The Construction Process, Implementation Situation, and Basic Experience of the Political Discipline That "Party Members Must Not Believe in Religion" Since the 18th National Congress

The Chinese Communist Party has always attached great importance to the construction of political discipline among its members. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has particularly emphasized the political discipline that "Party members must not believe in religion." Comrade Xi Jinping pointed out at the 2016 National Conference on Religious Work: "Communist Party members must be steadfast Marxist atheists, strictly abide by the provisions of the Party Constitution, firmly uphold their ideals and convictions, and keep in mind the Party's purpose; they must never seek their own values and beliefs in religion." However, in practical work, cases of Party cadres "not believing in Marxism-Leninism but believing in ghosts and gods" still occur from time to time. For example, Li Zongyi, former Standing Committee member of the Party Committee and Vice President of Lanzhou Jiaotong University, violated the Party's political discipline, was disloyal and dishonest toward the Party, and long adhered to religious beliefs; Luo Jijing, former member of the Party Leadership Group of the Standing Committee of the Guangzhou Municipal People's Congress, engaged in superstitious activities on a large scale, while simultaneously disregarding the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations [1]1 The Eight-Point Regulations: A set of rules adopted by the CPC Central Committee in December 2012 to promote frugality and combat extravagance and bureaucracy among Party officials. and illegally accepting gifts and money; Zhang Enliang, former Party Secretary of Hegang City, was obsessed with officialdom, did not believe in Marxism-Leninism but believed in ghosts and gods, engaged in superstitious activities, and at the same time used his position to seek benefits for others and accepted huge amounts of property. The situation of Party cadres "not believing in Marxism-Leninism but believing in ghosts and gods" can be roughly attributed to reasons such as obsession with officialdom, obsession with wealth, a guilty conscience, and vain hopes for blessings in the afterlife. Therefore, emphasizing that "Party members must not believe in religion" is a key link in the construction of Party discipline.

中国共产党历来高度重视党员的政治纪律建设。党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央特别强调“党员不得信教”这一政治纪律。习近平总书记在2016年全国宗教工作会议上指出：“共产党员要做坚定的马克思主义无神论者，严守党章规定，坚定理想信念，牢记党的宗旨，绝不能在宗教中寻找自己的价值和信念。”但在实际工作中，党员干部“不信马列信鬼神”的案例仍时有发生。例如，兰州交通大学原党委常委、副校长李宗义违反党的政治纪律，对党不忠诚不老实，长期信仰宗教；广州市人大常委会原党组成员罗冀京，大搞迷信活动，同时无视中央八项规定精神，违规收受礼品、礼金；鹤岗市委原书记张恩亮官迷心窍，不信马列信鬼神，搞迷信活动，同时利用职务便利为他人谋取利益并收受巨额财物等。党员干部“不信马列信鬼神”的情况大致可归结为官迷心窍、财迷心窍、做贼心虚、妄期来世福报等原因。所以，强调“党员不得信教”是党的纪律建设的关键环节。

I. The Construction Process of the Political Discipline That "Party Members Must Not Believe in Religion" Since the 18th National Congress

一、十八大以来“党员不得信教”政治纪律的建设历程

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, proceeding from a holistic, strategic, and fundamental perspective, has pointed out the extreme importance of the construction of the Party's political discipline. In the process of deepening and advancing the construction of Party discipline, it has promoted the scientific and standardized development of the political discipline that "Party members must not believe in religion." Specifically, the construction of the political discipline that "Party members must not believe in religion" since the 18th National Congress can be divided into two stages.

党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央，从全局、战略和治本的高度出发，指出了党的政治纪律建设的极端重要性。在深化推进党的纪律建设过程中，推动“党员不得信教”政治纪律的科学化和规范化发展。具体来讲，十八大以来“党员不得信教”政治纪律的建设可以分为两个阶段。

(A) The Development of the Political Discipline That "Party Members Must Not Believe in Religion"

（一）“党员不得信教”政治纪律的发展

The Constitution of the Chinese Communist Party clearly stipulates: "Members of the Chinese Communist Party are vanguard fighters of the Chinese working class with communist consciousness." This formulation fundamentally requires that Party members must firmly uphold communist convictions and draw a clear line with religious beliefs. Therefore, the prohibition on Party members believing in religion is an inherent requirement of the Party Constitution.

《中国共产党章程》明确规定：“中国共产党党员是中国工人阶级的有共产主义觉悟的先锋战士”。这一表述从根本上要求党员必须坚定共产主义信仰，与宗教信仰划清界限。因此，党员不得信仰宗教是党章规定的内在要求。

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee revised the Regulations of the Chinese Communist Party on Disciplinary Action in 2015, with Article 50 clearly stipulating: "Those who organize or participate in superstitious sects or cult organizations shall, if they are the planners, organizers, or backbone elements, be given expulsion from the Party." In January 2016, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued the Opinions on Further Strengthening and Improving Work with Retired Cadres, which clearly stipulates: "Retired Party cadres must not believe in religion, must not participate in religious activities, must resolutely struggle against cult organizations, and at the same time, attention must be paid to distinguishing Party members' participation in certain ethnic customs and activities from religious belief." Comrade Xi Jinping pointed out at the 2016 National Conference on Religious Work: "Communist Party members must be steadfast Marxist atheists, strictly abide by the provisions of the Party Constitution, firmly uphold their ideals and convictions, and keep in mind the Party's purpose; they must never seek their own values and beliefs in religion." On June 28, 2016, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee deliberated and approved the Regulations of the Chinese Communist Party on Accountability, and pointed out that for leading cadres who violate the Party Constitution and other intra-Party regulations, such as political discipline, organizational discipline, integrity discipline, mass discipline, work discipline, and lifestyle discipline, the Party's accountability system must be strictly implemented. The Sixth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee adopted and released the newly formulated Norms for Political Life Within the Party Under the New Situation (hereinafter referred to as the Norms) and the newly revised Regulations of the Chinese Communist Party on Intra-Party Supervision (hereinafter referred to as the Supervision Regulations), emphasizing that abiding by the Party's political discipline is the foundation for abiding by all Party discipline. Among them, the Norms clearly stipulate: "Communist Party members must take the Party Constitution as the fundamental guideline, adhere to the Party's political line, ideological line, organizational line, and mass line, and must not engage in feudal superstition, must not believe in religion, must not participate in cults, and must not condone or support religious extremism, ethnic separatism, violent terrorism, or their activities." This provision further clarified the political discipline of Party members regarding belief. In August 2017, the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, and the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission jointly issued the Opinions on Regulating the Online Behavior of Party Cadres, which clearly states: "Party cadres must not participate in online religious activities or cult activities, nor condone or support religious extremism, ethnic separatism, violent terrorism, or their activities."

党的十八大以来，党中央在2015年对《中国共产党纪律处分条例》进行了修订，第五十条明确规定：“组织、参加会道门或者邪教组织的，对策划者、组织者和骨干分子，给予开除党籍处分。”2016年1月，中共中央办公厅、国务院办公厅《关于进一步加强和改进离退休干部工作的意见》明确规定“离退休干部党员不能信仰宗教，不能参加宗教活动，要坚决与邪教组织作斗争，同时要注意把党员参加某些民族风俗活动同信教区别开来。”习近平总书记在2016年全国宗教工作会议上指出：“共产党员要做坚定的马克思主义无神论者，严守党章规定，坚定理想信念，牢记党的宗旨，绝不能在宗教中寻找自己的价值和信念。”2016年6月28日，中共中央政治局审议通过了《中国共产党问责条例》，并指出，对领导干部违反党章和其他党内法规，如政治纪律、组织纪律、廉洁纪律、群众纪律、工作纪律、生活纪律的，必须要严格落实党的问责制度。党的十八届六中全会通过并发布了新制定的《关于新形势下党内政治生活的若干准则》（以下简称《准则》）和新修订的《中国共产党党内监督条例》（以下简称《监督条例》），强调遵守党的政治纪律是遵守党的全部纪律的基础。其中，《准则》明确规定：“共产党员必须以党章为根本遵循，坚持党的政治路线、思想路线、组织路线、群众路线，不准搞封建迷信，不准信仰宗教，不准参与邪教，不准纵容和支持宗教极端势力、民族分裂势力、暴力恐怖势力及其活动。”这一规定进一步明确了党员在信仰方面的政治纪律。2017年8月，中共中央宣传部、中共中央组织部和中央网信办联合发布了《关于规范党员干部网络行为的意见》，明确指出：“党员干部不得参与网上宗教活动、邪教活动，纵容和支持宗教极端势力、民族分裂势力、暴力恐怖势力及其活动。”

In summary, during the period from the 18th National Congress to the convening of the 19th National Congress, the Party Central Committee continuously deepened the construction of intra-Party regulations, enhancing Party members' awareness of the risks that religious belief may bring by clarifying disciplinary requirements for Party members and regulating their behavior. The updating of the Regulations of the Chinese Communist Party on Disciplinary Action, the promulgation and implementation of documents such as the Opinions on Further Strengthening and Improving Work with Retired Cadres, the Regulations of the Chinese Communist Party on Accountability, the Norms for Political Life Within the Party Under the New Situation, the Regulations of the Chinese Communist Party on Intra-Party Supervision, and the Opinions on Regulating the Online Behavior of Party Cadres, as well as the diverse learning and education activities carried out by Party organizations at all levels, such as the normalization and institutionalization of the "Two Studies and One Action" [2]2 "Two Studies and One Action": A Party-wide education campaign launched in 2016, calling on Party members to study the Party Constitution and regulations, study Xi Jinping's speeches, and become qualified Party members. learning and education, have to a certain extent effectively strengthened Party members' understanding and acceptance of the political discipline that "Party members must not believe in religion," and the political discipline that "Party members must not believe in religion" has been further standardized.

综上所述，党的十八大至十九大召开的这一时期，党中央不断深化党内法规的建设，通过明确对党员的纪律要求、规范党员的行为，提升了党员对宗教信仰可能带来的风险的认识。《中国共产党纪律处分条例》的更新，《关于进一步加强和改进离退休干部工作的意见》《中国共产党问责条例》《关于新形势下党内政治生活的若干准则》《中国共产党党内监督条例》以及《关于规范党员干部网络行为的意见》等文件的颁布和实施，以及各级党组织开展的多样化的学习教育活动，如“两学一做”学习教育常态化制度化等，一定程度上有效地强化了党员对“党员不得信教”这一政治纪律的理解和接受，“党员不得信教”的政治纪律进一步规范化。

(B) The Perfection of the Political Discipline That "Party Members Must Not Believe in Religion"

（二）“党员不得信教”政治纪律的完善

Since the 19th National Congress of the CPC, the political discipline that "Party members must not believe in religion" has been further perfected in the construction of Party discipline. The newly revised Regulations of the Chinese Communist Party on Disciplinary Action in 2018 (hereinafter referred to as the Regulations (2018)) added provisions for handling the issue of Party members believing in religion, clearly stating: "For Party members who believe in religion, ideological education shall be strengthened; if they still do not change after education and assistance from the Party organization, they shall be persuaded to withdraw from the Party; if they are persuaded but do not withdraw, they shall be expelled." In addition, the Regulations (2018) also made strict disciplinary provisions for participating in the use of religious activities to undermine ethnic unity. Since the 20th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee has revised the Regulations of the Chinese Communist Party on Disciplinary Action, deepening the provisions of the political discipline that "Party members must not believe in religion." Article 64 of the Regulations (2024), which came into effect on January 1, 2024, stipulates: "Those who organize or participate in assemblies, processions, demonstrations, or other activities opposing the Party's basic theory, basic line, basic strategy, or major policies, or who organize lectures, forums, reports, symposiums, or other means to oppose the Party's basic theory, basic line, basic strategy, or major policies, causing serious adverse effects, shall, if they are the planners, organizers, or backbone elements, be given expulsion from the Party." Articles 65 to 71 stipulate: "For those who organize or participate in organizations aimed at opposing the Party's leadership, opposing the socialist system, or being hostile to the government; for those who organize or participate in superstitious sects or cult organizations; for those who engage in or participate in inciting and undermining ethnic relations, creating incidents, or participating in ethnic separatist activities; for those who organize or use religious activities to oppose the Party's theories, line, policies, and resolutions, and undermine ethnic unity; for those who believe in religion or organize superstitious activities; for those who participate in using religion to engage in煽动 activities; for those who organize or use clan forces to confront the Party and government, obstruct the implementation of the Party and state's policies and decisions, or undermine the construction of grassroots Party organizations, the planners, organizers, and backbone elements shall be dealt with according to the severity of the circumstances." The implementation of the Regulations (2024) means that the construction of the political discipline that "Party members must not believe in religion" has entered a new milestone, providing more solid institutional support for the practice of comprehensive and strict governance of the Party.

党的十九大以来，“党员不得信教”这一政治纪律在党的纪律建设中得到了进一步完善。2018年新修订的《中国共产党纪律处分条例》以下简称《条例》（2018）新增了对党员信教问题的处理规定，明确指出：“对信仰宗教的党员，应当加强思想教育，经党组织帮助教育仍没有转变的，应当劝其退党；劝而不退的，予以除名。”此外，对于参与利用宗教活动破坏民族团结的行为，《条例》（2018）也作出了严厉的处分规定。党的二十大以来，党中央对《中国共产党纪律处分条例》进行了修订，深化了“党员不得信教”政治纪律的规定。2024年1月1日正式施行的《条例》（2024）中的第六十四条规定：“组织、参加反对党的基本理论、基本路线、基本方略或者重大方针政策的集会、游行、示威等活动的，或者以组织讲座、论坛、报告会、座谈会等方式，反对党的基本理论、基本路线、基本方略或者重大方针政策，造成严重不良影响的，对策划者、组织者和骨干分子，给予开除党籍处分。”第六十五条至七十一条规定：“对组织、参加旨在反对党的领导、反对社会主义制度或者敌视政府等组织的；对组织、参加会道门或者邪教组织的；对从事、参与挑拨破坏民族关系制造事端或者参加民族分裂活动的；组织、利用宗教活动反对党的理论、路线、方针、政策和决议，破坏民族团结的；对信仰宗教、组织迷信活动的；对参与利用宗教搞煽动活动的；对组织、利用宗族势力对抗党和政府，妨碍党和国家的方针政策以及决策部署的实施，或者破坏党的基层组织建设的策划者、组织者和骨干分子，根据情节严重的程度，予以处理。”《条例》（2024）的实行，意味着“党员不得信教”这一政治纪律的建设迈入了一个新的里程碑，为全面从严治党的实践提供了更加坚实的制度支撑。

On November 30, 2020, the Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee reviewed and approved the Regulations of the Chinese Communist Party on the United Front Work. Article 23 of these regulations states: “Adhere to a ‘guiding’ attitude toward religion, protect what is lawful, stop what is unlawful, curb extremism, resist infiltration, and combat crime.” On January 14, 2024, the General Office of the Party Central Committee issued the Regulations on the Online Conduct of Chinese Communist Party Members, further emphasizing the behavioral norms for Party cadres and members online. Article 13 of these regulations clearly states: “Party members must not participate in online religious activities or superstitious activities; must not participate in, condone, or support the use of the internet to propagate terrorism, separatism, extremism, or cults, or to incite ethnic hatred or ethnic discrimination, undermining ethnic unity.” This deepens and refines the Opinions on Regulating the Online Conduct of Party Cadres and Members issued in August 2017, aiming to regulate Party members’ behavior in cyberspace, prevent them from spreading religious ideas or participating in religious activities online, and ensure that Party members abide by the Party’s political discipline in cyberspace as well.

2020年11月30日，中共中央政治局审议通过了《中国共产党统一战线工作条例》。其中，第二十三条指出：“坚持以“导”的态度对待宗教，保护合法、制止非法、遏制极端、抵御渗透、打击犯罪。”2024年1月14日，中共中央办公厅发布了《中国共产党党员网络行为规定》，进一步强调了党员干部在网络上的行为规范。其中第十三条明确指出：“党员不得参与网络宗教活动、迷信活动，不得参与或纵容、支持利用网络宣扬恐怖主义、分裂主义、极端主义，邪教，或煽动民族仇恨、民族歧视，破坏民族团结。”这是对2017年8月发布的《关于规范党员干部网络行为的意见》的深化和完善，旨在规范党员在网络空间的行为，防止其在网络上传播宗教思想或参与宗教活动，确保党员在网络空间同样遵守党的政治纪律。

Since the 19th National Congress, the Party Central Committee has issued a series of documents, such as the Several Provisions of the Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee on Strengthening and Maintaining the Centralized and Unified Leadership of the Party Central Committee, the Second Five-Year Plan for the Formulation of Intra-Party Regulations (2018–2022), the Regulations on the Formulation of Intra-Party Regulations of the Chinese Communist Party, the Provisions on the Filing and Review of Intra-Party Regulations and Normative Documents of the Chinese Communist Party, and the Provisions on the Responsibility System for the Implementation of Intra-Party Regulations of the Chinese Communist Party (Trial). While raising the level of standardization, institutionalization, and scientific rigor in the formulation of intra-Party regulations, these documents further improved the implementation and oversight mechanisms for the political discipline that “Party members must not believe in religion.” The issuance of the Regulations on the United Front Work of the Chinese Communist Party and the Regulations on the Online Conduct of Chinese Communist Party Members further signifies that the political discipline “Party members must not believe in religion” has been further strengthened and refined in the New Era. Of particular importance are the two revisions to the Regulations on Disciplinary Sanctions of the Chinese Communist Party since the 19th National Congress, which added many detailed provisions and developed and refined the specific requirements of the political discipline that “Party members must not believe in religion.” Through the specific stipulations of the political discipline “Party members must not believe in religion,” the Regulations (2024) hold great practical significance for Party members to firmly establish political consciousness, the consciousness of the overall situation, the consciousness of the core, and the consciousness of alignment [n3]; to strengthen confidence in the path, confidence in the theory, confidence in the system, and confidence in the culture; to consciously abide by and uphold the Party Constitution; to strictly implement and maintain Party discipline; and to consciously accept the constraints of Party discipline. The political discipline “Party members must not believe in religion” has been further perfected.

十九大以来，党中央颁布了一系列文件，如《中共中央政治局关于加强和维护党中央集中统一领导的若干规定》《中央党内法规制定工作第二个五年规划（2018—2022）》《中国共产党党内法规制定条例》《中国共产党党内法规和规范性文件备案审查规定》以及《中国共产党党内法规执行责任制规定（试行）》等，在提升党内法规制定的规范化、制度化、科学化水平的同时，进一步完善了“党员不得信教”这一政治纪律的执行和监督机制。《中国共产党统一战线工作条例》和《中国共产党党员网络行为规定》的出台更意味着“党员不得信教”政治纪律在新时代得到了进一步的强化和细化。尤为重要的是，十九大以来对《中国共产党纪律处分条例》的两次修订，补充了很多细节内容，发展和完善了“党员不得信教”这一政治纪律的具体要求。通过对“党员不得信教”政治纪律的具体规定，《条例》（2024）对党员牢固树立政治意识、大局意识、核心意识、看齐意识，坚定道路自信、理论自信、制度自信、文化自信，自觉遵守和维护党章，严格执行和维护党的纪律，自觉接受党的纪律约束，具有重大现实意义，“党员不得信教”的政治纪律得到了进一步完善。

II. Implementation of the Political Discipline “Party Members Must Not Believe in Religion” since the 18th National Congress

二、十八大以来“党员不得信教”政治纪律的执行情况

Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the political discipline “Party members must not believe in religion” has been implemented more strictly.

党的十八大以来，“党员不得信教”这一政治纪律得到了更加严格的执行。

First, nationwide, Party organizations at all levels have strictly implemented the political discipline “Party members must not believe in religion,” ensuring compliance through regular inspections and unannounced spot checks. For example, in 2014, during a special rectification campaign targeting Party members who believe in religion, Yueqing City identified 121 Party members with varying degrees of religious belief through self-inspections by grassroots Party organizations and on-site investigations. Among them, 15 Party members who held believer credentials and had long engaged in religious activities were expelled from the Party, while the remaining 106 with tendencies toward religious belief underwent education and transformation. In 2015, the Party Working Committee of Chengdong Subdistrict in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, discovered that Party member Yu, affiliated with a subordinate mobile Party branch, held Christian beliefs and intended to engage in religious work. After investigation and interviews, it was found that Yu had weak organizational consciousness, an unsteady political stance, no determination or actual performance indicating a change of heart, and had already lost Party spirit. In accordance with the Provisions on the Handling of Unqualified Party Members, Yu was identified as an unqualified Party member, reported to the municipal Party committee organization department for preliminary review, and after approval, was subjected to a disposition of persuasion to withdraw from the Party and expulsion. In 2023, the First Supervision and Inspection Office (Political Discipline Supervision and Inspection Office) of Nagqu City, Tibet Autonomous Region, carried out supervision and inspection work on Party members’ religious beliefs during the “Saga Dawa” festival [n4]. Staff went to religious sites such as Xiaodeng Temple and Zhaxisangdan Nunnery in Nagqu City to conduct supervision and inspection of political discipline and political rules, identifying instances of Party members participating in religious activities during the festival, ensuring that the provisions that Party members must not believe in religion and must not participate in religious activities were implemented. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, Party organizations at all levels have strictly implemented the political discipline “Party members must not believe in religion” through various methods, including regular inspections, unannounced spot checks, special investigations, and signing commitment letters.

其一，在全国范围内，各级党组织严格执行“党员不得信教”的政治纪律，通过定期检查和不定期抽查的方式，确保党员遵守规定。例如，2014年，乐清市在信教党员专项整治行动中，通过基层党组织自查、实地排查等措施，共排查出存在不同信教程度的党员121名。其中，15名持有信徒证件、长期从事宗教活动的党员被党内除名，其余106名有宗教信仰倾向的党员则进行了教育转化。2015年，浙江省温州市城东街道党工委发现下属流动支部的党员俞某有基督教信仰并有意向从事宗教工作，经过调查和谈话，发现其组织观念淡薄，政治立场不坚定，没有转变的决心和实际表现，已经丧失党性。根据《不合格党员处置》规定，将其认定为不合格党员，上报市委组织部预审，经预审同意后，对其作出了劝退除名的处置。2023年，西藏自治区那曲市第一监督检查室（政治纪律监督检查室）开展了“萨嘎达瓦”节期间党员信仰宗教监督检查工作，工作人员前往那曲市孝登寺、扎西桑旦林尼寺等宗教场所，开展政治纪律和政治规矩监督检查工作，排查节日期间党员参加宗教活动现象，确保党员不得信仰宗教和不得参加宗教活动的规定落到实处。党的十八大以来，各级党组织通过定期检查、不定期抽查、专项排查、签订承诺书等多种方式，严格执行“党员不得信教”的政治纪律。

Second, education and training for Party members have been strengthened. Through Party lessons, seminars, and other forms, Party members’ understanding and recognition of the political discipline “Party members must not believe in religion” have been continuously reinforced. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, Party committees and organizations at all levels and in various regions have adopted multiple practical measures to strengthen Party members’ understanding and recognition of this political discipline, employing different implementation strategies based on specific local conditions. First, Party organizations at colleges and universities have fully utilized their educational resources to carry out diverse forms of specialized training. By holding Party spirit education training classes, they have invited experts and scholars to deeply interpret the Party’s political discipline, particularly providing detailed explanations of the provision that Party members must not believe in religion. For example, the School of Philosophy at Wuhan University conducted a themed Party lesson on “Chinese Communist Party Members Must Not Believe in Religion.” The themed Party lesson emphasized the Party’s political stance on religious issues and religious work, proposing four measures to address the infiltration of religion on campus. The School of Mathematics and Statistics at Hubei University carried out a themed Party Day activity on “Party Members Must Not Believe in Religion,” guiding all Party members to always remember the Party’s nature and purpose, strictly observe the Party’s political discipline and political rules, and be steadfast Marxist atheists. This enabled all faculty and student Party members to fully understand that the Party’s nature and the worldview of Communist Party members determine that Communist Party members cannot believe in religion. The Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, conducted a themed Party Day activity on “Communist Party Members Absolutely Cannot Believe in Religion.” The meeting emphasized the purity and steadfastness of Communist Party members’ beliefs, pointing out that Communist Party members who believe in Marxism must resolutely resist and oppose any form of religious superstition. As Marxists, Communist Party members should uphold atheism, using a scientific attitude and methods to understand the world and solve practical problems. Second, local Party organizations have conducted heart-to-heart talks to promptly understand Party members’ ideological dynamics and strengthen education and guidance for Party members. The Discipline Inspection Commission and Supervision Commission of Jingyang County, Shaanxi Province, has carried out regular heart-to-heart talks to understand Party members’ situations regarding belief, providing focused education and assistance to Party members with tendencies toward religious belief, guiding them to correctly recognize the conflict between religion and the Party’s nature and purpose, and strengthening their political stance that Party members must not believe in religion. Third, Party committees of various companies and work units have incorporated Party discipline study and education into compulsory courses for the training of Party cadres and members, promoting the normalization of discipline education. For example, Luan Yu, Party Committee Secretary and Board Chair of Yichun Sen Gong Wuying Forestry Bureau Company, has incorporated the Regulations into compulsory courses for the training of Party cadres and members, focusing on the two aspects of political discipline and political rules, guiding everyone to consciously observe political discipline and political rules. Through regular and diverse forms of education related to “Party members must not believe in religion,” such as Party lessons and seminars, Party members’ understanding and recognition of the political discipline “Party members must not believe in religion” have been continuously reinforced.

其二，加强对党员的教育和培训，通过党课、研讨会等形式，不断强化党员对“党员不得信教”政治纪律的认识和理解。党的十八大以来，各地区、各级党委组织在强化党员对这一政治纪律的认识和理解方面采取了多种实践措施，根据各地区的具体情况不同，采取了不同的执行策略。一是，高校各级党组织充分利用其教育资源，开展形式多样的专题培训。通过举办党性教育培训班，邀请专家学者深入解读党的政治纪律，特别是对党员不得信教这一规定进行详细阐述。例如，武汉大学哲学学院开展了“中共党员不得信仰宗教”主题党课。主题党课中强调了中国共产党在宗教问题和宗教工作中的政治站位，提出了应对校园宗教渗透问题的四个举措。湖北大学数学与统计学学院开展“党员不得信仰宗教”主题党日活动。引导全体党员始终牢记党的性质和宗旨，严守党的政治纪律和政治规矩，做坚定的马克思主义无神论者。使全体师生党员充分了解党的性质和共产党员的世界观决定了共产党员不能信仰宗教。国科大杭州高等研究院开展了“共产党员绝对不能信仰宗教”主题党日活动。会议中强调了共产党员信仰的纯洁性和坚定性，指出了共产党员信仰马克思主义，就必须坚决抵制和反对任何形式的宗教迷信活动。共产党员作为马克思主义者应当坚持无神论，用科学的态度和方法认识世界，解决实际问题。二是，地方党组织通过开展谈心谈话活动，及时了解党员的思想动态，加强对党员的教育引导。陕西省泾阳县纪委监委开展常态化谈心谈话，了解党员在信仰方面的情况，对有信教倾向的党员进行重点教育和帮助，引导党员正确认识宗教与党的性质、宗旨的冲突，坚定党员不得信教的政治立场。三是，各公司、单位党委将党纪学习教育纳入党员干部培训必修课，推动纪律教育常态化。例如，伊春森工五营林业局公司党委书记、董事长栾宇将《条例》纳入党员干部培训必修课，聚焦政治纪律和政治规矩两个方面，引导大家自觉遵守政治纪律和政治规矩。通过经常性、多样化的党课和研讨会等形式的“党员不得信教”的相关教育，不断强化党员对“党员不得信教”政治纪律的认识和理解。

Third, in handling Party members who violate political discipline, the principle of "learning from past mistakes to avoid future ones and curing the illness to save the patient" [5]5 "Learning from past mistakes to avoid future ones and curing the illness to save the patient" (惩前毖后、治病救人) is a traditional Chinese idiom adopted as a principle for handling internal Party discipline, emphasizing education and redemption over pure punishment. is upheld, combining strict handling with an emphasis on education and redemption. For Party members whose violation of the political discipline that "Party members must not believe in religion" is not serious, the Party organization helps them correct their behavior through ideological education. For example, in 2019, Zhouqu County, Gansu Province, carried out a special rectification campaign on the issue of rural Party members believing in religion. Using the "six visits and three evaluations" working method, it conducted a comprehensive screening of 7,955 rural Party members, and among the 119 Party members found to believe in religion, 114 were helped and transformed through a "one person, one policy" approach, while 5 were persuaded to withdraw from the Party. For Party members whose violation of the political discipline that "Party members must not believe in religion" is serious, the Party organization imposes strict penalties. For instance, Li Zongyi, former member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of Lanzhou Jiaotong University, had a long-standing problem of believing in religion. Li Zongyi repeatedly accepted banquets and travel arrangements that might affect the fair execution of official duties, long-term borrowing of vehicles from management service targets; illegally engaged in business for profit; colluded with others to provide false testimony and forged evidence, and transferred and concealed illegal and disciplinary gains. In addition, Chen Jian, former Party Secretary of the Dali Prefectural Committee in Yunnan Province, did not believe in Marxism-Leninism but in ghosts and gods, engaged in feudal superstition, and corrupted the team and degraded the atmosphere; Xu Ming, former member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the State Administration of Grain, was keen on superstitious activities and illegally accepted huge amounts of property; Zhu Renxiu, former member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Mayor of the Nanping Municipal Government in Fujian Province, was "close but not clean" with unscrupulous businessmen, willingly became the target of "hunting," resisted organizational review, and participated in superstitious activities. For Party members such as Xu Ming, Chen Jian, and Zhu Renxiu, who seriously violated the political discipline that "Party members must not believe in religion," the Party organization, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the *Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Disciplinary Actions*, the *Supervision Law of the People's Republic of China*, and the *Law of the People's Republic of China on Administrative Discipline for Public Officials*, imposed penalties including expulsion from the Party and dismissal from public office.

其三，在处理违反政治纪律的党员时，坚持“惩前毖后、治病救人”的原则，既严格处理，又注重教育和挽救。对违反“党员不得信教”政治纪律的情节不严重的党员，党组织通过思想教育，帮助其改正。例如，2019年，甘肃省舟曲县开展了农村党员信仰宗教问题的专项整治工作，通过“六走访三评议”工作法，全面排查了7955名农村党员，并对排查出的119名信教党员进行了帮教转化，其中114名信教党员完成了“一人一策”的帮教转化，5名信教党员被劝退。对违反“党员不得信教”政治纪律的情节严重的党员，党组织要对其进行严格处理。如兰州交通大学原党委常委、副校长李宗义存在长期信仰宗教的问题。李宗义多次接受可能影响公正执行公务的宴请和旅游安排，长期借用管理服务对象车辆；违规经商获利；与他人串供、伪造证据，转移隐匿违纪违法所得。此外，云南省大理州委原书记陈坚不信马列信鬼神，搞封建迷信，带坏队伍败坏风气；国家粮食局党组成员、副局长徐鸣热衷迷信活动，并且非法收受巨额财物；福建省南平市政府原党组成员、副市长朱仁秀与不法商人“亲而不清”，甘于被“围猎”，对抗组织审查，参加迷信活动。对于徐鸣、陈坚、朱仁秀等严重违反“党员不得信教”政治纪律的党员，党组织依据《中国共产党纪律处分条例》《中华人民共和国监察法》《中华人民共和国公职人员政务处分法》等有关规定，对其给予开除党籍、开除公职等处分。

Fourth, the political discipline that "Party members must not believe in religion" is publicized through media and open channels, creating a favorable atmosphere for its collective maintenance by the whole society. On June 27, 2018, a notice published on the official website of the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commission of Zhongwei City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, was widely reposted on major mainstream websites, becoming a "hot topic" of concern. The notice stated that Ma Tingke, a Communist Party member from Mabao Village, Qiyin Town, Haiyuan County, concealed his Party membership and participated in the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca from August 30 to October 11, 2015. As a Communist Party member, Ma Tingke's behavior seriously violated the Party's political discipline and political rules, causing extremely adverse social impact. In light of this, the Haiyuan County Discipline Inspection Commission, in accordance with laws and regulations, made the decision to expel Ma Tingke from the Party on May 18, 2018. This notice, using a specific case, revealed to the public the serious consequences of Party members violating the political discipline of "not believing in religion," fully playing a role in warning and education. In addition to news reports, the political discipline that "Party members must not believe in religion" can also be publicized through channels such as film and television educational films, theoretical readings, the "Xuexi Qiangguo" APP, and WeChat public accounts. Film and television educational films are vivid and concrete, capable of enhancing the persuasiveness and impact of education through authentic cases and scenario simulations. For example, the Ministry of Public Security organized Party members and cadres to collectively watch the *Alarm Bell* series of warning educational films. Hubei Province carried out thematic education activities among Party members and cadres across the province, collectively watching the film *Loyalty and Betrayal*, using vivid forms to conduct Party discipline publicity and education. Theoretical readings, through expert interpretations and case analyses, help Party members and cadres better understand and grasp the essence of Party rules and discipline. For instance, the Party Branch of the Suizhou Branch of the Hubei Special Inspection Institute organized a Party members' meeting to collectively study relevant documents and emphasized that all Party members, cadres, and staff must strictly adhere to the political discipline of not believing in or propagating religion. The "Xuexi Qiangguo" APP, as an official learning platform, provides systematic learning resources and interactive functions. By pushing content such as the spirit of religious work conferences, learning materials, online courses, and video lectures, it deeply explains why Communist Party members cannot believe in religion and how to uphold the political discipline of not believing in religion, guiding Party members to firmly adopt a Marxist atheist stance, strengthen their political and ideological identification with the Party, and help Party members and cadres fully understand and comply with the Party's disciplinary regulations. WeChat public accounts can publish the latest updates on Party rules and discipline, interpretive articles, learning materials, etc., making it convenient for Party members and cadres to access relevant information anytime and anywhere, improving the convenience and timeliness of learning. For example, the Party Committee of Jingzhou College in Hubei Province published a Party building bulletin through its WeChat public account, emphasizing the political discipline that Party members must not believe in religion; the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commission of Qianjin District opened a "Party Discipline Micro Broadcast" column on its WeChat public account, specifically explaining the disciplinary provisions for Party members believing in religion. Through diversified publicity on "Party members must not believe in religion," the political awareness and disciplinary consciousness of Party members are strengthened.

其四，通过媒体和公开渠道宣传“党员不得信教”的政治纪律，形成全社会共同维护的良好氛围。2018年6月27日，宁夏回族自治区中卫市纪委监委官方网站发布的一则通报在各大主流网站上被广泛转发，成为备受关注的“热点信息”。通报指出，海原县七营镇马堡村的共产党员马廷科，在2015年8月30日至10月11日期间，隐瞒其党员身份，前往麦加参与了朝觐活动，马廷科身为共产党员，其行为严重违反了党的政治纪律和政治规矩，造成了极其恶劣的社会影响，鉴于此，海原县纪委于2018年5月18日依法依规对马廷科作出了开除党籍的处分决定。此通报以具体案例的形式向社会公众揭示了党员违反“不得信仰宗教”这一政治纪律的严重后果，充分发挥了警示教育作用。除新闻报道之外，还可以通过影视教育片、理论读物、学习强国APP、微信公众号等渠道进行“党员不得信教”政治纪律的宣传。影视教育片具有生动形象的特点，能够通过真实可信的案例和情景模拟，增强教育的说服力和震撼力。例如，公安部组织党员干部集体观看《警钟》系列警示教育片。湖北省在全省党员干部中开展主题教育活动，集中观看电影《忠诚与背叛》，用生动的形式开展党纪宣传和教育。理论读物通过专家解读、案例分析等形式，帮助党员干部更好地理解和把握党规党纪的精髓。例如，湖北特检院随州分院党支部组织党员大会，集中学习了相关文件，并强调全体党员干部职工要严守不信教、不传教的政治纪律。学习强国APP作为官方学习平台，可以提供系统的学习资源和互动功能。通过推送宗教工作会议精神、学习资料、线上课程、视频讲座等形式，深入讲解共产党员为什么不能信仰宗教，以及如何坚守不信教的政治纪律，引导党员坚定马克思主义无神论立场，增强对党的政治认同和思想认同，帮助党员干部全面了解和遵守党的纪律规定。微信公众号可以发布党规党纪的最新动态、解读文章、学习资料等，方便党员干部随时随地获取相关信息，提高学习的便捷性和时效性。例如，湖北省荆州学院党委通过微信公众号发布党建简报，强调党员不得信仰宗教的政治纪律；前进区纪委监委的微信公众号开设了“党纪微广播”栏目，专门讲解党员信仰宗教的处分规定。通过多元化的“党员不得信教”的宣传，从而强化党员的政治意识和纪律观念。

III. Basic Experience of the Political Discipline That "Party Members Must Not Believe in Religion" Since the 18th National Congress

三、十八大以来“党员不得信教”政治纪律的基本经验

"Party members must not believe in religion" is a consistent principle of the Party, an inherent requirement for a Marxist party to uphold atheism, and a necessary condition for the Party's advanced nature and purity. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee has attached great importance to the construction of the Party's political discipline. As an important political discipline, "Party members must not believe in religion" has formed two basic experiences in practice: First, for the minority of Party members who believe in religion, ideological education should be continuously strengthened to ensure that Party members deeply understand the Party's disciplinary requirements, firmly uphold communist beliefs, and prevent religious activities from eroding Party members' thinking. Second, the disciplinary punishment mechanism should be standardized. For those Party members whose thinking deviates from the Party's purpose and whose behavior violates Party discipline and state law, and for individual Party members who believe in religion, disciplinary punishment must be resolutely imposed, even expulsion from the Party, to ensure that the Party's ranks always maintain purity and combat effectiveness, and to uphold the seriousness and authority of Party discipline.

“党员不得信教”是党的一贯原则，是马克思主义政党坚持无神论的应有之义，是党的先进性和纯洁性的必然要求。党的十八大以来，党中央高度重视党的政治纪律建设，“党员不得信教”作为一项重要的政治纪律，在实践中形成了两条基本经验：一是，对于信仰宗教的少数党员，应持续加强思想教育，确保党员深刻理解党的纪律要求，坚定共产主义信仰，避免宗教活动对党员思想的侵蚀。二是，要规范纪律处分机制，对于那些在思想上偏离党的宗旨、在行为上违反党纪国法的党员，对于信仰宗教的个别党员，必须坚决予以纪律处分甚至清除出党，确保党的队伍始终保持纯洁性和战斗力，维护党的纪律严肃性和权威性。

(I) Strengthen Ideological Education and Consolidate the Foundation of Party Members' Ideals and Beliefs

（一）加强思想教育，筑牢党员的理想信念根基

According to Article 69 of Chapter VI of the *Regulations* [6]6 The *Regulations* refers to the *Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Disciplinary Actions* (中国共产党纪律处分条例), the primary document governing Party discipline. most recently revised by the Party Central Committee in December 2023: "For Party members who believe in religion, ideological education should be strengthened, requiring them to correct within a time limit; if they still do not change after help and education from the Party organization, they should be persuaded to withdraw from the Party; if they refuse to withdraw despite persuasion, they should be removed from the rolls." Our primary task is to strengthen ideological education work for Party members and cadres, consolidating the foundation of ideals and beliefs.

根据2023年12月党中央最新修订的《条例》第六章第六十九条的规定：“对信仰宗教的党员，应当加强思想教育，要求其限期改正；经党组织帮助教育仍没有转变的，应当劝其退党；劝而不退的，予以除名。”我们首要的工作是加强对党员干部的思想教育工作，筑牢理想信念根基。

First, it must be made clear that theism and atheism are opposed in worldview. From the day they join the Party, Communist Party of China members have given up the "freedom to believe in religion" within the freedom of religious belief, choosing to be firm Marxist atheists. To this end, Party committees and Party organizations at all levels must carry out propaganda and education on a scientific worldview, Marxist materialism, and atheism. In short, only Communist Party members who do not believe in religion can fully implement the Party's policy of freedom of religious belief. Therefore, when conducting ideological education for individual Party members who believe in religion, attention should be paid to guiding them to correctly handle the relationship between religious belief and an atheist worldview, clarifying the boundaries and connections between the two. To this end, we can adopt the following measures.

首先，必须明确有神论和无神论在世界观上是对立的，中国共产党党员自其入党之日起就放弃了宗教信仰自由中“信仰宗教”的自由，选择做一名坚定的马克思主义无神论者。为此，各级党委党组织必须开展科学世界观、马克思主义唯物论和无神论宣传教育。简言之，只有不信仰宗教的中共党员才能全面贯彻党的宗教信仰自由政策。因此，在对信仰宗教的个别党员进行思想教育时，要注重引导正确处理宗教信仰与无神论世界观的关系，明确两者之间的界限和联系。为此，我们可以采取以下几方面的措施。

First, strengthening Party spirit education for Party members. This is an important measure for ensuring the Party's advanced nature and purity. The content of Party spirit education should cover areas such as education in ideals and convictions, education in the Party's purpose, education in Party history and national history, education in revolutionary traditions, education in moral conduct, education in rule-of-law thinking, and education in combating corruption and promoting integrity, while also making the study and education of the Party Constitution and intra-Party regulations and disciplines an important part of Party spirit education. First and foremost, Communist Party members must firmly believe in Marxism and maintain a firm conviction in socialism and communism; this is one of the core contents of Party spirit education. For individual Party members who "do not believe in Marxism-Leninism but believe in ghosts and gods," the Party organization needs to correct their views by strengthening education in ideals and convictions. In addition, through education in the Party's purpose, the Party members' awareness of serving the people should be strengthened. Second, Party members' Party spirit should be enhanced through education in Party history and national history and education in revolutionary traditions. By studying Party history, Party members can deeply understand the truths of why the Communist Party of China can succeed, why Marxism works, and why socialism with Chinese characteristics is good, thereby strengthening their faith and conviction in the Party. This helps Party members enhance their identification with the great motherland, the Chinese nation, Chinese culture, the Communist Party of China, and socialism with Chinese characteristics. Furthermore, by strengthening education in revolutionary traditions for Party members, through studying the heroic deeds and revolutionary spirit of revolutionary predecessors, Party members can further solidify their ideals and convictions, resist the interference of erroneous thinking, and maintain the dominant position of mainstream ideology. Third, Party spirit education should also include education in moral conduct, education in rule-of-law thinking, and education in combating corruption and promoting integrity. Education in moral conduct can strengthen Party members' education in social ethics, professional ethics, family virtues, and personal character. It guides Party members to pursue noble sentiments, uphold social fairness and justice, faithfully fulfill their duties, and adhere to moral bottom lines. Rule-of-law thinking can help Party members use Party discipline, state laws, the Constitution, and legal statutes as bottom lines in their thoughts and actions. Through education in rule-of-law thinking, Party members can better understand and abide by laws and regulations, thereby handling religious issues more rationally and legally. Moreover, the situation of "not believing in Marxism-Leninism but believing in ghosts and gods" is often accompanied by corrupt behavior, so Party members must also receive education in combating corruption and promoting integrity to build a solid ideological and moral defense against corruption and degeneration. Finally, the study and education of the Party Constitution and intra-Party regulations and disciplines should be made an important part of Party members' Party spirit education. The political discipline of the Party prohibits Party members from believing in religion and participating in superstitious activities because these behaviors contradict the materialist and Marxist atheist stance that Party members should uphold, may erode the Party's political soul, and are often accompanied by corrupt behavior. The Constitution of the Communist Party of China and relevant laws and regulations also clearly stipulate that Party members are not allowed to engage in feudal superstition, are not allowed to believe in religion, and are not allowed to participate in cults. These provisions aim to maintain the Party's purity and advanced nature, ensuring that Party members firmly uphold the Marxist atheist stance. Studying the Party Constitution and intra-Party regulations and disciplines helps Party members clarify the Party's discipline and norms, establish a red-line awareness, guide Party members to improve their ideological awareness, spiritual realm, and moral cultivation, and maintain the political essence of Communists.

一是加强党员的党性教育。这是确保党的先进性和纯洁性的重要举措。党性教育的内容应涵盖理想信念教育、党的宗旨教育、党史国史教育、革命传统教育、道德品行教育、法治思维教育、反腐倡廉教育等方面，同时将党章和党规党纪学习教育作为党性教育的重要内容。首先，共产党员必须坚定马克思主义的信仰，对社会主义和共产主义保持坚定信念，这是党性教育的核心内容之一。对于个别“不信马列信鬼神”的党员，党组织需要通过加强理想信念教育来纠正其观念。此外，还应通过党的宗旨教育，强化党员为人民服务的宗旨意识。其次，通过党史国史教育和革命传统教育提升党员的党性。通过学习党史，党员可以深刻理解中国共产党为什么能、马克思主义为什么行、中国特色社会主义为什么好等道理，从而坚定对党的信仰和信念。帮助党员增强对伟大祖国、中华民族、中华文化、中国共产党、中国特色社会主义的认同。此外，对党员加强革命传统教育，通过学习革命先辈的英雄事迹和革命精神，使党员能够进一步坚定理想信念，抵制错误思想干扰，保持主流意识形态的主导地位。再次，党性教育还应进行道德品行教育、法治思维教育和反腐倡廉教育。道德品行教育可以加强党员的社会公德、职业道德、家庭美德和个人品德的教育。引导党员追求高尚的情操，维护社会公平正义，忠诚履行职责，坚守道德底线。法治思维能够帮助党员在思想上行动上用党纪国法和宪法法律作为底线。通过法治思维教育，党员能够更好地理解和遵守法律法规，从而在处理宗教问题时更加理性、合法。此外，“不信马列信鬼神”情况往往与腐败行为伴生，所以还要对党员进行反腐倡廉教育，以筑牢拒腐防变的思想道德防线。最后，将党章和党规党纪学习教育作为党员的党性教育的重要内容。党的政治纪律中禁止党员信仰宗教和参与迷信活动，是因为这些行为与党员应持有的唯物主义和马克思主义无神论立场相悖，可能侵蚀党的政治灵魂，并与腐败行为相伴相生。中国共产党章程和相关法律法规也明确规定，党员不准搞封建迷信，不准信仰宗教，不准参与邪教。这些规定旨在维护党的纯洁性和先进性，确保党员坚定马克思主义无神论立场。对党章和党规党纪的学习有助于党员明确党的纪律和规范，树立红线意识，引导党员提高思想觉悟、精神境界和道德修养，保持共产党人的政治本色。

Second, carrying out thematic education. Launching a series of education courses with clear themes, including typical case warning education, themed Party Day activities, and so on. By organizing the study of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on religious work, the Constitution of the Communist Party of China, the Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Disciplinary Actions, and the Norms on Political Life Within the Party Under the New Situation, Party members can be helped to clarify the political discipline and rules that Communist Party members must not believe in religion. Thematic discussions can also be held around the theme of "Communist Party members are not allowed to believe in religion" to help Party members deeply understand why Communist Party members cannot believe in religion and explore the possible harmful consequences of believing in religion. For example, the Party General Branch of the Yanshan Highway Sub-Bureau in Yunnan Province drew on typical cases from their surroundings and organized the viewing of the warning education film "The Confused Life Account of a 'Financial Expert' – Analysis of the Serious Disciplinary and Legal Violations of Kong Caimei, Former Member of the Party Committee and Deputy President of Fudian Bank." Taking this as an opportunity, they held a theoretical study center group meeting. At the meeting, through in-depth analysis of case details and listening to the profound confessions of the parties involved, warning education based on real cases was conducted for Party members, intuitively guiding Party cadres to recognize the importance of respecting the law, maintaining vigilance, and adhering to moral and legal bottom lines, achieving the effect of using cases to issue warnings and clarify discipline. Another example is the Party Branch of the Planning and Finance Office of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, which organized a themed Party Day activity around the theme of "Rectifying the Problem of Believing in and Participating in Religion, Building a Solid Foundation of Faith," ensuring that all Party members clarify boundaries, fear red lines, and adhere to bottom lines in both thought and action, resolutely preventing the problem of Communist Party members believing in and participating in religion, and forging a clean and upright Party branch.

二是开展专题教育。推出一系列主题明确的教育课程，包括典型案例警示教育、主题党日活动等。可以通过组织学习习近平总书记关于宗教工作的重要论述、《中国共产党章程》《中国共产党纪律处分条例》以及《关于新形势下党内政治生活的若干准则》，帮助党员明确共产党员不得信仰宗教的政治纪律和规矩。还可以通过围绕“共产党员不准信仰宗教”这一主题开展专题讨论，帮助党员深刻理解共产党员为什么不能信仰宗教，并探讨信仰宗教可能带来的恶果。如云南省砚山公路分局党总支借鉴身边的典型案例，并组织观看警示教育片《“理财高手”的糊涂人生账——富滇银行原党委委员、副行长孔彩梅严重违纪违法案件剖析》，以此为契机召开了理论学习中心组会议。在会议上，通过深入剖析案例细节、听取当事人的深刻忏悔，对党员进行了以真实案例为基础的警示教育，直观地引导党员干部认识到敬畏法律、保持警觉、坚守道德和法律底线的重要性，实现了以案示警、以案明纪的效果。再如，宁夏回族自治区农业农村厅规划财务处党支部围绕“整治信教参教问题，筑牢信仰之基”主题组织召开主题党日活动，确保全体党员从思想和行为两方面明界限、畏红线、守底线，坚决防止共产党员信教参教问题，锤炼风清气正党支部。

Third, building a long-term mechanism for Party member ideological education, including leadership mechanisms, learning and education mechanisms, innovation mechanisms, incentive mechanisms, and guarantee mechanisms. Through institutionalized and standardized measures, ensure that Party members receive long-term education and management. Through regular Party spirit education, Marxist atheist education, and Party discipline education, help Party members solidify their ideals and convictions, and enhance their Party spirit and political awareness. Establish and improve assessment and evaluation mechanisms to conduct comprehensive and objective evaluations of Party members' behavior, ensuring that it always meets the requirements and standards of Party membership. Through a long-term ideological education system, provide one-on-one, point-to-point ideological education and assistance to Party members with unstable ideals and convictions. Set up special assessment teams and ideological situation supervisors, who regularly report the thoughts of "problematic Party members" to the supervisors and assessment teams, and regularly report supervision and management situations to the Party organization. For individual Party members with a clear tendency to believe in religion, the Party organization will promptly conduct criticism and education to help them correct their mistakes, ensuring the purity and combat effectiveness of the entire Party membership. Grassroots Party organizations should play a core role, strengthening ideological and political education for Party members through systems such as the "Three Meetings and One Lesson" system [n7] and Party member rotation training plans. Alongside ideological and political education, Party organizations should care about Party members with a tendency to believe in religion, find out why they want to believe in religion or what difficulties they encounter in work and life, and carry out intra-Party care activities to help them solve practical problems.

三是构建党员思想教育的长效机制，包括领导机制、学习教育机制、创新机制、激励机制和保障机制等。通过制度化、规范化的措施，确保党员长期受到教育和管理。通过经常性的党性教育、马克思主义无神论教育和党的纪律教育，帮助党员坚定理想信念，增强党性观念和政治意识。建立健全考核评价机制，对党员的行为举止进行全面、客观地评估，确保其始终符合党员身份的要求和标准。通过长效化思想教育体系，持续对理想信念不坚定的党员进行一对一、点对点思想教育和帮扶。设立专项考评小组和思想情况监督员，定期向监督员与考评小组汇报“问题党员”思想，定期向党组织汇报监督管理情况。对于个别有明确信教倾向的党员，党组织将及时进行批评教育，帮助其改正错误，确保整个党员队伍的纯洁性和战斗力。基层党组织要发挥核心作用，通过“三会一课”制度、党员轮训计划等形式，加强对党员的思想政治教育。在思想政治教育的同时，党组织应关心有信教倾向党员，搞清楚为什么想要信教或在工作生活中遇到什么困难，开展党内关爱活动，帮助他们解决实际问题。

(II) Standardizing disciplinary sanctions, fostering a healthy intra-Party political ecosystem

（二）规范纪律处分，营造良好的党内政治生态

According to the provisions of Articles 69 and 70 of Chapter VI of the Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Disciplinary Actions, most recently revised by the Party Central Committee in December 2023, Party members who "participate in using religion to engage in incitement activities shall be given expulsion from the Party." "Organizing superstitious activities shall be given removal from Party posts or probation within the Party; if the circumstances are serious, expulsion from the Party shall be given. Participating in superstitious activities or engaging in superstitious activities individually, causing adverse effects, shall be given a warning or a serious warning; if the circumstances are relatively serious, removal from Party posts or probation within the Party shall be given; if the circumstances are serious, expulsion from the Party shall be given." Strengthening the political beliefs of Party members and creating a political environment that strictly adheres to intra-Party regulations and disciplines has always been the unchanging goal of the Party Central Committee. All Party members must possess the conscious action of strictly demanding themselves according to the standards of intra-Party regulations and disciplines, and resolutely eliminating the problem of believing in and participating in religion.

根据2023年12月党中央最新修订的《中国共产党纪律处分条例》第六章第六十九条、第七十条的规定，党员“参与利用宗教搞煽动活动的，给予开除党籍处分”。“组织迷信活动的，给予撤销党内职务或者留党察看处分；情节严重的，给予开除党籍处分。参加迷信活动或者个人搞迷信活动，造成不良影响的，给予警告或者严重警告处分；情节较重的，给予撤销党内职务或者留党察看处分；情节严重的，给予开除党籍处分”。坚定党员的政治信仰、营造严守党规党纪的政治环境，是党中央一直以来不变的目标追求。全体党员必须具备按照党规党纪标准严格要求自己、坚定杜绝信教参教问题的行动自觉。

By standardizing disciplinary sanctions, promptly curb the signs of individual Party members believing in and participating in religion, promptly discover tendencies of believing in and participating in religion among Party members around them, promptly adopt ideological education methods to correct their erroneous thinking, strengthen Party members' political awareness, and enhance their political acumen and discernment. For Party members who believe in religion and have not corrected their ways after help and education from the Party organization, those who participate in using religion to engage in incitement activities, and those who organize superstitious activities, strict disciplinary sanctions shall be imposed according to the severity of the circumstances. These can be specifically divided into the following situations.

通过规范纪律处分，及时遏止个别党员信教参教苗头，及时发现身边党员信教参教倾向，及时采取思想教育的方式纠正其错误思想，强化党员的政治意识，增强党员的政治敏锐性和鉴别力。对经党组织帮助教育未能改正的信教党员、参与利用宗教搞煽动活动以及组织迷信活动的信教党员，要根据情节的严重情况对其进行严格的纪律处分。具体可以分为以下几种情况。

First, handling through withdrawal from the Party or removal of name. For Party members who believe in religion, if after help and education from the Party organization, the Party member still has not changed their beliefs, the Party organization should persuade them to withdraw from the Party. If the Party member still insists on not withdrawing after being persuaded, the Party organization will proceed with removal of their name according to procedures.

其一，退党、除名处理。就信教党员而言，经过党组织的帮助教育，党员仍然没有转变信仰，党组织应当劝其退党。如果党员被劝退后仍然坚持不退，党组织将按照程序予以除名。

Second, participating in or using religion to engage in incitement activities, such as organizing, planning, or participating in activities that use religion to oppose the Party, oppose society, or undermine ethnic unity, will result in expulsion from the Party. Yang Yiwen, former Party Secretary of Changde City, Hunan Province, did not believe in Marxism-Leninism but in ghosts and gods, repeatedly organizing and participating in superstitious activities; Zhang Fenghuai, former President of the Bank of China Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Branch; Ren Baoyuan, former Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Yushu Prefecture People’s Congress, Qinghai Province; and Wang Yu, former Party Leadership Group Member and Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision of the Municipal Petition Office, frequently participated in religious activities, burned incense, and worshipped Buddha. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the *Regulations* (2024), it was decided to impose a double expulsion punishment.[8]8 “Double expulsion” (双开) refers to the simultaneous expulsion of a Party member from the Party and dismissal from public office, the most severe disciplinary punishment within the CPC disciplinary system.

其二，参与利用宗教搞煽动活动，如组织、策划或参与利用宗教进行的反党、反社会、破坏民族团结等活动，将给予开除党籍的处分。湖南省常德市委原书记杨懿文不信马列信鬼神，多次组织、参加迷信活动；中国银行内蒙古自治区分行原行长张凤槐、青海省玉树州人大常委会原副主任任宝元、北京市纪委监委对市信访办原党组成员、副主任王宇经常参加宗教活动，烧香拜佛等。依据《条例》（2024）有关规定，决定给予双开处理。

Third, “participating in superstitious activities or engaging in superstitious activities individually” will be judged on a case-by-case basis. Compared with Article 63, Paragraph 2 of the *Regulations* (2018), the *Regulations* (2024) explicitly add relevant provisions that “engaging in superstitious activities individually” should be subject to Party disciplinary responsibility. This measure aims to make supervision and discipline enforcement more precise, allowing for the judgment of different situations of “participating in superstitious activities or engaging in superstitious activities individually.” For example, in the case of Tao Chenghua, former Party Secretary and Director of the Jinhua Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Zhejiang Province, who was seriously violated discipline and law, Tao Chenghua invited a so-called “feng shui master,” Zhu Moumou, to perform rituals and change the feng shui on Mount Hua and in his home. This was determined to be “completely lacking in Party spirit principles, not trusting the organization but trusting feng shui, engaging in superstitious activities.”

其三，“参加迷信活动或者个人搞迷信活动”将视情况予以判定。相较于《条例》（2018）第六十三条第二款，《条例》（2024）明确增添了“个人搞迷信活动”应追究党纪责任的相关规定。此举旨在使监督执纪工作更为精确，将不同情况的“参加迷信活动或者个人搞迷信活动”加以判定。比如，浙江省金华市政协原党组书记、主席陶诚华严重违纪违法案中，陶诚华请所谓的“风水大师”朱某某在华山和其家中做法事、改风水就被认定为“毫无党性原则，不信组织信风水，搞迷信活动”。

IV. Conclusion

四、结语

Overall, the construction of the political discipline that “Party members must not believe in religion” demonstrates the Party’s firm stance in strengthening discipline construction and maintaining the Party’s purity and advanced nature. Especially since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee has continuously improved the relevant regulations on “Party members must not believe in religion,” not only clarifying the responsibilities and obligations of Party members in terms of political discipline but also providing a more solid institutional guarantee for ensuring the implementation of the political discipline that “Party members must not believe in religion.” Through the implementation of these regulations, intra-Party political life has become more standardized, and Party members’ political awareness and disciplinary concepts have been strengthened, thereby effectively preventing deviations and errors by Party members on the issue of religious belief. From the experience of constructing the political discipline that “Party members must not believe in religion,” on the one hand, it is necessary to conduct Party spirit education and thematic education for Party members, while establishing a long-term mechanism for ideological education. On the other hand, through the continuous standardization and improvement of disciplinary sanctions, a red line for “Party members must not believe in religion” is established, thereby enabling the political discipline that “Party members must not believe in religion” to play a dual constraining role on Party members in both thought and action. Communist Party members, as firm Marxist atheists, should always maintain the sobriety and firmness of “Party members must not believe in religion” in their work, and the construction of the political discipline that “Party members must not believe in religion” will also be continuously improved with the development of the times.

总的来说，“党员不得信教”的政治纪律建设彰显了党在加强纪律建设、维护党的纯洁性和先进性方面的坚定立场。尤其是党的十八大以来，党中央不断完善“党员不得信教”的相关法规，不仅明确了党员在政治纪律方面的责任和义务，而且为确保“党员不得信教”政治纪律的贯彻执行提供了更加坚实的制度保障。通过这些法规的实施，党内政治生活更加规范，党员的政治意识和纪律观念得到加强，从而有效防止了党员在宗教信仰问题上的偏差和错误。从“党员不得信教”的政治纪律建设的经验上来说，一方面，要对于党员进行党性教育和专题教育，同时建立思想教育的长效机制。另一方面，通过对于纪律处分的不断规范和完善，树立“党员不得信教”的红线，从而使得“党员不得信教”的政治纪律对党员在思想上和行动上起到双重约束作用。共产党员作为坚定的马克思主义无神论者，应当在工作中时刻保持“党员不得信教”的清醒与坚定，“党员不得信教”的政治纪律建设也会随着时代的发展而不断完善。

(Author’s biography: Qu Chengji, doctoral student at the School of Philosophy and Social Development, Huaqiao University)

（作者简介：瞿成基，华侨大学哲学与社会发展学院博士研究生）

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心