On the Atheist Characteristics of the Chinese Communists’ Spiritual Pedigree

In his speech at the ceremony marking the centenary of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping pointed out: “Over the past hundred years, the Communist Party of China has united and led the Chinese people in all its struggles, sacrifices, and creations, and these can be summed up in one theme: the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” To realize this theme, the Communist Party of China united and led the Chinese people with the dauntless spirit of “daring to sacrifice everything to change heaven and earth” [1]1 A line from a poem by Mao Zedong, expressing revolutionary heroism and the determination to sacrifice for radical transformation., writing the most magnificent epic in the millennia-long history of the Chinese nation, forming the Chinese Communists’ spiritual pedigree with the great founding spirit of the Party as its spiritual source, and forging a distinct political character.

习近平在庆祝中国共产党成立100周年大会上的讲话中指出：“一百年来，中国共产党团结带领中国人民进行的一切奋斗、一切牺牲、一切创造，归结起来就是一个主题：实现中华民族伟大复兴。”为了实现这一主题，中国共产党团结带领中国人民，以“为有牺牲多壮志，敢教日月换新天”的大无畏气概，书写了中华民族几千年历史上最恢宏的史诗，形成了以伟大建党精神为精神之源的中国共产党人精神谱系，锤炼出鲜明的政治品格。

Marxist atheism, as the starting point and cornerstone of Marxist theory, is an indispensable spiritual foundation of the Chinese Communists. Marxist atheism is a thoroughgoing materialist atheism that is integrated into the entire theoretical system of Marxism and the practice of scientific socialism, and is consistently imbued with the scientific spirit. Throughout the Party’s century-long struggle, Chinese Communists have always adhered to the original aspiration and founding mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, persisted in promoting the scientific spirit, opposed feudal patriarchal ideology and institutions including theocracy, eradicated long-standing abuses and bad customs, and led the broad masses to rely on their own wisdom and hands, achieving self-reliance, striving to become stronger, and upholding fundamental principles while breaking new ground. In the process of adapting Marxist atheism to the Chinese context, they advanced the success of the revolutionary cause. A deep understanding of the atheist characteristics of the Chinese Communists’ spiritual pedigree is of great theoretical and practical significance for maintaining the dominant position of Marxist atheism as the mainstream ideology in the minds of the people and for consolidating the mainstream ideological front.

马克思主义无神论作为马克思主义理论的出发点和基石，是中国共产党人不可或缺的精神底色。马克思主义无神论是融含在马克思主义整个理论体系和科学社会主义实践中，并以科学精神贯彻始终的彻底唯物主义的无神论。在党的百年奋斗历程中，中国共产党人始终坚持为中国人民谋幸福、为中华民族谋复兴的初心使命，坚持弘扬科学精神，反对包括神权在内的封建宗法思想和制度，革除积弊陋习，领导广大人民依靠自己的智慧和双手，自力更生、发愤图强、守正创新，在推动马克思主义无神论中国化的进程中，推动了革命事业的成功。深入理解中国共产党人精神谱系的无神论特色，对于始终保持马克思主义无神论作为主流意识形态在人民群众思想中的主导地位，稳固主流意识形态阵地具有重要的理论和现实意义。

I. The Party’s spiritual pedigree consistently upholds the ideals and convictions of Communists, originating from a thoroughgoing “godless” materialist worldview

一、党的精神谱系始终坚持共产党人的理想信念，源于彻底“无神”的唯物主义世界观

The Communist Party of China is a party armed with Marxism, and Marxism is the soul of the ideals and convictions of Chinese Communists. The reason why the Communist Party of China has been able to advance courageously and dare to achieve victory through a hundred years of arduous struggle is precisely because it has always adhered to the scientific truth of Marxism and upheld the lofty ideal of communism and the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Upholding truth and ideals profoundly reveals the distinctive quality of the Party’s advanced thinking and firm faith, and demonstrates the Party’s powerful ideological advantage. This distinctive feature and unique advantage are fundamentally determined by the Marxist worldview of dialectical materialism and are based on and premised upon atheism.

中国共产党是用马克思主义武装起来的政党，马克思主义是中国共产党人理想信念的灵魂。中国共产党在艰辛的百年岁月之所以能够一往无前、敢于胜利，就是因为始终坚持马克思主义的科学真理，坚守共产主义远大理想和中国特色社会主义共同理想。坚持真理、坚守理想，深刻揭示了中国共产党思想先进、信仰坚定的鲜明特质，展现了党的强大思想优势。这一鲜明特征和独特优势，从根本上说，是由马克思主义的辩证唯物主义世界观决定的，是以无神论为基础和前提的。

Xi Jinping pointed out: “Why the Communist Party of China is capable, and why socialism with Chinese characteristics is good, ultimately comes down to the fact that Marxism works!” Marxism works, ultimately, because Marxism is a scientific theory that reflects the laws of development of human society and the direction of progress. The ideals and convictions of Chinese Communists are built on the foundation of the scientific truth of Marxism, and on the foundation of the laws of development of human society revealed by Marxism. As a thoroughgoing materialist worldview, Marxism, with its complete and rigorous theoretical system, reveals the essence and laws of development of the material world and human society, and elucidates the inevitable historical trend of socialism replacing capitalism and ultimately moving toward communism. This is an irreversible general trend in the development of social history. Communists’ faith in Marxism is based on the practice of hundreds of millions of people and is established on the foundation of scientific understanding. The reason why generations of Communists have all taken communism as their goal of struggle and firm conviction is that they firmly believe Marxism is a scientific and advanced theory, and firmly believe that capitalism will inevitably perish and socialism will inevitably triumph. Ideals and convictions supported by scientific theory become the soul of the Chinese Communists’ spiritual pedigree.

习近平指出：“中国共产党为什么能，中国特色社会主义为什么好，归根到底是因为马克思主义行！”马克思主义行，归根到底是因为马克思主义是科学的理论，体现了人类社会的发展规律和前进方向。中国共产党人的理想信念，是建立在马克思主义科学真理的基础之上的，是建立在马克思主义揭示的人类社会发展规律的基础之上的。作为彻底的唯物主义世界观，马克思主义以完备而严整的理论体系揭示了物质世界和人类社会的本质和发展规律，阐明了社会主义代替资本主义、最终走向共产主义的历史必然趋势。这是社会历史发展不可逆转的总趋势。共产党人对马克思主义的信仰，是以千百万人民的实践为依据，建立在科学认识的基础之上的。一代代共产党人之所以都把共产主义作为奋斗目标和坚定信念，是因为他们坚信马克思主义是科学的、先进的理论，坚信资本主义必然灭亡、社会主义必然胜利。有科学理论做支撑的理想信念，成为中国共产党人精神谱系的灵魂。

Adhering to Marxist atheism is the inherent spiritual pillar of the Communist Party. Not adhering to Marxist atheism means not being a thoroughgoing materialist, not being a true Marxist, and it is impossible to have firm ideals and convictions. Xi Jinping pointed out: “Some people think communism is unattainable, or even that it cannot be seen or perceived, that it is illusory. This involves the worldview question of whether one adheres to historical materialism or historical idealism. The fundamental reason why some of our comrades have vague ideals and wavering faith is that their historical materialist viewpoint is not solid.” If one does not adhere to Marxist atheism, one will waver in one’s faith in Marxism and conviction in socialism, lose the Marxist stance, become unable to distinguish truth from falsehood, right from wrong, lose the necessary political discernment and political acumen, and become a captive of erroneous ideas such as idealism and theism. For this reason, the Party has consistently emphasized: “We Chinese Communists are atheists and do not believe in any religion.” “Communist Party members must be firm Marxist atheists, strictly abide by the provisions of the Party Constitution, firmly establish ideals and convictions, keep in mind the Party’s purpose, and must never seek their own values and beliefs in religion.”

坚持马克思主义无神论，是共产党与生俱来的精神支柱。不坚持马克思主义无神论，就不是彻底的唯物论者，不是真正的马克思主义者，就不可能有坚定的理想信念。习近平指出：“一些人认为共产主义是可望不可即的，甚至认为是望都望不到、看都看不见，是虚无缥缈的。这就涉及是唯物史观还是唯心史观的世界观问题。我们一些同志之所以理想飘渺、信仰动摇，根本的就是历史唯物主义观点不牢固。”如果不坚持马克思主义无神论，就会对马克思主义信仰、社会主义信念产生动摇，丧失马克思主义立场，导致真假不分，是非不分，丧失应有的政治鉴别力和政治敏锐性，成为唯心主义、有神论等错误思想的俘虏。为此，党一贯强调：“我们中国共产党人是无神论者，不信仰任何宗教。”“共产党员要做坚定的马克思主义无神论者，严守党章规定，坚定理想信念，牢记党的宗旨，绝不能在宗教中寻找自己的价值和信念。”

II. The Party’s spiritual pedigree consistently upholds the value pursuit of putting the people first and being people-centered, embodying the atheist’s distinct people’s standpoint

二、党的精神谱系始终坚持人民至上、以人民为中心的价值追求，蕴含无神论鲜明的人民立场

The people’s standpoint is the fundamental political stance of the Communist Party of China and a distinctive mark that distinguishes a Marxist party from other political parties. Adhering to the people’s standpoint is premised on adhering to atheism. Adhering to being “people-centered” is incompatible with all theism that takes gods as the center, regards gods as the masters of human beings, and demands that humans obey gods. As the “Internationale” puts it: “There has never been any savior, nor do we rely on gods or emperors. To create human happiness, we must rely on ourselves.”

人民立场是中国共产党的根本政治立场，是马克思主义政党区别于其他政党的显著标志。坚持人民立场，是以坚持无神论为前提的。坚持“以人民为中心”同一切以神为中心，把神看作人的主宰者，要求人听命于神的有神论是不相容的。正如《国际歌》中写到的：“从来就没有什么jiushizhu，也不靠神仙皇帝。要创造人类的幸福，全靠我们自己。”

The people are the creators of history and the true heroes. The historical mission of Chinese Communists, as practical atheists, is to lead the masses to exert their historical initiative, to liberate the masses from the fog of praying for divine protection, pursuing illusory heavens and afterlives, and begging for divine revelation and subjective fantasies, to lead the masses to rely on their own strength to overcome various difficulties on the path forward, and to achieve tremendous progress in Chinese society. Our Party comes from the people, serving the people wholeheartedly is its fundamental purpose, and seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation is the original aspiration and founding mission of Chinese Communists. Xi Jinping pointed out: “The Party’s century-long history is a history of fulfilling its original aspiration and founding mission, a history of the Party sharing the same heart, breathing the same breath, and sharing the same fate with the people.” From the day of its founding, our Party has consciously shouldered the original aspiration and founding mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. This is not only the fundamental driving force inspiring Chinese Communists to keep moving forward, but also infuses the Party with a unique political advantage. The fundamental reason why the Communist Party of China has been able to grow from small to large, from weak to strong, to rise from setbacks, and to achieve the great turn from suffering to glory in its century-long struggle is precisely that it has always placed the people in the highest position in its heart, relied on the people to continuously achieve victory, realized that the people are the masters of the country, and enabled the Chinese people to truly become the masters of their own country, society, and destiny. None of this is separable from adhering to the ideological foundation of atheism.

人民是历史的创造者，是真正的英雄。作为实践的无神论者的中国共产党人的历史使命，就是带领人民群众发挥历史主动精神，把人民群众从祈祷神灵庇佑、追求虚幻的天国和来世、乞灵于神的启示和主观幻想的迷雾中解放出来，领导人民群众依靠自己的力量，克服前进道路上的种种困难，实现中国社会巨大进步。我们党来自人民，全心全意为人民服务是党的根本宗旨，为中国人民谋幸福，为中华民族谋复兴，是中国共产党人的初心和使命。习近平指出：“我们党的百年历史，就是一部践行党的初心使命的历史，就是一部党与人民心连心、同呼吸、共命运的历史。”从成立之日起，我们党就自觉担负起为中国人民谋幸福、为中华民族谋复兴的初心和使命。这不仅是激励中国共产党人不断前进的根本动力，也为我们党灌注了独特的政治优势。中国共产党在百年奋斗历程中之所以能够从小到大、由弱变强，从挫折中奋起，实现由苦难到辉煌的伟大转身，其根本原因就在于始终把人民放在心中最高位置，依靠人民不断取得胜利，实现人民当家作主，中国人民真正成为国家、社会和自己命运的主人。这些都离不开坚持无神论这个思想基础。

“Loyalty to the Party, loyalty to the people, and selfless dedication are the fine qualities of Communists. The cause of the Party and the cause of the people are forged by the loyal dedication of millions of Party members.” The core element and distinctive feature of the Chinese Communists’ spiritual pedigree is the spirit of dedication to struggle and sacrifice for the people. Whatever can become a “spirit” embodies the word “dedication,” but the object of dedication differs. Theism dedicates the individual to God and various deities, whereas Communists dedicate themselves to the people. Both involve dedication; the good deeds advocated by religion are for “the cause of God,” while the dedication of Communists stems from a sense of mission to “serve the people.” Generation after generation of Chinese Communists have fought tenaciously and tirelessly for the cause of the Party and the people, giving rise to a great number of revolutionary martyrs who faced death unflinchingly, a great number of heroic figures who struggled tenaciously, and a great number of advanced models who forgot themselves in dedication, interpreting with practical actions the Communists’ boundless loyalty to the Party and boundless love for the people. “The Communist Party of China always represents the fundamental interests of the broadest majority of the people, shares weal and woe and life and death with the people, has no special interests of its own, and never represents any interest group, any powerful group, or any privileged stratum.” In this passage, Xi Jinping mentions “interests” four times in a row

“忠于党、忠于人民、无私奉献，是共产党人的优秀品质。党的事业，人民的事业，是靠千千万万党员的忠诚奉献而不断铸就的。”中国共产党人精神谱系的核心要素和显著特征是为了人民而奋斗牺牲的奉献精神。凡是能够成为精神的，都体现了“奉献”二字，但是奉献的客体却不同。有神论是把个人奉献给上帝和各种神灵，而共产党人则是把自己奉献给人民。同样都是奉献，宗教提倡的善行是为了“上帝的事业”；而共产党人的奉献，却是出于“为人民服务”的使命感。一代又一代中国共产党人为党和人民的事业顽强拼搏、不懈奋斗，涌现了一大批视死如归的革命烈士、一大批顽强奋斗的英雄人物、一大批忘我奉献的先进模范，以实际行动诠释了共产党人对党的无限忠诚，对人民的无限热爱。“中国共产党始终代表最广大人民根本利益，与人民休戚与共、生死相依，没有任何自己特殊的利益，从来不代表任何利益集团、任何权势团体、任何特权阶层的利益。”习近平在这段话中一连四次提到“利益”。共产党人从来不空谈理想，也从不忌讳谈利益，但关键在于承认谁的利益、追求谁的利益。习近平深刻指出：“对我们这样一个长期执政的党而言，没有比忘记初心使命、脱离群众更大的危险。”体现在伟大建党精神中的“践行初心、担当使命”，是对中国共产党人历史责任和时代使命的集中表达，深刻揭示了中国共产党初衷不改、本色依旧的鲜明特质，展现了党的强大政治优势。新的征程上，紧紧依靠人民创造历史，坚持全心全意为人民服务的根本宗旨，站稳人民立场，贯彻党的群众路线，尊重人民首创精神，践行以人民为中心的发展思想，就必须坚持马克思主义唯物史观，就必须贯彻无神论这一根本前提。

III. The Party’s spiritual pedigree consistently upholds the scientific attitude of seeking truth from facts and being pragmatic, embodying the thinking characteristics of atheism

三、党的精神谱系始终坚持实事求是、求真务实的科学态度，体现了无神论的思维特质

“Atheism is not simply the denial of gods or disbelief in gods, but rather the learning and teaching of correct methods of thinking, correct outlooks on life and values, linking up with the overall progress of science and society.” Since its founding, the Communist Party of China has continuously struggled against backward and decadent cultures, proceeding from the principle of safeguarding the interests of the vast majority of the people, and has profoundly exposed and criticized feudal superstition and the backward culture of feudal revivalism that harm the people’s livelihood. When the Worker-Peasant Revolutionary Army first went up to Jinggangshan, wherever they went, “the first step was to carry out education to break ‘fatalism,’ helping them to eliminate superstitious ideas such as ‘resignation to fate,’ ‘destiny,’ and ‘bad fortune in the Eight Characters’[2]2 The Eight Characters (八字) refer to the four pairs of characters representing the year, month, day, and hour of a person’s birth in the traditional Chinese calendar, used in fortune-telling to determine fate., enabling them to understand that they could only rely on themselves, not on others. After the superstitious ideas were eliminated, the second step was to help them recognize their own strength, believe in their own strength, and help them build confidence in the victory of the struggle, enabling them to understand that the strength of the poor is the greatest, and that we poor people are capable of conquering the world, liberating ourselves, and ruling the world.”[3]3 This is a quotation from the recollections of an early revolutionary, describing the methods of ideological education used among the peasantry in the Jinggangshan base area. During the Yan’an period, the Party established research groups and institutions focused on natural sciences, such as the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region Natural Science Research Society, the Natural Science Research Institute, and the Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Society, leading the masses in the border region to develop production and overcome superstition. In the tumultuous years of the revolutionary war, Chinese Communists adhered to “science and democracy,” placed great emphasis on the propaganda and education of atheism, broke the spiritual shackles of theism such as feudal superstition through the construction of a new culture, fundamentally shook and destroyed the ideological foundation on which the old culture relied, and while achieving national independence and liberation, also created the historical preconditions for the liberation of people’s thoughts and spirits.

“无神论并不是简单地否定神，不信神，而是学习和教人以正确的思维方法、正确的人生观和价值观，与科学和社会的整体进步衔接起来”。中国共产党自成立以来就一直与落后腐朽的文化进行斗争，从维护最广大人民利益的宗旨出发，对危害民生的封建迷信及封建复古主义的落后文化进行了深刻的揭露和批判。初上井冈山的工农革命军，每到一地，“第一步进行打破‘宿命论’的教育，帮助他们破除那些‘听天由命’、‘命中注定’、‘八字不好’等迷信思想，让他们懂得只能靠自己，不能靠别人。迷信思想破除以后，第二步就是帮助他们认识自己的力量，相信自己的力量，帮助他们树立斗争胜利的信心，使他们懂得，穷人的力量是最伟大的，我们穷人是能够打天下、解放自己、坐天下的”。延安时期，党成立了陕甘宁边区自然研究会、自然研究院、国医研究会等以自然科学为主的研究团体、研究机构，领导边区群众发展生产，战胜迷信。在波澜壮阔的革命战争年代，中国共产党人坚持“科学与民主”，高度重视无神论宣传教育，通过建设新文化破除封建迷信等有神论的精神桎梏，从根本上动摇、摧毁了旧文化赖以存在的思想基础，在实现民族独立和解放的同时，也为人的思想和精神的解放创造了历史前提。

Marxist atheism is based on a materialist worldview, respects science, adheres to scientific spirit, scientific attitude, scientific method, and rationalism, advocates guiding practice with an attitude of seeking truth from facts, promotes the unity of theory and practice, opposes idol worship, superstition, and blind obedience, and advocates “seeking truth from facts.” To advance the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context, one must first break the thinking mode of superstition and blind obedience. It was precisely in the process of breaking superstitions and blind obedience such as “worship of superiors,” “worship of the Communist International,” and “worship of books” that Chinese Communists represented by Mao Zedong integrated Marxism with the concrete practice of the Chinese revolution, creatively explored and opened up a revolutionary path with Chinese characteristics, put forward the ideological line of seeking truth from facts and proceeding from reality in everything, initially formed a Sinicized Marxist theory, and created a “scientific” new-democratic culture that “opposes all feudal and superstitious ideas, advocates seeking truth from facts, advocates objective truth, and advocates the unity of theory and practice.”[4]4 This is a quotation from Mao Zedong’s “On New Democracy” (1940), defining the scientific character of the new-democratic culture. Seeking truth from facts is not only the most basic prerequisite of the scientific spirit but also the ideological line of the Communist Party of China. Mao Zedong pointed out that the Communist Party “lives by the truth of Marxism-Leninism, lives by seeking truth from facts, and lives by science.”[5]5 This is a quotation from Mao Zedong’s speech “Oppose Stereotyped Party Writing” (1942).

马克思主义无神论以唯物主义的世界观为基础，尊重科学、坚持科学精神、科学态度、科学方法和理性主义，主张用实事求是的态度去指导实践，提倡理论与实践一致，反对偶像崇拜、迷信盲从，倡导“实事求是”。推进马克思主义中国化，首先就要破除迷信盲从的思维方式。以毛泽东为代表的中国共产党人，正是在打破“惟上论”、“惟共产国际论”、“惟书论”等迷信盲从的过程中，把马克思主义同中国革命的具体实践相结合，创造性地探索和开辟了中国特色的革命道路，提出了实事求是、一切从实际出发的思想路线，初步形成了中国化马克思主义理论，创造了“反对一切封建思想和迷信思想，主张实事求是，主张客观真理，主张理论和实践一致的”“科学的”新民主主义文化。实事求是不仅是科学精神的最基本的前提，更是中国共产党的思想路线。毛泽东指出，共产党“靠马克思列宁主义的真理吃饭，靠实事求是吃饭，靠科学吃饭”。

To adhere to seeking truth from facts, one must adhere to the basic materialist stance and oppose idealism; one must explain the world by the objective world itself and oppose seeking causes outside the world; one must adhere to respecting facts, respecting laws, and proceeding from reality, and oppose subjective fabrication that ignores objective existence and proceeds from wishes; one must adhere to practice as the sole criterion for testing the correctness of understanding and a rational critical attitude, oppose any superstition, arbitrariness, and blind obedience, and adhere to Marxist atheism. Xi Jinping pointed out: “We must adhere to understanding history with historical materialism and adhere to the ideological line of seeking truth from facts.”[6]6 This is a quotation from Xi Jinping’s speech at a Party History Study and Education Mobilization Conference (2021). Over the past century, the Communist Party of China has consistently adhered to the basic principles of Marxism, adhered to seeking truth from facts, proceeded from China’s actual conditions, discerned the general trend of the times, grasped historical initiative, carried out arduous exploration, continuously advanced the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, and guided the Chinese people in continuously advancing the great social revolution. Deviating from the principles of Marxist atheism means deviating from seeking truth from facts, and it would be impossible to achieve the brilliant achievements of revolution, construction, and reform.

坚持实事求是，就必须坚持唯物主义的基本立场，反对唯心主义；就必须坚持用客观世界本身来说明世界，反对在世界之外寻找原因；就必须坚持尊重事实、尊重规律、从实际出发，反对无视客观存在、从意愿出发的主观臆造；就必须坚持实践是唯一的检验认识正确与否的标准和理性的批判态度，反对任何迷信、武断和盲从，就要坚持马克思主义无神论。习近平指出：“要坚持用唯物史观来认识历史，坚持实事求是的思想路线。”百年来，中国共产党始终坚持马克思主义基本原理，坚持实事求是，从中国实际出发，洞察时代大势，把握历史主动，进行艰辛探索，不断推进马克思主义中国化时代化，指导中国人民不断推进伟大社会革命。背离了马克思主义无神论的原则，就背离了实事求是，也就不可能取得革命、建设和改革的辉煌成就。

IV. The Party’s spiritual pedigree consistently upholds the heroic spirit of daring to struggle and daring to win, demonstrating the spiritual quality of atheism

四、党的精神谱系始终坚持敢于斗争、勇于胜利的英雄气概，展现了无神论的精神品质

Our Party was born at a time when the country was beset with internal and external troubles and the nation was in peril, and from its birth it was marked with the brand of struggle. Xi Jinping pointed out at the Party History Study and Education Mobilization Conference: “Over the past century, in responding to various difficulties and challenges, our Party has tempered its character and quality of not fearing strong enemies, not fearing risks, daring to struggle, and daring to win. This is our Party’s most distinctive trait and characteristic.”[7]7 This is a quotation from Xi Jinping’s speech at the Party History Study and Education Mobilization Conference (2021). “The reason why our Party, after a century of trials and tribulations, remains vigorous and full of vitality, enduring hardships and thriving, is precisely because of that powerful spirit of revolution plus desperate struggle.”[8]8 This is a quotation from Xi Jinping’s speech at the Party History Study and Education Mobilization Conference (2021). The Party’s spiritual pedigree embodies the Chinese Communists’ indomitable will to struggle, their perseverance in the face of difficulties, and their persistent character of daring to struggle and daring to win.

我们党诞生于国家内忧外患、民族危难之时，一出生就铭刻着斗争的烙印。习近平在党史学习教育动员大会上指出：“一百年来，在应对各种困难挑战中，我们党锤炼了不畏强敌、不惧风险、敢于斗争、勇于胜利的风骨和品质。这是我们党最鲜明的特质和特点。”“我们党之所以历经百年而风华正茂、饱经磨难而生生不息，就是凭着那么一股革命加拼命的强大精神。”党的精神谱系体现了中国共产党人不畏艰险、顽强拼搏的奋斗毅力，敢于斗争、勇于胜利的执着品格。

Atheism, understood in a broad sense, manifests in the Party’s century-long struggle as a spiritual character of fearing neither ghosts nor evil forces, daring to struggle against powerful enemies and daring to win victory. It is embodied in the sublime moral power of the Party’s spiritual genealogy and reveals the value choices and moral practice of Communists. In the early 1960s, faced with Soviet pressure, American encirclement, and a sharp deterioration in the surrounding security situation, Mao Zedong personally proposed editing *Stories About Not Fearing Ghosts*, stressing: “There are no such ghosts as those described in old stories in the world, but there do indeed exist many things in the world that are like ghosts. On a large scale, international imperialism and its running dogs in various countries… on a small scale, difficulties and setbacks in ordinary work, and so on, can all be said to be things like ghosts.” [9] Toward these “ghosts,” one must not be afraid; one can only struggle. “‘What should we not fear? Do not fear heaven, do not fear ghosts, do not fear the dead, do not fear bureaucrats, do not fear warlords, do not fear capitalists.’… All Marxists, all revolutionary people who take it as their mission to transform the world, should possess this sublime style and revolutionary mettle, thoroughly break down superstition, emancipate the mind, and become a tough man who fears neither heaven nor earth, a person of both soaring drive and scientific analytical spirit, wise and brave!” This dauntless spirit of struggle also holds important enlightening significance for the present. Xi Jinping points out: “On the road ahead, the risks and tests

无神论作为一种广义的理解，在党的百年奋斗历程中表现为不怕鬼、不信邪，敢于和强敌斗争，敢于争取胜利的精神品格，体现在党的精神谱系崇高的道德力量中，彰显了共产党人的价值选择和道德实践。60年代初期，面对苏联的压制、美国的围堵，周边安全形势急剧恶化，毛泽东亲自提议编辑《不怕鬼的故事》，强调：“世界上并没有过去的故事里所说的那种鬼，但是世界上又确实存在许多类似鬼的东西。大而至于国际帝国主义及其在各国的走狗，……小而至于一般工作中的困难、挫折等等，都可以说是类似鬼的东西。”对这些“鬼”，不能害怕，只能斗争。“‘什么不要怕？天不要怕，鬼不要怕，死人不要怕，官僚不要怕，军阀不要怕，资本家不要怕。’……一切马克思主义者，一切以改造世界为己任的革命人民，都应该具有这种崇高的风格和革命的气魄，彻底破除迷信，解放思想，做一个天不怕地不怕的硬汉，做一个既有冲天干劲又有科学分析精神的智勇双全的人!”这种大无畏的斗争精神，对于当前，亦有着重要的启示意义。习近平指出：“在前进道路上我们面临的风险考验只会越来越复杂，甚至会遇到难以想象的惊涛骇浪。我们面临的各种斗争不是短期的而是长期的”，“当严峻形势和斗争任务摆在面前时，骨头要硬，敢于出击，敢战能胜”。这其中，当然包括发扬无神论的大无畏斗争精神。

To manifest the fighting spirit of atheism, the purpose of the struggle must be clarified. “A distinctive feature of the Chinese Communist Party, a key to its victory, is precisely the high degree of consistency between its political program and its worldview; all of the Party’s theories, thoughts, and actions are built on the foundation of the Marxist dialectical materialist worldview.” The Party’s Marxist worldview requires us to uphold thoroughgoing atheism, that is, to uphold what Lenin called “militant materialism.” On May 2, 1950, Zhou Enlai said in a conversation with Christian figures: “Religious thought is idealist. Idealism and materialism are different; there is no need to conceal the difference.” We must always maintain the fighting edge of Marxist atheism. Party members must resolutely implement the regulation that they are not permitted to believe in religion, draw a clear line of demarcation with religious belief in their thinking, and never seek their own values and convictions in religion.

彰显无神论的斗争精神，要明确斗争的目的。“中国共产党的一个鲜明特征，一个取胜要诀，恰恰是政治纲领和世界观高度一致，党的全部理论、思想和行动都建立在马克思主义的辩证唯物主义世界观基础上。”党的马克思主义世界观要求我们坚持彻底的无神论，就是坚持列宁提出的“战斗的唯物主义”。1950年5月2日，周恩来与基督教人士谈话时说：“宗教思想是唯心主义的。唯心主义和唯物主义，不同就是不同，不必隐瞒”。我们必须始终保持马克思主义无神论的斗争锋芒，党员要坚决执行不准信仰宗教的规定，在思想上同宗教信仰划清界限，绝不能在宗教中寻找自己的价值和信念。

To manifest the fighting spirit of atheism, the strength of the struggle must be enhanced. The target of our struggle is directed at separatist forces, religious extremist forces, and violent terrorist forces. “We cannot, because we Communists are atheists, or because there are religious extremist forces, especially hostile forces from abroad, that use religion to infiltrate, place religious personages and religious believers in a separate category. The more hostile forces try to exploit ethnic and religious issues, the more we must make the people of all ethnic groups cling together like pomegranate seeds, and rally religious believers closely around the Party.” The core of properly handling the relationship between struggle and unity lies in correctly treating religion with a Marxist scientific attitude. While “steadily broadening the legitimate channels for religious believers to correctly grasp common religious knowledge,” we must also carry out active atheist propaganda, popularize scientific and cultural knowledge, help and guide people to draw clear lines between materialism and idealism, atheism and theism, science and superstition, civilization and ignorance, gradually eliminate the ideological and social foundations for the emergence and spread of religion, and always maintain Marxist atheism as the mainstream ideology occupying a dominant position in the thinking of the masses.

彰显无神论的斗争精神，要增强斗争的力量。我们斗争矛头指向的是民族分裂势力、宗教极端势力、暴力恐怖势力。“不能因为我们共产党人是无神论者，不能因为有宗教极端势力特别是境外敌对势力利用宗教进行渗透，就把宗教界人士和信教群众打入另册。敌对势力越是想借民族、宗教问题做文章，我们就越是要让各族群众像石榴籽一样紧紧抱在一起，把信教群众紧紧团结在党的周围。”处理好斗争与团结的关系，核心就在于用马克思主义的科学态度正确对待宗教，在“稳步拓宽信教群众正确掌握宗教常识的合法渠道”的同时，开展积极的无神论宣传，普及科学文化知识，帮助和引导人们划清唯物论和唯心论、无神论和有神论、科学和迷信、文明和愚昧的界限，逐渐消除宗教产生和传播的思想基础和社会基础，始终保持马克思主义无神论作为主流意识形态在人民群众思想中占据主导地位。

To manifest the fighting spirit of atheism, the methods of struggle must also be innovated. Facing profound changes in the international and domestic situation, atheism must be able to provide scientific, timely, and convincing answers to the endless stream of new problems. “When speaking about China’s affairs, whether it is freedom and human rights, ethnic

彰显无神论的斗争精神，还要创新斗争的方式。面对国际国内形势的深刻变化，无神论必须能够对层出不穷的新问题做出科学、及时和有说服力的回答。“讲中国的事，无论是自由人权、民族宗教还是西藏新疆，我们都不亏理，没有任何理由说不过外国人，关键在于丢掉幻想，不怕交锋，同时要有充分的说理准备。民族宗教问题今后长时期内仍将是某些国际势力对中国‘找碴儿’的重点领域，我们有必要继续掌握和提升向国际社会传播中国声音的能力，包括面对面辩驳的能力。”要通过积极主动的斗争，坚决防范西方意识形态渗透，自觉抵御极端主义思潮影响，掌握意识形态领域的主动权、主导权、话语权，扩大无神论在意识形态领域的地盘。同时，无神论教育面对被边缘化的挑战，必须在内容、方法、形式和手段上，做出更为管用有效的探索，以满足人们的社会需要和精神需要，赢得民众、赢得下一代。

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心