Seminar on the Marxist View of Religion (2011) Held in Beijing
Symposium on the Marxist View of Religion (2011) Held in Beijing
On July 2–3, 2011, the "Academic Symposium on the Marxist View of Religion (2011) Celebrating the 90th Anniversary of the Founding of the CPC"—jointly organized by the Institute of World Religions of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and the Religious Research Center of the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA)—was grandly convened in Beijing.
Attendees included Zhuo Xinping, Director of the CASS Institute of World Religions; Zhang Xinying, Director of the CASS Network Center and former Deputy Director of the Institute of World Religions; Jin Ze, Researcher and Deputy Director of the Institute of World Religions; Ma Lihuai, Deputy Director of the Second Bureau of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee; He Zan and Xu Liwei, officials from the same Bureau; Chen Hongxing, Director of the SARA General Office, and Deputy Director Ren Jichun; Dan Ba, Director of the SARA Department of Policy and Regulations, and Deputy Director Liu Jinguang; Guo Chengzhen, Director of SARA's Third Department; Lyu Jinguang, Director of SARA's Fourth Department; and Huang Zhihui, Director of the SARA Party Committee Office.
In 2010, in response to and to implement the CPC Central Committee’s call to build CASS into a "strong fortress of Marxism" and to effectively carry out the Marxism Theoretical Research and Construction Project [1], the Institute of World Religions formally established the Research Office for the Marxist View of Religion. Taking this as an opportunity, it organized a large-scale "Symposium on the Marxist View of Religion."
The 2011 Symposium coincided with the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. The meeting maintained that the 90-year history of the CPC is a history of persisting in combining the universal truths of Marxism with China’s actual conditions, continuously achieving great victories in revolution, construction, and reform, and a process of continuously advancing the Sinicization of Marxism. On the religious work front, our Party has persisted in combining the basic principles of the Marxist view of religion with the reality of religion in China, carving out a successful path for correctly understanding and handling religious issues, and creating a historical tapestry of the Sinicization of the Marxist view of religion. The conference emphasized using Marxism as the core ideology to guide religious studies and promote the development of contemporary Chinese religious studies. At the same time, participants noted the new changes since China’s implementation of reform and opening up, emphasizing the need to further emancipate the mind, update concepts, seek truth from facts, advance with the times, and strive to promote the scientific development of the Marxist view of religion in China.
Participating experts, scholars, and officials spoke freely and expressed their views candidly. Presentations included: Professor Chen Rongfu on "The Status of Capital in the History of the Development of the Marxist View of Religion"; Professor Li Shen’s "My Views on the Marxist View of Religion"; Associate Researcher Huang Kui’s "A Political Economy Perspective on the Marxist View of Religion"; Professor Gong Xuezeng’s "From 'Actively Guiding Adaptation' to 'Promoting Harmony in Religious Relations'—New Achievements in the Sinicization of the Marxist View of Religion"; Ren Jie’s "The Theory of the Five Characteristics of Religion [2]: A Landmark Achievement in the Sinicization of the Marxist View of Religion"; Jia Runguo’s "History, Achievements, and Experience of the Sinicization of the Marxist View of Religion"; Min Xianliang’s "The Party’s Religious Policy During the New Democratic Revolution Period and Its Great Significance"; Liu Yongsi’s "The Development of the Marxist View of Religion in China through the Evolution of Taoist Policy"; Mao Sheng’s "An Important Document Promoting the Sinicization of the Marxist View of Religion—Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Publication of the CPC Central Committee’s Document No. 6 (1991)"; Xi Wuyi’s "The Contemporary Value of Lenin’s Scientific Atheist Thought" based on original texts; He Husheng’s "Theory and Experience of the Chinese Party and Government in Resisting Religious Infiltration in the New Period"; Zhang Xuesong’s "Analysis of the Transformation of Marx’s Early View of Religion"; He Zeyin’s "Discussion on the View of Religion in the Introduction to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right and Its Applicability"; Shen Guiping’s "How to Evaluate the Social Role of Religion in Contemporary China"; Yu Dan’s "The Contest Between Science and Religion: The Transformation of Belief in Contemporary China"; Lei Chunfang’s "Premises and Foundations of Religious Harmony Under China’s Socialist Conditions"; Li Jiansheng’s "Preliminary Study on the Theoretical Construction of the Marxist View of Religion in Xinjiang religious work"; Liu Yue’s "Religious Policy of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party"; Li Kaixuan’s "A Glimpse of the Italian Communist Party’s Religious Policy through Berlinguer’s 'Historic Compromise'"; and Zeng Chuanhui’s "A Brief Discussion of United Front Work Toward the Tibetan Upper Class in the 1950s." We can only summarize these briefly here to provide a representative selection for our readers.
Participants believed that, based on history and reality, they deeply felt the importance of studying the Marxist view of religion with a scientific attitude and method, and grasped the unique significance of the "Sinicization" and "advancing with the times" of the Marxist view of religion. Particularly within the global atmosphere of "globalization" and the tide of the era in which China is moving toward the world and actively promoting its harmonious development, the study of the Marxist view of religion faces new situations and encounters many new problems.
Jia Runguo, Deputy Director of the SARA Religious Research Center, analyzed from a historical perspective, noting that after the smashing of the Jiang Qing counter-revolutionary clique [3], the Party’s correct principles and policies on religious issues were gradually restored. In February 1978, Hua Guofeng, Chairman of the CPC Central Committee, proposed in the Government Work Report to continue implementing the policy of freedom of religious belief. In July, the United Front Work Department held a symposium with heads of United Front departments from various provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities to analyze the damage caused by the "Cultural Revolution" to religious work and study the urgent problems to be solved. In December of the same year, the United Front Work Department convened another symposium on religious work. This meeting was later designated as the Eighth National Religious Work Conference (the first since the seventh in 1962). Through these two meetings, the Party’s religious work and policies were gradually restored.
After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee, based on the foundation of "setting things right" (拨乱反正) [4], the Party persisted in combining the basic principles of the Marxist view of religion with the practice of reform and opening up and the characteristics of the times, opening up a new realm for the Sinicization of the Marxist view of religion.
Contributions of the second generation of the Party’s central collective leadership. After reform and opening up, the CPC Central Committee with Deng Xiaoping at its core made the scientific judgment that China is still in the primary stage of socialism, established the basic line of centering on economic construction while upholding the Four Cardinal Principles and reform and opening up, and sounded the call of the era to build socialism with Chinese characteristics. Regarding religious work, the CPC Central Committee issued "The Basic Viewpoint and Policy on the Religious Question during Our Country's Socialist Period" (Document No. 19 of 1982), which systematically summarized the historical experience—both positive and negative—of the Party on religious issues since the founding of the PRC. For the first time in the Party’s history, it comprehensively and centrally expounded the Party's basic views and policies on religion, achieving a "setting things right" in the guiding ideology of religious work. This enriched and developed the scientific theories of Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought on religion, forming the religious view of Deng Xiaoping Theory and laying the foundation for the theory of religion with Chinese characteristics.
Contributions of the third generation of the Party’s central collective leadership. After the Fourth Plenary Session of the 13th CPC Central Committee, the Party Central Committee with Jiang Zemin at its core held high the great banner of Deng Xiaoping Theory, persisted in reform and opening up, advanced with the times, and successfully pushed the great cause of reform and opening up into the 21st century. In religious work, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued several important documents. Comrade Jiang Zemin also delivered important speeches such as "We Must Do Religious Work Well" and "On Religious Issues," clearly setting the requirement to persevere in and develop the Marxist view of religion. He comprehensively expounded the basic viewpoints that religion will exist for a long time and that religious issues have a mass character and a special complexity. He also outlined the basic principles of fully implementing the Party’s policy of freedom of religious belief, managing religious affairs according to the law, adhering to the principle of independence and self-management, and actively guiding religion to adapt to socialist society. These formed the religious view of the "Three Represents" [5] important thought, which persisted in and developed the religious view of Deng Xiaoping Theory and formed the basic framework for the theory of religion with Chinese characteristics.
Latest achievements in the Sinicization of the Marxist view of religion. Since the 16th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Hu Jintao as General Secretary has persisted in using Deng Xiaoping Theory and the "Three Represents" important thought as guidance, striving to promote scientific development and social harmony. In religious work, the Party Central Committee further clarified the Party's basic theories and principles. It emphasized using the Marxist stand, viewpoint, and method to understand religious issues; correctly handling religious relations in socialist society; maintaining and promoting the harmony of religious relations; and leveraging the positive role of religion in promoting social harmony and the role of religious figures and believers in promoting economic and social development. These new viewpoints and requirements formed the religious view of the Scientific Outlook on Development [6], centered on promoting harmony in religious relations. This enriched the theory of religion with Chinese characteristics, making it the latest achievement in the Sinicization and modernization of the Marxist view of religion.
In summary, since the founding of New China, through in-depth study of the classic works of Marx, Engels, and Lenin and based on thorough investigation, our Party has summarized the basic view that religious issues possess "five characteristics": long-term nature, mass character, ethnic character, international character, and complexity. Based on the fundamental political changes in China’s religions following the anti-imperialist patriotic movement and the democratic reform of the religious system, the Party proposed the basic principles of correctly handling contradictions among the people regarding religion and developing a patriotic democratic united front with religious circles. This further enriched the Marxist view of religion through the practice of socialist revolution and construction.
After the start of reform and opening up, in response to changes in the domestic and international situation—especially the prominence of international religious issues after the Cold War—the Party systematically summarized historical experience and fully implemented the policy of freedom of religious belief. It summarized the basic viewpoints and the principles of managing religious affairs by law, independence/self-management, and the guiding of religion to adapt to socialist society. It also emphasized the requirement to correctly understand and handle religious relations, maintain harmony, and leverage the positive role of the religious community in economic development and social harmony. This formed a theory of religion with Chinese characteristics that is in the same lineage as Marxist-Leninist and Mao Zedong religious theory yet advances with the times, opening a new realm for the Sinicized and modernized Marxist view of religion. It is evident that the history, achievements, and experience of the Party in correctly understanding and handling religious issues during 90 years of revolution, construction, and reform hold important theoretical and practical significance for doing religious work well today and in the future.
Min Xianliang, Deputy Director of the Third Religious Research Department of the State Religious Affairs Bureau, pointed out that the May Fourth Movement [7] of 1919 was the ideological source of many major events in modern Chinese history. This student patriotic movement, sparked by patriotism, simultaneously introduced various new ideological trends into China, the most prominent of which was the spread of Marxism in China. From that point, the Chinese revolution entered the period of the New Democratic Revolution [8]. In 1921, Mao Zedong and eleven other representatives of communist groups from various regions held the First National Congress in Shanghai and announced the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Today marks exactly the 90th anniversary of the CPC’s founding. Reviewing the 90-year journey of revolution and construction, the Party has led the Chinese people to achieve fruitful results on the path of seeking national liberation, building socialism, and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Our Party has always adhered to the basic concepts of national unity, the solidarity of the people, and the unity of all ethnic groups in the country. Under the premise of adhering to the basic principles of Marxism, the Party has continuously explored a development path suited to our country with a pioneering spirit of advancing with the times. It has significantly enriched and developed the basic theories of Marxism, forming a system of theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics—namely, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Important Thought of Three Represents, and the Scientific Outlook on Development. These theories are permeated by a common idea: closely integrating the basic principles of Marxism with different practices of revolution and construction in our country. Based on different themes of the times and practical needs, they study the practical experience and development laws of socialism to solve problems faced during changing eras and social development, thereby forming theoretical achievements of the Sinicization of Marxism that are both consistent in origin and advance with the times. Our Party's basic theories and policies on religious issues are no exception; they are an important component of the system of theories of Marxism with Chinese characteristics. Through 90 years of continuous exploration and development combined with our country's reality, our Party’s understanding of religious issues has become increasingly scientific and accurate, its theories on religion have become more mature, and the basic principles and policies formulated for religious work have become increasingly perfected. This process evolved from the initial implementation of freedom of religious belief and the advocacy of the separation of church and state to the establishment of the basic policy for religious work: "fully implement the Party’s policy of freedom of religious belief, manage religious affairs according to law, actively guide religion to adapt to socialist society, and adhere to the principle of independence and self-governance." It has further progressed to a series of the latest theories, such as leveraging the active role of religious figures and believers in promoting economic and social development, adhering to the Scientific Outlook on Development, building harmonious religion, and properly handling the "Five Major Relations" [9] (including religious relations). These have driven the Party's theory on religious issues to continuously develop toward the Sinicization, modernization, and popularization of Marxism, forming the latest achievements of the Marxist view of religion in contemporary China. When drinking water, one should think of its source [10]; reflecting on the past and present, the Chinese Marxist view of religion was formed gradually and improved continuously. It involves both the persistence in the basic principles of Marxism and the deepening and development integrated with our country’s specific realities; it includes both the summation of successful experiences and the lessons of failures. However, setbacks are temporary after all. Our Party dares to summarize experiences and learn lessons in a timely manner and has the courage to forge a new future. On the occasion of the grand commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the Party’s founding, we must profoundly reveal the Party’s history, conduct in-depth historical research on the Party’s views on religious issues, clarify the process of the Sinicization of the Marxist view of religion, and strengthen our confidence that Marxism can truly achieve Sinicization, modernization, and popularization. We must firmly grasp the characteristics of the development of the times, use the continuously developing Marxist theory of religion to properly handle and solve our country's religious problems, and continuously enhance the "flesh-and-blood ties" between the Party and the masses of believers, enabling religious figures and believers to make new contributions to the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
The Sinicization of the Marxist view of religion is an important aspect of the Sinicization of Marxism. After its founding, the CPC quickly mastered the Marxist view of religion based on the materialist conception of history. Over the past 90 years, the Party has not only adhered to the basic principles of the Marxist view of religion but has also enriched and developed it according to the practices of China's revolution, construction, and reform. It has blazed a successful path for correctly understanding and handling religious issues, creating a historical tapestry of continuously advancing the Sinicization of the Marxist view of religion.
Huang Kui of the Institute of World Religions at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), speaking on "The Political Economy Perspective of the Marxist View of Religion," stated that social existence determines social consciousness, and the economic base determines the superstructure; conversely, a given superstructure and social ideology will have a counter-reaction on the economic base and social existence. The religious issue is part of the total social issue. Contemporary China is in the primary stage of socialism [11] and remains a class society, though social and class contradictions are generally non-antagonistic in terms of breadth, depth, intensity, and degree. Different standpoints, views, and methods will lead to different opinions, discourses, and even discursive forms regarding religious issues. These discursive forms, based on different political-economic positions or considerations, will in turn produce different political-economic effects or consequences for the state of religion, the resolution of religious issues, and the overall work of the Party and the state. First, we must look at ideological discourse. Ideology generally refers to the worldview, corresponding values, and norms of behavior held by a certain class, interest group, or even a state. Ideology can influence and dominate people's interest aggregation and expression, as well as their socialization process; it can influence and dominate a society's change and save various behavioral costs in people's interaction processes. It can serve the cost-benefit analysis of people's behavior and define or change their behavioral orientations and preferences. The Marxist view of religion—that is, the basic Marxist view of religion (as an "inverted worldview" [12] or having an opium-like narcotic effect)—primarily adopts an attitude of ideological critique, with the main goal of criticizing the social institutional roots upon which religion arises and persists. The global status of religion shows a positive correlation with the socio-economic base, especially private ownership. While China’s social changes in recent years have achieved enormous progress at both material and spiritual levels, they have also been accompanied by many negative phenomena. Among these, the deep social roots for the emergence and persistence of "religious fever" or religious chaos lie in the process of privatization in the socio-economic field, as well as the undiminished phenomena of exploitation, oppression, and class differentiation. The method of class analysis is far from obsolete for understanding and handling religious issues. Changes in the contemporary international situation and recent shifts in China’s socio-economic base have led to the transmutation of China’s superstructure and ideology. The confusion of discourse in the ideological field (asking only about gains and losses rather than right and wrong), including confused understandings of religious issues, has already produced and is producing adverse impacts on the overall work of the Party and state and the generation of a scientific worldview among the masses. The rising governance costs and intensified expected harm of "spiritual pollution" [13] in the realms of worldview and ideology are making the issue of atheist propaganda and education—a topic quiet for many years—ready to emerge at any moment. Second is the United Front discourse. United Front work is one of the "Three Great Fabels" [14] through which our Party has continuously moved from victory to victory over its 90-year history of struggle. Emphasizing that religion is one of the forms through which humanity attempts to master the world (in Marx's words) and a special spiritual and cultural phenomenon of human society, and stressing "seeking common ground while shelving differences," "harmony without uniformity," and "political unity and cooperation, mutual respect in belief" in the Chinese context, will undoubtedly help establish a New Period Patriotic United Front with the vision of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The success of United Front work helps reduce the social governance costs of the ruling party.
Under the premise of maintaining the "rigid bottom line" of mainstream ideology, whether we can use flexible and pragmatic United Front discourse to move and attract religious elites—making them fellow travelers or even close friends on the nation’s journey forward—will produce important political-economic effects on social stability, harmony, the long-term peace and stability of the country, and the prosperity of the nation. History and reality show that the success of United Front policies and strategies depends largely on the ability to conduct appropriate and necessary class and strata analysis of religious organizations and related groups. The targets of United Front work should be limited to high-level figures in religious circles; if expanded to the general religious masses, who are increasing due to social changes, the cost of the United Front will become increasingly high and eventually unbearable. As an atheist party, our Party should maximize efforts to avoid the phenomenon of "the United Front worker being 'united' by the target" (统战者被统战), always maintaining independence of worldview, integrity of ideology, and sufficiently sharp political discernment. Third is the discourse of the rule of law: freedom of religious belief is, in essence, a form of bourgeois right [15]. The dialectical unity of rights and obligations, combined with the grim reality of "the West is strong while we are weak," means that the religious rule-of-law discourse in contemporary China—still in the primary stage of socialism—possesses ideological attributes, patriotic characteristics, and political-economic cost-benefit considerations. Freedom of religious belief actually expresses the bourgeoisie's tolerance and conciliation toward various religious beliefs that do not endanger their fundamental interests. In contrast, a proletarian party and state should strive to weaken and eventually eliminate the social soil in which religion breeds, liberating people from various superstitions and sorcery from the height of the cause of human liberation. Regarding the management of religious affairs, we should unswervingly adhere to the principle of national sovereignty, striking back at the "religious anarchist" arrogance that absolutizes the separation of church and state, such as the saying "render unto God what is God's and unto Caesar what is Caesar's." We must deconstruct the "New Interventionist" discourse hegemony of Western hostile forces, such as "human rights are above sovereignty." Given that the Marxist view of religion requires turning religious belief into a private matter for individual citizens; given the path dependence and institutional inertia formed long ago by the political-cultural tradition of "Great Unification" (大一统) in ancient China; given that the fundamental feature of the contemporary Chinese legal system is the "organic unity of Party leadership, the people as masters of the country, and the rule of law"; and given that the principle revealed by Deng Xiaoping that "minor principles must follow major principles" (小道理服从大道理) is far from obsolete—in the foreseeable future, China may continue to take "Pareto improvement" measures regarding the rule of law in religion, but the overall trend should not deviate from the direction of minimizing the cost of rule of law and maximizing the interests of the nation. At the same time, the great changes of the era have brought new challenges. Representatives at the meeting engaged in heated debate over how to study the Marxist view of religion based on the "national conditions" (国情) of contemporary China—specifically, how to discard the previous emphasis on struggle and the "critique" of religion in favor of "active guidance," leveraging the positive role of religion in promoting social harmony, correctly understanding and handling "religious relations" in China today, and making active contributions to building a harmonious society. In particular, how to promote the study and development of the Marxist view of religion based on the basic principles and theoretical concepts established by the 17th National Congress of the CPC became a focal point of exchange.
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