Reflections on Firmly Establishing the Marxist View of Religion
General Secretary Hu Jintao, at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 17th CPC Central Committee, issued a requirement to the entire Party to "firmly establish the Marxist view of religion." This serves as a tremendous inspiration and impetus for the study of the Marxist view of religion. In the 1980s, the trend of bourgeois liberalization emerged in China, and the guiding status of Marxism was impacted. In the 1990s, with the drastic changes in Eastern Europe and the collapse of the Soviet Union, world socialism fell to a low ebb, leading to skepticism regarding the guiding status of Marxism. Since entering the new century, China has established a socialist market economy, leading to profound changes in social structure, deep adjustments in interest patterns, and a trend toward cultural and ideological pluralism. Anti-Marxist trends such as neoliberalism, social democracy, and historical nihilism [1] have become rampant, causing the guiding status of Marxism to be shaken. Against this backdrop, various idealistic views of religion have been avidly pursued by some, while the research, dissemination, and education of the Marxist view of religion have been neglected. Since the Central Committee implemented the "Marxist Theoretical Research and Construction Project" in 2004, the situation has changed significantly. In 2009, the Institute of World Religions at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) hosted the first "Research Forum on the Marxist View of Religion," and in 2010 established the Research Office for the Marxist View of Religion. The CASS Institute of Marxism Studies also established the Research Office for Marxist Atheism and the Research Center for Science and Atheism. These are all significant landmark events. However, the backward state of research, dissemination, and education regarding the Marxist view of religion has not yet fundamentally changed. Under these circumstances, implementing General Secretary Hu Jintao’s requirement is bound to be a most glorious and arduous task. As professionals of the Party in the field of religion, we religious researchers have a binding duty to earnestly study how to firmly establish the Marxist view of religion. In my opinion, we must first study and resolve two basic issues: first, how to perceive and treat the Marxist view of religion; and second, how to understand and master the Marxist view of religion.
I. How to Perceive and Treat the Marxist View of Religion
This is a major theoretical and practical issue that must be resolved to firmly establish the Marxist view of religion. Whether within the ranks of cadres or in academic and theoretical circles, opinions on this issue are divided. Looking at the current actual situation, at least three divergent views may hinder comrades of the entire Party from firmly establishing the Marxist view of religion: the "obsolescence theory," the "school of thought theory," and the "difference theory." We must treat these seriously.
(1) Regarding the "Obsolescence Theory"
The so-called "obsolescence theory" claims that the Marxist view of religion is outdated and unsuitable for today's China. There are two basic reasons: the "difference in eras" argument and the "difference in practice" argument. The "difference in eras" argument holds that the Marxist view of religion originated in the 1840s, over 160 years ago, and that it is ill-timed to cling to things from over a century ago in today’s China. The "difference in practice" argument claims that the Marxist view of religion is the view of a revolutionary party, whereas our Party has transformed from a revolutionary party to a ruling party; our country has shifted from a planned economy to a market economy; and our Party has shifted from emphasizing class struggle to emphasizing social harmony—thus, the Marxist view of religion is no longer appropriate. For example, some have published articles such as "The Marxist View of Religion Must Advance with the Times," claiming that "to truly complete the transition from a revolutionary party to a ruling party, we need to re-examine the functions of religion with a new ruling consciousness, resolve pressing problems of church and state [2] with rational management, and study scientific and reasonable relations between church and state with modern conceptual frameworks." This is nothing more than saying that the Marxist view of religion is an "obsolete" revolutionary theory that cannot solve realistic religious problems. While claiming to develop the Marxist view of religion, they actually seek to negate its basic principles. If one holds the "obsolescence theory," the basic premise for "firmly establishing" it is lost.
Comrade Deng Xiaoping pointed out long ago that Marxism has not and will not become obsolete because Marxism is truth and a developing science. Someone once asked whether we should speak of Marxism by "repeating the ancestors" (zhào zhe jiǎng) or "continuing the narrative" (jiē zhe jiǎng) [3]. In my view, both are indispensable. Regarding its basic principles, we must "repeat" them—this is adherence and being in the same lineage. Regarding specific practices, we must "continue the narrative"—this is development and advancing with the times. These two are organically linked and dialectically unified. In the nearly 90 years since the Party's founding, as a whole, has there ever been a time when our Party did not consistently adhere to and "repeat" the basic principles or universal truths of Marxism? And has there ever been a time when we did not continuously develop and "continue the narrative" regarding the specific paths of Chinese revolution, construction, and reform? If we did not "repeat" it, our Party would long ago have ceased to be a Marxist party and would have evolved into a bourgeois party. If we did not "continue the narrative," where would Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the "Three Represents," and the Scientific Outlook on Development come from? Marxism, including its view of religion, is the objective truth that correctly reflects the world and is a science that constantly develops and grows. How could it be obsolete?
Comrade Deng Xiaoping put it well: "Marxism cannot be overthrown. It cannot be overthrown not because there are many large books, but because the truth of Marxism is unassailable... I firmly believe that the number of people in the world who favor Marxism will increase because Marxism is a science. It uses historical materialism to reveal the laws of human social development. Feudal society replaced slave society, capitalism replaced feudalism, and socialism will inevitably replace capitalism after a long period of development. This is the irreversible general trend of social-historical development, but the road is tortuous. How many times did dynastic restorations occur during the hundreds of years it took for capitalism to replace feudalism? Therefore, in a certain sense, some temporary restorations are also legalistic phenomena that are difficult to avoid completely. Some countries have experienced serious setbacks, and socialism seems weakened, but the people have been tempered and will absorb lessons therefrom, which will urge socialism to develop in a more healthy direction. Therefore, do not panic, and do not think that Marxism has disappeared, become useless, or failed. No such thing!" ① These words were spoken after the drastic changes in Eastern Europe and the collapse of the Soviet Union, and they still serve as a clarion call today! Look at the situation since the changes in the former socialist countries such as the Soviet Union, and look at the reality of China today—how sharp the contrast is! Now, both at home and abroad, people are exploring the reasons for the "Chinese miracle." In my view, the vast majority are "looking left and right and speaking of other things" [4], failing to grasp the key point or intentionally avoiding the substantive issue. There are many reasons for the Chinese miracle, but the most fundamental are the guidance of Marxism, the leadership of the Communist Party, the socialist system, and the people's democratic dictatorship—it is the construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics through reform and opening up under the premise of adhering to the Four Cardinal Principles. To seek other so-called reasons while departing from this fundamental cause is merely "scratching an itch through one's boot" [5], whether intentionally or unintentionally!
(2) Regarding the "School of Thought Theory"
The so-called "school of thought theory" is a trend that treats the Marxist view of religion as an ordinary school alongside various Western religious theories. Its essence is to cancel the guiding status of the Marxist view of religion and implement pluralism in guiding ideology. Marxism, as an "-ism," is of course one of many schools of thought; the issue is that we must adhere to its guiding status, whereas some people want to shake it. Demands and public opinion regarding "de-ideologization" and "de-sacralization" are not only academic trends but also political trends. A basic demand of democratic socialism or social democracy is to achieve pluralism in guiding ideology.
Religion is an extremely complex socio-cultural phenomenon, and religious research is more easily influenced by the researcher's different positions, viewpoints, and methods. If the basic question of philosophy is whether spirit or matter is primary—forming the two camps of idealism and materialism based on the answer—then the basic question of religious studies is "theist" versus "atheist." Based on the answer to this, two camps of theism and atheism are formed. Any religious researcher, whether willing or not, must and inevitably will take a stand on the question of theism versus atheism. Therefore, while views of religion are multifaceted, they do not fall outside the two schools of theism and atheism. The Marxist view of religion is a thorough, scientific atheist view of religion, founded on dialectical materialism and historical materialism. Implementing pluralism of guiding ideology in the religious field is essentially using theistic views of religion or incomplete atheistic views to offset or even replace the scientific atheist view of religion based on the thorough materialism of Marxism.
Many current debates in the religious field, including the debate over whether to adhere to the guiding status of the Marxist view of religion, appear complex but in essence and focus still lie in the divergence between theism and atheism. The conflict between faith and reason used to appear more frequently between the religious community and the academic community: the religious community demanded the maintenance of theistic faith, while the academic community demanded rational academic research. However, the current situation is more complex: some in the religious community engage in religious research, and the academic community includes many religious believers or supporters of theism. In some Western countries, the fierce debate between the "secularization" paradigm and the "market model" paradigm is, fundamentally speaking, a struggle between theism and atheism. Advocates of the "market model" paradigm state clearly that the emergence of the "new paradigm" is directly related to the large number of Christians joining the ranks of religious research. One of the greatest ideological divergences in China's current religious studies circle is whether to conduct atheist propaganda. In many cases, whether to adhere to the guiding status of the Marxist view of religion is often manifested in whether to conduct atheist propaganda. It must be pointed out that the religious policies of proletarian parties and bourgeois parties have both consensus and differences. The consensus is that both adhere to the policy of freedom of religious belief. The difference is whether to conduct atheist propaganda. The religious policy of the bourgeoisie is to tolerate various freedoms of religious belief, but the organizations and governments of the bourgeoisie at all levels must support religious propaganda. The religious policy of the proletariat is to achieve complete freedom for people to believe or not believe in religion, but the organizations and political parties of the proletariat at all levels must adhere to atheist propaganda.
Marx pointed out: "The right to believe in religion, to believe in religion in any way, to perform the rituals of one’s own specific religion, is explicitly listed among human rights. The privilege of faith is a universal human right." ② Therefore, "Every person should be able to satisfy their religious needs just as they satisfy their physical needs, without interference from the police. But... bourgeois 'freedom of faith' is nothing but the tolerance of all possible kinds of religious freedom of faith; the workers' party, for its part, strives to liberate faith from the witchcraft of religion." ③ Lenin pointed out: "Engels at that time intentionally and emphatically stated that the Social-Democratic Party regards religion as a private matter in relation to the state, but by no means a private matter in relation to the Social-Democratic Party itself, in relation to Marxism, or in relation to the workers' party." ④ "Our Party program is built entirely on a scientific and materialistic world outlook. Therefore, to explain our program, we must simultaneously explain the true historical and economic roots of the religious mists. Our propaganda must also include the propaganda of atheism; the publication of relevant scientific books and periodicals (which until now were banned by the serf-owning autocratic government) should now become one of our Party's tasks. We must now follow the advice Engels once gave to German socialists: to translate and widely distribute the French Enlightenment and atheist works of the 18th century." ⑤ Of course, Lenin also cautioned the proletarian party that it must never exaggerate the significance of atheist propaganda and forget that the Party's basic task is to unite all people to fight together for the victory of socialism. "In our view, the unity of this truly revolutionary struggle of the oppressed class for the creation of a heaven on earth is more important to us than the unity of proletarian opinion on a celestial heaven." ⑥
Our Party has always acted in this manner. Deng Xiaoping pointed out: "Since the founding of our People's Republic, we have consistently implemented the freedom of religious belief; of course, we also conduct propaganda for atheism." ⑦ Jiang Zemin pointed out: "The religious worldview and the Marxist worldview are fundamentally opposed. Communists are atheists, and the worldview of Communists must be the Marxist worldview. Not only must Communists not believe in religion, they must also propagate atheism and a scientific worldview to the masses. For us Communists, we must both uphold the Marxist worldview and earnestly implement the policy of freedom of religious belief stipulated by the National Constitution—that is, every citizen has the freedom to believe in religion, as well as the freedom not to believe in religion. We cannot adopt a 'Left' [6] attitude toward religious belief simply because we Communists believe in atheism. Conversely, we cannot cease the propaganda of atheism and the cultivation of 'Four-Haves' [7] new people simply because we have a policy of freedom of religious belief; that too is unacceptable. It must be stated that Communist Party members must be atheists, and this does not violate the policy of freedom of religious belief. We cannot be hesitant or afraid to conduct education regarding Party members' religious belief just because there is freedom of religion. However, we cannot casually interfere with the religious beliefs of non-Party members. Doing so would easily damage the relationship between the Party and the religious masses and affect stability and unity. In short, we must use the Marxist view of religion as a guide to prevent the 'two types of one-sidedness' [8] in religious work." ⑧ Comrade Hu Jintao also pointed out that research, propaganda, and education regarding atheism is a long-term task that needs to be included in the overall deployment of scientific research planning and ideological and cultural work, and must be carried out with perseverance. In particular, Communist Party members should firmly establish a materialist worldview, which is not contradictory to implementing the Party's policy of freedom of religious belief.
In sum, to uphold the guiding position of the Marxist view of religion, one must persist in dialectical materialism. The Marxist view of religion is the methodology that guides us in correctly understanding and handling religious issues. Persisting in dialectical materialism requires upholding materialism and atheism while opposing idealism and theism. In terms of ideological propaganda, this means conducting education and propaganda on Marxist materialism and atheism to help the broad membership of the Party firmly establish the scientific worldview and methodology of dialectical materialism and historical materialism. In terms of religious work, it means fully implementing the Party’s basic guidelines on religious work and uniting the entire people, including religious believers, to actively devote themselves to socialist construction. These two aspects are not mutually exclusive and neither can be dispensed with; it is unacceptable to emphasize or negate either one-sidedly.
(3) Regarding the "Theory of Difference"
The so-called "theory of difference" (不同论) consists of severing the CPC’s view of religion from the Marxist-Leninist view of religion, or even setting them against one another. It claims that the CPC’s religious theory is different from the Marxist-Leninist view of religion, demanding that we uphold the former while discarding the latter. Some even sever and oppose the Leninist view of religion against the Marxist view, claiming that Lenin departed from the Marxist view of religion and demanding that we abandon Leninism. Others even go so far as to sever and oppose the theory of religion with Chinese characteristics against the view of religion in Mao Zedong Thought, demanding that we only speak of the new formulations concerning religious issues since the reform and opening-up period. All of these demands require us to forget or even discard the "Old Ancestors" [9] (Marx, Engels, Lenin, and even Mao Zedong). The essence of this is to cut the "orthodox lineage" (道统) [10] of our Party's religious theory and policy and to destroy the foundations of our Party's religious theory. This is extremely erroneous and highly harmful.
The concentrated expression of this "theory of difference" is that some people very one-sidedly summarize the "Opium Theory" and the "Struggle Theory" as two major "theories" from two specific sentences of Lenin, while summarizing the "Adaptation Theory" and "Guidance Theory" as two major "theories" from a single "sentence" of Comrade Jiang Zemin. They demand that we discard the Marxist-Leninist and Mao Zedong Thought view of religion represented by the former, and only speak of the results of our Party's theoretical innovations in recent years represented by the latter. In essence, they use the banner of "actively guiding religion to adapt to socialist society" as a pretext to hide their true face of opposing the complete system of the Marxist scientific atheist view of religion. The Marxist-Leninist view of religion scientifically reveals the essence, roots, developmental laws, and social roles of religion, and formulates the basic principles for a working-class party: both persisting in the propaganda of atheism and guaranteeing the masses' freedom of religious belief. This is a complete theoretical system. Regarding the basic principles of how a working-class party treats religion, Lenin provided the first systematic exposition in The Attitude of the Workers' Party to Religion, which is filled with "buts" and permeated with dialectical materialism. However, some people only seize upon a sentence before a "but" while ignoring the sentences following it, one-sidedly and distortedly summarizing a so-called "Opium Theory" and "Struggle Theory." They create an opposition between the view of religion in Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought and the Marxist view of religion or the theory of religion with Chinese characteristics, providing a pretext for certain individuals to negate the Marxist view of religion.
What exactly is the Marxist view of religion as understood by our Party? Yesterday, a comrade from the Central Party Literature Research Center [11] placed special emphasis on Comrade Jiang Zemin’s article "On Religious Issues," which is a representative work of the Sinicized Marxist view of religion or the theory of religion with Chinese characteristics. But that work is quite long; I will provide a briefer example. In his 1990 speech "We Must Establish a Marxist View of Nationality and Religion," Comrade Jiang Zemin pointed out that in establishing a Marxist view of religion, our Party should reiterate and emphasize five points: First, Communists are atheists and must at all times uphold and propagate atheism. Second, we must distinguish atheist propaganda and education for the masses from the requirements for Party members, and integrate it with the specific practice of building the "two civilizations" [12] of socialism. Third, we must comprehensively and correctly implement the policy of freedom of religious belief. Fourth, according to the principle of the separation of church and state, the state requires that all religions must not interfere in politics or government affairs—including the judiciary, education, marriage, and family planning—and must not conduct propaganda against the Four Cardinal Principles. [13] Fifth, all religions must operate within the scope permitted by national laws. ⑨ I believe these five points can be further summarized into three: first, the Party must uphold and propagate atheism; second, the state must implement the policy of freedom of religious belief; third, religion must operate within the scope of policy and law. In the speech "We Must Do Religious Work Well," Comrade Jiang Zemin further summarized this into two points: on the one hand, the Party must uphold and propagate atheism, and on the other, the state must implement the policy of freedom of religious belief: "In short, we must use the Marxist view of religion as a guide to prevent the 'two types of one-sidedness' in religious work." ⑩ This is completely consistent with the discourses of Marx, Engels, and Lenin cited earlier in this article.
The Sinicized Marxist view of religion and the Marxist-Leninist view of religion have similarities as well as differences; the similarities are primary, while the differences are secondary. The similarity lies in both being the Marxist view of religion; the difference lies in the integration with Chinese reality, through which the Marxist view is continuously Sinicized and updated for the times by successfully solving religious problems in China. The classical Marxist view of religion includes the original view of religion of Marx and Engels and Lenin’s maintenance and development of it, collectively known as the Marxist-Leninist view of religion. The CPC’s view of religion is the Sinicized Marxist-Leninist view of religion, including several different developmental stages: the view of religion in Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Important Thought of the "Three Represents," and the Scientific Outlook on Development. Among these, the latter three stages belong to the period after reform and opening-up and are collectively called the theory of religion with Chinese characteristics. Whether it is the classical Marxist view of religion and the Sinicized Marxist view, or the view of religion in Mao Zedong Thought and the theory of religion with Chinese characteristics, all are part of a scientific system that is "passed down in one continuous line" (一脉相承) but also "advances with the times" (与时俱进), continuously enriching, developing, and improving. It is a unified Marxist view of religion, not several disparate or even opposing views of religion. When we study the history of the development of the Marxist view of religion, we can and should of course divide it into different developmental stages to clarify what specific judgments several generations of Chinese Communists—represented by Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, and Hu Jintao—and even Marx, Engels, and Lenin made regarding religion in different historical periods. However, if we are to firmly establish the Marxist view of religion, we must deeply master the complete system of the unified Marxist view of religion that has been "passed down in one continuous line" and "advanced with the times" for over a hundred years from Marx to Hu Jintao. This system is a unified science that continuously enriches, develops, and improves along with the development of practice.
It is with ulterior motives that some sever or even oppose the Party’s innovative theories against the classical theories of Marx, Engels, and Lenin—using the excuse that the classical discourses of Marx, Engels, and Lenin were addressed to specific problems under specific conditions to negate their universal significance. Any judgment in the world is made under specific conditions for specific problems. If this were used as an excuse to negate universal significance, then all judgments of our predecessors would be negated. The particular and the universal are dialectically unified; universal truth exists within particular discourses, and universal truth can only be expressed through particular discourses. Divorced from the specific discourses of Marx, Engels, and Lenin on the essence, roots, development laws, and social roles of religion, as well as the Party's basic attitude toward religion, and confined merely to certain innovative judgments of our Party in recent years on how to carry out religious work, it is fundamentally impossible to firmly establish the Marxist view of religion.
II. How to Understand and Grasp the Marxist View of Religion
This is the most direct basic theoretical and practical issue that needs to be clarified for the firm establishment of the Marxist view of religion. Based on the previous basic views on how to recognize and treat the Marxist view of religion, I believe that to correctly understand and grasp the Marxist view of religion at present, we should focus on three basic principles:
(1) Upholding the Basic Principle of Materialism and Atheism
The Marxist view of religion is the scientific atheist view of religion of dialectical materialism and historical materialism. To firmly establish the Marxist view of religion, one must first firmly establish the scientific worldview of dialectical materialism and historical materialism and resolutely oppose idealism and metaphysics. On the question of the relationship between spirit and matter, idealism and materialism are diametrically opposed, forming the first pair of the "basic question of philosophy": materialism explains spirit through matter, while idealism explains matter through spirit. The second pair of the basic question of philosophy is metaphysics and dialectics: metaphysics views the world from an isolated, static, and one-sided perspective, whereas dialectics views the world from a perspective of connection, development, and comprehensiveness. Falling into idealism and metaphysics on the basic questions of philosophy often leads to theism in one’s view of religion. I believe the basic question of philosophy should also include a third pair: theism and atheism.
The question of theism versus atheism was an issue already resolved before Marxism. Engels did not discuss this pair because, in the historical context of that time, it was no longer necessary. In the early period of reform and opening-up, our philosophy textbooks did not discuss this pair as the influence of theism was very small, but the situation is different now. Considering the restoration of capitalism and the low ebb of world socialism since the drastic changes in Eastern Europe and the collapse of the Soviet Union; considering the prevalence of neoliberalism, social democracy, and historical nihilism in recent years; considering the overflow of idealism, metaphysics, and theism; and considering the grim reality that the guiding position of Marxism has been shaken—it is very necessary to include this pair of theism and atheism in philosophy textbooks from now on. Comrade Li Ruihuan particularly emphasized "studying philosophy and using philosophy." "Studying philosophy" must first resolve the three pairs: materialism vs. idealism, dialectics vs. metaphysics, and atheism vs. theism. Otherwise, you might know many philosophical concepts and even write philosophical papers and monographs, but you may not necessarily resolve the issue of your own worldview. If one cannot establish a scientific worldview and methodology, then the so-called "study of philosophy" is in vain, and "using philosophy" is out of the question. Studying philosophy must involve remolding one's own subjective world and firmly establishing the scientific worldview and methodology of dialectical materialism and historical materialism before using them to guide social practice. Some people have studied Marxist philosophy for many years, yet they believe in fortune-telling and feng shui; they believe in various types of mysticism and supernatural powers; they believe in supernatural forces and mystical realms. Some Marxist philosophy professors even believed in "Falun Gong." The fundamental ideological reason is that they did not properly resolve the aforementioned three pairs, especially the pair of theism and atheism. Today, as all kinds of theism are flourishing and spreading widely, scientific atheism has become a "lost art" (绝学). [14] Without systematic knowledge, education, and training in scientific atheism, many people simply cannot cope with the ever-changing varieties of religious theism.
To resolve the dichotomy between theism and atheism, one must profoundly grasp the core theories of the Marxist view of religion, specifically the concept of the essence of religion and the concept of the roots of religion. The essence of religion is theism—that is, the belief in and worship of supernatural powers and realms. This is a consensus shared by almost all idealistic, materialistic, theistic, and atheistic views of religion. The fundamental difference between the Marxist view of religion and various idealistic or theistic views lies in its denial of all supernatural powers and realms, regarding them as nothing more than fantasies of the human brain. The profundity of the Marxist view of religion also lies in its theory of religious roots: that all religious theism is merely the fantastic reflection in the minds of those men of those external forces which control their daily life, a reflection in which the terrestrial forces assume the form of supernatural forces. In the words of Mao Zedong: "The essence of religion is the worship of supernatural forces, believing that supernatural forces dominate the individual, society, and the world. This is entirely caused by the fact of not recognizing natural and social forces." {11} Based on this, Comrade Jiang Zemin clearly summarized three major roots for the emergence and existence of religious theism: natural roots, social roots, and cognitive roots. Comrade Hu Jintao stated that the emergence and existence of religion have deep historical, social, epistemological, and psychological roots. Historical roots refer to the natural and cognitive origins where religious concepts first arose; social roots refer to reality-based origins; epistemological roots refer to the idealism and metaphysics that lead people to fall toward theology; and psychological roots refer to the emotional and volitional factors within the broad sense of cognitive roots. As long as we earnestly master the scientific view of the essence and roots of religion, all theistic concepts can be dispelled.
(2) Adhering to the scientific attitude of dialectical materialism and historical materialism.
Adhering to atheism and opposing theism is a rudimentary principle of all materialism, and thus a basic principle of Marxism. However, Marxism is not general materialism, but dialectical materialism and historical materialism. Therefore, we cannot one-sidedly emphasize the propaganda of materialism and atheism or inappropriately exaggerate the significance of criticizing idealism and theism. Instead, we must comprehensively implement the Party’s basic policy on religious work, persevere in performing religious work effectively, and unite and lead religious figures and the masses of believers to contribute to economic development and social harmony.
To illustrate this point, I will quote at length from Lenin’s article "The Attitude of the Workers' Party to Religion." The distorted summaries known as the "opium theory" and "struggle theory" are related to some people’s misunderstanding and misinterpretation of this text:
"The whole world outlook of the Social-Democratic Party is based on scientific socialism, i.e., Marxism. The philosophical basis of Marxism, as Marx and Engels repeatedly declared, is dialectical materialism, which has fully embodied the historical traditions of the eighteenth-century materialism in France and of Feuerbach (mid-nineteenth century) in Germany—a materialism which is absolutely atheistic and positively hostile to all religion. Let us recall that the whole of Engels’s Anti-Dühring (which Marx read in manuscript) is an indictment of the materialist and atheist Dühring for not being a consistent materialist and for leaving loopholes for religion and religious philosophy....
"But at the same time Engels frequently condemned the efforts of people who desired to be 'more left' or 'more revolutionary' than the Social-Democrats, to introduce into the programme of the workers' party an explicit avowal of atheism, in the sense of declaring war on religion.... Engels blamed the Blanquists [15] for being unable to understand that only the class struggle of the working masses could, by comprehensively drawing the widest strata of the proletariat into conscious and revolutionary social practice, really free the oppressed masses from the yoke of religion, and that to proclaim that war on religion was a political task of the workers' party was just anarchistic phrase-mongering. In 1877, in Anti-Dühring, Engels ruthlessly attacked the slightest concessions made by Dühring the philosopher to idealism and religion, but at the same time he no less resolutely condemned Dühring’s pseudo-revolutionary idea that religion should be prohibited in socialist society. To declare such a war on religion, Engels said, was to 'out-Bismarck Bismarck' [16], i.e., to repeat the folly of Bismarck’s struggle against the clericals (the notorious 'Kulturkampf,' i.e., the struggle Bismarck waged in the 1870s against the German Catholic Party, the 'Centre' Party, by means of a police persecution of Catholicism). By this struggle Bismarck only stimulated the militant clericalism of the Catholics and only injured the work of real culture, because he gave prominence to religious divisions rather than political divisions, and diverted the attention of some sections of the working class and of the other democratic elements from the urgent tasks of the revolutionary class struggle to the most superficial and false bourgeois anti-clericalism. Accusing the would-be ultra-revolutionary Dühring of wanting to repeat Bismarck’s folly in another form, Engels insisted that the workers' party should have the patience to work at the task of organizing and educating the proletariat, which would lead to the dying out of religion, and not throw itself into a political war on religion. This view has become part of the very essence of German Social-Democracy, which, for example, advocated freedom for the Jesuits, their admission into Germany, and the complete abolition of all police measures against any particular religion. 'Religion is a private matter'—this famous point in the Erfurt Programme (1891) [17] summarized these political tactics of Social-Democracy." {12}
"Marxism is materialism. As such, it is as relentlessly hostile to religion as was the materialism of the eighteenth-century Encyclopaedists or the materialism of Feuerbach. This is beyond doubt. But the dialectical materialism of Marx and Engels goes further than the Encyclopaedists and Feuerbach, for it applies the materialist philosophy to the domain of history, to the domain of the social sciences. We must combat religion—that is the ABC of all materialism, and consequently of Marxism. But Marxism is not a materialism which has stopped at the ABC. Marxism goes further. It says: We must know how to combat religion, and in order to do so we must explain the source of faith and religion among the masses in a materialist way. The combatting of religion cannot be confined to abstract ideological preaching, and it must not be reduced to such preaching, but must be linked up with the concrete practice of the class movement, which aims at eliminating the social roots of religion.... The roots of modern religion are the fear of the blind force of capital—blind because it cannot be foreseen by the masses of the people—a force which at every step in the life of the proletarian and small proprietor threatens to inflict, and does inflict on him, 'sudden,' 'unexpected,' 'accidental' ruin, destruction, pauperism, prostitution, and death from starvation. Those who do not wish to remain in the infant school of materialism must pay most attention to these roots. No educational book can eradicate religion from the minds of masses who are crushed by capitalist hard labour, and who are at the mercy of the blind destructive forces of capitalism, until those masses themselves learn to fight this root of religion, fight the rule of capital in all its forms, in a united, organized, planned and conscious way.
"Does this mean that educational books against religion are harmful or unnecessary? No, nothing of the kind. It means that Social-Democratic atheistic propaganda must be subordinated to its basic task—the development of the class struggle of the exploited masses against the exploiters." {13}
Marxists certainly must adhere to and propagate atheism, but they must never exaggerate the significance of atheistic propaganda, nor elevate it to an unmerited primary position or treat the struggle against religious theism as the Party’s primary task. Instead, atheistic propaganda should be subordinated to the Party’s basic task. In the past, the Party’s basic task was to overthrow capitalism; today, it is to build socialism and strive for the realization of communism. Currently, we must particularly ensure the protection of the legitimate rights and interests of religious citizens and unite and lead them in building socialism with Chinese characteristics; meanwhile, we must never forget to uphold and propagate atheism on the ideological and theoretical front.
General Secretary Hu Jintao pointed out: "We Chinese Communists are atheists and do not believe in any religion, but we are also historical materialists and must view religion with a scientific and historical perspective, comprehensively recognizing the deep historical, social, and psychological roots of religion’s emergence and existence" {14}; "Under new historical conditions, we must adhere to the Marxist stand, viewpoint, and method to comprehensively recognize the deep natural, social, epistemological, and psychological roots of religion’s emergence and existence; comprehensively recognize the objective reality that religion will exist for a long period in a socialist society; comprehensively recognize the complex situation in which religious issues are intertwined with political, economic, cultural, and ethnic factors; comprehensively recognize the special status of religious factors within contradictions among the people; and strive to explore and master the inherent laws of religion, continuously improving the level of religious work." {15}
Jiang Zemin pointed out: "Propagating and educating the masses in atheism must be distinguished from the requirements for Party members, and must be integrated with the concrete practice of the development of the socialist 'two civilizations' [18]. We should be adept at using materialist viewpoints to explain the roots of religious belief, work hard to improve the scientific and cultural quality of the people, and prevent simplistic approaches from hurting the religious feelings of the believing masses or using administrative orders to force people to stop believing in religion." {16}
In the current process of building a socialist harmonious society, adhering to the scientific attitude of dialectical materialism and historical materialism requires the comprehensive implementation of the Party’s basic policy on religious work. We must strengthen the unity between the believing and non-believing masses, as well as between masses who believe in different religions, strive to maintain and promote the harmony of religious relations, and leverage the active role of religious figures and the believing masses in promoting economic development and social harmony.
(3) Adhering to the unified system of "inheriting from the past while advancing with the times."
On the basis of profoundly understanding and grasping the previous two basic principles, a third principle should be emphasized: further understanding and grasping the theoretical system of the Marxist view of religion. This is the unified scientific system regarding the correct understanding and treatment of religion—founded by Marx and Engels, upheld and developed by Lenin, and further enriched and perfected by our Party—which inherits from the ancestors while advancing with the times. That is, the broad sense of the Sinicized Marxist view of religion, the broad sense of the Marxist view of religion in contemporary China, and the broad sense of the theory of religion with Chinese characteristics.
Many people assume that the so-called theory of religion with Chinese characteristics only refers to the new assertions on religious issues and religious work made by our Party’s second, third, and fourth generations of central collective leadership since the beginning of reform and opening up. This is a narrow understanding. It should be said that both the Marxist view of religion and the theory of religion with Chinese characteristics have broad and narrow definitions. In the narrow sense, the Marxist view of religion refers only to the scientific view of religion embodied in the works of Marx and Engels (and in most cases includes Lenin’s enrichment and development of it). In the broad sense, the Marxist view of religion includes the scientific view of religion of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, and Hu Jintao, which is both inherited and advancing with the times. In the narrow sense, the theory of religion with Chinese characteristics refers only to the innovative assertions of our Party on religious issues and religious work since the reform and opening up. In the broad sense, the theory of religion with Chinese characteristics is the broad sense of the Marxist view of religion. The basic principles of the Marxist view of religion were formulated by Marx and Engels, and Lenin enriched and developed them in many aspects. Our Party’s main contribution has been the systematization and modernization of these basic principles, particularly the formulation and implementation of a series of guidelines and policies for handling religious issues. Only by unifying the discourses of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and our Party can we constitute a systematized, Sinicized, and modernized Marxist view of religion for correctly understanding and treating religious issues. The Marxist view of religion that we must firmly establish should be this broad sense of the Marxist view of religion or the broad sense of the theory of religion with Chinese characteristics.
Guided by the Marxist view of religion, we must consistently handle the relationship between the Party and religious believers from the strategic height of mass work [19]. To unite the vast majority of religious believers around the Party and the government, and to pool their wisdom and strength toward the grand goal of building a modern socialist country in all respects, is the starting point and the ultimate goal of the Party's religious work. Facts have proven that only by upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground can we ensure that religious work in the New Era remains on the correct political track, and only by persisting over the long term can we continuously consolidate the harmony of the political ecosystem.
The fundamental task of religious work is to do the work of the masses. We must correctly distinguish between two different types of contradictions [20]—those among the people and those between ourselves and the enemy. For the vast majority of religious believers, their religious devotion is a matter of ideological consciousness and personal belief, which belongs to the category of contradictions among the people. We must strictly implement the Party's policy of freedom of religious belief, respecting the masses' choice of belief while also respecting their choice not to believe. In the process of promoting Chinese-path modernization, we must unswervingly adhere to the mass line, ensuring that religious work is grounded in the people and benefits the people.
At the same time, we must maintain high vigilance against the use of religion by hostile forces to carry out infiltration and sabotage. We must resolutely crack down on illegal religious activities and extremist forces in accordance with the law, ensuring that the "bottom line" of national security and social stability is never crossed. We must promote the Sinicization of religions in China, guiding them to adapt to socialist society and to better serve the overall interests of the nation and the people. Only by doing so can we build a community with a shared future for humanity and contribute to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Notes:
⑤ Selected Thematic Works of Lenin (On Dialectical Materialism and Historical Materialism), People's Publishing House, 2009 edition, p. 222. ⑥ Selected Thematic Works of Lenin (On Dialectical Materialism and Historical Materialism), People's Publishing House, 2009 edition, p. 222. ⑦ Deng Xiaoping, "Talk with a Delegation of Prominent British Figures." ⑧ Selected Documents on Religious Work in the New Period, Religious Culture Publishers, 1995 edition, pp. 200-201. ⑨ Selected Documents on Religious Work in the New Period, Religious Culture Publishers, 1995 edition, p. 184. ⑩ Selected Documents on Religious Work in the New Period, Religious Culture Publishers, 1995 edition, p. 201. {11} Collected Philosophical Annotations of Mao Zedong, Central Party Literature Press, 1988 edition, p. 214. {12} Selected Thematic Works of Lenin (On the Proletarian Party), People's Publishing House, 2009 edition, pp. 171-173. {13} Selected Thematic Works of Lenin (On the Proletarian Party), People's Publishing House, 2009 edition, pp. 174-175. {14} Selected Documents Since the 16th National Congress (Volume II), Central Party Literature Press, 2008 edition, p. 554. {15} Xinhua News Agency, Beijing. {16} Selected Documents on Religious Work in the New Period, Religious Culture Publishers, 1995 edition, p. 184.
About the Author: Jia Runguo is the Deputy Director and Senior Researcher at the Religious Research Center of the National Religious Affairs Administration.