Xi Wuyi: Building on Past Achievements to Strive for a New Phase in the Cause of Scientific Atheism
To all board members and representatives:
Greetings! From November 2005 to August 2013, the Third Council of the Chinese Atheism Society has served for nearly eight years. During this period, Mr. Ren Jiyu, President of the Chinese Atheism Society, and Mr. Guo Zhengyi, Vice President, passed away successively due to illness. We express our deep condolences for these two predecessors who made outstanding contributions to the cause of scientific atheism in China.
Now, commissioned by the Third Council, I shall present the work report to the Fourth National Congress of the Chinese Atheism Society.
I. The Historical Process of the Cause of Scientific Atheism in Contemporary China
Atheism is the crystallization of human social civilization and reflection. Marxist atheism represents the advanced stage in the development of scientific atheism. Scientific atheism is not only a worldview and a way of thinking, but also an attitude toward life and a lifestyle. The current focus of the cause of scientific atheism is to promote the strategy of "rejuvenating the country through science and education," to rid society of the burden of ignorance and superstition, to enable every household to live a healthy, harmonious, and happy life, and to allow every individual to achieve independent, free, and well-rounded development—or in the fashionable parlance of today, to allow everyone to possess the Chinese Dream.
The research, publicity, and educational work regarding scientific atheism are essential components of the Communist Party of China's ideological work. Scientific atheism is the philosophical foundation of the socialist core value system; it is a happy way of life and an important path for building a harmonious society. Strengthening research, publicity, and education in scientific atheism is a consistent policy of Chinese Communists.
(1) The Party Central Committee attaches great importance to strengthening research, publicity, and education on atheism.
Over the past decade, the Party Central Committee has successively made many important instructions and issued many important documents. These constitute our "Imperial Sword" [1] for carrying out our work.
On August 15, 2003, Comrade Chen Kuiyuan, former President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), wrote to Comrade Hu Jintao, then General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, forwarding the "Proposals on Further Strengthening Research, Publicity, and Education in Scientific Atheism" from Mr. Ren Jiyu, President of the Chinese Atheism Society, and others. On August 19, Comrade Hu Jintao issued an instruction on Comrade Chen Kuiyuan’s letter: "Research, publicity, and education regarding atheism is a long-term task that needs to be incorporated into the overall deployment of scientific research planning and publicity and ideological work, and it must be carried out with perseverance [2]. In particular, Communist Party members should firmly establish a materialist worldview. This is not contradictory to implementing the Party's policy of freedom of religious belief." Comrade Li Changchun, then a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau, and Comrade Liu Yunshan, then a member of the Political Bureau and Head of the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee, issued respective instructions requesting the implementation of Hu Jintao’s important directive.
To implement the important instructions of Comrade Hu Jintao and others, on May 28, 2004, six ministerial-level bodies, including the Organization Department and the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee, issued the "Notice on Further Strengthening Research, Publicity, and Education in Marxist Atheism." This notice proposed "strengthening the disciplinary construction and personnel training of Marxist atheism, running atheism research institutions and related majors in universities effectively, and establishing and training a team of atheism researchers armed with Marxism."
On March 12, 2005, Comrade Li Changchun, then a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau, issued an instruction on Mr. Ren Jiyu's "Proposal on Creating Atheism Research Institutions": "It is suggested that CASS strengthen its research on atheism." Comrade Chen Kuiyuan noted: "At present, feudal superstition is rampant, and religion is spreading deeply and widely. Conducting research, publicity, and education on atheism is indeed an indispensable task in the building of civilization."
On January 14, 2009, Comrade Chen Kuiyuan issued an instruction on a letter from Mr. Ren Jiyu: "The spirit of the elderly Mr. Ren Jiyu, who has been traveling and crying out [3] to promote atheism, is admirable. CASS should naturally contribute to the research and promotion of atheism. This is completely consistent with implementing the 'Three Represents' and the 'Scientific Outlook on Development.' If the broad masses of people frequently go to bow and worship gods and Buddhas, would not 'putting people first' [4] become empty talk?"
On May 15, 2011, Document No. 18 of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee forwarded the "Opinions on Resisting the Use of Religion by Overseas Entities to Penetrate Universities and Preventing Campus Proselytization," issued by six ministerial bodies including the United Front Work Department and the Ministry of Education. The document required "taking Marxist atheism education as the foundational work for resisting penetration and preventing campus proselytization, enriching the content of ideological and political theory courses and relevant professional courses, and strengthening publicity and education through various forms." It also called for "strengthening the management of teaching and research institutions in religious studies, integrating Marxist atheism into disciplinary construction and personnel training, and adhering to Marxist guidance in conducting in-depth religious studies." This was an unprecedentedly important measure. It is evident that strengthening the disciplinary construction of scientific atheism is an important part of the work to resist overseas religious penetration and prevent campus proselytization.
Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Xi Jinping as General Secretary has made further strategic deployments for strengthening ideological work and maintaining the Party's advanced nature and purity. From the perspective of whether ideals and beliefs are firm and whether one is politically reliable, General Secretary Xi Jinping has issued sharp criticisms of some cadres who "believe in ghosts and gods instead of Marx and Lenin," who seek spiritual solace in feudal superstitions, who are obsessed with fortune-telling and physiognomy, who burn incense and worship Buddha, and who "consult the gods" [5] when facing problems. He has required the reinforcement and implementation of leadership responsibility for ideological work to ensure that mainstream ideas and public opinion occupy the ideological positions.
These instructions and documents indicate that, faced with a more complex social situation in the new period, the Party Central Committee attaches great importance to strengthening scientific atheism research, publicity, and education, incorporating them into the overall deployment of scientific research planning and ideological work. In contemporary China, this work is one of the essential tasks for building the socialist core value system.
(2) Two important periods of historical opportunity for the development of scientific atheism in contemporary China.
Since the beginning of reform and opening up, the development of scientific atheism in contemporary China has experienced two important periods of historical opportunity. The first was in the late 1990s. The second was from the winter of 2009 to the spring of 2010. During these two periods, Mr. Ren Jiyu, President of the Chinese Atheism Society, led colleagues and people of vision to hold high the banner of scientific atheism, making brilliant contributions that will shine in the annals of history.
As we all know, at the end of 1978, just as the Cultural Revolution had ended, Mr. Ren Jiyu founded the Chinese Atheism Society. Subsequently, for various reasons, the society's work fell silent for a time.
In the 1990s, "new theism" under the banner of "extraordinary powers" [6] spread like a plague, becoming a major issue affecting social stability and development. In 1996, at the advocacy of Mr. Ren Jiyu, the Chinese Atheism Society resumed its work. In 1999, under the direct deployment of the Party Central Committee, the journal Science and Atheism was founded. This was the first major landmark in the development of contemporary China's atheism cause. For over a decade, the Chinese Atheism Society and Science and Atheism have made significant contributions to publicizing the scientific spirit, conducting atheism education, promoting socialist core values, and building a socialist harmonious society. The society and the journal have become the most important academic organizations and positions for researching and publicizing scientific atheism in contemporary China. With the strong support of the Party Central Committee and CASS, they have gathered a group of excellent scholars dedicated to this field.
From the winter of 2009 to the spring of 2010, the cause of scientific atheism ushered in its second important historical opportunity. In September 2009, CASS released the "Implementation Plan for Strengthening the Construction of Marxist Theoretical Disciplines and Theoretical Research (2009–2014)." In this plan, scientific atheism was designated as an "endangered discipline" [7] to receive key support. A "Marxist Atheism Research Office" was established within the Institute of Marxism Studies, and the CASS "Research Center for Science and Atheism" was founded, affiliated with the Institute. This was a turning-point measure. It not only established a professional atheism research institution conducive to the construction of the socialist core value system, but it will also certainly influence ideological trends and academic structures in related fields toward a healthy transformation. It will play a positive role in building advanced culture and improving the quality of the nation.
On December 24, 2009, CASS approved the establishment of the "Marxist Atheism Research Office." This is the first substantive atheism research institution to appear in China since the "Atheism Research Office" founded by Mr. Ren Jiyu in the last century was renamed. On April 20, 2010, CASS approved the "Research Center for Science and Atheism." This is the first social platform for "science and atheism research" in contemporary China. The center's development goal is not only to become an academic research hub for Marxist atheism and a base for scientific atheism publicity and education, but also to serve as a strategic research center for responding to the ideologization of religion and the use of religion for penetration by overseas hostile forces.
(3) The Marxism Project [8] provides key support for scientific atheism as an endangered discipline; disciplinary construction has taken firm strides.
With the advancement of the Project to Construct and Research Marxist Theory, and with the support of CASS leadership at all levels, the Chinese Atheism Society, Science and Atheism magazine, the CASS Research Center for Science and Atheism, and the Marxist Atheism Research Office of the Institute of Marxism Studies have integrated into a "four-in-one" force. By uniting people of vision from all walks of life, they are promoting the gradual recovery of this endangered discipline.
Over the past six years, Science and Atheism, the journal of the Chinese Atheism Society, has realized a transformation from a popular science periodical to a professional academic journal. From its inception, the journal shouldered an important social mission. Initially, its primary responsibility was to address the rampant spread of "extraordinary power" organizations like Falun Gong, publicizing the scientific spirit to the masses and conducting atheism education. The journal published many short, vivid articles criticizing "new theist" organizations, which had a positive social impact. Since September 2007, the editorial department of Science and Atheism has continuously published calls for papers, stating that starting from the first issue of 2008, the journal would undertake "more profound and heavy historical tasks," shifting its focus toward becoming a professional academic journal for scientific atheism to establish the research discipline. As the call for papers pointed out: "Without such a discipline and such a team, the publicity and education of scientific atheism cannot be sustained or reach the hearts of the people, and the guiding position of Marxist ideology will inevitably lapse into empty talk." Since 2008, Science and Atheism has published 35 issues. Despite the very thin ranks of the professional research team, under the leadership of Editor-in-Chief Du Jiwen, the journal has actively sought sources, meticulously planned, and carefully edited, becoming the flagship publication for professional research in scientific atheism. According to our statistics, approximately 70% of professional papers on scientific atheism are published in Science and Atheism annually. Many important articles are profound in thought and clear-cut in their stance.
For instance, the book Acts of Faith, authored by American Christian scholars Rodney Stark and Roger Finke, has recently gained popularity in mainland China. Since its introduction to the country, this doctrine has been highly esteemed by certain researchers in academic circles. The book became a key reference work for the "Senior Seminar on Sino-American-European Religious Studies" at a famous university in Beijing, quickly becoming a "bestseller in the field of religious studies in recent years" and being hailed as a "Copernican revolution." Regarding this latest "sociological study of religion" released by American Christian scholars, the journal Science and Atheism was the first to publish a critique. It pointed out that the "laws of faith" discovered therein are: monotheism is the most competitive, while polytheism is weak and incompetent; "tension" and "exclusivity" are the internal driving forces that allow religion to grow strong; and religious conflict, particularly when it serves as a vehicle for social conflict, is the most powerful channel for attracting "commitment" from believers. The book defines the economic returns of religion as the highest interest, encouraging all fields of society to open up to religion for free competition. It disdains democratic constitutionalism and attacks state guidance, belonging to a trend of religious supremacy and religious anarchism. In China, this constitutes a challenge to the principle of "governing the country according to law" and a direct assault on national legislation regarding the "separation of education and religion." The guiding concept of the book is to disparage the adaptation of religion to the social environment and its integration with the cultural milieu, instead inciting religion to emerge amidst social unrest and seeking opportunities for religious revitalization within the "clash of civilizations." Consequently, encouraging religious exclusivity, breaking the existing social order and cultural structures, and resisting national constitutional principles have become its most prominent features. This critical research stands unique in the current field of religious studies and has attracted widespread attention.
Over the past five years, the annual conferences of the Chinese Atheism Society have moved beyond Beijing to be held across the country, gradually amplifying the voice of scientific atheism. Due to various constraints, prior to five years ago, the Society’s annual conferences were typically held in Beijing. Because the Society was unable to provide travel expenses for scholars, few participants from other regions attended. Since 2009, through the joint efforts of all colleagues in the Society, the annual conferences have moved out of Beijing. The 2009 conference was co-hosted by Shanghai Normal University and the Institute of Religious Studies at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences; the 2010 conference was hosted by Zhejiang Normal University; the 2011 conference was co-hosted by the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences and Xinjiang Normal University; and the 2012 conference was hosted by Shaanxi Normal University. By traveling across the nation to hold our annual conferences, we have made the acquaintance of a group of friends who support the cause of scientific atheism and have gained the opportunity to disseminate the voice of scientific atheism more broadly.
In October 2007, the China Research Institute for Science Popularization and the Chinese Atheism Society, in collaboration with the Center for Inquiry (CFI), held the international symposium "Scientific Inquiry and Human Well-being" in Beijing. The theme of the conference was "Promoting the Scientific Spirit and Building a Harmonious Society." Attendees came from countries including China, the United States, Britain, France, Russia, Norway, and Brazil, and included American Nobel laureates in physics, members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and representatives of contemporary Chinese university students, totaling about 400 people. Professor Du Jiwen, Vice President of the Chinese Atheism Society, delivered a plenary report titled "China's Humanistic Tradition and the Spirit of Atheism." Xi Wuyi, Secretary-General of the Society, chaired the breakout session on "Science and Secular Humanism." Participating scholars from various countries reached a consensus that "rational and scientific thinking is the best way to guide human behavior and should be disseminated to the public." This was a pathbreaking international academic symposium.
Over the past four years, the Center for Scientific and Atheism Research and the Marxist Atheism Research Office of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) have undertaken the arduous task of pioneering the development of scientific atheism as a discipline within the field of Marxist studies. Since 2011, the Yearbook of Marxist Theoretical Research and Discipline Development has added "Scientific Atheism" as an eighth discipline to the original seven sub-disciplines. For three consecutive years, we have written drafts for the yearbook's sections on disciplinary research, focused hot spots, collected papers, and selected book introductions. The discipline of scientific atheism has begun to make its voice heard in the national field of Marxist research.
With the strong support of the CASS Leading Group for the Marx Project [9], the Collected Works of Special Research on Marxism added "Marxist Atheism Research" starting in 2012, compiling and publishing important professional papers on scientific atheism annually. This project has been listed as a subsidized academic publication project under the CASS Innovation Program.
With the support of the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies, the CASS Center for Scientific and Atheism Research undertook a key national situation research project [10] from 2011 to 2012: "Investigation into the Status of Religious Believers Among Contemporary University Students—Focusing on Peking University." The research team launched an in-depth, multi-dimensional investigation into the phenomenon of religious belief among contemporary students. Members of the team successively visited several universities, including Peking University, Renmin University of China, Beijing Normal University, and Tsinghua University, to collect data, distribute questionnaires, and conduct interviews. We not only conducted detailed fieldwork on student religious groups but also analyzed the campus and social environments that foster this phenomenon. The team’s policy recommendations for preventing the infiltration of foreign religious forces received an important written instruction from Comrade Yu Zhengsheng, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee [11].
As a sign of the revival of the scientific atheism profession, several works have been published in recent years. For example, Professor Li Shen, Vice President of the Chinese Atheism Society, authored the three-volume On Religion (2006, 2008, 2010), published by China Social Sciences Press. Li Shiju authored Contemporary Interpretation of Marxist Scientific Atheism (2006), published by People's Publishing House. Sun Qian edited Theory and Practice of Scientific Atheism Education for Youth (2009), published by China Social Sciences Press. Wang Zhen authored Research on Eastern and Western Atheist Philosophical Thought (2010), published by Religious Culture Publishers. Xi Wuyi authored Scientific Atheism and Religious Studies (2012), published by China Social Sciences Press as the first volume in the "Science and Atheism" research series planned by the CASS Center for Scientific and Atheism Research.
II. The Situation and Tasks Facing the Cause of Scientific Atheism Today
In the history of the Chinese nation, humanistic thought has been rich and varied, with Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism coexisting in pluralistic compatibility, while religion remained in a subcultural zone. In today's society, the socialist core value system is increasingly taking root in people's hearts, yet it simultaneously faces serious challenges from international and domestic extremist religious forces and trends of thought. This compels us to stand up and respond in the ideological and cultural spheres; strengthening scientific atheism research, publicity, and education has become a matter of great urgency.
Under the leadership of the Party Central Committee, as the socialist cause and Marxist trends of thought gradually emerge from their low point, a gratifying scene is appearing for the cause of scientific atheism in our country, yet the situation remains far from optimistic. The main problems and challenges are as follows:
(1) The cultural infiltration of international right-wing religious forces has become a significant factor threatening our national cultural security.
Since the end of the Cold War, the revival of religion and religious conflict have become significant social phenomena in the international strategic landscape. A careful analysis of these phenomena reveals that it is not primarily theism at the spiritual level that is at work, but rather the social nature of religion being artificially elevated and strengthened. Religious theism is being used by certain countries and interest groups as a means to seek political power and economic benefits. Examined from the perspective of scientific atheism, this phenomenon represents a twist in the historical process that urgently requires our research to propose corresponding strategies. Currently, there are three prominent issues using religion to influence China's national security: the "Tibet independence" separatist forces headed by the Dalai clique; "East Turkestan" separatist forces under the banner of Islam; and the expansion strategy of American Christian neo-conservative forces toward China. Within the Western strategy of containing China, these will become important resources for hostile forces to exploit religious factors.
The global expansion strategy of Christian neo-conservatism has become a tool of American hegemonism. The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 passed by the U.S. Congress is a tool for the global expansion of Christian strategy using state power. China has become a key area for international religious right-wing forces to spread the Christian Gospel. Since 1999, the International Religious Freedom Report released annually by the U.S. government has devoted dozens of pages to listing various so-called "cases" to accuse the Chinese government of "serious violations of religious freedom." In addition to "Falun Gong," which is defined as a "spiritual movement," the U.S. government focuses on certain Protestant groups, including the "Shouters," "Eastern Lightning," "Disciples Society," and other cult organizations that are managed by the Chinese government according to law.
Overseas religious infiltration has become one of the most important factors threatening our country's security. Its strategic intent is to change China's ideology and political system. Importance must be attached to the "legal infiltration" of overseas Christian right-wing forces. The promotion of Christianity in our country by overseas right-wing forces is essentially a form of cultural colonialism and ideological infiltration. In the words of the veteran missionary Timothy Richard [12], cultural mission work is about "seizing the head and backbone of China." Western religious right-wing forces are especially adept at using legal channels to penetrate our cultural, educational, and academic research positions to cultivate strength and promote their worldview, values, and political outlook in opposition to our country's mainstream ideology. The main forms of this so-called "legal infiltration" are "cultural exchange" and "academic research." Through the education system and research institutions, they promote the "superiority of Christianity" among young intellectuals, attributing modern Western civilization to religious faith while disparaging Chinese traditional culture and belittling socialist values. Religious infiltration has become the primary content of foreign cultural infiltration. Cultural, religious, and ideological issues require an ideological response. We must seize the power of discourse [13] and cultivate our own academic advantages.
In February 2012, the Chinese Atheism Society held a symposium in Beijing to discuss "cultural mission work" and the issue of "Communist Party members being prohibited from believing in religion." Participating scholars pointed out that cultural mission work is a "smart" strategy used by the West against China. It attempts first to occupy certain institutions of higher learning and academic bodies, using certain literati to spread religion and its ideology. The essential attribute of religion is a belief in ghosts, gods, and the "other world"; belief should remain in its proper place as a private matter for individual citizens. In fact, allowing Communist Party members to believe in religion is precisely a key breakthrough point for the American cultural mission strategy. Our persistence that Communist Party members cannot believe in religion is of great significance for resisting overseas religious infiltration.
Comrade Zhu Weiqun [14] published an article titled "Communist Party Members Cannot Believe in Religion," responding with a clear-cut stand to the calls of certain people for the CPC to open up to religion. He pointed out that the dialectical materialist worldview is the foundation upon which the Party formulates and implements the policy of freedom of religious belief, and that the prohibition of Party members from believing in religion is a consistent principle of the Party; allowing members to believe in religion would erode and dissolve the Party's organizational body. He profoundly analyzed the various ill effects that would follow if members were allowed to believe: (1) It would allow the coexistence of two worldviews—idealism and materialism—and the coexistence of theism and atheism within the Party, which would inevitably lead to the shaking and loss of the guiding position of Marxism, causing ideological and theoretical division within the Party; (2) It would equate to allowing some members to accept both the leadership of the Party organization and the leadership of various religious organizations, which would inevitably cause organizational division; (3) Believing Party members would inevitably become spokespersons for certain religious forces, and in some locales, the phenomenon of using government resources to fuel "religious fever" would appear. They would also be unable to treat every religion equally, and the Party's religious work would be fundamentally shaken. In short, if Party members were allowed to believe in religion, our Party would be ideologically and organizationally disarmed, degenerating from a Marxist party into a non-Marxist party, making it impossible to continue leading the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This voice of justice is deafening!
(2) Adhering to the separation of education and religion, resisting the infiltration of universities by foreign forces through religion, and preventing campus proselytization are currently important and urgent strategic tasks.
Maintaining the separation of education and religion has been a key issue of continuous focus for the Chinese Association for Atheism in recent years. To this end, colleagues in the Association have convened multiple seminars. The separation of education and religion is an important principle explicitly stipulated by our country’s Constitution and Education Law. In the contemporary world, the implementation of the "separation of religion and education" is a universal consensus among modernized nations. After the founding of New China, the Chinese government nationalized all educational authority previously held by church schools, established a new type of modern educational system, and ensured that religion completely exited the national education system.
However, in recent years, the principle of the "separation of education and religion" has faced open challenges within the sphere of contemporary Chinese public education. Since the mid-1990s, alongside the gradual heating up of "religion fever" [15], missionary activities in institutions of higher organized learning have shifted from clandestine to overt. In particular, the "Sino-Christian Theology" movement [16] has entered university lecture halls and national research institutions. A certain famous university in Beijing hired foreign theologians to teach long-term courses, lecturing on the Bible in class and guiding student Christian fellowships in extracurricular activities. Some missionaries have ascended university rostrums in the capacity of professors, organizing the publication of proselytizing works. A translation series from another famous university in Beijing published William A. Dembski’s The Design Inference [17], vigorously promoting a modern version of creationism—intelligent design. Certain prestigious universities have, consciously or unconsciously, given the "green light" to the infiltration of missionaries into campuses. This "marriage" between universities and theologians has become an important means for Western Christian circles to penetrate China’s higher education sector.
In recent years, overseas religious forces have targeted universities as a vital front for infiltration, competing for our ideological territory and our young students. On contemporary Chinese campuses, overseas Christian churches have become one of the major forces spreading the Gospel. Through certain overseas missionaries and faculty or students who are overseas believers, these forces utilize "English corners," seminars, academic exchanges, poverty alleviation, student aid, and the internet to continuously increase the intensity of their infiltration, developing student converts and conducting illegal religious activities. The organizational form of Christian dissemination on campus is the continuous establishment and development of "campus fellowships," while online proselytizing has become its primary virtual form. A more latent method involves entering the pedagogical sphere to conduct "cultural missionizing." Numerous investigative studies show that the proportion of religious believers among university students is higher than the proportion of believers in the national population, and this figure is rising year by year. The healthy growth of contemporary university students concerns the future of our country and ethnic group, and the success or failure of the cause of socialist construction. The phenomenon of religious belief among university students must receive our highest level of attention.
Our opposition to the infiltration of religious belief into the field of education is in step with the trends of historical development; it is not out of hostility toward religious believers. Whether one believes in a religion should be a purely private matter for the individual citizen. Religious belief is a right of the citizen that should be respected and protected, but there is no place for God or deities in the decision-making of the State. Adhering to the "separation of education and religion" is an important statutory regulation that the State has emphasized through repeated injunctions [18]. Utilizing public educational resources on university rostrums to spread religion constitutes an illegal act. We believe that to provide the theoretical weapons for resisting the infiltration of overseas religious theology at the ideological and cultural level, we must vigorously strengthen the discipline-building of scientific atheism.
Regarding the national ideological and political theory courses in universities, the Outline of Basic Principles of Marxism (2008 Revised Edition) has already added discussions on scientific atheism. Some teachers of these courses also conduct promotion and education in scientific atheism in their classrooms, particularly in frontier ethnic minority areas where extremist religious forces are more active. For example, in 2002, the Xinjiang Education Department issued a document to open "Scientific Atheism" courses in Xinjiang’s universities as a third public political theory course, with no fewer than 36 credit hours. Overall, however, the voice of scientific atheism remains quite weak in the field of education. According to the spirit of central documents, conducting education in Marxist atheism on university campuses is foundational work for resisting the infiltration of overseas religious forces. At the same time, relevant departments at all levels should take active and effective measures to implement the provisions of the Education Law of the People's Republic of China and uphold the principle of the separation of education and religion.
(3) To respond to the current grim situation at home and abroad, it is imperative to carry out the discipline-building of scientific atheism.
In recent years, with the rise of "religion fever," an academic tendency toward "meticulously nurturing" religious culture has also heated up, turning scientific atheism into an "endangered discipline" [19]. Certain academic authorities who "hold the banner" [20] vigorously advocate for "cultural theology" and "academic theology"—particularly the "Sino-Christian Theological Movement"—and actively push for these to become the academic direction of national research institutions and universities. This trend of thought has begun to influence policy-making and the direction of public opinion. Certain "authorities" claiming to study the Marxist view of religion never mention atheism, attempting to castrate atheism from Marxism itself.
In the system of Core Socialist Values, the materialist worldview and active outlook on life of scientific atheism occupy an important position. The Party Central Committee has repeatedly pointed out: to consolidate the guiding position of Marxism and to enhance the attraction and cohesion of socialist ideology, the role of scientific atheism cannot be ignored. For some time, certain public opinions have attempted to excise scientific atheism from the Marxist view of religion and socialist ideology. This is dangerous; it neither conforms to the trends of human history and the secularization of contemporary society, nor does it align with China's humanist tradition.
With the strong support of the Marx Project (Ma Gongcheng) [21], the cause of scientific atheism research has achieved a qualitative leap. However, the overall situation remains suboptimal. The practical problems faced are exceptionally grim, and the tasks to be undertaken are exceptionally heavy. Exceptional measures and "special handling for special cases" are required to fundamentally reverse the passive situation of many years.
-- Scarcity of professional research institutions for scientific atheism. From the central level to the local level, Party schools, academies of governance, universities, and research institutes across the country have almost no specialized institutions for scientific atheism research, and thus lack substantial institutional and mechanical guarantees. Only high-level scientific atheism research results can provide sustainable, "advancing with the times" intellectual support for promotion and education. Without specialized research institutions to lead with scientific research and focus on discipline-building, it is difficult to push forward the overall work of scientific atheism research, promotion, and education.
In December 2009, the CASS approved the establishment of the "Marxist Atheism Research Office." If this move can push relevant colleges and research institutions nationwide to set up such specialized bodies, our country’s scientific atheism research cause will open a brand-new, unprecedented chapter.
-- Scientific atheism research is bordering on becoming an "extinct study," with a lack of successors. For over a decade, with the strong support of the Party Central Committee and CASS, the Chinese Association for Atheism and the journal Science and Atheism have gathered a group of excellent scientific atheism scholars. In addition to social science workers, some natural scientists, science popularizers, and journalists from various sectors have joined the cause of atheism. However, as time passes, these scholars are aging, and the problems of retirement and "natural attrition" are serious. The issue of training future talent is becoming increasingly urgent.
A more serious problem is the inability to train successors for the cause of scientific atheism "under its proper name" [22], because the existing educational and academic research mechanisms have no corresponding disciplinary structure for scientific atheism. The research team has long been in a state of natural attrition and "leaving things to sink or swim."
Currently, the Department of Marxism at the CASS Graduate School has begun recruiting Master’s students in the direction of Scientific Atheism Education under the major of Ideological and Political Education. If the State Council Academic Degrees Committee could approve the addition of Master’s and Doctoral programs for scientific atheism under the disciplines of Marxism or Philosophy, the situation of this major bordering on "extinct study" would gradually change.
-- Severe shortage of funds for scientific atheism research. In recent years, to implement the important instructions of Comrade Hu Jintao, the National Social Science Fund has added a small number of scientific atheism research projects. However, compared to the massive funding provided by domestic and foreign religious organizations for religious studies, the funds for scientific atheism research are extremely limited. Given the current grim situation and heavy tasks, this is merely "a cup of water to put out a fire of a cartload of wood" [23]. The lack of specialized funding support is also an important reason why the discipline of scientific atheism has failed to develop for a long time.
-- Discipline-building for scientific atheism spans multiple fields and requires significant research funding. Establishing a disciplinary system for scientific atheism and conducting strategic response research involves a wide range of academic fields, including many related disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Compared to the humanities—which involve collecting documents, sorting through ideas, and innovating culture—the social sciences require large amounts of funding to conduct field investigations using sociological and statistical techniques. As for the experimental methods of the natural sciences, even more funding support is required.
-- The lack of research materials and modern tools is a difficult problem hindering the discipline's development. To date, the domestic academic community lacks a basic database for scientific atheism research. A few years ago, we selected 12 representative works of the contemporary Western "New Atheism" trend and planned a systematic translation and publication effort. It was estimated that the translation, proofreading, copyright, and publication fees for this series would total 2.46 million yuan. Ultimately, due to the lack of both personnel and money, and the inability to obtain subsidies, the project was abandoned.
In short, the main problems in China's current scientific atheism research work are the serious shortage of research power, the extreme lack of talent, the lack of necessary funding, and the absence of an overall systematic research plan and development outline. To respond to the current grim situation at home and abroad, it is imperative to carry out the discipline-building of scientific atheism.
III. The Social Responsibility of Contemporary Scientific Atheism Workers
Dear board members and representatives, "only when the seas are in turmoil does the hero show his true colors" [24]. Contemporary scientific atheism workers carry a heavy historical burden, and the road ahead is long. I remember Mr. Ren Jiyu [25] saying at the opening ceremony of the Third Representative Assembly of the Chinese Association for Atheism: "The Association for Atheism bears a heavy responsibility; it concerns the issue of the superstructure and the rise or fall of the nation. Because atheism is the foundation upon which our country is built. The CPC’s leadership of the masses in revolution and construction, using Marxist thought as a guide, is about the working people liberating themselves and creating happiness. If atheism cannot find a firm footing in our country, and the common people must rely on praying to gods to find peace of mind, then our nation loses its foundation, and the country may decline. This is a fundamental issue." "The fate of our Association for Atheism is tightly bound to the fate of the nation; if the country thrives, we thrive."
Here, I would like to discuss the responsibility of being a worker for scientific atheism.
(1) Strengthening the discipline-building of scientific atheism is a long-term strategic task. Atheism is a product of labor and the awakening of human nature; it is a result of human civilization and reflection. Marxist atheism is the advanced form of scientific atheism's development. It inherits the outstanding achievements of humanity—such as 17th and 18th-century British and French materialism and 19th-century German Feuerbachian humanism—and manifests them through the discovery of the materialist conception of history and the theory of surplus value. Scientific atheism, as the starting point and cornerstone of the Marxist worldview, moved from the realm of ideology and culture into the practice of the scientific socialist movement.
We believe that the Sinicization of Marxist atheism has formed two basic principles: First, guaranteeing complete freedom of religion at the level of belief. At the socio-political and economic levels, religion must adapt to the overall interests of the Chinese people and the historical process of social development. Utilizing religion to threaten national security and ethnic unity, or to subvert the socialist system, is not permitted. This strictly distinguishes the issue of belief from political issues. Second, the concept of religious theism is erroneous and stands in opposition to science and materialism. However, it belongs to the category of worldview and ideological issues, which cannot be solved by administrative means but only through persuasion and education, and primarily through actual social change, decided voluntarily by believers themselves.
The emergence and development of atheism are closely linked to the historical process of human society. In class societies, the ruling classes often utilize religious forces to maintain their rule; therefore, social forces demanding the transformation of the social system often wage ideological struggles to critique religious theology. Consequently, the debate between atheism and theism often possesses a significant political color. However, at a theoretical level, the explanation of supernatural phenomena—such as whether ghosts and gods exist or whether God exists—is a philosophical problem and is closely related to the natural sciences. The natural sciences are the vital cornerstone of atheism. The development of natural science drives the development of atheist philosophy.
Beyond social factors, the divide between theistic and atheistic belief involves the sphere of human spiritual life, including many complex cognitive and psychological factors. Therefore, both theism and atheism will coexist within human society for a long duration. From a philosophical standpoint, atheism and theism constitute a community of contradictions that exist in mutual dependence. From the perspective of philosophical logic, the philosophical mission of atheism is to critique the illusions of religious theology, establish a scientific outlook on life and values, and promote the development of human society. As an abstract philosophical category, it will eventually exit the stage of history alongside the ultimate withering away of religion.
Compared to the work of propaganda and education in scientific atheism, the academic enterprise of atheist research occupies an even more disadvantaged position. According to our statistics, there are only about a dozen types of academic monographs and popular readings in total. It can be said that within the contemporary Chinese academic community, scientific atheism has not yet formed an independent disciplinary system. Only by forming a systematic theoretical framework for scientific atheism can we provide a solid ideological and theoretical foundation for strategic responses and specific policies.
To address the current grim domestic and international situation, we must establish a strategic vision. I suggest the establishment of a "Scientific Atheism Disciplinary Innovation Project," with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences serving as the lead administrative unit. This project would integrate multi-disciplinary research forces across the nation to promote the development of the field of scientific atheism. This is an undertaking that will yield meritorious results for the current era and benefit the generations to come [26].
(2) Cultivating high-quality professional talent is the most urgent core link in the current construction of the scientific atheism discipline.
With the continuous advancement of the Project to Build Marxist Theory [27] in recent years, academic research on scientific atheism has re-emerged within the field of scholarly inquiry. Not only has it surfaced within the field of religious studies, but it has increasingly appeared within the domain of Marxist studies. Although scientific atheism has become a key construction discipline of the Marxist Project at the CASS, its strength remains very weak. Within the field of academic research, there are very few scholars domestically who specialize in scientific atheism. Despite the efforts of the Chinese Atheism Society to identify young scholars willing to dedicate themselves to scientific atheism research, their numbers remain very limited. Because there are numerous theoretical and practical problems requiring research, and a multitude of academic theological schools are proliferating, the few scholars currently engaged in scientific atheism research are preoccupied with responding to these challenges as they strive to make their voices heard in the intellectual world. However, if we wish to clear the source and purify the flow [28] within the ideological realm, we must carry out systematic academic research; thus, team building remains the key link. The disciplinary construction of atheism requires a long-term strategic layout. We must unite all scholars across the country who are committed to this cause to struggle together, gradually building up the discipline of scientific atheism within the enterprise of constructing the Socialist Core Value System.
At present, solving the problem of the acute shortage of academic talent is the most urgent core link. Recruiting and training high-level researchers is the key to whether the strategic deployments of the Party Central Committee's leadership can be realized. I sincerely hope that all the directors and representatives present here will work together to actively seek out, recommend, and cultivate young and middle-aged talent willing to devote themselves to the cause of building the discipline of scientific atheism, so that we may successfully fulfill our historical mission of bridging the past and the future. As the saying goes, "The waves of the Yangtze behind drive the waves ahead," and "Each generation produces its own talents" [29]. Only if young talents continue to emerge can our cause gain the vitality for self-perpetuating and sustained development.
Thank you everyone!