Practical Exploration of Thematic Education on the Marxist View of Religion in Higher Education

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party and the state have attached great importance to education on the Party’s theories and policies concerning religion in higher education. At the 2016 National Conference on Religious Work, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “We must widely publicize the Party’s theories and policies on religion, publicize religious laws and regulations, and strengthen guidance of public opinion on religious matters.” The 2014 “Opinions on Further Strengthening and Improving Propaganda and Ideological Work in Higher Education under the New Circumstances” pointed out that active propaganda and education on the Marxist view of religion, the Party’s religious policies, and relevant laws and regulations should be carried out among college students. Effectively publicizing and popularizing the Party’s and the state’s religious policies, especially the Marxist view of religion, among college students is an important component of ideological and political work in higher education. The integration and optimization of education on the Marxist view of religion in higher education ideological and political theory courses is an inherent requirement of ideological and political education, an internal need for fulfilling the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education [n], and is conducive to guiding college students to form a correct view of religion, understand and identify with China’s religious policies, and more conducive to forming a complete Marxist worldview. It has important theoretical and practical significance for consolidating the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological sphere, consolidating the ideological foundation of the Party’s governance, and preventing and defusing major risks in the ideological sphere.

党的十八大以来，党和国家高度重视高校开展党关于宗教问题的理论和方针政策教育。习近平总书记在2016年全国宗教工作会议上强调：“要广泛宣传党关于宗教问题的理论和方针政策，宣传宗教相关法律法规，加强宗教方面宣传舆论引导。”2014年的《关于进一步加强和改进新形势下高校宣传思想工作的意见》指出，要积极开展大学生马克思主义宗教观、党的宗教政策和相关法律法规的宣传教育。向高校学生有效宣传和普及党和国家的宗教政策特别是马克思主义宗教观是高校思想政治工作的重要内容。高校思政课马克思主义宗教观教育的融入与优化是思想政治教育的题中应有之义，是实现立德树人根本任务的内在需要，有利于引导大学生形成正确的宗教观，理解、认同我国的宗教政策，更有利于形成完整的马克思主义世界观，对于巩固马克思主义在意识形态领域指导地位、巩固党执政的思想基础、防范和化解意识形态领域重大风险有着重要的理论和现实意义。

In current ideological and political work in higher education, limited by disciplines and faculty, education on the Marxist view of religion still needs further deepening and optimization. It lacks support from dedicated courses and is mostly conducted through scattered knowledge points in teaching. The current content arrangement of unified ideological and political theory course textbooks in higher education has certain deficiencies in terms of systematicity and targetedness. There are not many higher education institutions that carry out thematic teaching on the Marxist view of religion, and related teaching research and exploration work still needs to be strengthened. This study, based on the teaching practice of ideological and political theory courses at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as “UCAS”), explores the feasibility of optimizing education on the Marxist view of religion.

当前高校思政工作中，限于学科和师资，马克思主义宗教观教育还需进一步深化优化，缺乏相关课程支撑，多以知识点分散式教学为主。目前高校统编思政课教材的内容安排在体系性与针对性方面存在一定不足，从事马克思主义宗教观专题教学的高校并不多见，有关教学研究探索工作仍需加强。本研究基于中国科学院大学(以下简称“国科大”)思政课教学实践为例，探讨马克思主义宗教观教育优化的可行性。

I. Design Ideas and Teaching Practice of the Thematic Course on the Marxist View of Religion

一、马克思主义宗教观专题的设计思路与教学实践

(I) Design Ideas

(一)设计思路

The report of the 20th National Congress of the CPC pointed out: “What kind of people to cultivate, how to cultivate them, and for whom to cultivate them are the fundamental issues of education.” This provides the development goals and action guidelines for integrating the Marxist view of religion into ideological and political education in higher education in the New Era.

党的二十大报告指出：“培养什么人、怎样培养人、为谁培养人是教育的根本问题。”这就为在新时代将马克思主义宗教观融入高校思想政治教育指明了发展目标和行动指南。

The textbooks for ideological and political theory courses in higher education do not have dedicated chapters on the Marxist view of religion. The content of the Marxist view of religion is complex, with a large amount of information. The key and difficult points involve basic theoretical knowledge such as the emergence, laws of development and change, essence, roots of emergence, and social role of religion according to Marxism. It must also include the basic principles and policies of fully implementing the Party’s policy of freedom of religious belief, managing religious affairs according to law, the principle of independence and self-management, and actively guiding religion to adapt to socialist society. It must also include China’s laws and regulations on religion and scientific atheism. However, given the existing teaching conditions, covering everything comprehensively is not realistic. Therefore, the core focus of thematic teaching is to ensure that the Marxist view of religion is deeply understood, internalized, and translated into action.

高校思政课教材没有马克思主义宗教观教育的专门章节，马克思主义宗教观内容繁杂，信息量大，重难点较多涉及马克思主义关于宗教的产生、发展变化规律、宗教的本质、宗教产生的根源、宗教的社会作用等基本理论知识，也要包含全面贯彻党的宗教信仰自由政策、依法管理宗教事务、独立自主自办的原则、积极引导宗教与社会主义社会相适应等基本方针政策，还要包含我国关于宗教的法律法规和科学无神论等方面内容。但从现有的教学条件来看，面面俱到并不现实。因此，专题教学的核心聚焦于让马克思主义宗教观入心入脑入行动。

First, take the Marxist view of religion as the guiding principle, while also considering research results from other disciplines. Correctly expound “what is the Marxist view of religion,” “desensitize” and “disenchant” the religious theme, and bring “religious issues” back to a “normal state.” Break free from the mindset of not daring to mention or discuss the topic, and confidently publicize the Party’s principles and policies on religious work. Comprehensively and objectively present the “positive factors” and “negative factors” of religion. Through the expositions of classical Marxist writers on religious phenomena, the teaching faculty conducts theoretical education, clearly, fairly, and objectively explaining the emergence, laws of development and change, essence, roots of emergence, and social role of religion. Use Chinese discourse to tell China’s religious stories. On the other hand, based on China’s long-standing traditional culture and the line, principles, policies, and great achievements of religious work in New China, educate and guide students to correctly understand the religious situation and development trends in the world and China, and cultivate and strengthen identification with the Marxist view of religion and scientific atheism. While emphasizing theoretical leadership, also incorporate research results from philosophy, sociology, psychology, and brain science to strive to demonstrate the complexity of religious phenomena. Clarify China’s principles, policies, laws, and regulations on religion, and teach basic principles such as the separation of education and religion, the prohibition of Party members and Youth League members from believing in religion, and the requirement that religious activities must be conducted within the framework of the Constitution and laws.

首先，以马克思主义宗教观为统领，兼顾其他学科研究成果。正确阐述“什么是马克思主义宗教观”,对于宗教专题进行“脱敏”与“祛魅”,让“宗教问题”回到“正常状态”。摆脱不敢提、不敢讲的思想状态，理直气壮宣传党的宗教工作方针政策。全面客观展示宗教的“积极因素”和“消极因素”。授课教师通过马克思主义经典作家对宗教现象的论述开展理论教育，旗帜鲜明、公正客观地解释宗教的产生、发展变化规律、宗教的本质、宗教产生的根源以及宗教的社会作用。用中国话语讲述我国的宗教故事。另一方面，立足于中国悠久的传统文化，立足新中国宗教工作的路线、方针、政策和伟大成就，教育引导学生正确认识世界和中国的宗教概况和发展态势，培育和坚定马克思主义宗教观和科学无神论认同。强调理论引领力的同时，兼顾哲学、社会学、心理学、脑科学等研究成果，力图展现宗教现象的复杂性。明确我国宗教的方针政策和法律法规，讲授教育和宗教相分离、党员团员不得信仰宗教、宗教活动必须在宪法和法律范围内进行等基本原则。

Second, adhere to the combination of theoretical education and problem analysis. Integrate the theoretical knowledge of the Marxist view of religion with the real-life dilemmas students encounter themselves, adopting a problem-oriented approach. For example, “What are the main causes of college students believing in religion?” “Why can’t Communist Party members believe in religion?” “Is the end of science theology?” These questions are typical ones raised by students since the thematic course was offered. By collecting questions, the teaching faculty extracts typical ones, presents them in class, guides students to think, and forms a problem domain.

其次，坚持理论教育与问题分析结合。将马克思主义宗教观理论知识与学生自身遇到的现实困境相结合，以问题为导向。例如“大学生信仰宗教的主要成因有哪些”“共产党员为什么不能信仰宗教”“科学的尽头是否是神学?”以上这些问题，是专题授课以来学生比较典型的提问。授课教师通过收集提问，将典型问题提炼出来，在课堂上展示，引导学生思考，形成问题域。

Finally, proceed from a holistic view of national security and focus on cultivating students’ security awareness. At the 2021 National Conference on Religious Work, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that in the field of religious work, “we must adhere

最后，从总体国家安全观出发，注重培养学生安全意识。在2021年召开的全国宗教工作会议上，习近平总书记强调指出，在宗教工作领域“要坚持总体国家安全观，坚持独立自主自办原则，统筹推进相关工作”。这就为我们在坚持总体国家安全观视域下落实马克思主义宗教观教育提供了根本遵循。宗教作为社会运转的子系统与中国国家安全息息相关。

(2) Teaching Practice

(二)教学实践

In terms of teaching, the UCAS teaching team aims to present the content in the classroom in a comprehensive and scientific manner, ensuring the academic rigor, cutting-edge nature, flexibility, and curricular coherence and continuity of the teaching content. The teaching objectives include three aspects: first, using the scientific world outlook and methodology of dialectical materialism and historical materialism to reveal to students the essence of religion and the objective laws of the emergence, development, and eventual extinction of religion, enabling students to correctly understand the social roots of the emergence and existence of religion, and to dialectically view the social functions and limitations of religion; second, through studying the important discourses on religious work by General Secretary Xi Jinping and other national leaders, as well as relevant laws and regulations, enabling students to correctly understand, within the framework of a holistic approach to national security, major issues such as China's basic religious policies, extremism and terrorism, the prevention and governance of cults, the prevention of religious infiltration on campus, and the U.S. religious agenda toward China and political security; third, actively promoting the mainstream socialist ideology and scientific atheism, consolidating the main ideological阵地[n], and making religion compatible with socialist society with Chinese characteristics.

在教学方面，国科大教学团队旨在以全面、科学的方式在课堂上呈现，确保教学内容的学术性、前沿性、灵活性以及课程衔接与连贯性。教学目标包括三个方面：一是利用辩证唯物主义和历史唯物主义的科学世界观和方法论，向学生揭示宗教的本质和宗教产生、发展直至消亡的客观规律，让学生正确认识宗教产生和存在的社会根源，辩证看待宗教的社会作用和局限；二是通过学习习近平总书记等国家领导人对宗教工作的重要论述和相关法律法规，使学生能够在总体国家安全观的框架下，正确理解我国宗教基本政策、极端宗教与恐怖主义、邪教防范与治理、校园防范宗教渗透、美国对华宗教议题与政治安全等重大议题；三是积极宣传社会主义主流意识形态和科学无神论，筑牢意识形态主阵地，使宗教与中国特色社会主义社会相适应。

The UCAS teaching team for the Marxist view of religion, relying on the School of Marxism and the Research Center for Cults, has a faculty team that has long provided academic support and policy recommendations for relevant departments, possessing a relatively deep foundation in research and practice, as well as an international perspective, thus completing the preparatory work for carrying out education on the Marxist view of religion. Since 2019, UCAS has offered a themed education on religion within the compulsory graduate course "Chinese Marxism and the Contemporary Era" (hereinafter referred to as the "CMCE course"). At the same time, it has built a framework for the articulation and integration of knowledge related to religious issues across the ideological and political theory courses for undergraduates, master's students, and doctoral students. Starting from four aspects—thematic teaching objectives, teaching content, teaching characteristics, and teaching evaluation—it has strengthened the organic integration of the Marxist view of religion with ideological and political education theory courses, constructing a teaching system for the Marxist view of religion primarily oriented toward science and engineering students.

国科大马克思主义宗教观教学团队依托马克思主义学院、膜拜现象研究中心，师资队伍长期为相关部门提供学术支撑和对策建议，有较深厚的研究和实践基础，具有国际视野，为开展马克思主义宗教观教育做好了前期准备工作。自2019年起，国科大在研究生必修课“中国马克思主义与当代”(以下简称“中马课”)中开设宗教专题教育。同时，建设本硕博思政课涉及宗教问题知识的衔接和一体化框架，从专题的教学目标、教学内容、教学特点和教学评价四个方面入手，加强马克思主义宗教观与思政教育理论课有机融合，构建以理工科学生为主的马克思主义宗教观的教学体系。

The religious theme of the UCAS CMCE course relies on materials such as *Campus Religious Policy Knowledge and Practical Q&A* and *How to Identify and Prevent Cults* published by the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Education, clarifying the key content of teaching, which includes general knowledge about religion concerning the basic Marxist theory of religion, the infiltration of foreign religious and cult forces into China and how to prevent it, and China's religious policies, laws, and regulations. Through integrating theory with practice, the theme fully responds to the real religious issues and ideological doubts that university students encounter in their daily lives, clearing the mud and bringing forth the clear, rectifying the source, and strengthening ideals and convictions.

国科大中马课宗教专题以《校园宗教政策知识与实务问答》,公安部教育部出版的《如何识别和防范邪教》等相关材料为依托，明确教学的重点内容，即包括马克思主义宗教基本理论的关于宗教的一般知识、境外宗教邪教势力在我国的渗透以及如何防范、我国宗教政策及法律法规。专题通过理论联系实际，充分回应大学生在实际生活中遇到的宗教现实问题和思想疑惑，激浊扬清，正本清源，坚定理想信念。

Figure 1: "Understanding the Marxist View of Religion" Teaching Approach and Partial Content Display

图1 “理解马克思主义宗教观”教学思路和部分内容展示

In the teaching process, students show great interest in religious issues. During the interactive questioning in the introduction segment, many typical questions further prompt the instructor to continuously provide targeted teaching content in response to the students’ actual ideological conditions. Although the students’ questions are divergent and mostly reflect the manifestation of religious phenomena in social and spiritual life, the essence of the questions reveals that students have a weak theoretical foundation in the Marxist view of religion, a shallow grasp of specific knowledge about religious phenomena, and an inadequate understanding of the Party’s and state’s principles and policies on religious work. Therefore, in the design of the thematic teaching approach, by forming a problem domain [2]2 “Problem domain” (问题域) refers to a pedagogical strategy that organizes teaching around a structured set of questions or problems to guide student inquiry and engagement., a broad picture of issues related to religion is rapidly presented, eliminating students’ sense of theoretical unfamiliarity, deepening their perceptual understanding and participation, stimulating their thinking, responses, and resonance, and generating a desire for knowledge.

在教学过程中，学生对宗教问题很感兴趣，在课堂引入环节的互动提问中，很多具有典型性的问题进一步促进授课教师不断针对学生现实思想状况给出具有针对性的教学内容。虽然学生的提问是发散式的，更多的是宗教现象在社会生活、精神生活中的体现，但提问的本质反映了学生对马克思主义宗教观理论储备薄弱，对宗教现象的具体知识掌握不深，对党和国家宗教工作的方针政策了解不透。因此，在专题教学设计思路上，通过形成问题域，迅速呈现涉及宗教问题的广阔图景，消除学生的理论陌生感，加深感性认识和参与性，激发学生思考、回应和共鸣，产生求知欲。

Figure 2: The “problem domain” teaching approach in the introduction segment and partial courseware display

图2 引入环节的“问题域”教学思路与部分课件展示

Always adhering to the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education [3]3 “Fostering virtue through education” (立德树人) is a core principle of Chinese education policy, emphasizing moral cultivation as the foundation of talent development. and emphasizing humanistic care, we correctly analyze social phenomena such as “university students burning incense instead of striving for progress” [4]4 “University students burning incense instead of striving for progress” (大学生上香不上进) is a contemporary Chinese social media phrase criticizing young people who turn to superstitious practices (e.g., temple visits for blessings) rather than active self-improvement., guiding students to use relevant theoretical knowledge in combination with their own circumstances to analyze and solve problems. Students are guided to establish lofty ideals and strengthen their convictions. Through questioning and answering, starting from the ideological perplexities students encounter in real life related to personal ideals and convictions, students are guided to use the stance and viewpoint of the Marxist view of religion to analyze the causes of problems from the surface to the core, from phenomena to essence, and to promptly offer suggestions for solving problems. We strive to avoid the forceful inculcation of theory; instead, by addressing real-world problems, the Marxist view of religion is used as a theoretical tool to guide life practice.

始终以立德树人为根本遵循，注重人文关怀，正确分析例如“大学生上香不上进”等社会现象，引导学生能够利用相关理论知识，结合自身情况，分析和解决问题。引导学生树立远大理想，坚定理想信念。通过提问与解答，从学生在现实生活中遇到的与个人理想信念相关的思想困惑入手，引导学生用马克思主义宗教观的立场和观点由表及里、从现象到本质剖析产生问题的原因并及时给予解决问题的建议。尽量避免理论的强行灌输，而是通过解答现实问题，将马克思主义宗教观作为理论工具去指导生活实践。

Through the case teaching method, theoretical knowledge is imbued with vitality, and vivid cases of religious infiltration are integrated into national security education. On one hand, cases such as the “Soil Loosening Project,” the “Pyramid Project,” and the “Gospel Westward Plan” [5]5 “Soil Loosening Project” (松土工程), “Pyramid Project” (金字塔工程), and “Gospel Westward Plan” (福音西进计划) are terms used in Chinese official discourse to describe alleged foreign strategies of religious infiltration aimed at undermining China’s social and political stability, particularly in minority regions. are used to make students recognize that foreign forces are using religious infiltration as a breakthrough to implement strategies of Westernization and division against China. Students are made aware of the harmfulness of underground illegal churches and methods for identifying them, to be vigilant against campus proselytization, and to recognize the packaging forms of foreign religious infiltration in the new media era, such as public welfare, academia, and training.

通过案例教学法，赋予理论知识生命力，用鲜活的宗教渗透案例融入国家安全教育中。一方面结合“松土工程”“金字塔工程”“福音西进计划”等案例，让学生认识到境外势力正以宗教渗透为突破口，对我国实施西化和分化战略。使学生了解到地下非法教会的危害性和识别方法，警惕校园传教，以及新媒体时代境外宗教渗透利用公益、学术、培训的包装形式。

In addition, warning education content on illegal organizations involving religious beliefs, such as cults, extremist religions, and spiritual pyramid schemes, is also included in the teaching theme. Students are truly made to understand that religious issues are closely related to national security in political, territorial, cultural, social, and informational dimensions. On the other hand, through the instructor’s sequential explanation of key issues such as “what constitutes illegal religious activities,” “what constitutes campus proselytization and infiltration activities,” “new characteristics of current campus proselytization and infiltration activities,” “currently active cult organizations in China and their infiltration methods,” and “what is religious extremism and its forms of ideological expression,” students are enabled to use the Marxist view of religion to recognize and analyze the negative factors that religious phenomena may bring to society. The harms of religion/cults/infiltration activities and their contemporary, changeable forms are clearly explained, enhancing students’ ability to resist infiltration. Students are guided to follow the approach of a holistic view of national security [6]6 “A holistic view of national security” (总体国家安全观) is a concept introduced under Xi Jinping that broadens national security to include political, economic, cultural, social, and other dimensions beyond traditional military security., analyzing the harms of illegal organizations from the perspectives of political security, cultural security, and social security.

此外，涉及宗教信仰的非法组织如邪教、极端宗教、精神传销等的警示教育内容也涵盖在教学专题中。真正让学生认识到宗教问题与政治、国土、文化、社会、信息等国家安全息息相关；另一方面，教师通过授课过程中串讲“什么是非法的宗教活动”“什么是校园传教渗透活动”“当前校园传教渗透活动新特点”“当前我国较为活跃的邪教组织及其渗透方式”“什么是宗教极端主义及其思想表现形式”等重点问题。让学生运用马克思主义宗教观，认识和分析宗教现象对社会可能带来的消极因素，讲清楚宗教/邪教/渗透活动的危害及其在当代多变的形式，增强学生抵御渗透的能力。引导学生根据总体国家安全观的思路，从政治安全、文化安全、社会安全角度辨析非法组织的危害。

Figure 3: Teaching design integrating national security content into the Marxist view of religion and partial teaching content display

图3 将国家安全内容融入马克思主义宗教观的教学设计与部分教学内容展示

II. Analysis of the Effectiveness of Thematic Teaching on the Marxist View of Religion

二、马克思主义宗教观专题教学的成效分析

This part of the study uses questionnaire surveys and interviews to investigate the actual situation of offering thematic teaching on religion in the compulsory Marxist theory course for graduate students at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), conducting a retrospective evaluation of the teaching effectiveness. It focuses on clarifying the following two major issues: first, students’ cognition of religion and religious activities; second, students’ cognition of the religious theme in the Marxist theory course, including their satisfaction with the classroom teaching of the religious theme and the reasons, specific gains, classroom effects, and students’ specific opinions and suggestions. The survey content includes: the respondents’ cognition of religion, mainly including their ability to distinguish between feudal superstition, pseudoscience, and cults, and their channels for obtaining religious knowledge; the respondents’ cognition of the religious theme in the Marxist theory course, including their satisfaction with the classroom teaching of the religious theme and the reasons, specific gains, and their cognition of religion and China’s religious policies after classroom teaching; and the respondents’ opinions and suggestions on the Marxist theory course at UCAS. The survey subjects were master’s and doctoral students studying the Marxist theory course at UCAS, totaling 1,365 person-times.

本部分研究通过问卷调研和访谈等方式，对国科大研究生必修课中马课开设宗教专题教学的实际情况进行调查研究，就课程教学实效进行回溯式评估。重点厘清以下两大问题：一是学生对宗教和宗教活动的认知情况；二是学生对于中马课宗教专题的认知情况，包含对中马课宗教专题的课堂满意程度及原因、具体收获、课堂效果及学生的具体意见和建议。调研内容包括：调查对象对宗教认知情况，主要包括对于封建迷信、伪科学、邪教的辨别情况和宗教的认知渠道；调查对象对于中马课宗教专题的认知情况，包含了对中马课宗教专题的课堂满意程度及原因、具体收获和通过课堂教学后对宗教和我国宗教政策的认知情况；调研对象对于国科大中马课的意见和建议。调研对象为国科大学习中马课的硕博生，共计1365人次。

(A) Quantitative Analysis of Survey Results

(一)调研结果的量性分析

1. Regarding cognition of religion. First, 65.71% of respondents have a vague understanding of the Marxist view of religion, including content related to religious behavior, pseudoscience, or superstition. Second, nearly half of the respondents indicated they had been exposed to spiritual pyramid scheme content such as “meditation, awakening, ascension” alien cults or spiritual cultivation, with about 3% of students showing great interest and attention to such cult content, and some students still lacking sufficient resistance. Third, a relatively high proportion of students obtain religious knowledge from channels outside the classroom, mostly content promoting the positive aspects of religion. As many as 21.17% of respondents indicated they had no channel to obtain formal, systematic religious knowledge.

1.关于宗教认知情况。其一，有65.71%的受访者，对马克思主义宗教观存在模糊认识，其中包括涉及宗教行为、伪科学或迷信内容等。其二，占比近五成的受访者表示接触过关于“冥想、觉醒、扬升”外星人邪教或灵修等精神传销内容，其中有约3%的同学表现出对此类邪教内容的极大兴趣和关注，部分学生仍有抵抗力不足之虞。其三，较高比例学生对宗教知识的获取渠道来自课堂外的其他途径，大多为宣扬宗教积极因素的内容。甚至有21.17%的受访者同学表示没有渠道获得正规系统的宗教知识。

Figure 4: Statistics on students’ exposure to spiritual pyramid scheme information such as cults and spiritual cultivation

图4 学生对邪教、灵修等精神传销信息的接触情况统计

2. Regarding cognition of the religious theme in the Marxist theory course. First, students are very interested in religious knowledge, and integrating the Marxist view of religion into the ideological and political theory course in the form of a thematic module is welcomed by students. Among them, 93.7% of respondents expressed satisfaction with the teaching of religious issues covered in the course. Some students were also interested in introductions to specific religions; according to statistical data, these were mainly concentrated on Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam.

2.关于中马课宗教专题的认识。其一，学生对宗教知识非常感兴趣，将马克思主义宗教观以专题形式融入思政课受到学生欢迎。其中93.7%的受访者对课程所涉及的宗教问题的讲授表示满意。还有部分同学对具体的某个宗教的介绍比较感兴趣，根据统计数据来看，主要集中为基督教、佛教、伊斯兰教。

Second, students believe it is very necessary to teach the religious theme in the ideological and political theory course. Over half of the students indicated that, compared to their previous lack of religious knowledge, they systematically acquired knowledge about religion through this thematic teaching. 46.23% of students said their previous cognition of religion was inaccurate, and through this thematic teaching, they gained a more professional understanding of religious knowledge and could recognize religious phenomena in reality more deeply; 37.73% of students said they gained a certain understanding of the risks of religion; and 29.01% of students said they gained a deeper understanding of the Marxist view of religion and began to comprehend China’s religious stance and religious discourse. In addition, 11.43% of students (156 individuals) became interested in religious issues through this thematic teaching. Third, their grasp of the Party’s and state’s religious policies is incomplete, and the balance between disseminating religious knowledge and religious policies in teaching arrangements needs further adjustment. Most respondents had a situation of “familiar with the religious policies taught in class but not in detail,” that is, inaccurate, inadequate, and superficial cognition, lacking a basic understanding of China’s laws and regulations on religious affairs. According to the survey results, the number of people who selected all four options simultaneously was small. On the question regarding the principles of managing religious affairs in China, only 23.22% chose the correct option.

其二，学生认为在思政课中讲授宗教专题很有必要。有超过五成的同学认为，相较于之前对于宗教知识的空白，通过本专题的讲授系统地获得了关于宗教的知识。46.23%的同学表示之前对宗教的认知不够准确，通过本专题的讲授，对于宗教的相关知识了解得比较专业，对现实中的宗教现象能够认识得更加深刻；37.73%的同学表示对宗教的风险有了一定的认识；还有29.01%的同学表示更加深入了解马克思主义宗教观并开始理解我国的宗教立场和宗教话语。除此之外还有占比11.43%的156名同学通过本专题的讲授开始对宗教问题感兴趣。其三，对党和国家宗教政策掌握情况不全面，普及宗教知识和普及宗教政策在教学安排上需要进一步平衡。大部分受访者对课堂讲过的宗教政策“耳熟但不详”的情况，即认知不准确、不到位、不深入的表现，对我国关于宗教事务的法规政策缺乏基本的了解。根据调查问卷结果显示，同时选择这四个选项的人数较少。在我国宗教事务管理原则这一题中也仅有23.22%选择了正确选项。

Figure 5: Statistics on the content students found most interesting or beneficial in the thematic teaching

图5 学生对专题教学最感兴趣或最为受益的内容统计

Figure 6: Statistics on student feedback on thematic education on the Marxist view of religion

图6 马克思主义宗教观专题教育学生反馈情况统计

(B) Qualitative Analysis of Survey Results

(二)调研结果的质性分析

Survey findings indicate that university students have a strong demand for knowledge about religion and religious policy, yet they lack formal classroom learning centered on the Marxist view of religion. The content on the Marxist view of religion in the ideological and political theory textbooks for undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs needs further strengthening. Integrating the Marxist view of religion into ideological and political courses in thematic form is welcomed by students; most respondents stated that it is necessary to teach religious policy in these courses. In classroom teaching, students are interested in religious knowledge, but the effectiveness of knowledge transmission and transformation is insufficient. First, concepts and theories are highly abstract—for example, the classic Marxist dictum on religion: “Religious suffering is at the same time the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.”[n7] Students find this difficult to grasp. Second, because students lack a clear understanding of the background and design philosophy behind the Party’s and state’s religious policies, their mastery is incomplete; balancing the dissemination of knowledge about the Marxist view of religion with the popularization of religious policy in teaching arrangements requires further adjustment. Class hours remain insufficient, teaching formats are relatively monotonous, and students feel unsatisfied. A relatively high proportion of students obtain religious knowledge from channels outside the classroom, most of which involve positive aspects of religion while downplaying its negative aspects. At the same time, spiritual cultivation (灵修) and other forms of spiritual pyramid schemes, as well as alien-related cults, have deeply penetrated major internet platforms in China, and some students lack the ability to discern them. Master’s and doctoral students confuse concepts such as illegal religions, cults, harmful qigong, and spiritual pyramid schemes. Some Party-member students are ideologically confused about activities like praying to gods and worshipping Buddha.

从调研情况得知，高校学生对宗教和宗教政策相关知识有较强需求，但缺少正规的、以马克思主义宗教观为主要内容的课堂学习，本、硕、博思政课教材中的马克思主义宗教观内容有必要进一步加强。将马克思主义宗教观以专题形式融入思政课受到学生欢迎，大部分受访者表示在思政课中讲授宗教政策很有必要。课堂教学中，学生对宗教知识感兴趣，但课程知识传播转化效能不足，一是概念、理论抽象程度高，如马克思主义宗教观的经典论断：“宗教里的苦难既是现实苦难的表现，又是对这种现实苦难的抗议。宗教是被压迫生灵的叹息，是无情世界的感情”,学生理解难度大；二是由于对党和国家宗教政策的出台背景和设计理念了解不清导致掌握情况不全面，普及马克思主义宗教观知识和普及宗教政策在教学安排上需要进一步平衡。课时安排仍显不足、授课形式相对单一，学生觉得不过瘾。较高比例学生对宗教知识的获取渠道来自课堂外的其他途径，大多涉及宗教的积极因素，而宗教的消极因素不多。同时，灵修等精神传销活动、外星人邪教已深度渗透到我国互联网各大平台，部分学生缺乏辨析；硕博士研究生混淆非法宗教、邪教、有害气功、精神传销等概念；部分党员学生对求神拜佛活动存在思想困惑。

Overall, teaching the Marxist view of religion as a thematic component in ideological and political courses has, to some extent, satisfied students’ thirst for knowledge and addressed their related confusions about religion, particularly by consolidating the Marxist scientific worldview. However, there remain issues worth further optimization, such as the still insufficient course content, which cannot fully answer students’ questions or respond to new developments in religious, cult, and spiritual pyramid scheme organizations in society. The University of Chinese Academy of Sciences’ initiative underscores the indispensability of strengthening the integration of the Marxist view of religion into university ideological and political courses—this must be consistently upheld. On the other hand, it highlights the urgency and direction for continuously improving and optimizing education and teaching on the Marxist view of religion.

总体而言，在思政课通过专题讲授马克思主义宗教观一定程度上满足了学生对知识的渴求，解答学生在宗教方面的相关困惑，特别是起到了夯实马克思主义科学世界观的作用。但仍存在着一些值得进一步优化的问题，如课程所包含的内容仍然偏少，不能完全解答学生的问题、不能回应社会上的宗教/邪教/精神传销组织的新动向等问题。国科大此举加强马克思主义宗教观融入高校思政课的不可或缺，必须一以贯之。另一方面，凸显出持续改进优化马克思主义宗教观教育教学的紧迫性和工作方向。

III. Strategies and Recommendations for Strengthening and Optimizing Education on the Marxist View of Religion in Higher Education

三、加强和优化高校马克思主义宗教观教育的策略与建议

(A) Deeply Grasp the Laws of Education on the Marxist View of Religion

(一)深刻把握马克思主义宗教观教育的规律

Education on the Marxist view of religion is an important component of ideological and political education. It shares many commonalities with other content in ideological and political education but also has its particularities. The most obvious is its interdisciplinary character, encompassing professionalism, scientificity, and mass character. It is by no means a mere policy briefing or knowledge popularization, but rather a political guidance, theoretical concern, ideological direction, and practical guide for university students—a significant theoretical examination of issues of faith and belief. Grasping and evaluating “meta-issues” in educational theory, such as teaching content, scope, and effectiveness, requires long-term exploration supported by teaching laws.

马克思主义宗教观教育是思想政治教育的重要内容之一，与其他思想政治教育内容存在诸多共性，但也有其特殊性。最为明显的是其跨学科特征，具有专业性、科学性、群众性，绝不是单纯的政策宣讲、知识普及，而是对高校学生的政治引领、理论关切、思想引导、实践指南，是对信仰、信念问题的一次重要的理论检视。对于授课内容、尺度、效度等教育理论中的“元问题”的把握和评估需要长期的教学规律探索支撑。

Religious issues are among the major issues in national governance, manifesting in extremely diverse and complex ways globally. Under the changes unseen in a century, the impact of multicultural and value-based shocks on university student groups is increasingly evident. Therefore, in exploring and studying teaching laws, it is essential to firmly grasp the atheistic foundation of the Marxist view of religion, while taking into account interdisciplinary perspectives, professionalism, and scientificity. Politics should be taught through scholarship, and correct political conclusions should be drawn from rigorous academic discussion. To ensure students both listen attentively and gain something, extensive teaching practice is needed. When expounding basic content of the Marxist view of religion, it should be approached from a Chinese narrative perspective, highlighting the regular and substantive aspects of the Marxist view of religion just as in specialized courses, truly “clarifying the facts, explaining the principles, and thoroughly elucidating the theories.”

宗教问题是治国理政的重大问题之一，在全球范围内呈现出极为多元复杂的表现。百年未有之大变局下，高校学生群体受到多元文化与价值冲击的现象日益凸显。因此，在教学规律的探索研究中，要牢牢把握马克思主义宗教观的无神论底色，兼顾跨学科视野和专业性、科学性，以学术讲政治，以严谨的学术探讨带出正确的政治结论。让学生听得进去又学有所获，需要广泛的教学实践。阐述一些马克思主义宗教观的基本内容，应从中国叙事角度出发，同专业课程一样凸显马克思主义宗教观中的规律性、实体性的部分，真正做到“把事理讲清楚、把道理讲明白、把原理讲透彻”。

Currently, exploration and practical work on the laws of education on the Marxist view of religion in the educational sector are still lacking. There is a phenomenon of reluctance or unwillingness to teach, which further weakens related teaching and research efforts. Based on the teaching situation at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, university students are very interested in issues of religion, faith, the positioning of traditional culture, and materialism versus idealism. However, due to limited theoretical and policy levels, they face many confusions. Faced with the impact of various harmful ideologies and emerging religions today, there is an urgent need for ideological and political course teachers in higher education to deepen their understanding of teaching laws in the instruction of the Marxist view of religion, continuously explore unique methods and pathways suitable for classroom teaching, and provide students with theoretical armament.

目前教育界对马克思主义宗教观教育规律的探索和实践工作还比较缺乏，存在不敢讲不愿讲现象，进一步弱化了有关教学研究工作的开展。从国科大的授课情况来看，高校学生对宗教问题、信仰问题、传统文化的定位问题、唯物主义与唯心主义非常感兴趣，但是碍于理论和政策水平有限，存在诸多困惑。面对当今各种有害思潮、新兴宗教的冲击，迫切需要高校思政课教师在马克思主义宗教观教学中，加深对教学规律的认识，不断探索适合课堂教学独特方法、路径，为学生做好理论武装。

(B) Explore More Effective Discourse for Education on the Marxist View of Religion

(二)探索更为有效的马克思主义宗教观教育话语

Ideological and political courses have distinct contextual characteristics, especially in teaching the Marxist view of religion. Whether it is the materialist ontological presupposition, the basic premise of atheism, or the goal of requiring learners to identify with and safeguard ideological security, a set of educational discourses that can truly penetrate the mind and heart is needed; otherwise, issues of distortion, inaccuracy, and ineffectiveness will arise. University students are relatively unfamiliar with specialized religious topics, and in daily life, their perception of religious culture is mostly limited to the material level. Moreover, the content of the Marxist view of religion is highly abstract and involves many knowledge points. For many educational recipients, the discourse in ideological and political courses represents one of the few moments in their lives when they encounter theories and knowledge related to religion. Therefore, great importance must be attached to the construction of discourse on the Marxist view of religion.

思政课有着鲜明的语境特性，尤其是在马克思主义宗教观教学中，无论是唯物主义的本体论预设，还是无神论的基本前提，以及要求受教育者认同和维护意识形态安全的目的，都需要一套真正能够入脑入心的教育话语，否则将面临失真、失实与失效等问题。高校学生对专业性的宗教话题相对陌生，在日常生活中多限于器物层面对宗教文化的粗略感知，且马克思主义宗教观内容抽象度高、知识点多。思政课中的话语对于许多教育接受者而言，是生平中为数不多的接触同宗教相关的理论、知识的时刻，因此，必须高度重视马克思主义宗教观的话语建设。

First, the authenticity of the teaching discourse on the Marxist view of religion should be strengthened. The language used in teaching the Marxist view of religion must draw on rich linguistic, visual, and audiovisual resources to construct a discourse system that students can personally experience, thereby narrowing the distance between students and theories and policies. Second, sincerity should serve as the basic norm for the teaching discourse on the Marxist view of religion. Due to the particularity of religious issues, when teaching course content, one cannot directly cite the Party’s religious policies or original texts from Marxist classical writers without explanation. In discourse, both parties should achieve a harmonious and sincere reflection across dimensions such as thought, emotion, and responsibility, so that the thinking of students and teachers can substantively converge. Finally, the discourse teaching of the Marxist view of religion should be appropriate, avoiding imperative, didactic, or advisory language. Especially in contemporary times, when students generally have strong self-awareness, the relationship between teachers and students is no longer an unbalanced one-way relationship. Ideological and political teachers should start from themselves, making greater use of discourse regulation, micro-narratives, and implicit narratives, and explore more effective teaching discourses for the Marxist view of religion.

首先，应加强马克思主义宗教观教学话语的真实性。马克思主义宗教观教学用语必须借助丰富的语言、图像、影音构建出学生可以切身体会的马克思主义宗教观话语体系，拉近学生与理论、政策之间的距离。其次，应当以真诚性作为马克思主义宗教观教学话语的基本规范。由于宗教问题的特殊性，在讲授课程内容时不能直接引用党的宗教政策或马克思主义经典作家的原文而不加阐释。在话语中对话双方通过思想、情感、责任等维度上达成相融且诚挚的映现，学生与教师之间思维走向才能实质贴近。最后，马克思主义宗教观话语教学应具有适宜性，避免命令、说教、劝导等指令性言辞，尤其是在当代，学生普遍自我意识强，教师与学生之间不再是失衡的单向度关系，思政教师应从自身做起，更多的使用话语调控、微叙事、隐叙事等用语方式，探索更为有效的马克思主义宗教观教学话语。

(C) Improve the High-Quality Support System for Education on the Marxist View of Religion

(三)完善马克思主义宗教观教育高质量支撑体系

Ideological and political education, as a great project of nurturing talent for the Party and the state, requires multi-party coordination and synergy. Among these, four aspects are particularly important: Party leadership, institutional support, faculty teams, and textbook construction. Due to the particularity of education on the Marxist view of religion, teaching the Marxist view of religion well and making it vivid—indeed, the entire Marxist theoretical system—has an overarching significance. First, Party committees (Party groups) at all levels should take the spirit of central documents as an important guide and earnestly assume political and leadership responsibilities. First, university Party committees should guide different administrative departments within the school to deeply draw educational and managerial genes from the Marxist view of religion, eliminating the phenomenon of “unwilling to touch” or “daring not to touch” religious issues. This will drive more educational subjects to participate in the process of education on the Marxist view of religion, promoting the implementation of all-staff education. Second, explore and optimize systems related to the “Marxist View of Religion” ideological and political course, curriculum-based ideological and political education, campus culture, and the second classroom,[n8] ensuring sufficient class hours, and embedding the value implications of the Marxist view of religion throughout the entire process of ideological and political education, thereby constructing a closed loop of ideological and political education and achieving whole-process education. Third, the joint linkage of the whole society is an inevitable choice for advancing ideological and political courses toward “grand ideological and political education.” It is necessary to effectively explain China’s religious policies, providing ideological support for great unity, great solidarity, and a firm patriotic stance.

思想政治教育作为为党和国家育人育才的伟大工程，需要多方协同并形成合力。其中对于党的领导、机构支撑、师资队伍和教材建设四个方面尤为重要。由于马克思主义宗教观教育的特殊性，讲好、讲活马克思主义宗教观，乃至于整个马克思主义理论体系，都具有提纲挈领的意义。首先，各级党委(党组)要以中央文件精神为重要遵循，切实负起政治责任和领导责任。其一，高校党委应该引导学校不同行政部门从马克思主义宗教观中深刻汲取教育基因、管理基因，杜绝“不愿碰”“不敢碰”宗教问题的现象。带动更多教育主体参与到马克思主义宗教观教育的过程中，推动全员育人的落地。其二，探索优化“马克思主义宗教观”思政课程、课程思政和校园文化、第二课堂等相关制度，保证课时时长，将马克思主义宗教观的价值意蕴贯穿思想政治教育全过程，构建思想政治教育闭环，从而实现全程育人。其三，全社会共同联动是推动思政课程走向“大思政”的必然选择，讲好我国的宗教政策，为大团结、大联合以及坚定的爱国主义立场做好思想支撑。

Second, providing academic support is a foundational measure for implementing education on the Marxist view of religion. The reason why education on the Marxist view of religion has long appeared somewhat thin is largely due to the fact that the teaching staff “cannot teach it well” or “cannot explain it clearly.” Using high-quality academic research on the Marxist view of religion to support teaching practice on the Marxist view of religion, while effectively ensuring that Party leadership is implemented throughout the entire process of education on the Marxist view of religion, can provide an institutional pathway for cultivating a teaching staff and supplying a steady stream of reserve educational forces.

其次，做好学术支撑是落实马克思主义宗教观教育的基础性举措。而长期以来，马克思主义宗教观教育之所以稍显单薄，很大程度上是由于教师队伍“讲不好”“讲不清”导致的。以高质量的马克思主义宗教观学术研究支撑马克思主义宗教观教学实践，同时切实保障贯彻党的领导于马克思主义宗教观教育全过程，可以为培育师资队伍，提供源源不断的教育后备力量提供制度性路径。

Third, many scholars have called for improving the construction of a teaching staff for Marxist religious studies to enhance educational effectiveness. At present, the number of professional scholars in Marxist religious studies is severely insufficient; there are few academic institutions for Marxist atheism and Marxist religious studies, and there is a lack of academic research support. Issues such as journal development and the publication of findings have led to a shortage of disciplinary knowledge reserves and a serious talent gap. Therefore, the large contingent of ideological and political theory course teachers in higher education can fully serve as the main force for teaching the Marxist view of religion. As a key link in students’ ideological and political education, ideological and political teachers in higher education should naturally assume the important task of propagating China’s Marxist view of religion. Building a teaching staff with strong qualifications and firm positions requires a complete education system, solid and powerful institutions, and mechanisms capable of ensuring a steady supply of reserve forces. Consequently, strengthening the training of educators in the content of the Marxist view of religion is of utmost importance, especially when dealing with students who have religious beliefs, as it requires comprehensive knowledge reserves that integrate content from history, religion, psychology, and other fields.

再次，很多学者呼吁要完善马克思主义宗教学师资队伍建设，提升教育效能。目前马克思主义宗教学专业学者队伍人员严重不足，马克思主义无神论、马克思主义宗教学学科的学术机构较少，缺乏学术研究保障，期刊建设、成果发表等问题使得学科知识储备短缺和人才断层严重。因此，数量庞大的高校思政课教师队伍完全可以作为马克思主义宗教观教学的主力军。高校思政教师作为学生思想政治教育的重要环节理应承担起宣传我国马克思主义宗教观的重任。建设一支素质过硬、立场坚定的教师队伍需要一套完整的教育体系，坚实有力的制度，以及能够保障后备力量源源不断的机制。因此，加强教育工作者的马克思主义宗教观内容培训至关重要，尤其是在面对具有宗教信仰的学生时更加需要全方位的知识储备，融合历史、宗教、心理等各个方向的内容。

Finally, improve the construction of teaching content and teaching materials. Regarding the Party’s ethnic policies, particularly the aspect of “forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation,”[9]9 “Forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation” (铸牢中华民族共同体意识) is a key concept in the CPC’s ethnic policy under Xi Jinping, emphasizing national unity and shared identity among all ethnic groups in China. a nationally unified textbook titled *An Introduction to the Chinese National Community* has already been published and distributed, but a textbook on the Marxist view of religion has not yet been published. At present, apart from the nationally unified textbooks for ideological and political theory courses in higher education, specialized courses on the Marxist view of religion have not been launched in most universities, and various textbooks and books are often presented as popular readers. It is necessary to organize the compilation of textbook readers aimed at propagating and educating university students on the Marxist view of religion. Moreover, the construction of teaching materials should focus on timeliness in content; information should be updated promptly, new media methods should be used to assist in innovating educational and teaching models, and vivid cases should be employed to thoroughly explain and clarify “the origins of religion,” “the laws of religious development,” “the social and historical basis of religion’s emergence and its limitations,” “the laws of religion’s extinction,” and “the principles of the proletarian party in handling religious issues.”

最后，完善教学内容和教材建设。关于党的民族政策特别是“铸牢中华民族共同体意识”方面，已经出版发行《中华民族共同体概论》国家统编教材，但马克思主义宗教观的教材还未出版。在当前，除高校思政课统编教材之外，马克思主义宗教观教育的专门课程在大多数高校并未开展起来，各类教材书籍也往往以通俗读本呈现。有必要组织编写面向高校大学生马克思主义宗教观宣传教育的教材读本。而且，教材建设应当注重内容上的时效性，应当及时更新有关信息，辅助新媒体手段创新教育教学模式，通过鲜活的案例将“宗教的起源”“宗教的发展规律”“宗教产生的社会历史基础与其局限性”“宗教消亡的规律”“无产阶级政党处理宗教问题的原则”讲清讲透。

(Author bios: Yang Tianjiao, master’s student at the School of Marxism, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences; Chen Tianjia, associate professor at the School of Marxism, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences)

（作者简介：杨甜娇，中国科学院大学马克思主义学院硕士研究生；陈天嘉，中国科学院大学马克思主义学院副教授）

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心