He Yanfeng, Feng Xue: On the Education of Marxist Views on Religion Among University Students
Religion persists over the long term in China's socialist society. This necessitates that we correctly recognize and understand the essence and characteristics of religion and actively guide religion to adapt to socialist society; this is also an important task of our ideological and political work. As the successors to the cause of Chinese socialism, guiding university students to establish a correct worldview, outlook on life, and values—which includes establishing a Marxist view of religion—is the core content of ideological and political education for university students in the New Era.
I. The Urgency of Strengthening Marxist View of Religion Education for University Students
Young students possess active minds and youthful vitality, characterized by a strong desire for knowledge and curiosity about the external world. Faced with the special socio-cultural phenomenon of religion, a segment of university students has shown great interest. Because religion contains profound philosophical reasoning, an ethical outlook of "forsaking evil for good," and mysterious religious rituals, it exerts a strong attraction on these young students who have not yet ventured far into society. Furthermore, with the continuous expansion of enrollment in Chinese universities, the competition and pressure faced by young students have grown increasingly intense, leading to increasingly prominent psychological issues. While some students can resolve these issues through self-adjustment, others have poor psychological resilience. When feeling pained or helpless, they may turn to religion to seek psychological comfort and sustenance. Additionally, external forces [1] have chosen university faculty and students as targets for infiltration and development, placing particular emphasis on university students. Western developed capitalist countries, led by the United States, use the internet, multi-media, and other modern communication means to continuously utilize religion to increase ideological infiltration among Chinese young students. Extensive survey results show that a significant number of "watchers" and "followers of religious culture" have appeared among contemporary Chinese university students. Meanwhile, the number of religious believers among university students is also rising. One scholar conducted a "Questionnaire Survey on Religious Beliefs of University Students" at three universities in Heilongjiang Province; among them, students who explicitly stated they held religious beliefs accounted for 19.6% of the total, while 65% expressed skepticism or hesitation. Synthesizing data from various regions, estimates of the proportion of religious believers among students range from a high of around 20% to a low of between 3% and 4%. Although survey results vary and proportions differ, the emergence of religious adherents among university students has become an unavoidable fact. [1]
As seen above, the phenomenon of religious belief among young students is a serious issue facing ideological and political education in the new period. It concerns the cultivation of successors for the socialist cause, the status of Marxist belief, and the harmony of socialist society. To a large extent, the excessive development of religion among university students will inevitably bring a serious impact to the field of Marxist ideology, which in turn will affect the correct establishment of young students' worldviews, outlooks on life, and values. This is because if Marxism does not occupy the battlefield of ideology, it will be occupied by various non-Marxist or anti-Marxist ideas. Ours is a socialist country; to cultivate successors for the cause of socialist modernization, we must attach great importance to educating contemporary university students on the Marxist view of religion.
II. Problems Currently Facing Marxist View of Religion Education in Universities
The university ideological and political theory course is the main battlefield for strengthening education on the Marxist view of religion. Currently, however, the content regarding the Marxist view of religion in many universities' ideological and political courses is insufficient, methods fail to keep up with the requirements of the times, and the quality of educators regarding religious views is not high, thereby affecting the cultivation of students' correct outlooks on belief and religion.
(1) Insufficient educational content regarding the Marxist view of religion for university students. The ideological and political theory course in universities is the curriculum for educating young students on basic Marxist theory and ideological morality—it is the main channel for education on the Marxist view of religion. Education on the Marxist view of religion has been conducted in China for many years, but practice in recent years shows that young students do not know much about religious knowledge, their knowledge structures regarding religion are incomplete, they lack a correct understanding of religious phenomena and the laws of their existence and development, and they lack a correct understanding of the characteristics of religion and its status and role in socialist society. Currently, some domestic universities have opened courses related to religious views, but these are mainly general education courses on the study of religion (religious studies) aimed at popularizing religious knowledge; specialized courses on the Marxist view of religion have not yet been established. In particular, the teaching content of ideological and political theory courses does not have separate chapters for Marxist religious view education; content regarding religious theory and policies is very scarce, often covered in about ten minutes or passed over briefly whenever it arises.
(2) Lack of effectiveness in university ideological and political theory courses. For a long time, ideological and political education in China’s higher education institutions has prioritized education on Marxist belief and ideals. However, because the methods of traditional ideological and political education are outdated and the educational concepts of some teachers fail to keep pace with the times, the effectiveness of this education in universities is not strong. Most ideological and political education in China is based on the "instillation" (灌输) method, where the teacher is the center of the classroom and lecture is the primary mode. The connection between teaching content and reality is not close, and the targeting is weak; it fails to respect the actual characteristics of the recipients or teach students in accordance with their aptitude. By treating students as passive objects and ignoring their personalities and psychology, some students lose interest in ideological and political theory courses. Naturally, this makes it difficult to achieve the goal of having students establish Marxist and communist beliefs. In surveys, some students have left comments stating that "political education loses credibility because some content is unrealistic," leading them to instead pursue religion, which emphasizes a realm of "the ultimate truth, beauty, and goodness," believing religious faith to be simpler, purer, and more authentic. [2] The "instillation" teaching style is also unfavorable for cultivating a correct religious view among young students. Correct religious view education is not only a political necessity but also an internal need for the growth of young students. If education on the Marxist view of religion is not transformed into an internal need for the growth of young students, a "two skins" [2] phenomenon may occur. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen and improve the teaching methods of ideological and political theory courses, improve the quality of teachers' religious views, and ensure that Marxist view of religion education is targeted and effective.
(3) The quality of the Marxist view of religion among ideological and political theory teachers is relatively low. Whether young students establish a Marxist view of religion is linked to whether teachers—especially those of ideological and political theory—possess firm Marxist beliefs. "The educator must himself be educated" is the premise of Marxist religious education. Yet, some teachers in universities lack religious knowledge, have a poor understanding of the Marxist view of religion, possess only a half-baked understanding of the Party's religious policies, cannot see issues clearly, and lack strong theoretical foundations. They are unable to analyze problems historically and dialectically. If the teacher's own quality regarding the Marxist view of religion is not high, they cannot correctly guide students' religious beliefs, which will affect the establishment of students' Marxist faith.
III. Specific Measures for Strengthening Marxist View of Religion Education for University Students
Strengthening education on the Marxist view of religion is an important task for current ideological and political education. How to strengthen this education, explore effective paths and methods for educating students on their worldview and outlook on life under the new situation, and enhance targeting and effectiveness are important components of university ideological and political theory courses.
(1) Enriching the content of Marxist view of religion education. Our ideological and political education can only gradually enrich the knowledge structure of young students, continuously improve their comprehensive quality, enhance their sense of patriotism, and help them establish a correct outlook on belief if we proceed from reality and continuously strengthen education on the Marxist view of religion and the Party’s religious policies. Under the new situation, a correct religious view must be made an important part of cultivating successors for socialist modernization. As ideological and political theory courses are the main channel and battlefield for Marxist theory education, universities should incorporate the Marxist view of religion as important educational content into classroom teaching. Specifically, the curriculum system must increase and enrich this content. For example, in the "Morality, Ethics, and Fundamentals of Law" course, content on "managing religious affairs according to the law" should be added; in the "Introduction to the Basic Principles of Marxism" course, content regarding the origins, essence, functions, and eventual withering away of religion should be added; in the "Introduction to Mao Zedong Thought and the Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics" course, the Sinicization of the Marxist view of religion and the Party’s religious policies under the new situation should be taught—these religious theories with Chinese characteristics are also a component of the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The "Contemporary World Economy and Politics" and "Situation and Policy Education" courses can combine domestic and international current affairs to help students understand the development, changes, and trends of religion at home and abroad, as well as our country's principles and policies for handling religious issues. We must continuously educate and guide university students to use the Marxist stand, viewpoint, and method to analyze activities aimed at "Westernizing" and "splitting" [3] China through religion, as well as the use of religious issues to interfere in China's internal affairs or create terrorist activities. This allows students to improve their ability to discern religious issues through the process of analysis, comparison, and identification, ensuring they are not confused by various superficial phenomena. Therefore, increasing the content of Marxist view of religion education within the curriculum system of ideological and political theory courses will systematically and over the long term guarantee this education for students, effectively filling the knowledge gaps in university ideological and political theory education.
(2) Improving teaching methods to enhance the effectiveness of Marxist view of religion education. In the 21st century, China's ideological and political education faces challenges on many fronts. If we do not change the traditional "positive instillation" method, if our educational methods are not diversified, and if we cannot keep up with the requirements of the times, the effectiveness of our ideological and political education will not be enhanced, and our education on the Marxist view of religion will not be successful. Therefore, the traditional methods of ideological and political education must be reformed. (1) Realize the diversification of teaching methods. Use various forms and means, including traditional effective methods and modern multi-media technology, to strive for the effectiveness of Marxist view of religion education. Through films, television, and multi-media courseware, let students understand religion—this historical phenomenon and social reality—more vividly and intuitively, thereby allowing them to master the Marxist view of religion. (2) Enhance classroom interaction and strengthen emotional communication with students. In the process of Marxist view of religion education, more attention should be paid to cultivating students' sense of agency (主体意识), transforming the mode from one-way instillation to an intersubjective interactive educational model, making the education a process of spiritual and emotional exchange between teachers and students. The purpose of religious view education is not just for students to master Marxist religious theoretical knowledge; most importantly, it should enlighten their wisdom and abilities. Ideological and belief education must "move with emotion and persuade with reason"; only when emotion and reason are blended can the ultimate goal of education be achieved and the expected results met.
(3) Continuously improving the quality of university teachers regarding the Marxist view of religion. Ideological education must persuade with reason and move with emotion. The personal charisma of a teacher serves as an example. Only if the teacher truly believes in Marxism and truly understands the Marxist view of religion can they educate young university students and enhance the persuasiveness, attraction, and infectious power of the theory. This requires improving teachers' Marxist theoretical cultivation, requiring them to "truly believe" and "truly understand" Marxism to become firm Marxists, so they can play their role through teaching by word and deed. Therefore, teachers must scientifically and comprehensively understand the connotation, characteristics, functions, and long-term nature of religion; they must be able to accurately elucidate the positive and negative values of religious culture and explain the scientific nature of the Marxist view of religion through the contrast between theism and atheism. Only then will students be convinced and accepting. Teachers must also systematically master various religious theories and our Party's religious policies, while being able to use the methods of dialectical materialism and historical materialism to analyze and explain contemporary religious issues. This will provide students with religious knowledge, satisfy their pursuit of knowledge and spiritual needs, broaden their horizons, and lay a solid ideological foundation for establishing Marxist belief. At the same time, teachers should use Marxist atheism to educate students, enabling them to resist various forms of idealism and fallacious heresies. Only when the religious knowledge reserves of ideological and political theory teachers are enriched, and they possess a correct understanding and scientific attitude toward religion, can the students they cultivate have a correct religious view, continuously internalize the Marxist view of religion, and establish Marxist belief.