Understanding and Grasping the Standpoint, Viewpoint, and Method of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s Important Discourse on Religious Work from the Perspective of the “Six Musts”

[Editor’s Note] On June 21, 2023, a symposium on General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourse on religious work was held in Beijing. Wang Huning, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, attended and delivered a speech. He stated that General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourse on religious work profoundly answers major theoretical and practical questions such as how to understand religion, how to handle religious issues, and how to do the Party’s religious work well in the New Era, and it is the ideological guide and work guideline that must be mastered to do the Party’s religious work well in the New Era. The study and implementation of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourse on religious work must be understood and grasped within the entire scientific system of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and we must consciously achieve the “Six Musts.” From October 7 to 8, the National Conference on Propaganda, Ideology, and Cultural Work was held in Beijing. The most important outcome of the conference was the first proposal of Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought. To study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourse on religious work and Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought, the editorial department of this journal invited three experts to write a joint discussion and exchange their learning experiences.

【编者按】2023年6月21日,习近平总书记关于宗教工作的重要论述研讨会在京召开｡中共中央政治局常委､全国政协主席王沪宁出席并讲话｡他表示,习近平总书记关于宗教工作的重要论述,深刻回答了新时代怎样认识宗教､怎样处理宗教问题､怎样做好党的宗教工作等重大理论和实践问题,是做好新时代党的宗教工作必须掌握的思想指引和工作遵循｡要把学习贯彻习近平总书记关于宗教工作的重要论述,放到习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的整个科学体系中来认识和把握,自觉做到“六个必须坚持”｡10月7日至8日,全国宣传思想文化工作会议在北京召开｡会议最重要的成果就是首次提出了习近平文化思想｡为了学习贯彻习近平总书记关于宗教工作的重要论述精神和习近平文化思想,本刊编辑部邀请了三位专家笔谈,交流学习体会｡

The “Six Musts” proposed by the 20th National Congress of the CPC [1]1 Xi Jinping, “Explanatory Notes on the ‘Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party’s Century-Long Struggle’,” November 8, 2021. concisely expound the worldview, methodology, and the standpoints, viewpoints, and methods that run through Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourse on religious work is the chapter on religious work within Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Based on the rich connotations of the “Six Musts,” studying and implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourse on religious work is of great theoretical and practical significance for us to understand and grasp the standpoints, viewpoints, and methods running through it and to do the Party’s religious work well in the New Era.

党的二十大提出的“六个必须坚持”，概括阐述了习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的世界观、方法论和贯穿其中的立场观点方法。习近平总书记关于宗教工作的重要论述，是习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的宗教工作篇。基于“六个必须坚持”的丰富内涵，学习贯彻习近平总书记关于宗教工作的重要论述，对于我们认识和把握贯穿其中的立场观点方法，做好新时代党的宗教工作，具有重要的理论和现实意义。

I. Uphold People-Centeredness, Better Unite Religious Believers, and Consolidate the Social Foundation of the Party’s Governance

一、坚持人民至上，更好团结信教群众、夯实党执政的社会基础

People-centeredness is the essential attribute of Marxism. Upholding people-centeredness is the distinct value orientation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the concentrated embodiment of the ideals, beliefs, nature, purpose, original aspiration and founding mission of the Communist Party of China. The report of the 20th National Congress of the CPC emphasizes that “unity and struggle are the inevitable path for the Chinese people to create historic achievements” and that “to build a modern socialist country in all respects, we must fully unleash the tremendous creative power of hundreds of millions of people.” According to statistics from 2018, China has nearly 200 million religious believers and over 380,000 religious clergy. Compared with other countries in the world, the proportion of religious believers in the total population of our country is not high, but the absolute number is not small. In the strategic overall situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, they are also an indispensable and important force. This requires “forming a united front with the religious community under the banner of patriotism and socialism… political unity and cooperation, mutual respect in belief, more contact, more heart-to-heart talks, more help, convincing people with reason, and moving people with emotion,” thereby pooling the wisdom and strength of the religious community and religious believers, unleashing their positive role in promoting economic development, social harmony, cultural prosperity, national unity, and the reunification of the motherland, and mobilizing religious believers and non-believers to work together for the comprehensive construction of a modern socialist country and the comprehensive advancement of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Only in this way, by treating religious work as an important mass work, fully respecting the spiritual beliefs of religious believers while effectively safeguarding their practical interests, can we closely unite them around the Party, consolidate the mass foundation of the Party’s governance, and enhance the Party’s influence throughout society.

人民性是马克思主义的本质属性。坚持人民至上，是习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想鲜明的价值取向，是中国共产党理想信念、性质宗旨、初心使命的集中体现。党的二十大报告强调，“团结奋斗是中国人民创造历史伟业的必由之路”，“全面建成社会主义现代化国家，必须充分发挥亿万人民的创造伟力”。据2018年的统计，中国有信教公民近2亿，宗教教职人员38万余人。同世界上其他国家相比，我国信教群众在总人口中所占比例不高，但绝对数量不小。在实现中华民族伟大复兴战略全局中，他们也是一支不可或缺的重要力量。这就需要“在爱国主义、社会主义旗帜下，同宗教界结成统一战线……政治上团结合作，信仰上互相尊重，多接触、多谈心、多帮助，以理服人，以情感人”,进而把宗教界和信教群众的智慧和力量凝聚起来，发挥他们在促进经济发展、社会和谐、文化繁荣、民族团结、祖国统一等方面的积极作用，动员信教群众和不信教群众一道，共同为全面建设社会主义现代化国家、全面推进中华民族伟大复兴而团结奋斗。只有这样，把宗教工作当成一项重要的群众工作，既充分尊重信教群众的精神信仰，又切实维护信教群众的现实利益，才能把他们紧紧团结在党的周围，夯实党执政的群众基础，提高党在全社会的影响力。

II. Uphold Confidence and Self-Reliance, Continuously Achieve New Progress in the Work of Sinicizing Religion in China

二、坚持自信自立，推动我国宗教中国化工作不断取得新进展

Only with confidence can one be self-reliant; only with self-reliance can one become strong. Upholding confidence and self-reliance is the inherent spiritual quality of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the powerful spiritual force for the Communist Party of China to overcome various risks and challenges on the path forward. “The religious issue has always been a major issue that our Party must handle well in governing the country, and religious work has special importance in the overall work of the Party and the state.” In a period after reform and opening up, many new problems emerged in China’s religious field, and religious work faced new situations. In response to this, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “To do religious work well, we must adhere to the basic policy of the Party on religious work, fully implement the Party’s policy on freedom of religious belief, manage religious affairs according to law, adhere to the principle of independence and self-management, and actively guide religion to adapt to the socialist society,” and “an important task in actively guiding religion to adapt to the socialist society is to support our country’s religions in adhering to the direction of Sinicization.” This is a major theoretical and practical innovation of General Secretary Xi Jinping regarding religious work. The reason this innovation could be made lies in his high degree of awareness and confidence in the history and reality of China’s religious development. Historically, Buddhism, Islam, Catholicism, and Christianity in China were all introduced from outside and underwent a long-term, active process of “following local customs,” i.e., Sinicization, which ultimately formed the Chinese religious pattern of “harmony in diversity, inclusiveness and mutual accommodation”; realistically, for all religions in our country, including Taoism, to establish themselves and develop in the New Era, they must adapt to our country’s socialist society which has entered the New Era, guide themselves with core socialist values, imbue themselves with fine traditional Chinese culture, conduct new interpretations of religious thought, doctrines, and dogmas that conform to the requirements of the times, resolutely prevent the penetration of Western ideology, and consciously resist the influence of religious extremist ideologies. This is both an external manifestation of confidence and self-reliance and an inevitable requirement for continuously achieving new progress in promoting the Sinicization of religion in China.

自信才能自立，自立才能自强。坚持自信自立，是习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想内在的精神特质，是中国共产党战胜前进道路上各种风险挑战的强大精神力量。“宗教问题始终是我们党治国理政必须处理好的重大问题，宗教工作在党和国家工作全局中具有特殊重要性。”改革开放后一个时期，我国宗教领域出现许多新问题，宗教工作面临一些新情况。针对于此，习近平总书记指出，“做好宗教工作，必须坚持党的宗教工作基本方针，要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”，而“积极引导宗教与社会主义社会相适应，一个重要的任务就是支持我国宗教坚持中国化方向”。这是习近平总书记关于宗教工作的一个重大理论和实践创新。之所以能够作出这一创新，就在于他对我国宗教发展的历史和现实有着高度的自觉和自信。从历史上看，我国佛教、伊斯兰教、天主教、基督教都是从外部传入的，都经历了长期的、主动的“入乡随俗”即中国化的过程，这才最终形成了“和而不同，兼容并蓄”的中国宗教格局;从现实中看，包括道教在内的我国各宗教要在新时代立足和发展，就必须与进入新时代的我国社会主义社会相适应，用社会主义核心价值观引领自身，用中华优秀传统文化浸润自己，对宗教思想、教规教义进行符合时代进步要求的新阐释，坚决防范西方意识形态渗透，自觉抵制宗教极端主义思潮影响。这既是自信自立的外在表现，也是推动我国宗教中国化不断取得新进展的必然要求。

III. Uphold Integrity and Innovation, Continuously Promote the Development of Religious Work Theory and Practice

三、坚持守正创新，推动宗教工作理论和实践不断发展

Only by upholding integrity can we avoid losing our direction and making subversive mistakes; only by innovating can we grasp the times and lead the times. Upholding integrity and innovation is the distinct theoretical character of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the concentrated embodiment of the Communist Party of China’s basic principles and attitude towards upholding and developing Marxism. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “To do religious work well under the new situation, we must adhere to using the Marxist stand, viewpoint, and method to understand and treat religion, follow the laws of religion and religious work, deeply study and properly handle various issues in the religious field, and, in light of the changes and developments in our country’s religions and the reality of religious work, continuously enrich and develop the socialist theory on religion with Chinese characteristics, so as to better guide our country’s religious work practice.” Among these, “adhering to using the Marxist stand, viewpoint, and method to understand and treat religion” means adhering to the Marxist view of religion, i.e., under the guidance of the dialectical materialist and historical materialist worldview, scientifically analyzing the essence of religion, the social role of religion, the extinction of religion, and the attitude and principles of the proletarian party towards religion. To do the Party’s religious work well in the New Era, we must adhere to these basic conclusions; this is upholding integrity. “Continuously enriching and developing the socialist theory on religion with Chinese characteristics” means continuously advancing the Sinicization and modernization of the Marxist view on religion, i.e., combining the Marxist view on religion with the new changes in our country’s religious field since reform and opening up and the new situations faced by religious work, and combining it with the fine traditional Chinese culture that has long imbued our country’s various religions, to conduct theoretical analysis and policy research on our country’s religious issues and religious work in the new period of reform and opening up and the New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, and Hu Jintao all made outstanding contributions to the development of related theory and practice. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC [2]2 “Five oxen pulling a cart” (五牛拉车) is a Chinese idiom describing a situation where multiple forces pull in different directions, leading to inefficiency and lack of clear direction., General Secretary Xi Jinping has written a new chapter in the development of related theory and practice; these are all innovations. Upholding integrity and innovation on the new journey means unswervingly adhering to the Marxist view on religion, continuously enriching and developing the socialist theory on religion with Chinese characteristics, and promoting the continuous development of our country’s religious work practice.

守正才能不迷失方向、不犯颠覆性错误，创新才能把握时代、引领时代。坚持守正创新，是习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想鲜明的理论品格，集中体现了中国共产党对坚持和发展马克思主义的基本原则和态度。习近平总书记指出:“做好新形势下宗教工作，就要坚持用马克思主义立场、观点、方法认识和对待宗教，遵循宗教和宗教工作规律，深入研究和妥善处理宗教领域各种问题，结合我国宗教发展变化和宗教工作实际，不断丰富和发展中国特色社会主义宗教理论，用以更好指导我国宗教工作实践。”其中，“坚持用马克思主义立场、观点、方法认识和对待宗教”，就是坚持马克思主义宗教观，即在辩证唯物主义和历史唯物主义世界观的指导下，科学分析宗教的本质、宗教的社会作用、宗教的消亡、无产阶级政党对待宗教的态度和原则等。做好新时代党的宗教工作，必须坚持这些基本结论，这就是守正。“不断丰富和发展中国特色社会主义宗教理论”，就是要不断推进马克思主义宗教观中国化时代化，即把马克思主义宗教观同改革开放以来我国宗教领域发生的新变化、宗教工作面临的新情况相结合，同历史上长期浸润我国各宗教的中华优秀传统文化相结合，对改革开放新时期和中国特色社会主义新时代我国的宗教问题、宗教工作进行理论分析、政策研究。邓小平、江泽民、胡锦涛都为相关理论和实践的发展作出了卓越贡献。党的十八大以来，习近平总书记谱写了相关理论和实践发展的新篇章，这些都是创新。在新征程上坚持守正创新，就是要毫不动摇坚持马克思主义宗教观，不断丰富和发展中国特色社会主义宗教理论，推动我国宗教工作实践不断发展。

IV. Uphold a Problem-Oriented Approach, Effectively Prevent and Defuse Risks and Hidden Dangers in the Religious Field

四、坚持问题导向，有效防范化解宗教领域风险隐患

Problems are the voice of the times; answering and guiding the resolution of problems is the fundamental task of theory. Adhering to a problem-oriented approach is a vivid practical character of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. “Chinese Communists have always engaged in revolution, construction, and reform to solve China’s practical problems.” [1]1 Xi Jinping, “Explanatory Notes on the ‘Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party’s Century-Long Struggle’,” November 8, 2021. In the New Era, amid changes in the external environment and internal reform and development, some unprecedented new situations and new problems have emerged in China’s religious field and religious work. For example, the number of religious believers has continued to increase, with profound changes in age structure, occupational structure, and belief motivation; external forces have intensified their use of religion to infiltrate China, and the internet has become an important channel for religious propagation; the commercialization problem of some religions is prominent, illegal missionary activities of some religions are frequent, and the tendency toward “de-Sinicization” in some religions is evident; some people within the Party and in society hold different views on religion, religious work in some localities is like “five oxen pulling a cart” [2]2 “Five oxen pulling a cart” (五牛拉车) is a Chinese idiom describing a situation where multiple forces pull in different directions, leading to inefficiency and lack of clear direction., not knowing where to go, and some Communist Party members participate in religious activities or become religious adherents. In response to these prominent problems, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Under the new circumstances, religious work has a broad scope and heavy tasks. It must be advanced comprehensively, but also with breakthroughs at key points. It is necessary to combine the specific conditions of each religion, grasp the principal contradiction, solve prominent problems, and advance the overall work by doing a good job on key tasks.” [3]3 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the National Conference on Religious Work,” April 22–23, 2016. To this end, he emphasized that there is also a contest in the ideological field between atheism and theism, and it is necessary to ensure that Marxist atheism, as the mainstream ideology, occupies a dominant position in the thinking of the people; to raise the level of law-based governance in religious work, using law to regulate government management of religious affairs, protecting the lawful, stopping the illegal, curbing extremism, resisting infiltration, and combating crime; Communist Party members must be firm Marxist atheists and must never seek their own values and beliefs from religion. It is precisely by adhering to this problem-oriented approach that the Party’s religious work in the New Era has found its breakthrough point and has effectively prevented and defused various foreseeable and unforeseeable risks and hidden dangers in the religious field.

问题是时代的声音，回答并指导解决问题是理论的根本任务。坚持问题导向，是习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想生动的实践品格，“中国共产党人干革命、搞建设、抓改革，从来都是为了解决中国的现实问题”。新时代，在外部环境变化和内部改革发展中，我国宗教领域、宗教工作出现了一些前所未有的新情况新问题。比如，信教群众人数持续增加，年龄结构、职业结构、信仰动机等发生深刻变化;境外势力加紧利用宗教对我国进行渗透，互联网已成为宗教传播的重要渠道;有的宗教商业化问题突出，有的宗教非法传教活动频发，有的宗教“去中国化”倾向明显;党内和社会上一些人对宗教存在不同认识，一些地方宗教工作五牛拉车、不知所往，有的共产党员参加宗教活动、成为宗教信徒。针对这些突出问题，习近平总书记提出:“新形势下，宗教工作范围广、任务重，既要全面推进，也要重点突破。要结合各宗教情况，抓住主要矛盾，解决突出问题，以做好重点工作推进全局工作。”为此他强调，无神论和有神论也有意识形态领域的较量，要确保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;提高宗教工作法治化水平，用法律规范政府管理宗教事务的行为，保护合法、制止非法、遏制极端、抵御渗透、打击犯罪;共产党员要做坚定的马克思主义无神论者，绝不能从宗教中寻找自己的价值和信念。正是坚持这样的问题导向，新时代党的宗教工作才找准了突破口，才有效防范化解了宗教领域各种可以预见和难以预见的风险隐患。

V. Adhering to the Systems Concept, Always Doing Religious Work Well with the Concept of Guidance

五、坚持系统观念，始终以导的理念做好宗教工作

The world is an interconnected whole and also an interacting system. Adhering to the systems concept is a basic thought and working method of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and a scientific application of Marxist dialectical materialism. As a complex social and historical phenomenon, religion is both a transcendental ideological belief and a realistic social entity, having both positive and negative social effects. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “To do a good job of the Party’s religious work and to uphold the Party’s basic policy on religious work well, the key is to think deeply, see clearly, and grasp accurately the ‘guidance’ [dao], achieving ‘guidance’ that is methodical, powerful, and effective.” [4]4 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the National Conference on Religious Work,” April 22–23, 2016. This requires “using means such as ideological education, cultural leadership, policy guidance, administrative management, and legal governance to carry out systematic governance.” [5]5 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the National Conference on Religious Work,” April 22–23, 2016. “Guidance that is methodical” means comprehensively implementing the Party’s basic policy on religious work and actively guiding religion to adapt to the socialist society. Among these, “to bring the positive role of religion into play does not mean treating religion as a panacea or artificially fueling a religious fervor, but rather guiding the situation according to its tendencies, promoting the beneficial and avoiding the harmful, and guiding religion to strive to serve economic development, social harmony, cultural prosperity, ethnic unity, and the unification of the motherland.” [6]6 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the National Conference on Religious Work,” April 22–23, 2016. “Guidance that is powerful” means “establishing and perfecting a strong leadership mechanism, doing a good job of guiding, planning, directing, and supervising religious work,” [7]7 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the National Conference on Religious Work,” April 22–23, 2016. and promoting the construction of a governance pattern for religious affairs featuring Party committee leadership, government management, social coordination, and religious self-discipline. “Guidance that is effective” means uniting the broad masses of religious believers around the Party and the government, enabling them, together with the entire people, to think and work together around the realization of the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation; at the same time, handling well the relationships between the Party and government and religion, between society and religion, among different religions within China, between Chinese religions and foreign religions, and between religious believers and non-believers, so as to promote harmony in religious relations. Only by adhering to such a systems concept can religion be managed well and effectively under guidance, and can religious work, which is both united front work and ideological work, be done well.

世界是相互联系的整体，也是相互作用的系统。坚持系统观念，是习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想基本的思想和工作方法，是马克思主义唯物辩证法的科学运用。作为一种复杂的社会历史现象，宗教既是一种超越性的思想信仰，也是一种现实性的社会实体，既有积极的社会作用，也有消极的社会作用。习近平总书记指出，“做好党的宗教工作，把党的宗教工作基本方针坚持好，关键是要在‘导’上想得深、看得透、把得准，做到‘导’之有方、‘导’之有力、‘导’之有效”,这就要“运用思想教育、文化引领、政策指导、行政管理、法律治理等手段，开展系统治理”。导之有方，就是全面贯彻党的宗教工作基本方针，积极引导宗教与社会主义社会相适应。其中，“发挥宗教积极作用，不是把宗教当作济世良方，人为助长宗教热，而是要因势利导、趋利避害，引导宗教努力为促进经济发展、社会和谐、文化繁荣、民族团结、祖国统一服务”。导之有力，就是“建立健全有力的领导机制，做好对宗教工作的引导、规划、指导、督查”,推动构建党委领导、政府管理、社会协同、宗教自律的宗教事务治理格局。导之有效，就是把广大信教群众团结在党和政府周围，使他们围绕实现中华民族伟大复兴的中国梦，同全国人民一起来想、一起来干;同时处理好党和政府与宗教、社会与宗教、国内不同宗教、我国宗教与外国宗教、信教群众与不信教群众的关系，促进宗教关系和谐。唯有坚持这样的系统观念，才能在导中把宗教管得住、管得好，做好既是统一战线工作、也是意识形态工作的宗教工作。

VI. Adhering to a Global Vision, Telling China’s Religious Stories Well on the International Stage

六、坚持胸怀天下，在国际上讲好中国宗教故事

When the great Way prevails, the world is for the common good. [8]8 “When the great Way prevails, the world is for the common good” (大道之行，天下为公) is a classical allusion from the “Book of Rites” (Liji), describing an ideal society of great harmony. The Communist Party of China is a party that seeks happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, and it is also a party that seeks progress for humanity and common harmony for the world. Adhering to a global vision is the unique broad vision and high realm of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, distinctly embodying the world perspective and sense of responsibility of the Communist Party of China. As an international phenomenon, religion is often intertwined with real international struggles and conflicts and is an important factor in international relations and world politics. For a long time, China’s religions have engaged in foreign exchanges on the basis of independence, self-reliance, equality, friendship, and mutual respect. This has not only promoted their own healthy development but also enhanced mutual understanding and friendship with the peoples and religious circles of various countries, making a positive contribution to maintaining world peace. However, at the same time, hostile external forces often use religion to attack China. Under the guise of “religious human rights” and “religious freedom,” they distort China’s religious situation, slander China’s religious policies, and damage China’s international image. This requires us to carefully conduct external propaganda work, using as basic material the historical “harmony in diversity and joint progress” [9]9 “Harmony in diversity and joint progress” (和而不同、和中共进) is a phrase combining the Confucian concept of “harmony in diversity” with the idea of common progress. of China’s religions and the reality that “the legalization of religious work has been significantly strengthened, and religious activities are generally stable and orderly,” [10]10 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the National Conference on Religious Work,” April 22–23, 2016. to create new concepts, categories, and expressions that are accessible to both China and the rest of the world, to tell China’s religious stories well, and to spread China’s religious voice effectively. In particular, it is necessary to clarify to the world that, compared with the frequent chaos, intensified contradictions, incessant conflicts, and even war-torn conditions in many countries and regions due to the improper handling of religious issues, China’s religious theories, religious policies, and religious work in the New Era have not only effectively solved religious problems related to China’s social harmony, ethnic unity, national security, and the unification of the motherland, but have also provided Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions for solving common issues facing countries around the world—guaranteeing freedom of religious belief, properly handling religious relations, adapting religion to the times, and curbing religious extremism. This is another new contribution made by China in the New Era to humanity, once again embodying the world perspective and sense of responsibility of the Communist Party of China.

大道之行，天下为公。中国共产党是为中国人民谋幸福、为中华民族谋复兴的党，也是为人类谋进步、为世界谋大同的党。坚持胸怀天下，是习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想特有的大视野大境界，鲜明体现了中国共产党的世界眼光和责任担当。作为一种国际现象，宗教常常与现实的国际斗争和冲突相交织，是国际关系和世界政治中的一个重要因素。长期以来，我国宗教在独立自主、平等友好、互相尊重的基础上开展对外交往，不仅促进了自身健康发展，而且增进了与各国人民及宗教界的相互了解和友谊，为维护世界和平作出了积极贡献。但与此同时，境外敌对势力也常常利用宗教向我国发难。他们以“宗教人权”“宗教自由”之名，歪曲我国宗教状况，诋毁我国宗教政策，破坏我国国际形象。这就需要我们精心做好对外宣传工作，以历史上我国宗教的“和而不同、和中共进”、现实中我国“宗教工作法治化明显加强，宗教活动总体平稳有序”为基本素材，打造融通中外的新概念新范畴新表述，讲好中国宗教故事，传播好中国宗教声音。特别是要向世界澄明，相较于不少国家和地区因宗教问题没有得到妥善处理而导致的乱象频仍、矛盾激化、冲突不断，甚至战火纷飞，新时代中国的宗教理论、宗教政策、宗教工作不仅有效解决了关系中国社会和谐、民族团结、国家安全、祖国统一的宗教问题，而且为解决世界各国面临的共同课题———保障宗教信仰自由、妥善处理宗教关系、使宗教与时代相适应、遏制宗教极端主义，提供了中国智慧和中国方案。这是进入新时代的中国为人类作出的又一新贡献，再次体现了中国共产党胸怀天下的世界眼光和责任担当。

(Author’s bio: Zuo Peng, Director and Professor of the Department of Marxism-Leninism, Central Institute of Socialism)

（作者简介：左鹏，中央社会主义学院马列部主任、教授）

Online Editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心