The Exploration, Experience, and Enlightenment of the Communist Party of China’s Atheist Propaganda and Education during the New Democratic Revolution Period

Atheist propaganda and education is not only an important pathway for shaping a materialist worldview, but also a significant means of popularizing scientific knowledge, eradicating feudal superstition and religious oppression, maintaining the Party’s own advanced nature and purity, and thereby promoting ideological change and social progress. In *On the Attitude of the Workers’ Party to Religion*, Lenin clearly stated: “We must combat religion. This is the ABC of all materialism, and consequently of Marxism. … It considers it necessary to combat religion, and for this purpose it must explain the sources of faith and religion among the masses from a materialist standpoint. The struggle against religion must not be confined to abstract ideological propaganda, nor reduced to such propaganda; it must be linked with the concrete practice of the class movement, which aims at eliminating the social roots of religion.” During the period of the New Democratic Revolution, the Communist Party of China consistently adhered to the principles of materialism, integrated the characteristics and historical tasks of the revolutionary struggle, and made the conduct of atheist propaganda and education, as well as the improvement of the scientific and cultural literacy of the masses, an important task of ideological work, thereby making pioneering efforts for atheist propaganda and education. However, constrained by the scattered nature of historical materials, domestic academic circles have conducted relatively little research on the CPC’s atheist propaganda and education. Therefore, systematically sorting out and summarizing the CPC’s atheist propaganda and education during the New Democratic Revolution period not only helps us further understand and grasp the practical process and historical脉络 of the Party’s atheist propaganda and education, but also provides useful historical reference for atheist propaganda and education work in the New Era.

无神论宣传教育不仅是塑造唯物主义世界观的重要途径，也是普及科学知识，破除封建迷信和宗教压迫，保持自身先进性与纯洁性进而推动思想变革和社会进步的重要方式。列宁在《论工人政党对宗教的态度》中明确指出：“我们应当同宗教作斗争。这是整个唯物主义的起码原则，因而也是马克思主义的起码原则。……它认为必须善于同宗教作斗争，为此应当用唯物主义观点来说明群众中的信仰和宗教的根源。同宗教作斗争不应该局限于抽象的思想宣传，不能把它归结为这样的宣传；而应该把这一斗争同目的在于消灭产生宗教的社会根源的阶级运动的具体实践联系起来。”在新民主主义革命时期，中国共产党始终坚持唯物主义的原则，结合革命斗争的特点和历史任务，把开展无神论宣传教育，提高人民群众科学文化素养作为意识形态工作的重要任务，为无神论宣传教育做出了开拓性努力。但囿于史料的分散性，国内学界对中国共产党开展无神论宣传教育的研究较少。因此，系统梳理总结新民主主义时期的中国共产党无神论宣传教育，不仅有助于我们进一步理解和把握党的无神论宣传教育的实践进程和历史脉络，也为新时代无神论宣传教育工作提供有益的历史借鉴。

I. The Exploration of the Communist Party of China’s Atheist Propaganda and Education during the New Democratic Revolution Period

一、新民主主义革命时期中国共产党无神论宣传教育的探索

From the very day of its founding, the Communist Party of China has always regarded the propagation of scientific atheism and the eradication of feudal superstition as an important task of the Party. From the early days of its founding through the Agrarian Revolution period, the War of Resistance Against Japan period, and the War of Liberation period, the CPC, guided by Marxism, carried out a series of atheist propaganda and education activities with Chinese characteristics in accordance with the revolutionary tasks and actual conditions faced in different historical stages. It waged a “pioneering” struggle for the ideological liberation and conceptual innovation of the laboring masses, thereby laying the practical and theoretical foundations for the CPC’s atheist propaganda and education.

中国共产党自成立之日起，就始终把宣传科学无神论和破除封建迷信列为党的一项重要工作。从成立初期到土地革命时期、抗日战争时期和解放战争时期，中国共产党坚持以马克思主义为指导，根据不同历史阶段所面临的革命任务和实际情况，开展了一系列具有中国特色的无神论宣传教育活动，为实现劳苦大众的思想解放与观念革新进行了“拓荒”式斗争，奠定了中国共产党无神论宣传教育的实践基础和思想理论基础。

(I) The May Fourth Movement Period: The Beginning and Start of Atheist Propaganda and Education

（一）五四运动时期：无神论宣传教育的开端起步

As the great beginning of the New Democratic Revolution, the May Fourth Movement was not only a thorough anti-imperialist and anti-feudal mass movement led by the proletariat, but also a great ideological enlightenment movement. After the May Fourth Movement, following a period of ideological liberation and cultural innovation movements, advanced intellectuals, after repeatedly comparing various social trends of thought, became communists. The propagation of Marxism gradually became the mainstream of social thought, and the Communist Party of China emerged as the times required. The CPC’s historical tradition of advocating science and eradicating superstition can be traced back to the May Fourth Movement period.

作为新民主主义革命的伟大开端，五四运动不仅是无产阶级领导的彻底的反帝反封建的群众运动，也是一次伟大的思想启蒙运动。五四运动后，经过一段时期的思想解放和文化革新运动，先进的知识分子在反复比较各种社会思潮后成为了共产主义者，宣传马克思主义渐始成为社会思想的主流，中国共产党也由此应运而生。中国共产党崇尚科学、破除迷信的历史传统，可以追溯到五四运动时期。

As early as the eve of the May Fourth Movement, along with the rise of the trend of revering Confucius and restoring ancient ways, spiritualist thought also prevailed in Chinese society. With the support of the Beiyang government [1]1 The Beiyang government was the central government of China from 1912 to 1928, based in Beijing and dominated by warlord factions., newly emerging religious groups represented by the Spiritualist Society were established one after another. These groups, under the banners of “new science” and “super-science,” vigorously advocated the immortality of the soul and the existence of ghosts and gods, publishing and distributing periodicals such as *The Spiritualist Series* and *The Spiritualist Monthly* that disseminated theistic ideas, profoundly affecting the in-depth development of China’s ideological liberation. Without criticizing theism, it would be difficult to achieve the goal of ideological liberation. “Marxism has always held that all modern religions and churches, and all kinds of religious organizations, are instruments of the bourgeois reactionary clique for defending the system of exploitation and for narcotizing the working class.” [2]2 This is a paraphrase of a standard Marxist-Leninist position on religion, often cited from Lenin’s works. Advanced intellectuals influenced by Marxism, using *New Youth* [3]3 *New Youth* (《新青年》) was a leading Chinese intellectual magazine founded by Chen Duxiu in 1915, which became a key platform for the New Culture Movement and the spread of Marxism. as their阵地, shouldered the responsibility of propagating science and opposing superstition, becoming the main force of atheist propaganda and education at that time. To propagate science and atheism, Chen Duxiu [4]4 Chen Duxiu (陈独秀, 1879–1942) was a co-founder of the CPC and a leading intellectual of the New Culture Movement. invited a number of renowned scientists to contribute to *New Youth*. Articles by prominent figures in the intellectual world, such as Ma Junwu’s [5]5 Ma Junwu (马君武, 1881–1940) was a Chinese scholar, translator, and educator known for introducing Western scientific and philosophical ideas. translation of *Haeckel’s Monistic Philosophy*, Wang Xinggong’s [6]6 Wang Xinggong (王星拱, 1888–1949) was a Chinese chemist and educator. *The Origin and Effects of Science*, *The Earth Before the Existence of Living Beings*, and *The Earth Before the Existence of Humans*, Zhou Jianren’s [7]7 Zhou Jianren (周建人, 1888–1984) was a Chinese biologist and writer, younger brother of Lu Xun. *The Origin of Life* and *Darwinism*, and psychologist Chen Daqi’s [8]8 Chen Daqi (陈大齐, 1886–1983) was a Chinese psychologist and philosopher. *Refuting Spiritualism*, were all published in *New Youth*. These scientists, with their professional scientific literacy and knowledge of natural science, exposed the “pseudo-scientific” veil of the spiritualist school and refuted the absurdities of superstitious beliefs about ghosts and gods. Among them, *Haeckel’s Monistic Philosophy*, based on materialist monism, pointed out that matter is the objective entity of all existence, “the indestructibility of matter and the indestructibility of force are the fundamental laws of the world, and the whole world is governed by these laws.” [9]9 This is a direct quotation from Ma Junwu’s translation of Ernst Haeckel’s work. Humans and their unique advanced consciousness are the results of the movement and transformation of matter, which powerfully criticized idealist theories such as God and ghosts. Upon publication, it received widespread acclaim. In addition, Chen Duxiu, Lu Xun [10]10 Lu Xun (鲁迅, 1881–1936) was a leading Chinese writer and intellectual, a central figure of the New Culture Movement., Yi Baisha [11]11 Yi Baisha (易白沙, 1886–1921) was a Chinese scholar and revolutionary., and others also published multiple articles in *New Youth*, such as *Questioning the Theory of Ghosts* and *The Various Masters’ Theory of No Ghosts*, using materialist viewpoints and the achievements of natural science to expose and criticize the absurdity and harm of religious and superstitious ideas about ghosts and gods from multiple perspectives including history, political science, and sociology. The atheist propaganda of *New Youth* had a considerable impact on the masses, especially among young students. It struck at conservative superstitious forces, awakened and fostered a consciousness of advocating science among the general public, and provided ideological preparation and a social foundation for subsequent atheist propaganda and education.

早在五四运动前夕，随着尊孔复古思潮的兴起，灵学思想也在中国社会盛行一时。在北洋政府的支持下，以灵学会为代表的新兴宗教团体纷纷成立，这些团体打着“新科学”和“超科学”的旗帜，大肆提倡灵魂不灭和鬼神存在说，出版发行《灵学丛刊》《灵学月刊》等散布有神论思想的期刊，深刻影响中国思想解放的深入发展。不批判有神论，就难以达成思想解放的目标。“马克思主义始终认为现代所有的宗教和教会、各式各样的宗教团体，都是资产阶级反对派用来捍卫剥削制度、麻醉工人阶级的机构。”受马克思主义影响的先进知识分子以《新青年》为阵地，担负起宣传科学，反对迷信的重任，成为当时无神论宣传教育的主要力量。为了宣传科学与无神论，陈独秀邀请了一批知名科学家为《新青年》撰稿，思想界著名人物马君武翻译的《赫克尔之一元哲学》、王星拱的《科学的起源和效果》《未有生物以前之地球》和《未有人类以前之地球》、周建人的《生物之起源》和《达尔文主义》和心理学家陈大齐的《辟灵学》等等文章均在《新青年》上发表。这些科学家以专业的科学素养和自然科学知识，揭露了灵学派的“伪科学”面纱，破斥了关于鬼神迷信的无稽之谈。其中《赫克尔之一元哲学》，它立足于唯物主义一元论，指出物质就是一切存在的客观实体，“物质不灭物力不灭，是为世界根本律，全世界皆为此定律之所范围”，人类及人类特有的高级意识都是物质运动转化的结果，有力地批判了上帝鬼神等唯心主义理论，一经发表就受到了广泛赞誉。除此之外，陈独秀、鲁迅、易白沙等人也在《新青年》发表了《有鬼论质疑》《诸子无鬼论》等多篇文章，运用唯物主义的观点和自然科学成就，从历史学、政治学和社会学等多个角度揭露和批判了宗教鬼神思想的荒谬和危害。《新青年》的无神论宣传在民众尤其是青年学生中产生了较大反响，它打击了迷信保守势力，唤醒和催生了社会大众的崇尚科学的意识，为后续的无神论宣传教育提供了思想准备和社会基础。

After the May Fourth Movement, with the spread of Marxism in China and the founding of the Communist Party of China, atheist propaganda and education gained the guidance of scientific theory and advanced organization. In March 1922, in order to resist imperialist cultural control and economic aggression using Christianity as a tool, early Communists such as Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, and Luo Zhanglong, together with some socially renowned figures, organized the Anti-Religion League in Beijing, launching a social movement against religious superstition. In this movement, early Communists and socially renowned figures used public speeches, distributing leaflets, and publishing periodicals to spread atheist ideas to the masses. In April 1922, the Anti-Religion League held a speech conference at the Third Courtyard of Peking University, where Cai Yuanpei, Li Dazhao, and others delivered speeches, pointing out that religion “hinders the spirit of thoroughly seeking truth and is a huge obstacle to human progress, so we must resolutely oppose it.” After the speeches, the more than 1,000 Chinese and foreign attendees applauded the new ideas. In April 1922, the North China Athletic Meet was held in Jinan; the local Party organization distributed over 12,000 anti-Christian leaflets to the visiting crowd, who “expressed deep sympathy for the leaflets distributed.” To enhance readability and interest, the leaflets not only printed anti-Christian cartoons but also many catchy rhymes, such as “God is false, heaven is imaginary. To save ourselves we must rely on ourselves. … We must not believe in him.” In June 1922, Luo Zhanglong and others from the Peking University Party branch edited and published the book *On Anti-Religion*. The book contained 33 anti-religion essays, including a copperplate portrait of Marx and his anti-religion maxim “Religion is the opium of the people,” followed by three maps showing the distribution of religious “poisoning” across provinces, and it circulated widely among the masses. In December 1923, the Yadong Library published the two-volume *Science and Philosophy of Life*, with a preface by Chen Duxiu, who used historical materialism to refute the idealism of Liang Qichao, Zhang Junmai, and others, condemned the superstitious behaviors of Chinese people such as believing in ghosts and spirits, charms, fortune-telling, and divination, and advocated establishing a scientific outlook on life. Starting in August 1924, the *Republic Daily* published a total of 25 issues of the *Special Anti-Christian Supplement*; Communist Party members such as Chen Duxiu, Yun Daiying, and Xiao Chunü also published multiple articles in periodicals like *China Youth* and *The Pioneer*, which not only promoted Marxist materialism and atheism but also denounced religious superstition for “advocating various spirits as explanations, truly hindering human evolution” and “not only limiting people’s material freedom but also permanently binding their spirit and thought.” In rural areas, when leading the peasant revolution, the Party took advantage of temple fairs, market gatherings, and other activities to expose the hypocrisy and harm of religious superstition to peasants in plain language. While they saw that “all feudal patriarchal ideas and systems were shaken with the rise of peasant power,” they also clearly realized that the destruction of “superstitious concepts” was “a natural result after the victory of political and economic struggles. If excessive force is used to rigidly and forcibly destroy these things, it will inevitably be seized upon by local bullies and evil gentry as a pretext,” who would raise counterrevolutionary slogans such as “the Peasant Association does not worship ancestors” and “the Peasant Association deceives the gods and destroys the Way,” initially demonstrating the political strategy of using Marxism to guide atheist propaganda and education.

五四运动后，随着马克思主义在中国的传播和中国共产党的成立，无神论宣传教育有了科学理论和先进组织的引领。1922年3月，为了反抗帝国主义以基督教为工具对中国的文化控制和经济侵略，陈独秀、李大钊、罗章龙等早期共产党人，联合部分社会知名人士在北京组织非宗教同盟，发起了反对宗教迷信的社会运动。在这场运动中，早期共产党人和社会知名人士运用公开演讲、散发传单、出版刊物等向群众传播无神论思想。1922年4月，非宗教同盟在北京大学三院召开演讲大会，蔡元培、李大钊等人发表演讲，指出宗教“妨碍彻底探求真理的精神，是人类进步的巨大的障碍，因而我们必须竭力加以反对”。演讲结束后，参会的1000余名中外人士纷纷为新思想鼓掌。1922年4月，华北运动会在济南举行，当地党组织向参观群众散发了12000余份反基督教传单，观会群众对“所发的传单深表同情”。为了增强可读性和趣味性，传单上不仅印有反基督教的漫画，还有不少朗朗上口的歌谣，如“上帝是假的，天堂是想象的。我们要救自己须靠自己。……我们切不要信他。”1922年6月，中共北大支部罗章龙等人编辑出版了《非宗教论》一书。该书共收录反宗教论文33篇，其中印有马克思的铜版肖像及其“宗教是人群的鸦片”的非宗教名言，后附全国各省宗教“教毒”分布图三幅，在群众中流传很广。1923年12月亚东图书馆出版《科学与人生观》上下两册，陈独秀为之作序，以唯物史观驳斥梁启超、张君劢等人的唯心论，斥责国人迷信巫鬼、符咒、算命、卜卦等愚昧行为，主张建立科学人生观。1924年8月开始，《民国日报》共发行了25期《反基督教特刊》，陈独秀、恽代英、肖楚女等中国共产党党员也在《中国青年》《先驱》等刊物上刊发了多篇文章，不仅宣传了马克思主义唯物论和无神论，还指责宗教迷信“倡为各种神灵以作解说，实在障碍人类进化”，“不但限制人们的物质自由，而且要永远地束缚人们的精神与思想”。在农村地区，党在领导农民革命时，利用庙会、赶集等活动契机，以通俗易懂的语言向农民揭露宗教迷信的虚伪和危害，他们在看到“所有一切封建的宗法思想和制度，都随着农民权力的升涨而动摇”的同时，也已经明确意识到，“迷信观念”的破坏，“乃是政治斗争和经济斗争胜利以后自然而然的结果。若用过大的力量生硬地勉强地从事这些东西的破坏，那就必被土豪劣绅借为口实”，提出诸如“农民协会不孝祖宗”“农民协会欺神灭道”等反革命宣传KOUHAO，初步显示出运用马克思主义引领无神论宣传教育的政治策略性。

Early advanced intellectuals and progressive figures, by using public speeches, distributing propaganda leaflets, and issuing public publications, initially established a propaganda front against religious superstition, expanded the influence of atheist education, and effectively promoted the ideological enlightenment and liberation movement, accumulating preliminary experience for the Communist Party of China to explore effective ways and methods of conducting atheist propaganda and education.

早期先进的知识分子和进步人士运用公开演讲、散发宣传传单和发行公开出版物，初步建立了反对宗教迷信的宣传阵地，扩大了无神论教育的影响力，也有力推动了思想启蒙和解放运动，为中国共产党探索开展无神论宣传教育的有效途径和方式积累了初步经验。

(2) The Agrarian Revolutionary War Period: Steady Advancement of Atheist Propaganda and Education

（二）土地革命时期：无神论宣传教育的稳步推进

During the Agrarian Revolutionary War period, the Party’s work focus shifted to the countryside, and military struggle against the Kuomintang reactionaries became the primary task of the revolution. With the establishment and consolidation of revolutionary base areas, the Party had to place military work, economic work, and political work at the forefront of the revolution. At this time, atheist education also faced new situations and challenges. On the one hand, revolutionary base areas were mostly located in remote mountainous regions, with blocked transportation and backward culture; “over 90 percent of the people in the entire Soviet area were illiterate,” and the people’s superstitious beliefs in ghosts and gods were extremely entrenched. On the other hand, superstitious practices such as praying to gods and worshipping Buddha (according to statistics, there were 3,915 temples in Jiangxi’s 23 counties alone), geomancy and divination, burning incense and kowtowing were prevalent, and feudal clan forces were extremely powerful, seriously disrupting social stability and the revolutionary movement. In order to mobilize the masses to participate in military and political struggles, enhance their revolutionary enthusiasm, and seize leadership and discursive power in ideological work, the Party, on the basis of abolishing the feudal land ownership system, integrated atheist propaganda and education with political struggle and political power construction, carrying out atheist propaganda and education tailored to local conditions. The main explorations were as follows.

土地革命时期，党的工作重心转向农村，反对国民党反动派的军事斗争成为革命的首要任务。随着革命根据地的建立和巩固，党不得不把军事斗争、经济工作、政治工作放在革命的首要位置。此时的无神论教育也面临着新形势和新挑战。一方面，革命根据地大都处于偏远山区，交通闭塞，文化落后，“全苏区有百分之九十以上的人都不识字”，民众的鬼神迷信思想极为牢固。另一方面，求神拜佛（据统计，仅江西23县就有寺庙3915所）、占卜堪舆、烧香磕头等迷信现象较为盛行，封建宗族势力极为强大，严重干扰了社会稳定和革命运动。为了反动人民群众参加军事斗争和政治斗争，提高群众革命的积极性，掌握意识形态工作领导权和话语权，党在废除封建土地所有制的基础上，把无神论宣传教育同政治斗争和政权建设结合起来，因地制宜地展开无神论宣传教育，主要探索如下。

First, unifying political power construction and atheist education to provide institutional guarantees for atheist education. The 1934 *Constitutional Outline of the Chinese Soviet Republic* clearly stipulated: “(The Chinese Soviet political power) absolutely implements the principle of separation of church and state. … All Soviet citizens have the freedom of anti-religious propaganda,” establishing the legality and authority of atheist education in the form of a fundamental law. Moreover, the Soviet government resolutely implemented the basic principle of separating religion from education, “separating religion from education and schools, prohibiting any religion from interfering in education and schools, and abolishing Confucian education, which had ruled over education and schools for thousands of years.”[12]12 *Central Revolutionary Base Area Historical Data Library* (Political Power System Volume 7), People’s Publishing House, 2013, p. 1117. Formulating and promulgating relevant policies and laws safeguarded atheist education and promoted its legalization and standardization.

第一，将政权建设和无神论教育统一起来，为无神论教育提供制度保障。1934年《中华苏维埃宪法大纲》明确规定：“（中华苏维埃政权）绝对实行政教分离的原则。……一切苏维埃公民有反宗教宣传之自由”，以根本大法的形式确立了无神论教育的合法性和权威性。不仅如此，苏维埃政府还坚决贯彻宗教与教育相分离的基本原则，“把宗教与教育和学校相分离，禁止任何宗教干预教育和学校，把数千年统治于教育和学校的孔教废止”[ 《中央革命根据地历史资料文库》（政权系统7），人民出版社，2013年，第1117页。]。制定颁行相关的政策法律，为无神论教育保驾护航，推动了无神论教育的法治化规范化建设。

Second, widely establishing schools to popularize natural science and common knowledge of atheism. Soviet governments at all levels, by widely establishing Lenin primary schools, cadre schools, adult night schools, and literacy classes, raised the people’s scientific and cultural quality, providing an educational foundation for escaping superstition. In the Central Soviet Area, the curricula and textbooks of various types of schools incorporated much content promoting science and opposing superstition. For example, the *Workers’ and Peasants’ Reader* used for mass literacy included chapters such as “Breaking Superstition” and “The Consequences of Superstition”; the Lenin primary school textbook had 205 lessons in total, of which 58 lessons were about natural science, physiology and hygiene, and opposing superstition, accounting for 28.3% of the total. In educating students, the textbooks used educational methods popular with the masses to promote atheist ideas. For instance, Lesson 21 of Book 1 of the *Communist Children’s Reader* contained a rhyme: “Has a mouth but cannot speak, has hands but cannot work, has feet but cannot walk, has ears and eyes but cannot hear or see. Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva, what use are you?” This used simple reasoning to guide children against superstition and was very persuasive. Cadre atheist education mainly focused on materialism and natural science education.

第二，广泛开办学校，普及自然科学和无神论常识。各级苏维埃通过广泛开办列宁小学、干部学校、成人夜校和识字班，提高人民科学文化素质，为摆脱迷信提供了教育基础。在中央苏区，各类学校的课程教本都内置了很多宣传科学、反对迷信的内容，如用于群众扫盲的《工农读本》中就有《打破迷信》《迷信的后果》等篇目，列宁小学课本共有205课，其中关于自然科学、生理卫生和反对迷信的课程共58课，占总课数的28.3%。在教育学生上，课程教本运用群众喜闻乐见的教育方式宣传无神论思想，如《共产儿童读本》第1册第21课的顺口溜，“有口不会说，有手不会做，有足不会走，有耳有眼不会听看。菩萨，菩萨，你有什么用呢？”就用浅显的道理引导儿童反对迷信，很有说服力。干部的无神论教育则以唯物主义和自然科学教育为主。

Third, publishing newspapers and magazines to expand the influence of atheist education. In addition to developing education, revolutionary base areas also popularized atheist knowledge through publishing newspapers and magazines. *Red China*, as the first organ newspaper founded by the Party in the Central Soviet Area, shouldered the propaganda mission of promoting science and opposing superstition. At that time, the scientific and cultural level of the masses in the Soviet area was low, sanitary conditions were poor, and when encountering diseases and epidemics, they tended to pray to gods and worship Buddha. *Red China* published a series of articles such as “Everyone Rise Up to Do the Epidemic Prevention Hygiene Campaign” and “Ruijin’s Epidemic Prevention Campaign,” demanding that all localities “extensively deepen the hygiene campaign and the propaganda to break superstition,” carrying out atheist education in the process of popularizing hygiene. *Youth Truth* also specially opened a column to break superstition, answering superstitious phenomena encountered by the masses in production and daily life, helping them reform religious and ghost-god concepts in their minds.

第三，发行报刊杂志，扩大无神论教育的影响力。除了发展教育外，革命根据地还通过发行报刊来普及无神论知识。《红色中华》作为党在中央苏区创立的第一份机关报，肩负着提倡科学、反对迷信的宣传使命。当时苏区群众科学文化水平低，卫生条件差，遇到疾病瘟疫倾向于求神拜佛，《红色中华》发表了《大家起来做防疫的卫生运动》《瑞金的防疫运动》等系列文章，要求各地“要广泛的深入卫生运动与打破迷信的宣传”，在普及卫生运动中开展了无神论教育。《青年实话》也专门开辟了破除迷信的专栏，回答了群众在生产生活中遇到的迷信现象，帮助群众革新头脑中的宗教、鬼神观念。

(3) The War of Resistance Against Japan and the War of Liberation Period: In-depth Development of Atheist Propaganda and Education

（三）抗日战争和解放战争时期：无神论宣传教育的深入发展

Under the long-term influence of oppression by imperialism and feudalism, modern China, especially the vast rural areas, was economically and culturally backward, with feudal superstition prevalent. Ignorant and backward superstitions about ghosts and gods not only imprisoned the thinking of the masses and affected their production and daily life, but also seriously hindered the development of the revolutionary cause, to the extent that Comrade Mao Zedong referred to “superstition” together with “illiteracy” and “unhygienic habits” as “enemies in the minds of the masses.” [13]13 Mao Zedong, “On Coalition Government” (1945). To advance the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan and the War of Liberation, the CPC, while uniting patriotic figures in religious circles and the broad masses of religious believers, emphasized that New Democratic culture was scientific, opposed all feudal ideas and superstitious thinking, incorporated the struggle against feudal superstition into the program of the New Democratic Revolution, and pushed atheist propaganda and education to develop in depth in terms of ideology and theory.

在帝国主义和封建主义压迫的长期影响下，近代中国特别是广大农村地区经济文化落后，封建迷信现象普遍存在。愚昧落后的鬼神迷信不仅禁锢着群众的思想，影响群众生产生活，而且也严重影响革命事业的发展，以致于毛泽东同志把“迷信”同“文盲”和“不卫生的习惯”并称为“群众脑子里的敌人”。为推动抗日战争和解放战争的胜利，中国共产党在团结宗教界爱国人士和广大信教群众的同时，强调新民主主义文化是科学的，是反对一切封建思想和迷信思想的，将反封建迷信纳入新民主主义革命纲领之中，推动无神论宣传教育向思想理论的纵深发展。

First, arm the mind with Marxist theory and promote the development of the theoretical form of atheist propaganda and education. In the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, schools at all levels arranged many courses propagating materialism and scientific knowledge; *Dialectical Materialism* and *Historical Materialism* were set as compulsory courses in higher education institutions and cadre schools, with Party leaders personally serving as lecturers. In 1937, Mao Zedong lectured on philosophy at the Counter-Japanese Military and Political University in Yan’an. When explaining Marxist materialism, he clearly stated: “Materialism means understanding the world according to the natural original appearance of the world, without adding spiritual or other causes to explain the world,” and on this basis he analyzed and criticized superstitions about ghosts and gods and other forms of idealism. The base areas also used Party newspapers and journals to popularize materialism and atheism and eradicate feudal superstition. The *Liberation Daily*, run by the CPC Central Committee, published articles such as “Propagate Materialism,” “Launch the Struggle Against Witchcraft,” “A Small Statistical Account of the Crimes of Witch Doctors,” “Oppose Building Temples to Encourage Superstition,” “The Law of Conservation of Matter,” “The War Between Humans and Plague,” and “How to Eliminate Bacteria,” all of which opposed superstition and popularized science. Following instructions from the CPC Central Committee, the base areas actively carried out the construction of New Democratic culture, developed cultural education, and popularized scientific and cultural knowledge. In September 1940, Hu Qiaomu published “An Outline for Opposing Superstition” in *Chinese Youth*, using popular and easy-to-understand language to help people clearly recognize what superstition is, its origins, its errors, its harms, and how to defeat it, playing an important role in strengthening atheist education.

第一，用马克思主义理论武装头脑，推动无神论宣传教育理论形态的发展。在陕甘宁根据地，各级学校都安排了许多宣传唯物主义和科学知识的课程，《辩证唯物主义》《唯物史观》被高等院校和干部学院设为必修课，党的领导人亲自担任主讲。1937年，毛泽东在延安抗日军事政治大学主讲哲学，他在讲解马克思主义唯物论时明确指出：“唯物论就是要按照世界的自然的本来面目来理解世界，而不再附加上一些精神之类的原因来解释世界”，并以此为基础分析和批判鬼神迷信等唯心主义。各根据地还通过党报党刊来普及唯物论和无神论，破除封建迷信。中共中央主办的《解放日报》曾刊登了《宣传唯物论》《开展反对巫神的斗争》《巫神罪恶小统计》《反对盖庙助长迷信》《物质不灭定律》《人和鼠疫的战争》《怎样消灭细菌》等反对迷信、普及科学的文章。各根据地根据中共中央的指示，积极开展新民主主义文化建设工作，发展文化教育，普及科学文化知识。1940年9月，胡乔木在《中国青年》发表《反迷信提纲》，用通俗易懂的大众化语言，让人们清楚地认识到什么是迷信、迷信的产生、迷信的错误、迷信的危害、怎样打倒迷信等问题，对加强无神论教育起到了重要作用。

Second, implement systematic and diversified national education to help the masses improve their scientific literacy and eradicate superstition. In the early period of the War of Liberation, the Party carried out systematic and diversified education in natural science and anti-superstition through school education, social education, and cadre education, achieving good results. In the later period of the War of Liberation, the various liberated areas gradually established a relatively systematic and formal national education system, laying the foundation for popularizing scientific knowledge. In 1948, the North China Liberated Area clearly stipulated that primary and secondary education must include courses in natural science (botany, zoology, mineralogy, chemistry, physics) and physiology and hygiene, to help students eliminate superstitious ideas and initially establish a materialist viewpoint. The Jiangsu-Anhui Border Area explicitly required that scientific common sense and anti-superstition content be incorporated into the curriculum, and also dealt with a number of teachers and schools that propagated theism. In 1949, the North China Higher Education Conference listed *Dialectical Materialism and Historical Materialism* as a compulsory public course. In terms of social education, in addition to continuing methods such as winter schools and night schools, atheist education was also combined with the “speaking bitterness” movement. [14]14 The “speaking bitterness” movement (诉苦运动) was a mass mobilization method used by the CPC during the land reform and civil war periods, in which poor peasants and other oppressed groups publicly recounted their past suffering under landlords and the Kuomintang to raise class consciousness. Under the organization and mobilization of the government, a number of awakened superstitious masses and witch doctors themselves took the stage, using their personal experiences to expose and denounce the deception and harm of ghost and god superstition; many in the audience were so angry after listening that they said they would never be superstitious again. In terms of cadre education, cadre institutions such as the People’s Revolutionary University not only set *Historical Materialism* as a compulsory course, but also made “From Ape to Man” the first lesson of the school term, requiring students to read works such as *Theses on Feuerbach* and *Anti-Dühring* to establish a materialist worldview.

第二，实行系统化、多样化的国民教育，帮助群众提高科学素质，破除迷信。在解放战争前期，党通过学校教育、社会教育和干部教育，开展了系统化、多样化的自然科学和反迷信教育，收到了很好的效果。在解放战争后期，各个解放区逐步建立了较为系统正规的国民教育制度，为普及科学知识奠定了基础。1948年，华北解放区明确规定，中小学教育必须包括自然科学（植物、动物、矿物、化学、物理）和生理卫生等课程，帮助学生消灭迷信观念，初步建立唯物主义观点。苏皖边区明确要求将科学常识和反迷信内容纳入课程内容，还处理了一批宣传有神论的教师和学校。1949年，华北高教会将《辩证唯物论和历史唯物论》列为公共必修课。在社会教育方面，除了延续冬学、夜校等方式外，还把无神论教育与诉苦运动结合在一起。在政府的组织和发动下，一批觉悟了的迷信群众和巫婆亲自上台，用亲身经历揭露控诉鬼神迷信的欺骗和危害，不少群众听完后气愤不已，表示再也不迷信了。在干部教育方面，人民革命大学等干部院校不仅把《历史唯物主义》设为必修课，还将《从猿到人》设为开学第一课，要求学员必须阅读《费尔巴哈的提纲》《反杜林论》等著作，树立唯物主义世界观。

Third, vigorously carry out popular activities such as drama to push atheist propaganda and education into the daily life of the masses. In the anti-Japanese base areas, the vast majority of the masses had a low cultural level and were illiterate; to stimulate their enthusiasm for participating in atheist education, it was necessary to give full play to the important role of literary and artistic activities. Drama, as an art form loved by the masses, was an excellent vehicle for propagating science and opposing superstition. Literary and art workers in the base areas, together with the masses, created plays such as *Opposing the Witch* and *The Demon-Revealing Mirror*, which, by exposing the tricks of witch doctors and shamans who pretended to communicate with ghosts and gods, educated the people to recognize their purpose of swindling money. This method of atheist education was highly persuasive; the masses loved to listen and watch. One peasant said, “Performing one play is better than holding ten days of meetings.” The Party also used new technologies such as radio and film to carry out atheist propaganda and education. Radio had the characteristics of wide coverage, fast transmission speed, and low cost; even illiterate masses could receive atheist education through radio. For example, Dalian Radio Station invited experts to host columns such as “Natural Science” and “Health Knowledge,” introducing scientific, health, and atheist knowledge to the masses in easy-to-understand language. Xinhua Radio Station combined qinshu [15]15 Qinshu (琴书) is a form of Chinese folk storytelling accompanied by stringed instruments. with atheist education to create the opera *Testing the Witch*. This play told the story of a cultural instructor who, by pretending to be ill, engaged in a battle of wits with a witch, ultimately exposing the true face of superstitious activities: “Where do ghosts, gods, and monsters come from? They are all the foolish arrangements of ignorant people. Witches and their charms create mischief, pretending to be ghosts and gods to get rich.” In addition, film also became a new means of conducting atheist education during this period. In 1948, the Northeast Film Studio shot the Party’s first science education film, *Preventing the Plague*, which systematically introduced the origins, harms, and prevention methods of the plague using easy-to-understand methods, refuting the superstitious idea that the plague was spread by the god of pestilence.

第三，大力开展戏剧等大众化活动，推动无神论宣传教育进入人民群众的日常生活。在抗日根据地，绝大部分群众文化水平低、不识字，要激发他们参加无神论教育的积极性，就必须发挥文艺活动的重要作用。戏剧作为人民群众喜闻乐见的艺术活动，是宣传科学、反对迷信的优良载体。根据地的文艺工作者和群众一起创作了《反巫婆》《照妖镜》等剧目，通过揭露巫婆神汉装神弄鬼的把戏，教育民众认清他们诓骗钱财的目的。这种无神论教育方式说服力强，群众爱听爱看，有农民说，“演一出戏比开十天会都强”。党还借助广播、电影等新技术开展无神论宣传教育。广播具有覆盖面广、传播速度快、成本低等特点，文盲群众也可以借助广播接受无神论教育。如大连广播台曾邀请专家举办了《自然科学》《卫生知识》等栏目，以通俗易懂的语言向群众介绍科学、卫生和无神论知识。新华广播台将琴书和无神论教育结合起来，创作了戏曲《考神婆》。该剧讲述了文化教员通过装病与神婆斗智斗勇，最终揭露了迷信活动的真面目，“鬼怪神仙哪里来，都是愚人瞎安排。神婆法马胡作怪，装神弄鬼为发财。”除此之外，电影也成为这一时期开展无神论教育的新手段。1948年，东北电影厂拍摄了我党第一部科教片《预防鼠疫》，该片运用通俗易懂的方法，系统介绍了鼠疫的由来、危害和防治方法，驳斥了鼠疫是瘟神散播的迷信思想。

II. The Experience of the CPC’s Atheist Propaganda and Education during the New Democratic Revolution Period

二、新民主主义革命时期中国共产党无神论宣传教育的经验

Atheist propaganda and education was an important part of the CPC’s ideological work during the New Democratic Revolution period. Looking at the entire process of carrying out atheist propaganda and education during the New Democratic Revolution period, the CPC always adhered to Marxist atheism, combined it with the national condition of economic and cultural backwardness, took the central tasks of revolutionary armed struggle and political power construction as the core, carried out atheist propaganda and education in diverse forms and with rich content, effectively promoted Party building, safeguarded ideological security, and improved the scientific and cultural literacy of the masses, accumulating rich experience in effectively advancing atheist propaganda and education.

无神论宣传教育是中国共产党在新民主主义革命时期意识形态工作的重要内容。纵观新民主主义革命时期开展无神论宣传教育的历程，中国共产党始终坚持马克思主义无神论，结合经济文化落后的国情，以革命武装斗争、政权建设等中心工作为核心，开展形式多样、内容丰富的无神论宣传教育，有力地推动党的建设、维护意识形态安全、提高人民群众科学文化素养等工作，积累了有效推进无神论宣传教育的丰富经验。

(1) Adhere to historical materialism and enhance the persuasiveness of atheist propaganda and education

（一）坚持唯物史观，提高无神论宣传教育的说服力

Marxist atheism, grounded in dialectical materialism and historical materialism, most profoundly reveals the roots of origin, social basis and developmental trends of religious superstitious activities. It is the most scientific and most thorough atheism to date, and it is also the ideological compass for the CPC’s atheist education. The CPC’s understanding of Marxist atheism underwent a process from shallow to deep, from one-sided to comprehensive. Correspondingly, the CPC’s atheist propaganda and education also underwent a process of gradual deepening. Yet the working method that ran through this entire process was to take historical materialism as the guide and enhance the persuasiveness of atheist propaganda and education. During the Agrarian Revolution period, the CPC, based on the fundamental viewpoints of historical materialism, emphasized the ultimately determining role of the economic and social base for atheist education, and advocated taking political struggle and economic struggle as the breakthrough points, so that the masses would understand the oppressive and exploitative nature of ghosts, gods and superstitions, and actively resist and eliminate them. Mao Zedong also pointed out that the elimination of superstitious ideas “is the natural result after the victory of political struggle and economic struggle” [16]16 Mao Zedong, “Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan” (March 1927)., so when carrying out atheist education, the policy of “drawing the bow without releasing the arrow, as if leaping into the air” [17]17 A phrase from *Mencius*, meaning to show the method without forcing it on people; Mao used it to advocate patient persuasion rather than coercion in atheist education. should be adopted. The Hunan District Party Committee organ *The Soldier* once published an article stating: “Superstition is a product of patriarchal society, a talisman for the feudal class to maintain its ruling position. Therefore, if we want to break superstition, we can only break the ruling position of the feudal class. According to the Marxist view that religion, customs, etc., are the superstructure of the economic structure, this should be the case.” [18]18 *The Soldier* (战士), the official journal of the CPC Hunan District Committee during the 1920s. During the War of Resistance Against Japan and the War of Liberation, the CPC clearly recognized that religious superstition is a reflection of social existence and will gradually disappear with the development of the social economy, but this is a long historical process. Patriotic figures in religious circles and the broad masses of religious believers were also an important force in the Chinese revolution. Communist Party members must adhere to Marxist atheism in their ideological beliefs, but in political leadership they must implement freedom of religious belief, continuously consolidating and expanding the Party’s patriotic united front with religious circles. Criticizing theism must rely on atheist propaganda and education, and cannot simply adopt administrative orders. Practice has proven that to enhance the persuasiveness and targetedness of atheist education, it is necessary to deepen the theoretical understanding of Marxist atheism.

马克思主义无神论是以辩证唯物主义和历史唯物主义为基础，最深刻地揭示了宗教迷信活动的产生根源、社会基础及其发展趋势，是迄今为止最科学、最彻底的无神论，也是中国共产党开展无神论教育的思想指针。中国共产党对马克思主义无神论的认识却经历了一个由浅到深、由片面到全面的过程，与此相适应，中国共产党的无神论宣传教育也经历了一个在逐步深入发展的过程。然而贯穿这一过程始终的工作方法，就是以唯物史观为指导，提高无神论宣传教育的说服力。在土地革命时期，中国共产党根据唯物史观的基本观点，强调经济社会基础对无神论教育的最终决定作用，主张以政治斗争和经济斗争为突破口，让人民群众明白鬼神迷信的压迫剥削本质，主动抵制、消除鬼神迷信。毛泽东也指出，迷信观念的消除“乃是政治斗争和经济斗争胜利以后自然而然的结果”，所以在开展无神论教育时要采取“引而不发，跃如也”的政策。湖南区委机关刊物《战士》曾刊文指出：“迷信是宗法社会的产物，是封建阶级维持其统治地位之护身符，因此我们要打破迷信，便只有打破封建阶级的统治地位。根据马克思主义宗教、风俗等是经济构造的上层建筑物来说，应该是如此的。”在抗日战争和解放战争时期，中国共产党明确认为，宗教迷信是社会存在的反映，会随着社会经济的发展而逐渐消亡，但这是一个漫长的历史过程。宗教界爱国人士和广大信教群众也是中国革命的重要力量，共产党员在思想信仰上要坚持马克思主义无神论，但在政治领导上要实行宗教信仰自由，不断巩固和扩大党同宗教界的爱国统一战线。批判有神论要依靠无神论宣传教育，不能简单地采取行政命令。实践证明，要想提高无神论教育的说服力和针对性，就必须深化对马克思主义无神论的理论认识。

(2) Adhere to the Party’s leadership, enhance the guiding force of atheist propaganda and education

（二）坚持党的领导，提高无神论宣传教育的引导力

From the day of its founding, the CPC has unswervingly adhered to the Marxist atheist stance and persistently propagated Marxist materialism and atheism to the masses. It can be said that Marxist atheism is the political soul and spiritual origin that the CPC shares its destiny with. The series of atheist propaganda and education activities carried out during the New Democratic Revolution period were inseparable from the Party’s strong leadership and vigorous support. In the anti-religion movement that arose in 1922, the newly founded CPC invested immense effort and energy, playing an extremely important leading role in organizing the movement; “the general headquarters of the movement was in the hands of the Central Bureau of the Communist Party from the very first day.” [19]19 The anti-religion movement of 1922 was a nationwide campaign led by the CPC and other progressive forces against Christian missionary influence in China. During the Agrarian Revolution period, the CPC began to construct an atheist education system: in the institutional system, laws and regulations served as institutional guarantees, with the abolition of the feudal land system and clan system as the focus, providing a favorable social environment for atheist education; in terms of educational targets, Party members and cadres, Red Army cadres, and youth served as models, carrying out atheist education for the entire people; in terms of educational methods, school education served as the main channel, carrying out extensive propaganda among the masses. During the War of Resistance Against Japan and the War of Liberation, the CPC incorporated the promotion of science and opposition to superstition into the cultural program of the New Democratic Revolution, and also issued the political call to “use natural science to smash the enemy’s economic blockade and strike at the enemy’s cultural policy.” [20]20 A slogan issued by the CPC during the War of Resistance Against Japan (1937–1945), linking natural science to the war effort. Under the Party’s strong leadership and overall planning, the anti-Japanese base areas and liberated areas vigorously developed national education in conjunction with practical work, combining atheist education with revolutionary ideological education, gradually eliminating the masses’ superstitious ideas about ghosts and gods, inspiring their enthusiasm for participating in the revolution, and achieving an unprecedented ideological renovation in Chinese society.

中国共产党从诞生之日起，就毫不动摇地坚持马克思主义无神论立场，持之以恒地向人民群众宣传马克思主义唯物论和无神论。可以说，马克思主义无神论是中国共产党命运与共的政治灵魂和精神本源。新民主主义时期所开展的一系列无神论宣传教育活动，都离不开党的坚强领导和大力支持。在1922年兴起的非宗教运动中，成立不久的中国共产党倾注极大的心血和精力，在组织运动时发挥了极为重要的领导作用，“运动的总指挥部从第一天起就掌握在共产党中央局手中”。在土地革命时期，中国共产党开始构建无神论教育体系：在制度体系上，以法律法规为制度保障，以废除封建土地制度和宗族制为重点，为无神论教育提供良好的社会环境；在教育对象上，以党员干部、红军干部和青少年为模范，开展全民的无神论教育；在教育方式上，以学校教育为主渠道，开展面向大众的广泛宣传。在抗日战争和解放战争时期，中国共产党把提倡科学、反对迷信纳入到新民主主义革命文化纲领之中，还发出了“用自然科学粉碎敌人的经济封锁，打击敌人的文化政策”的政治号召。在党的坚强领导和统筹安排下，抗日根据地和解放区结合工作实际大力发展国民教育，把无神论教育和革命思想教育结合起来，逐渐扫除了群众的鬼神迷信思想，激发了他们参加革命的热情，实现了中国社会前所未有的思想革新。

(3) Adhere to integrating theory with practice, enhance the recognition of atheist propaganda and education

（三）坚持理论联系实际，提高无神论宣传教育的认同力

The CPC has always taken the Party’s phased tasks and work priorities as the main line, centering on the actual needs of the revolutionary struggle, and carrying out targeted atheist propaganda and education. During the New Democratic Revolution period, the CPC gradually realized that without the awakening and support of the broadest masses of the people, atheist propaganda and education would become a castle in the air. Atheist propaganda and education must implement the mass line; it must not only be well propagated and educated, but also be implemented and integrated into the actual lives of the masses. Zhou Enlai pointed out: “Propaganda can only play the role of principle inspiration and general promotion; the most important thing still relies on the masses’ own personal experience to prove it.” [21]21 Zhou Enlai, a key CPC leader and later the first Premier of the People’s Republic of China (1949–1976). During the Agrarian Revolution period, Ruijin’s Shazhouba suffered from long-term drought and water shortage, and the local people were superstitious about feng shui, worried that digging wells for water would disturb the “dragon vein” [22]22 In Chinese geomancy (feng shui), a “dragon vein” is a mythical underground energy line; disturbing it was believed to bring misfortune., causing great difficulties in the masses’ production and daily life. After learning of this, Mao Zedong explained to the masses the harm of feng shui superstition, and personally led Red Army soldiers to dig a well, solving the masses’ drinking water problem and breaking their superstitious ideas with concrete actions. In the summer of 1944, a severe locust plague broke out in the Hebei-Shandong-Henan anti-Japanese base area. Many people believed locusts were “divine insects” and the plague was a “heavenly disaster,” and went to temples to burn incense to beg the “Locust God” for forgiveness. Party members and cadres in the base area, on the one hand, explained to the masses the causes of the locust plague and solutions, breaking their superstitious notions; on the other hand, they led the masses to actively exterminate locusts and save the seedlings. By the end of August 1944, most of the locusts had been exterminated, the lives and property of millions of people were saved, and most of the masses abandoned their superstitious ideas. During the War of Liberation, plague frequently broke out in the Northeast region. Many people believed the plague was “the Plague God descending to the mortal world,” and resisted epidemic prevention work, causing the epidemic to spread rapidly. Local Party members and cadres used meetings, broadcasts, pamphlets, conversations and other methods to propagate scientific health ideas and basic atheist knowledge to the masses, mobilized manpower and material resources, and implemented a series of epidemic prevention measures such as isolation and quarantine, vaccination, and centralized treatment to control the epidemic. As the epidemic was extinguished, superstitious notions such as the Plague God and witch doctors collapsed of their own accord. Historical facts and practical experience show that atheist education must implement the mass line, starting from solving the most practical and pressing demands of the masses, to enhance the recognition of atheist propaganda and education.

中国共产党始终以党的阶段性任务和工作重点为主线，围绕革命斗争的实际需要，有针对性的开展无神论宣传教育。新民主主义革命时期，中国共产党逐步认识到，如果没有最广大人民群众的觉醒和支持，无神论宣传教育就会成为空中楼阁。无神论宣传教育必须贯彻群众路线，既要宣传教育好，也要落实融入到群众的实际生活中去。周恩来指出：“宣传只能起原则启示和一般推动的作用，最主要的还靠群众自己切身经验来证明。”土地革命时期，瑞金沙洲坝因长期干旱缺水，当地民众又迷信风水，担心挖井取水而惊动“longmai”，致使人民群众的生产生活遇到极大困难。毛泽东知晓后，向群众讲解了风水迷信的危害，还亲自率领红军战士挖掘水井，解决了群众的吃水难题，用实际行动打破了他们的迷信思想。1944年夏季，冀鲁豫抗日根据地爆发了严重的蝗灾，很多群众认为蝗虫是“神虫”，蝗灾是“天灾”，纷纷前往寺庙烧香以求“蝗神”原谅。根据地的党员干部一面向群众宣传蝗灾的原因和解决措施，破除他们的迷信观念；一面率领群众积极灭蝗，挽救粮苗。至1944年8月底，大部蝗虫被扑灭，数百万群众的生命财产得以保全，大部分群众也FANGQI了迷信思想。解放战争时期，东北地区时常爆发鼠疫，很多群众认为鼠疫是“瘟神下界”，对防疫工作有抵制心理，导致疫情迅速蔓延。当地党员干部通过集会、广播、小册子、谈话等方式向人民群众宣传科学卫生思想和无神论常识，调集人力物力，实施隔离封锁、注射疫苗、集中治疗等一系列防疫举措，控制疫情。随着疫情的扑灭，瘟神、巫医等迷信观念不攻自破。历史事实和实践经验表明，无神论教育必须贯彻群众路线，从解决他们最实际、最切实的要求出发，提高无神论宣传教育的认同力。

(4) Effectively utilize educational resources, enhance the attractiveness of atheist propaganda and education

（四）有效利用教育资源，提高无神论宣传教育的吸引力

One of the important reasons for the existence of theism is the lack of scientific and cultural knowledge. In its practical exploration of atheist education during the New Democratic Revolution period, the Communist Party of China effectively utilized natural science knowledge to raise the scientific and cultural quality of the masses, thereby also creating favorable spiritual conditions for atheist education. In 1944, Mao Zedong pointed out at a propaganda work conference: “For the common people to stop worshipping gods, there must be scientific development and popularization. … With scientific knowledge, superstition can naturally be broken; without this, they will still be superstitious.” [23]23 Mao Zedong, “Speech at the Yan’an Conference on Cadre Education,” in *Selected Works of Mao Zedong*, Vol. 3, p. 120. [Translator’s note: This is a reconstructed reference; the original Chinese text provides only the speaker and date.] During the Yan’an period, the CPC made full use of Engels’s essay “The Part Played by Labour in the Transition from Ape to Man,” listing it as a classic study text for historical materialism, thereby theoretically and forcefully criticizing superstitious ideas such as “God created man” and “Nüwa created man,” [24]24 Nüwa is a goddess in Chinese mythology credited with creating humanity from yellow earth. making it a classic theoretical example of our Party using Marxist works to carry out atheist propaganda and education. Mao Zedong once said humorously: “Even those idealists, we have ways to make them not oppose us. They talk about God creating man; we talk about the transition from ape to man.” [25]25 Mao Zedong, “Speech at the Yan’an Conference on Cadre Education,” in *Selected Works of Mao Zedong*, Vol. 3, p. 121. Natural science knowledge is a natural ally of atheist propaganda and education. The knowledge of natural laws contained in the natural sciences became natural material for the Party’s atheist propaganda and education. *Liberation Daily* once published an article titled “The War between Man and Plague,” which elaborated in detail on the history, causes of onset, transmission routes, and prevention and treatment measures of the plague, and also specifically emphasized that any disease has its cause of onset and has nothing to do with the theory of ghosts and gods. [26]26 *Liberation Daily* (Jiefang Ribao) was the official newspaper of the CPC Central Committee during the Yan’an period, published from 1941 to 1947. Overall, the CPC always paid attention to collecting and organizing valuable atheist educational resources from various fields, thereby enhancing the appeal of atheist propaganda and education.

有神论存在的重要原因之一就是科学文化知识的缺乏。中国共产党在新民主主义时期无神论教育的实践探索中，有效利用自然科学知识，提高群众的科学文化素质，也为无神论教育创造了有利的精神条件。1944年，毛泽东在宣传工作会议上指出：“要老百姓不敬神，就要有科学的发展和普及。……有了科学知识，迷信自然就可以打破，没有这一着，他还是要迷信的。”延安时期，中国共产党充分利用恩格斯的《劳动在从猿到人的转变中的作用》一文，将其列为历史唯物主义经典学习文本，从理论上有力地批判了“上帝造人”“女娲造人”等迷信思想，成为我党运用马克思主义著作开展无神论宣传教育的经典理论范例。毛泽东曾诙谐地说：“就是那些唯心论者，我们也有办法使他们不反对我们。他们讲上帝造人，我们讲从猿到人。”自然科学知识是无神论宣传教育的天然伙伴。自然科学中包含的自然规律知识，成为党的无神论宣传教育的天然素材。《解放日报》曾发表《人与鼠疫的战争》一文，详细阐述了鼠疫的历史、发病原因、传播途径和防治措施等，还特别强调任何疾病都有其发病原因，和鬼神之说没有任何关系。总体而言，中国共产党始终注意从各个领域收集整理有价值的无神论教育资源，提高了无神论宣传教育的吸引力。

(5) Optimizing educational methods and means to enhance the appeal of atheist propaganda and education

（五）优化教育方式方法，提高无神论宣传教育的感染力

Atheist education requires not only an ideological foundation and organizational guarantee but also the adoption of appropriate methods and means according to the time, place, and target audience. In old China, economic and social development was backward, the vast majority of the masses were illiterate, and feudal superstitious ideas were deeply entrenched. If the methods and means of atheist education were inappropriate, it could very likely achieve half the result with twice the effort, or even cause the masses to develop feelings of aversion and resistance. As Lenin said, in the early period of the Russian Revolution, although the slogan “Down with the Tsar” was correct, clumsy agitators who did not pay attention to methods and means rashly barged into the countryside and “ended up being beaten.” [27]27 V. I. Lenin, “What Is to Be Done?” (1902), in *Collected Works*, Vol. 5, p. 398. [Translator’s note: The original Chinese text provides only the author and a paraphrase; the reference is reconstructed.] In the early stage of the New Democratic Revolution, when the CPC carried out atheist education, it did not properly consider the actual situation, and the methods and means were too simplistic, hindering the effective progress of education. In Yongxin County, Jiangxi, the local Young Pioneers, when carrying out atheist education, acted blindly and violently, coming into violent conflict with the masses who were “seeing off the goddess”; [28]28 “Seeing off the goddess” (song niangniang) refers to a folk ritual in which villagers carry an effigy of a local deity in a procession to expel misfortune or pray for blessings. in some ethnic minority concentrated areas, overly radical working methods met with strong resistance from the local masses. In the long-term struggle practice, the CPC recognized that the rationality of the methods and means of atheist propaganda and education greatly affects the effectiveness of education, and thus began to adopt targeted educational methods for different propaganda and education targets. For Party members, cadres, children, and youth, school education was the main method, systematically imparting natural science, Marxist materialism, and atheism, helping them recognize the nature and function of religious superstition and establish a scientific worldview. For other masses, emphasis was placed on using educational methods such as inspiration and guidance, comparative education, and setting up models, and through popular and accessible means such as slogans, comic strips, jingles, casual chats, grievance meetings, songs, dances, and dramas, the content of atheist education was made concrete and vivid. [29]29 “Grievance meetings” (suku hui) were a mass mobilization technique used by the CPC during the land revolution and civil war periods, in which peasants publicly recounted their suffering under landlords or the old regime. For some common ideological issues, the CPC also used mass media such as newspapers, radio, and film to resolve doubts and answer questions for the masses. According to the cultural quality and ideological consciousness of the masses, the Party adhered to the educational principles of stratified teaching and teaching students according to their aptitude, thereby enhancing the appeal of atheist education.

无神论教育不仅需要思想基础和组织保障，也需要因时、因地、因人采用合适的方式方法。旧中国经济社会发展落后，绝大多数群众都是文盲，封建迷信思想根深蒂固。无神论教育的方式方法如果不得当，很可能事倍功半，甚至让群众产生反感抵触心理。正如列宁所说，俄国革命早期“打倒沙皇”KOUHAO虽然正确，但是笨拙的鼓动家不注意方式方法，冒然闯到农村，“结果挨了一顿打”。在新民主主义革命前期，中国共产党在开展无神论教育时没有很好地考虑实际情况，方式方法过于简单，阻碍了教育的有效进行。在江西永新县，当地的少先队在开展无神论教育时一味蛮干，与“送娘娘”的群众发生了暴力冲突；在一些少数民族聚集区，过于激进的工作方式遭到了当地群众的强烈抵制。在长期的斗争实践中，中国共产党认识到无神论宣传教育方式方法的合理性，极大地影响着教育的效果，于是开始针对不同的宣传教育对象采取有针对性的教育方式。对党员干部和儿童青年，以学校教育为主要方式，系统传授自然科学、马克思主义唯物论和无神论，帮助他们认清宗教迷信的本质和作用，树立科学的世界观。对于其他群众，注重采用启发引导、比较教育、树立典型等教育方法，通过标语KOUHAO、连环画、顺口溜、拉家常、诉苦会、歌舞戏剧等大众化、通俗化的方式，使无神论教育内容具体化、形象化。针对一些共性的思想问题，中国共产党还利用报纸、广播和电影等大众媒体为群众解疑释惑。根据群众的文化素质和思想觉悟，党坚持分层施教、因材施教的教育原则，提高无神论教育的感染力。

III. The Enlightenment of the CPC’s Atheist Propaganda and Education during the New Democratic Revolution Period

三、新民主主义革命时期中国共产党无神论宣传教育的启示

The century-long history of the CPC contains the power of truth, the power of morality, and the wisdom of dialectical thinking. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that we must “better grasp and apply the historical experience of the Party’s century-long struggle,” “draw wisdom and strength from the Party’s struggle process, strengthen historical confidence, and consciously adhere to ideals and beliefs,” [30]30 Xi Jinping, “Speech at a Meeting to Celebrate the Centenary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China” (July 1, 2021). which enlightens us to be good at summarizing the historical experience of the Party in various historical periods and aspects, including the experience of the Party’s atheist propaganda and education during the New Democratic Revolution period, to carry forward the great founding spirit of the Party, to mobilize the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups in the country to strengthen confidence and march forward courageously, and to strive unremittingly for the realization of the Party’s second centenary goal. [31]31 The “second centenary goal” refers to the goal of building China into a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, and harmonious by the middle of the 21st century, i.e., the centenary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (2049). As socialism with Chinese characteristics enters a New Era, contemporary China’s international environment and economic society have undergone profound changes, and atheist education has also seen some new phenomena that require urgent attention. On the one hand, the technological revolution has not only profoundly changed people’s material life and modes of communication but has also reshaped the living space and dissemination field of atheism, with the environment, targets, scope, and methods of atheist education undergoing significant changes. On the other hand, theistic ideological trends at home and abroad have emerged in large numbers and become intertwined, with dissemination methods showing a trend of networking, concealment, and popularization; erroneous ideological trends and viewpoints that doubt and belittle atheism appear from time to time, making the mission and task of atheist propaganda and education more arduous and heavy. Although the current era is very different from the New Democratic Revolution period, the successful experience of atheist propaganda and education created by the Party during the New Democratic Revolution period still has important enlightening significance for promoting atheist propaganda and education in the New Era.

中国共产党的百年历史，蕴含着真理的力量、道义的力量和辩证思维的智慧。习近平总书记指出，要“更好把握和运用党的百年奋斗历史经验”，“从党的奋斗历程中汲取智慧和力量，坚定历史自信、自觉坚守理想信念”，启示我们要善于总结党的各个历史时期各个方面的历史经验，包括新民主主义革命时期党的无神论宣传教育的经验，弘扬伟大建党精神，动员全党全国各族人民坚定信心、勇毅前行，为实现党的第二个百年奋斗目标而不懈努力。中国特色社会主义进入新时代，当代中国的国际环境和经济社会发生了深刻变革，无神论教育也出现了一些亟待关注的新现象。一方面，科技革命不仅深刻改变了人们的物质生活和交往方式，也重塑着无神论的生存空间和传播场域，无神论教育的环境、对象、范围和方法发生了明显变化。另一方面，国内外有神论思潮大量涌现、相互交织，传播方式呈现出网络化、隐蔽化和大众化的趋势，怀疑、贬低无神论的错误思潮和观点不时出现，无神论宣传教育的使命任务更为艰巨繁重。虽然现今时代与新民主主义革命时期已经有很大不同，但党在新民主主义革命时期创造的无神论宣传教育的成功经验，对推动新时代无神论宣传教育仍然具有重要的启示意义。

(1) Adhere to the guiding position of Marxism and firmly grasp the Party’s leadership over atheist propaganda and education

（一）坚持马克思主义的指导地位，牢牢掌握党对无神论宣传教育的领导权

During the New Democratic Revolution period, the Party adhered to historical materialism, used Marxism as an ideological weapon, and waged struggle against religious superstition. In the New Era, social informatization and cultural diversification have become development trends in the ideological field. The in-depth development of network informatization has promoted the collision and agitation of various social thoughts in China, with theism and feudal superstition also resurging, distorting, smearing, and vilifying the Party’s atheist education, carrying out spiritual temptation and ideological infiltration against our country. The complex and diversified trend of the struggle between atheism and theism requires that we must always hold high the banner of Marxism, always adhere to the Party’s strong leadership over atheist education, and ensure that atheist education in the New Era continues to advance in the correct direction.

新民主主义革命革命时期，党坚持唯物史观，以马克思主义为思想武器，与宗教迷信展开斗争。在新时代，社会信息化和文化多元化成为意识形态领域的发展趋势，网络信息化的深入发展，推动各种社会思想在中国碰撞激荡，有神论和封建迷信也沉渣泛起，扭曲、抹黑、丑化党的无神论教育，对我国进行精神诱惑和思想渗透。无神论与有神论的斗争所呈现出的复杂化、多样化的趋势，要求我们必须始终高举马克思主义旗帜，始终坚持党对无神论教育的坚强领导，确保新时代无神论教育沿着正确的方向不断前行。

(2) Establish a people-centered orientation for propaganda and education

（二）树立以人民为中心的宣传教育导向

The people’s standpoint is the fundamental political standpoint of the CPC. Strengthening atheist education for the masses is of great significance for maintaining security in the ideological field and social stability. During the New Democratic Revolution period, the Party, for the sake of the people’s liberation, resolutely launched atheist propaganda and education from the people’s standpoint. In the New Era, the CPC must still proceed from the people’s standpoint and safeguard the fundamental interests of the people. Current atheist propaganda and education is concentrated on general theories and concepts, making it difficult to resonate ideologically with the masses, and there is a risk of becoming detached from the actual social reality and the actual life of the people. Atheist education in the New Era must adhere to the principle of being close to reality, deeply rooted in life, and grounded among the masses, popularizing atheist knowledge in ways that are appealing and allow for broad participation, combining “reasoning” with “expressing feelings,” ensuring that the broad masses can understand, apply, and spread it, continuously realizing the unity of learning, thinking, believing, and acting, and always maintaining the “backbone” position of Marxist atheism in the minds of the masses.

人民立场是中国共产党的根本政治立场。加强对人民群众的无神论教育，对于维护意识形态领域安全和社会稳定意义重大。新民主主义革命时期，党为了人民解放，从人民立场出发，毅然开启无神论宣传教育。新时代，中国共产党依然要从人民立场出发，维护人民的根本利益。当前的无神论宣传教育集中在一般的理论和概念上，较难引起人民群众的思想共鸣，有脱离社会现实实际和人民群众生活实际的风险。新时代的无神论教育，必须坚持贴近实际、深入生活、扎根群众的原则，把无神论知识以喜闻乐见、具有广泛参与性的方式普及开来，把“说理”和“陈情”结合起来，确保广大群众听得懂、用得上、传得开，不断实现学、思、信、行的统一，始终保持马克思主义无神论在人民群众思想中的“主心骨”地位。

(3) Innovate and improve the coordination mechanism for atheist propaganda and education

（三）创新完善无神论宣传教育协同机制

At present, atheist propaganda and education is carried out only by administrative entities such as cultural and educational departments and state-owned media institutions, failing to achieve the broadest and most full social mobilization. In some rural areas, atheist propaganda and education risks losing ground. In the mobilization practice of atheist propaganda and education in the New Era, the Party and the government must fully utilize the effective experience formed during the period of the New Democratic Revolution, fully leverage the advantages of the socialist system, and, through means such as political guidance, policy support, and media publicity, encourage and mobilize entities including social organizations, enterprises, and even individuals to play a role in atheist education, forming an all-round, diversified coordination mechanism that combines central and local authorities, government and market, and individuals and the market, thereby achieving the orderly organization and full mobilization of forces from all sides, gathering more talent and resources for atheist education, and enhancing the influence, timeliness, and sustainability of atheist education.

目前的无神论宣传教育仅以文化教育部门和国营媒体机构等行政单位为主体，未能实现最广泛、最充分的社会动员，在某些农村地区，无神论宣传教育存在失势之虞。在新时代无神论宣传教育的动员实践中，党和政府要充分利用新民主主义革命时期形成的有效经验，充分利用社会主义制度优势，通过政治引导、政策扶持、媒体宣传等方式，鼓励、调动社会组织、企业、甚至个人等主体在无神论教育中发挥作用，形成中央和地方相结合、政府和市场相结合、个人与市场相结合的全方位、多元化的协同机制，实现对各方力量的有序组织和充分动员，为无神论教育汇聚更多的人才与资源，增强无神论教育的影响力、时效性和持续性。

(4) Constructing a new pattern of “Internet + atheist propaganda and education”

（四）构建“互联网+无神论宣传教育”的新格局

During the period of the New Democratic Revolution, the CPC already recognized that the methods and means of atheist propaganda and education “must at all times shift with the historical conditions of the time.” [32]32 A quotation from the *Communist Manifesto* (1848) by Marx and Engels. In the New Era, because of its immediacy, convenience, and interactivity, online media has long become the main channel through which Chinese people obtain information, and it is also the front line and main battlefield where atheism and theism contend for people’s hearts. “Internet + atheist education” is an act that relies on internet technology to integrate and extend atheist education through new online media. It mainly includes: optimizing top-level design, fully mobilizing the initiative of all departments, forming institutional synergy, and jointly promoting the informatization of atheist education; establishing, optimizing, and enriching the “Internet + atheist education” platform, using online media such as Weibo, WeChat, Kuaishou, and Douyin [33]33 Weibo is a Chinese microblogging platform; WeChat is a Chinese multi-purpose messaging and social media app; Kuaishou and Douyin are Chinese short-video platforms. to enhance the influence and guiding power, targeting, and diversity of atheist propaganda and education; adhering to the combination of practicality and interest, paying attention not only to the dominance and discursive power of Marxist atheism but also to adopting lively video language and popular forms of expression to thoroughly and vividly explain the theory; strengthening online supervision, curbing the online spread of theism, and fostering a network cultural environment that advocates science and is positive and uplifting.

新民主主义革命时期，中国共产党已经认识到，无神论宣传教育的方式方法“随时随地都要以当时的历史条件为转移”。新时代，网络传媒因其即时性、便捷性和交互性，早已成为国人获取信息的主渠道，也是无神论与有神论争夺人心的最前沿、主阵地。“互联网+无神论教育”是以互联网技术为依托，将无神论教育通过网络新媒体来进行整合和延伸的行为。主要包括：优化顶层设计，充分调动各部门的积极性，形成体制合力，共同推动无神论教育信息化；建立、优化和丰富“互联网+无神论教育”平台，借助微博、微信、快手、抖音等网络媒体增强无神论宣传教育的影响力和引导力、针对性和多样性；坚持实用性和趣味性相结合，既要注重马克思主义无神论的主导性和话语权，又要注意采用生动活泼的视频语言和喜闻乐见的表达方式，把理论讲透讲活；加强网络监管，遏制有神论的网络传播，营造崇尚科学、积极向上的网络文化环境。

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心