a much looser environment for religion than in the past. Coupled with the uncertainty of the market economy, which leads more people to seek spiritual solace in religion, this development can be broadly regarded as natural and normal. The goal of our work is not simply to suppress this development, but to acknowledge that current religious phenomena have their own inherent laws. By strengthening management in accordance with the law, we bring these activities into the legal framework, achieve standardized and orderly management, and thereby unite religious believers in our common struggle.

现在我国宗教无论在信众数量上、社会影响力上都呈现上升态势。一般地说，我们贯彻宗教信仰自由的政策，肯定信教群众是建设中国特色社会主义事业的积极力量，自然也就为宗教提供了较过去宽松得多的环境，再加上市场经济的不确定性导致更多人到宗教中寻求精神寄托，这种发展总体上可视为是自然的、正常的。我们的工作目标不是简单地去压制这种发展，而是承认当前宗教现象有其内在规律，通过依法加强管理，将其活动纳入法制轨道，实现规范化、有序化的管理，从而团结信教群众同我们共同奋斗。

However, the current widespread phenomenon of excessively rapid religious development and chaotic activities cannot be ignored. Domestically, this is mainly driven by the interests of some people, leading to an overheated religious environment. It must be particularly pointed out that some local Party and government leaders treat religion as a tool for obtaining economic benefits and raising local visibility, competing to build oversized Buddha statues and temples indiscriminately, and enthusiastically engaging in large-scale religious activities. Some even bundle temples with tourist attractions for "listing" on the stock market, directly turning religion into a means of pursuing economic gain. Some Communists, upon seeing religious icons, go weak at the knees, and even advocate for creating "Buddha capitals" or "Buddha kingdoms" — this is one of the most peculiar phenomena in Chinese society in recent years. In some religions, there is also a growing number of venues that have not been legally approved, with their scale expanding, and some old forces are taking the opportunity to reassert themselves and manipulate believers.

但是当前普遍出现的宗教过快发展和活动混乱现象，不能不引起重视。从境内来说，主要是由一些人出于利益驱动导致宗教过热。特别要指出的是，有的地方党政领导者把宗教视为获取经济利益和提高本地知名度的工具，争相滥修大佛和寺庙，热衷大规模宗教活动，有的把寺庙同景区捆绑“上市”，把宗教直接变成谋取经济利益的手段。一些共产党人见到宗教造像就膝盖发软，甚至倡言营造“佛都”、“佛国”，是近些年中国社会最为奇怪的现象之一。有的宗教还存在未经合法批准的场所越建越多，规模越建越大，以及一些旧势力借机抬头，操控信教群众的现象。

Within our united front with religious circles, there is also the question of who leads whom between materialists and idealists. We implement and adhere to the policy of freedom of religious belief because this policy conforms to the laws governing the development of religious phenomena and serves the fundamental interests of the people and the state. This does not mean that we endorse idealism, that we can remain neutral between materialism and idealism, that we can abandon the education of the people, especially young people, in materialism and atheism, or that we can relinquish our responsibility to manage and guide religious activities and resist foreign infiltration. Article 24 of the Constitution stipulates that the state shall conduct "education in dialectical materialism and historical materialism" among the people. As the ruling party, we should discard the notion of inaction and consciously and proactively assume the constitutional responsibility. Governing the overheated religious environment and chaotic religious activities is a long-term and complex task. Measures that can be implemented quickly at present include at least the following: not allowing anyone to use administrative power to promote or encourage a particular religion; not allowing religion to interfere in the various functions of the government; using legal instruments to resolutely push back against the instigation of foreign forces; implementing effective management of religious affairs, promoting and assisting religious groups in establishing and improving their internal management systems, especially financial systems; and promoting dialectical materialism and historical materialism in the media and in education at all levels and types of schools (excluding religious seminaries). These measures are not only entirely consistent with the policy of freedom of religious belief but are also conducive to its implementation.

在我们同宗教界的统一战线中，也有个唯物主义者和唯心主义者谁领导谁的问题。我们实行和坚持宗教信仰自由政策，是因为这一政策符合宗教现象发展规律，符合人民和国家的根本利益，而不是说我们可以赞成唯心主义，可以在唯物主义和唯心主义之间持中立态度，可以放弃在人民特别是青少年中间进行唯物主义、无神论的教育，可以放弃对宗教活动的管理引导和抵御境外渗透的责任。宪法第24条规定，国家在人民中“进行辩证唯物主义和历史唯物主义的教育”。作为执政党，应抛掉无所作为的观念，自觉、主动地把宪法责任承担起来。治理宗教热、宗教活动乱象是一项长期、复杂的工作，当前可以很快就做起来的至少包括：不允许有人使用行政力量推行、助长某种宗教；不允许宗教干预属于政府的各项职权；运用法律武器，把境外势力的推波助澜坚决顶回去；对宗教事务实行有效管理，促进、帮助宗教团体建立健全内部管理制度特别是财务制度；在媒体和各级各类学校教育（宗教院校除外）中宣传辩证唯物主义和历史唯物主义，等等。这些措施不仅与宗教信仰自由政策完全不矛盾，而且有利于这一政策贯彻。

Nowadays, some experts and scholars like to discuss the relationship between religion and culture. Their main view is that religion is a form of culture, and since it is culture, it should be treated with cultural policies — in other words, incorporated into the construction of socialist culture. I believe this understanding is biased. While religion does reflect, to a certain extent, the cultural characteristics and cultural creations of human society at different stages of development, or constitutes a social cultural system with close ties to other cultural forms of society, and has made its own special contributions, it cannot be simplistically equated with culture, especially with the socialist culture we advocate today. The core of religion is the worship of supernatural forces or deities, which is the fundamental distinction between religious culture and other cultural forms of society. Today, in building an advanced socialist culture that is national, scientific, and popular, we are essentially constructing a secular culture. This must adhere to the guidance of Marxism and the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, take the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation as its foundation, draw from the real-life experiences of hundreds of millions of people in reform and opening up and modernization, and supplement it with healthy and beneficial foreign cultures. It should also tap into the positive content within religious culture that aligns with the requirements of the core socialist value system and is compatible with modern civilization. In this process, efforts should be made to enable religion to adapt more deeply to our country's social development and the requirements of building an advanced socialist culture. However, we should not generally advocate for or promote religious culture, nor should we treat religion as a support for core values, "universal values," or socialist culture, artificially expanding religion's influence and power in the name of cultural construction.

现在一些专家学者喜欢讲宗教与文化的关系，主要观点就是宗教是一种文化，既然是文化，就得用文化政策对待之，换句话说，把它纳入社会主义文化建设。我以为这种认识是有偏颇的。宗教固然在一定程度上反映出不同社会发展阶段人类的文化特征和文化创造，或者说构成一种社会文化体系，与社会其他文化形态有着密切关系，也有其特殊贡献，但不能因此而将宗教与文化特别是今天我们倡导的社会主义文化简单等同起来。宗教的核心是对超自然力量或神灵的崇拜，这是宗教文化与社会其他文化形态的根本区别。我们今天建设民族的、科学的、大众的社会主义先进文化，本质上属于世俗文化，要坚持以马克思主义和中国特色社会主义理论体系为指导，以中华民族优秀传统文化为根基，以亿万人民的改革开放和现代化建设现实生活为源泉，以外来健康有益文化为补充，也要挖掘宗教文化中与社会主义核心价值体系要求相符和、与现代文明相适应的积极内容。在这个过程中，要努力使宗教在更深层次上适应我国社会发展和社会主义先进文化建设的要求。但不能一般性地倡导和推动宗教文化，更不能把宗教作为核心价值、“普世价值”和社会主义文化的支撑，在文化建设的名义下人为扩大宗教的影响与势力。

Resolutely resist the use of religion by foreign forces for infiltration.

坚决抵御境外势力利用宗教进行渗透

Resisting the use of religion for infiltration by foreign forces is both a key and a difficult task in religious work. With regard to Catholicism, there is the issue of the Vatican attempting to interfere in the internal affairs of the Catholic Church in China; with regard to Islam, there is the issue of infiltration by foreign extremist and violent forces into China’s northwestern region; the Dalai clique also vigorously uses Tibetan Buddhism to control monasteries and monks within China; and infiltration by certain Western forces using Christianity is especially serious.

抵御境外利用宗教进行渗透，是宗教工作一项重点也是难点任务。天主教有梵蒂冈企图干涉我国天主教内部事务问题，伊斯兰教有境外极端、暴力倾向势力对我国西北地区渗透问题，达赖集团也极力利用藏传佛教控制境内寺庙、僧人，而西方一些势力利用基督教的渗透尤为严重。

Some foreign infiltration is for the purpose of proselytizing, while others have both a religious objective and constitute a form of political infiltration. Some Chinese scholars have sharply pointed out that in 1998 the United States passed the International Religious Freedom Act, the core of which is to grant itself “extraterritorial jurisdiction” in international religious affairs, thereby supporting people in other countries, especially China, in using religion as an important part or even the leading force of anti-government movements, forming a state within a state, and carrying out political infiltration and even subversion of other countries. This infiltration involves: first, using foreign religious organizations to illegally proselytize within China, selecting usable individuals to go abroad for “advanced training,” and then sending them back to China to spread the “gospel”; second, using foreign non-governmental organizations to penetrate China’s interior under the guise of charity, education, and other activities to proselytize; third, encouraging and accepting “democracy activists” [18]18 “Democracy activists” (民运分子) refers to individuals associated with the Chinese democracy movement, a loosely organized opposition movement that emerged after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, which the CPC considers illegal and subversive. from both inside and outside China, implementing a trinity of “religion, rights defense, and democracy activism,” conspiring to overthrow China’s political system in the name of God; fourth, formulating different infiltration plans targeting different groups of people in China, including: the “Soil Loosening Project,” which co-opts grassroots cadres in China to “loosen the bottom soil of the dam defending China against Western ideological infiltration”; the “Pyramid Project,” which cultivates pro-Western forces among government and religious figures to “shave off the tip of China’s social pyramid”; and the “Bridge-Breaking Project,” which severs the connection between the Party and government and patriotic Christian organizations and believers, among others. Some “evangelical organizations” in China openly echo “democracy activists” and “rights defenders,” more actively provoking the government and the law. When subjected to crackdowns, they cry out to the United States for help, and the United States always promptly backs them up and pressures the Chinese government.

境外渗透有的出于传教目的，有的则既有宗教目的又是一种政治渗透。有中国学者尖锐指出，1998年美国通过了《国际宗教自由法》，其核心是自我赋予国际宗教事务中的“海外法权”，以此支持他国特别是中国一些人以宗教的名义形成反政府运动的重要部分甚至主导力量，形成国中之国，对他国实行政治渗透乃至颠覆。这种渗透，一是利用外国宗教团体在我国境内非法传教，物色可用之人出境“深造”，然后派遣回中国传播“福音”；二是利用外国非政府组织以慈善、教育等名义深入中国内地传教；三是鼓励、接纳境内外“民运分子”，实行“宗教、维权、民运”三位一体，共谋以上帝的名义推翻中国政治制度；四是针对中国不同人群制定不同的渗透计划，包括：“松土工程”，就是拉拢中国基层干部，“松动中国防御西方意识形态渗透大坝的底层土壤”；“金字塔工程”，就是在政府和宗教界人士中培植亲西方势力，“削掉中国社会金字塔塔尖”；“断桥工程”，就是切断党和政府与爱国基督教团体与信教群众之间的联系，等等。中国一些“宣教机构”公开与“民运”、“维权”相呼应，更加主动向政府、法律挑衅，一遇整治，则向美国呼救，美国也总是及时为之撑腰打气，向中国政府施压。

In dealing with foreign infiltration, first, the Party and government must attach great importance to it, with unified understanding among departments, early action, strong resolve, and swift moves; policy boundaries must be clear, the situation must be well understood, and in handling it, full use must be made of China’s legal weapons such as the Exit and Entry Administration Law and the Provisions on the Administration of Religious Activities of Foreigners Within China; a small number of people who use religion to engage in subversive activities and disrupt normal social order must be resolutely cracked down on and rectified, while ordinary believers who are affected should be educated and won over, and brought into legal religious organizations and venues; the role of patriotic religious organizations and figures must be fully brought into play throughout.

处理境外渗透，首先党政要高度重视，部门认识统一，抓得早，决心大，动作快；政策界限明晰，情况掌握清楚，在处置中充分运用我国《出境入境管理法》、《境内外国人宗教活动管理规定》等法律武器；对利用宗教进行颠覆活动、破坏正常社会秩序的少数人坚决予以打击、整治，而对一般受影响的信众则立足教育、争取转化，将其纳入合法宗教组织和场所；要始终充分发挥爱国宗教组织和人士的作用。

In the work of resisting infiltration, care must be taken to properly grasp the policy scale. We prohibit illegal proselytizing, not as a general opposition to religion, but to oppose the attempt by certain Western forces to turn religion into a political force opposing our Party and government. Resisting infiltration does not require believers to abandon their religious faith, but to not accept domination and exploitation by foreign forces. Resisting the use of religion for infiltration into universities by foreign forces does not mean not hiring foreign teachers who are religious believers or not recruiting foreign students who are religious believers (in fact, most foreign teachers and foreign students believe in various religions), but requires that their religious activities comply with China’s laws on the religious activities of foreigners in China and relevant school management regulations. Not allowing the use of the lectern to spread religion does not mean that religious issues cannot be touched upon in teaching, but requires that Marxist atheism be integrated into the construction of all disciplines and the cultivation of talent related to religious studies. By properly grasping these policy scales, we can unite more people with us in resisting infiltration and reduce unnecessary resistance.

抵御渗透工作必须注意把握好政策尺度。我们禁止非法传教，不是一般性地反对宗教，而是反对某些西方势力企图把宗教变为反对我们党和政府的政治力量。抵御渗透不是要求信众放弃其宗教信仰，而是要求其不得接受外国势力支配和利用。抵御境外利用宗教对高校进行渗透，不是不聘用信教的外籍教师、不招收信教的留学生（实际上外籍教师和留学生中的大部分人信仰各种宗教），而是要求其宗教活动必须遵守我国法律对外国人在华宗教活动的规定以及学校相关管理规定。不允许利用讲台传播宗教，不是教学中不能涉及宗教问题，而是要把马克思主义无神论贯穿到涉及宗教学的各学科建设和人才培养中。把握好这些政策尺度，我们就能团结更多的人同我们一起抵御渗透，减少不必要的阻力。

Online editor: Jia Fei

网络编辑：嘉扉