Tian Yufen: Higher Education Must Guide Students to Correctly Resist Religious Infiltration
Institutions of higher education are critical sites for cultivating the builders and successors of the socialist cause, and they are also the primary targets for overseas hostile forces seeking to carry out ideological and cultural subversion against our country. Exploring how these institutions can educate and guide students to correctly resist religious penetration is a key topic in regional theoretical research; it is also an essential task for upholding the socialist direction of schooling and ensuring the healthy growth of university students.
I. The Practical Significance of Resisting Religious Penetration
The significance of researching the resistance of religious penetration among university students is based on the dual needs of the present and the future. First, it is necessary to clearly grasp the connotation of "religious penetration."
(1) The Connotation of Religious Penetration Religious penetration refers to reactionary political activities and propaganda carried out under the guise of religion with the aim of subverting the state power and socialist system of the People's Republic of China and undermining the unity of the motherland. It includes activities and propaganda aimed at controlling our country’s religious affairs, as well as the illegal establishment and expansion of religious organizations and activity centers within our borders. It does not refer to friendly exchanges in the religious sphere [1]. Religious penetration consists of two major types: political penetration and proselytizing penetration. Political penetration refers to "acts with obvious political motives that use religion as a banner to carry out reactionary political activities and propaganda, aiming to subvert the people’s political power and the socialist system, and to sabotage the unity of the motherland" [2]. Proselytizing penetration refers to acts that "on the surface have no obvious political intent, but stem from the universality of religion—the desire to spread religion and the Gospel. Through proselytization, they aim to control our country's religious groups and religious affairs, and to illegally establish and develop religious organizations and centers of activity within our borders" [2]. These two types of penetration, though distinct, are interrelated; their essence is to subvert our country's political power and socialist system.
After the drastic changes in Eastern Europe and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the global political landscape underwent profound changes. China became the world’s largest socialist country and, consequently, a major target for "Westernization" and "differentiation" [1] by overseas hostile forces. Because religion possesses characteristics such as mass appeal, nationality, internationality, complexity, and long-term persistence, it exerts a profound influence on all aspects of society—political, economic, and cultural. Consequently, religion has become a major tool for hostile forces to carry out penetration against us.
(2) The Practical Significance of Resisting Religious Penetration Among University Students Educating and guiding students to correctly resist religious penetration is both an important task facing current United Front [2] work in colleges and an academic subject in urgent need of research for China's religious theoretical construction. "As China's opening-up continues to expand, international hostile forces have intensified their political strategy of 'Westernization' and 'differentiation' against us, competing for the hearts and minds of the people under the banner of 'religious freedom.' Their purpose in using religion for penetration is not only to expand the influence of a certain religion, but more importantly, to compete with us for the masses in the ideological sphere, fundamentally shaking our Party's governing foundation. Regarding this, we must maintain high vigilance and take strict precautions, becoming more soberly aware of the complexity and urgency of resisting efforts by overseas hostile forces to use religion for penetration" [3].
Resisting religious penetration among university students is necessary to ensure their healthy growth. In his speech at the rally celebrating the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, Hu Jintao pointed out: "From the day of its founding, our Party has always represented the vast youth, won over the vast youth, and relied on the vast youth"; "Youth are the future of the motherland and the hope of the nation, and they are also the future and hope of our Party" [3]. Religious penetration by hostile forces in universities can lead students to experience varying degrees of confusion in political belief, obscuring of ideals and convictions, and distortion of value orientations. This allows the values of individualism, egoism, and utilitarianism to expand, which seriously affects the quality of talent cultivation in higher education, hinders the healthy growth of students, and leaves them unable to perform meritorious service for the Party and the people.
Resisting religious penetration among university students is necessary for building a harmonious society. Hostile forces harbor enmity toward atheistic Marxism and the socialist state system. They continuously spread rhetoric that is anti-Party, anti-government, and anti-socialist, using so-called "human rights" as an excuse and religious dissemination as a tool to interfere in our internal affairs. This shakes the ideological foundations of university students, impedes the effective implementation of ideological and political education, and seriously disrupts students' ideological stability, thereby affecting the harmony and stability of the campus. Even more seriously, students who come under the spiritual control of hostile forces lured by religious disguises are easily manipulated when sensitive social issues arise, becoming factors of social instability with unimaginable consequences.
Resisting religious penetration among university students is necessary to ensure the long-term peace and stability of socialist society. In recent years, the international situation has been complex, and religious conflicts have been prominent. In particular, the complex situation facing anti-penetration work has placed the issues of maintaining national security, unity, and long-term stability more prominently before us. University students are the future of the motherland, the backbone of social development, and the future primary carriers of the collective ideology and culture of society. If the minds of today's students are captured by religious penetration, they will cause irreversible damage to our society in the future and directly shake the ideological foundation of socialist society. We must soberly recognize that national security, unity, and long-term stability are where the core interests of the Chinese nation lie, where the fundamental mission of consolidating the Communist Party’s ruling status resides, and where the basic requirements for achieving scientific development and social harmony are found.
II. Basic Characteristics of Religious Penetration
To resist religious penetration, one must master its basic characteristics. Only then can we maintain a clear political mind in the face of complex penetration and ensure our actions are well-targeted. Religious penetration is characterized by political malevolence, cultural aggression, internationalizing scope, diverse methods, organizational concealment, and severe destructiveness. These are mainly manifested in:
Political malevolence. Religious penetration is a process in which hostile forces use religion as a cover and the freedom of religious belief as an excuse to replace Marxist ideology with non-Marxist ideology, first achieving "Peaceful Evolution" [3] within the realm of ideology. Religious penetration has a clear political purpose: to subvert our country's political power and the socialist system. Political malevolence is the most essential characteristic of religious penetration.
Cultural aggression. As an important cultural carrier, religion has always been utilized by hostile forces. Religious penetration creates a massive impact on China’s excellent traditional culture. Its purpose is to disintegrate or change the foundational beliefs of the entire society, as well as the ethics, values, customs, and even the lifestyle of social members. It seeks to destroy the spiritual convictions of the entire nation at the level of worldviews and values, realizing the political plot of "Westernization" and "differentiation" and thereby achieving the ultimate goal of subverting our country's socialist system.
Internationalizing scope. Because religion is international in character, penetration by hostile forces using religion is likewise international. Therefore, in practical work, we must possess a global perspective and maintain a keen eye on and high level of attention to any new trends in the change and development of international religions. The turmoil in the Middle East confirms this point; although the origins of the turmoil vary by country and region, the contest between ethnic groups, sects, and external forces in that region has never stopped, with religious factors playing an important role. This turmoil will continue in the future. The international situation is often a bellwether for domestic dynamics and requires constant attention.
Diverse methods. Methods of religious penetration are numerous, with seven being most common: first, using the pretexts of visiting relatives, sightseeing, tours, and academic lectures; second, using the construction of temples, monasteries, palaces, and churches as a guise to establish fixed activity centers; third, using investments and factories within China as sites or transit stations for penetration; fourth, secretly printing religious propaganda materials domestically or abroad and distributing them widely; fifth, utilizing modern media such as television, radio, and the internet; sixth, using charitable aid for impoverished students or providing guarantees for studying abroad; seventh, bribing cult organizations or religious separatist forces to serve as their tools.
Organizational concealment. The religious penetration organizations of hostile forces generally operate underground. Their personnel are professionalized and affiliated with certain religious institutions or groups, having their own religious leaders, doctrines, and rules, and following the commands of their clergy. Their outward appearance is loose, often using legitimate professions as cover, but their internal organization is rigorous and their activities have clear purposes.
Severe destructiveness. The drastic changes in Eastern Europe and the collapse of the Soviet Union had complex causes, but long-term social turmoil, coupled with vacillating policies on religious issues, gave hostile forces an opportunity for religious penetration. This accelerated the evolution of the social systems in Poland and the Soviet Union. These profound lessons tell us that the destructive power of religious penetration is immense; if we are not careful, there is a danger of "the Party perishing and the state being lost."
III. Correctly Grasping the Difference Between Normal Religious Activities and Religious Penetration
Correctly distinguishing between religious activities and religious penetration is the premise and foundation for doing religious work well and effectively resisting religious penetration. The differences mainly manifest in the following aspects:
Different purposes. The purpose of religious activity is to cultivate people's faith in a religion and guide their thoughts and behavior with religious tenets. The purpose of religious penetration is to use religion as a cloak to deceive the masses into blind following; in our country, this manifests as subverting the people’s democratic political power and the socialist system, characterized by political malevolence and cultural aggression.
Different subjects. The subjects of religious activity are normal religious organizations carrying out activities centered on religion itself. The subjects of religious penetration are social interest groups with specific political goals that use religion as a cover; behind them, the shadows of certain Western powers are often visible.
Different methods. The methods of religious activity are open and legitimate, consisting of proselytizing and preaching within religious venues under the framework of China’s religious policies and laws. The methods of religious penetration are characterized by concealment, and the scope of activity is not limited to the framework of laws and regulations; it is more proactive, aggressive, and widespread. Religious penetration does not target individuals based on religious considerations, but rather on whether they can be utilized to serve their political ends.
Different social effects. The social effect of religious activity is to disseminate religion so that people believe in its tenets. The social effect of religious penetration is to achieve certain political goals—politically aiming for "Westernization" and "differentiation" in an attempt to subvert our country's socialist system; culturally using religion for ideological control and spiritual enslavement to replace socialist culture guided by Marxism. At present, the prominent manifestation is the attempt to subvert our social system, create factors of social disharmony, and hinder social progress and economic development.
IV. Countermeasures for Higher Education to Guide Students in Correctly Resisting Religious Penetration
The basic characteristics of religious penetration dictate that to resist it effectively, we must address both the symptoms and the root causes. Colleges must build proactive, long-term mechanisms across several areas: constructing anti-penetration organizational networks, educating students on the Marxist view of religion, strengthening ideological and political education, managing team building, and implementing prevention and control monitoring.
(1) University leadership must attach great importance to anti-penetration work and establish an anti-penetration organizational network system. Leading Party and government cadres in universities must, from a strategic height, value the direct and potential impacts of religious penetration on our religious affairs, national security, and social stability. They must fully recognize the importance and urgency of resisting religious penetration under the new situation. A responsibility system should be implemented at every level. Comrades in student management departments and teachers involved in student work are front-line personnel; they need to promptly and effectively grasp students’ ideological trends and information related to religious penetration. The school’s Party-masses departments, foreign affairs departments, and security departments must work together, each taking their own responsibility and coordinating closely to establish a linkage mechanism and form an effective anti-penetration organizational network. Investment in human, material, and financial resources for anti-penetration must also be increased to ensure the effective progress of the work. At the same time, horizontal ties with relevant units outside the school should be strengthened to form a multi-channel, multi-layered interconnected network, providing a strong organizational guarantee for anti-penetration work.
(2) Adhere to the Marxist view of religion and guide university students to treat religion correctly.
Higher education must guide university students to correctly understand religion from the perspective of dialectical materialism, recognizing the historical and social roots of its existence. Through propaganda and education on the Marxist view of religion and atheism, students should be led to establish a worldview of dialectical materialism and historical materialism. They should be enabled to use the Marxist worldview to understand the world and explain social and natural phenomena, becoming thoroughgoing atheists. University students must be made to study and master the Party's religious policies as well as national laws and regulations concerning religion. Erroneous actions that fail to respect citizens' right to freedom of religious belief or that damage the legitimate rights and interests of religious circles must be resolutely corrected. It is necessary to correctly demarcate religious activities from religious infiltration, and strictly guard against hostile elements using the guise of religion to exploit students for subversive activities.
(III) Strengthen ideological and political education to ensure university students establish the socialist core value system.
First, fully utilize the role of Marxist theory courses as the "main channel" [4] to guide students in the in-depth study and mastery of Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought, as well as the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This will help them firmly establish the worldview and methodology of dialectical materialism and historical materialism, truly achieving the goals of "learning to cultivate virtue, learning to increase wisdom, and learning to build a career." We must persist in the study of the theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics, establish the socialist core value system, and use Marxist thought to occupy the ideological front. Second, leverage the role of primary-level Party and Youth League organizations and student associations. Through Party lectures, Youth League lectures, situation reports, association activities, and social practice, we should conduct education on ideals and convictions, patriotism, collectivism, and socialism. This will enable university students to “deeply understand the glorious history and great journey of the unremitting struggles of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation since the beginning of modern times, stimulating their love for our great motherland, our great people, and our great Chinese nation. It will strengthen their ideals and convictions, increase their knowledge and skills, temper their moral character and will, and dedicate them to striving and struggling. On the broad stage of life, they can fully utilize their intelligence and talents, express their life value to the fullest, and let the splendor of youth shine brightly in the endeavor of performing meritorious service for the Party and the people” [6].
(IV) Strengthen the construction of management teams and adhere to the principle of putting students first in everything.
For universities to effectively defend against religious infiltration, they must also strengthen the construction of ideological and political work teams, psychological counseling teams, and Party and Youth League organizations. We must cultivate a contingent that possesses both a profound level of political theory and superb work capabilities. By putting students first in everything and performing meticulous ideological work, we can ensure that students constantly feel the warmth of the organization. We must care for students’ ideology, studies, daily lives, and employment. For students facing financial difficulties, “green channels” [5] should be opened. University student employment should be treated as a “top-leader project” (一把手工程), effectively helping them solve practical difficulties.
(V) Strengthen supervision and control efforts to ensure campus security.
Strengthening campus management is the most effective measure for actively preventing and resisting religious infiltration. We must increase the intensity of supervision and control over religious infiltration activities. First, universities should strengthen cooperation with public security departments and other relevant units to establish an information exchange platform for monitoring religious infiltration activities and coordinating prevention efforts. Second, we must strengthen the supervision of campus networks to purify the online environment for students. Currently, the internet has become the primary source of information for university students, but it is also the main channel for overseas forces to conduct infiltration among them. It is low-cost, widely disseminated, and fast-moving. Therefore, strengthening internet supervision, strictly preventing the spread of harmful information on campus networks, and consciously strengthening the construction of the campus network front are also effective means of plugging the holes of religious infiltration. Third, we must strengthen the supervision of key personnel with religious beliefs. Management should be tightened over foreign teachers, international students, students from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, as well as on-campus personnel with religious beliefs, educating them to abide by China's religious laws and regulations. We should appoint information officers (信息员) [6] to closely monitor campus religious activities, thereby leaving religious infiltration with no cracks to exploit.