Strengthen the Propaganda and Education of Scientific Atheism among Party Cadres and Members

For a long time, in ideological theory and practical work, there have been certain ideological obstacles that have caused scientific atheism, which should naturally and rightfully occupy a dominant position and discourse in socialist ideology, to gradually decline. To change this situation, we must first remove the ideological obstacles affecting the research, propaganda, and education of scientific atheism. There are five main aspects to removing these obstacles.

长期以来，在思想理论和实际工作中，存在着一些思想障碍，使本来应该天经地义、理直气壮地处于社会主义意识形态主导地位和话语的科学无神论，日渐式微。改变这种状况，首先要破除影响科学无神论研究和宣传教育的思想障碍，破除这些障碍主要有五个方面。

1. We must comprehensively understand and implement the basic policy and fundamental principles of religious work. “Freedom of religious belief” is a basic policy. Its connotation is that citizens have both the freedom to believe in religion and the freedom not to believe in religion. The essence of “freedom of religious belief” is to treat belief in religion and non-belief in religion as the “private affair” of citizens’ free personal choice. We must not one-sidedly interpret “freedom of religious belief” as citizens only having the “freedom to believe in religion,” while neglecting that citizens also have the “freedom not to believe in religion and to propagate atheism.”

1. 要全面理解和贯彻宗教工作基本方针、基本政策。“宗教信仰自由”是一项基本政策。它的内涵是，公民既有信仰宗教的自由，也有不信仰宗教的自由。“宗教信仰自由”的实质，就是要把信仰宗教和不信仰宗教，作为公民个人自由选择的“私事”。不能把“宗教信仰自由”片面解读为公民只有“信仰宗教的自由”，而忽视了公民还有“不信仰宗教、宣传无神论的自由”。

Implementing the policy of freedom of religious belief must be linked to the comprehensive implementation of the Party’s basic policy on religious work. The Party’s basic policy on religious work includes four important aspects: comprehensively implementing the Party’s policy of freedom of religious belief, managing religious affairs according to law, adhering to the principle of independence and self-governance, and actively guiding religion to adapt to socialist society. The core and essence of the basic policy on religious work is the combination of freedom of religious belief at the individual level with the education, management, and guidance at the social level where the Party and government grasp the direction and maintain the overall situation. As individuals, belief is a free choice; as a society, guidance and management are needed. To comprehensively implement the basic policy on religious work, we must both prevent, when emphasizing the individual level of “freedom of belief,” relaxing or even abandoning the social level of “education, management, and guidance”; and also prevent, when emphasizing the social level of “education, management, and guidance,” neglecting or even disrespecting the individual level of “freedom of belief.” Religion is a private matter for the state, but for a Marxist political party, it is not a private matter. Saying religion is a private matter for the state embodies the principle of separation of church and state. Saying religion is not a private matter for a proletarian political party embodies the Party’s purity and advanced nature. The freedom of choice of belief as a personal private matter must not be confused with the social and political orientation of the ruling party. Religious believers and non-believers, as citizens, are equal in political and legal status; while the ruling party, in order to maintain its advanced nature and purity, must adhere to and propagate materialism and atheism, and resist the erosion of the Party’s organism and the impact on social order by idealism and theism. The two cannot be conflated.

贯彻宗教信仰自由政策，要与全面贯彻党的宗教工作基本方针联系起来。党的宗教工作基本方针，包括了四个方面的重要内容，即全面贯彻党的宗教信仰自由政策，依法管理宗教事务，坚持独立自主自办原则，积极引导宗教与社会主义社会相适应。宗教工作基本方针的核心和实质，就是个人层面上的宗教信仰自由，与社会层面上党和政府把握方向、维护大局的教育、管理、引导相结合。作为个人，信仰自由选择；作为社会，需要引导管理。全面贯彻宗教工作基本方针，就是既要防止在强调个人层面的“信仰自由”时，放松甚至放弃了社会层面的“教育、管理、引导”；同时也要防止在强调社会层面的“教育、管理、引导”时，忽视甚至不尊重个人层面的“信仰自由”。宗教对国家而言是私人的事情，但对马克思主义政党来说，又不是私人事情。说宗教对国家而言是私人的事情，体现了政教分离的原则。说宗教对无产阶级政党而言不是私人的事情，体现了党的纯洁性、先进性。不能把作为个人私事的信仰选择自由与作为执政党的社会政治导向相混淆。信教群众和不信教群众，作为公民在政治、法律地位上是平等的；而执政党为保持先进性、纯洁性，必须坚持和宣传唯物论和无神论，抵御唯心论和有神论对党的肌体的侵蚀和对社会秩序的影响。二者不能混为一谈。

Implementing the policy of freedom of religious belief must be linked to the goals and value pursuits of Communists on religious issues. In his *Critique of the Gotha Programme*, Marx pointed out that the *Gotha Programme* only mentions “freedom of belief” without mentioning the propaganda of atheism, which is “not to go beyond the ‘bourgeois’ level.” The goal of a working-class party must be to free belief from religion, not merely the bourgeois permission of various kinds of religious belief. This is a general principle of Marxism, the essence and ultimate destination of the Marxist view on religion, and also the touchstone for distinguishing true from false Marxism on religious issues. In the primary stage of socialism, the starting point and ultimate goal of religious work is to unite both religious believers and non-believers, as well as those who believe in different religions, and to concentrate their will and strength on common interests and common goals.

贯彻宗教信仰自由政策，要与共产党人在宗教问题上的目标和价值追求联系起来。马克思在《哥达纲领批判》中指出：《哥达纲领》只提“信仰自由”而不提无神论宣传，是“不愿越过‘资产阶级的’水平”。工人阶级政党的目标必须是使信仰摆脱宗教，而不仅仅是资产阶级的允许各种各样宗教信仰的自由，这是马克思主义的一般原则，是马克思主义宗教观的本质和归宿，也是在宗教问题上区别真假马克思主义的试金石。在社会主义初级阶段，宗教工作的出发点和落脚点，就是要把信教的人与不信教的人、把信仰不同宗教的人都团结起来，把他们的意志和力量集中到共同利益、共同目标上来。

2. General Marxist education cannot replace atheist education. Atheism is the foundation and prerequisite of Marxism, and also an important content of Marxism. Some comrades think that since we talk about Marxism every day, there is no need to talk about atheism. This is a misunderstanding. In his *The Significance of Militant Materialism*, Lenin pointed out that general Marxist propaganda and education cannot replace specialized atheist propaganda and education. He said that a Marxist who thinks that the hundreds of millions of people (especially peasants and artisans) placed by the whole of modern society in a state of ignorance and prejudice can only escape this state of ignorance through the straight path of purely Marxist education is committing the greatest and worst mistake. They should be provided with various kinds of atheist propaganda materials, telling them about facts from all aspects of real life…

2. 不能以一般的马克思主义教育代替无神论教育。无神论是马克思主义的基础和前提，也是马克思主义的重要内容。有的同志认为，我们天天在讲马克思主义，没有必要再讲无神论。这是一种误解。列宁在《论战斗唯物主义的意义》中指出，一般的马克思主义宣传教育不能代替专门的无神论宣传教育。他说,一个马克思主义者如果以为，被整个现代社会置于愚昧无知和囿于偏见这种境地的亿万人民群众（特别是农民和手工业者）只有通过纯粹马克思主义的教育这条直路，才能摆脱愚昧状态，那就是最大的而且是最坏的错误。应该向他们提供各种无神论的宣传材料，告诉他们实际生活各个方面的事实……

3. The view that atheist thought is simple and shallow is wrong. Religious theology has a history of several thousand years, has accumulated a vast ocean of scriptures, and still influences the majority of humanity today. China has a population of over a hundred million who believe in the five major religions, and even more who believe in ghosts, gods, and fate. The theism of religions believed by so many people can by no means be simple and shallow, and the atheism that studies, analyzes, and criticizes theism is even less likely to be simple and shallow. Only scholars, thinkers, and theorists who are not only proficient in dialectical materialism, historical materialism, and various modern scientific knowledge, but also have a comprehensive and thorough understanding of various religious theological theories from ancient to modern times, both Chinese and foreign, can provide well-founded scientific analyses of the social and historical roots and ideological logical errors of religious theology, thereby becoming conscious atheists and true atheist experts.

3. 认为无神论思想简单浅薄的观点是错误的。宗教神学已有几千年历史，积累了浩如烟海的典籍，至今影响着人类的大多数。我国信仰五大宗教的人口上亿，相信鬼神命运的就更多了。有那么多人信仰的宗教有神论，决不可能是简单浅薄的东西，而研究、分析、批判有神论的无神论就更不可能简单浅薄了。只有既熟练掌握辩证唯物主义和历史唯物主义以及多种现代科学知识而又全面透彻了解古今中外各种宗教神学理论的学问家、思想家、理论家，才能对宗教神学的社会历史根源和思想逻辑错误作出有理有据的科学解析，从而成为自觉的无神论者和真正的无神论专家。

4. Strengthening the propaganda and education of atheism is not contradictory to implementing the policy of freedom of religious belief and uniting religious figures and believers. On August 19, 2003, Comrade Hu Jintao [1]1 Hu Jintao was General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 2002 to 2012. commented on the “Suggestions on Further Strengthening the Research, Propaganda, and Education of Scientific Atheism” submitted by Comrade Ren Jiyu [2]2 Ren Jiyu (1916–2009) was a prominent Chinese Marxist historian of philosophy and religion. and others, stating that research, propaganda, and education on atheism is a long-term task that needs to be incorporated into the scientific research plan and the overall deployment of propaganda and ideological work, and carried out with perseverance. In particular, Communist Party members should firmly establish a materialist worldview. This is not contradictory to implementing the Party’s policy of freedom of religious belief. Atheism is the basic content and ideological foundation of the scientific worldview, outlook on life, and value system, and is an inherent part of the Party’s ideological and theoretical propaganda and education. Carrying out atheist research, propaganda, and education and implementing the policy of freedom of religious belief are unified in terms of legal basis, theoretical foundation, and fundamental starting point, not mutually exclusive. Criticizing theology and propagating atheism is by no means opposing legal religious organizations and normal religious activities. It is parallel and unified with politically respecting citizens’ freedom of religious belief, uniting religious and non-religious believers, and safeguarding the legitimate rights and fundamental interests of every citizen. As long as methods and approaches are appropriate and religious feelings are not hurt, atheist propaganda and education are entirely legitimate and absolutely necessary.

4. 加强无神论宣传教育与落实宗教信仰自由政策、团结宗教界人士和信教群众并不矛盾。2003年8月19日，胡锦涛同志在任继愈先生等《关于进一步加强科学无神论研究和宣传教育的建议》上批示，关于无神论研究和宣传教育是一项长期任务，需纳入科学研究规划和宣传思想工作的总体部署，锲而不舍地进行。尤其是共产党员应牢固地确立唯物主义的世界观。这与贯彻党的宗教信仰自由政策并不矛盾。无神论是科学世界观、人生观、价值观的基本内容和思想基础，是党的思想理论宣传教育的应有之义。开展无神论研究和宣传教育与贯彻宗教信仰自由政策，无论从法律依据、理论基础和根本出发点来说都是统一的，而不是相互排斥的。批判神学、宣传无神论，决不是反对合法的宗教组织和正常的宗教活动，同政治上尊重信教公民的宗教信仰自由、团结信教和不信教的群众、维护每个公民的合法权利和根本利益是并行不悖、相互统一的。只要讲究方式方法、避免伤害宗教感情，无神论宣传教育是完全正当和绝对必要的。

5. Forming a patriotic united front with religious circles in political action does not mean endorsing idealism. Mao Zedong pointed out that Communists can form a patriotic united front against imperialism and feudalism with certain idealists and even religious believers in political action, but they must never endorse their idealism and religious doctrines. The Central Committee’s 1982 Document No. 19 on religious work [3]3 Document No. 19 (1982), formally titled “The Basic Viewpoint and Policy on the Religious Question during the Socialist Period of Our Country,” is a foundational Party document that established the framework for religious policy after the Cultural Revolution. also pointed out: In terms of worldview, Marxism and any theism are opposed; but in terms of political action, Marxists and patriotic religious believers can and must form a united front to jointly strive for socialist modernization.

5. 政治行动上与宗教界结成爱国统一战线不等于赞成唯心论。毛泽东指出,共产党员可以和某些唯心论者甚至宗教信徒建立在政治行动上的反帝反封建的统一战线，但是决不能赞同他们的唯心论和宗教教义。1982年中央关于宗教工作的19号文件也指出：在世界观上，马克思主义和任何有神论都是对立的；但是在政治行动上，马克思主义者和爱国的宗教信徒却完全可以而且必须结成为社会主义现代化建设共同奋斗的统一战线。

We must untie this “knot” in our thinking regarding the relationship between the Party maintaining its advanced nature and purity in ideology and forming a united front with religious believers in political action. All Party and government cadres engaged in united front and religious work should be clear: first, they should do religious work from the standpoint of Marxism and scientific atheism, not from the standpoint of religion, and even less from the standpoint of a particular religion; second, they should do religious work from the standpoint of the overall national situation, including the overall situation of non-believers, not merely facing religious figures and believers, so as to unite religious and non-religious believers in the common struggle to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects and to realize the “Chinese Dream” of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

我们要在思想上解开共产党在意识形态上保持先进性、纯洁性与在政治行动上与宗教信徒结成统一战线关系的这个“扣子”。党和政府做统战、宗教工作的干部，都应该明确，一是要站在马克思主义和科学无神论的立场做宗教工作，而不是站在宗教的立场，更不是站在某一个宗教的立场做宗教工作；二是要站在国家大局、站在包括不信教群众在内的全局来做宗教工作，而不是仅仅面对宗教界人士和信教群众来做宗教工作，从而团结信教和不信教群众为全面建成小康社会，为实现中华民族伟大复兴的“中国梦”共同奋斗。

The Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the CPC proposed that, within the overall goal of comprehensively deepening reform, it is required to advance the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, and to place greater emphasis on the systemic, holistic, and coordinated nature of reform, accelerate the development of advanced socialist culture, and allow all vitality, including that of knowledge, to burst forth; in summarizing the important experiences of the successful practice of reform and opening up, it took "adhering to a people-oriented approach, respecting the principal position of the people, giving play to the pioneering spirit of the masses, closely relying on the people to promote reform, and promoting the all-round development of people" as one of the four basic principles; in deepening the reform of the cultural system and building a strong socialist culture in China, it proposed to build, cultivate, and practice the core socialist value system, enhance the country's cultural soft power, adhere to the forward direction of advanced socialist culture, consolidate the guiding role of Marxism in the ideological domain, and effectively safeguard national cultural security; in innovating the social governance system, it proposed to maximize the factors of harmony and enhance the vitality of social development, and so on. These discussions are closely related to the research and propaganda education of scientific atheism, opening up new horizons for atheism research, and also representing new opportunities for promoting the development of atheism research under the new circumstances. Atheism, especially its humanistic spirit and scientific spirit, is an inherent part of the core socialist value system, an important aspect of national cultural soft power, and conforms to the forward direction of advanced socialist culture. In studying and implementing the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee, we must connect and integrate it with what we are currently doing, and use the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee to guide and promote the research and propaganda education of scientific atheism.

党的十八届三中全会提出，在全面深化改革的总目标中，要求推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化，提出必须更加注重改革的系统性、整体性和协同性，加快发展社会主义先进文化，让包括知识在内的一切活力竞相迸发；在总结改革开放成功实践的重要经验中，把“坚持以人为本，尊重人民主体地位，发挥群众首创精神，紧紧依靠人民推动改革，促进人的全面发展”，作为四条基本原则之一；在深化文化体制改革，建设社会主义文化强国中，提出要建设、培育和践行社会主义核心价值体系，增强国家文化软实力，坚持社会主义先进文化前进方向，巩固马克思主义在意识形态领域的主导地位，切实维护国家文化安全；在创新社会治理体制中，提出必须最大限度增加和谐因素，增强社会发展活力，等等。这些论述，都和科学无神论研究和宣传教育密切相关，开拓了无神论研究的新视野，也是在新形势下推动无神论研究发展的新机遇。无神论，尤其是其中的人本精神、科学精神，是社会主义核心价值体系的题中应有之义，是国家文化软实力的重要方面，符合社会主义先进文化的前进方向。我们学习和贯彻十八届三中全会精神，必须把它与我们正在做的事情相联系、相结合，用十八届三中全会精神指导和推动科学无神论研究和宣传教育。

(Author: Chairman of the Chinese Atheism Society)

（作者：中国无神论学会理事长）

Online Editor: Jia Fei

网络编辑：嘉扉