Wang Weiguang: Adhering to Marxist Atheism is a Major Principle
Marxism is the theory concering the liberation of the proletariat and all of humanity. To realize human liberation, Marx and Engels paid close attention to real human beings, advancing two distinct yet highly abstract concepts: "the masses" and "the people." Therefore, based on Marx and Engels' theory of human liberation and on the premise of accurately grasping the logical evolution of these concepts in their work, we can comprehensively demonstrate the logical boundaries between "the masses" and "the people."
I. We Must Uphold the Great Principle of Marxist Atheism
In April 2016, at the National Conference on Religious Work, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in clear-cut terms: "Upholding Marxist atheism is a great principle." Upholding Marxist atheism is a basic requirement for the Communist Party of China (CPC) as a Marxist ruling party. It is also an inherent part of China’s identity as a socialist country guided by Marxism. Our national legislation, administration, and judicature, as well as our work in all aspects—economic, political, social, cultural, and ecological—must adhere to this great principle and must not violate it, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Atheism stands in opposition to theism; it is a theory that denies the existence of God and various theological viewpoints. It is the antithesis of religious theology and constitutes a component and form of expression of materialism. Marx noted: "Atheism is a negation of God, and through this negation, it asserts the existence of man." The focal point of the struggle between atheism and theism is the question of whether or not God exists; in essence, it is the struggle between materialism and idealism. Marxist atheism is a constituent part of the basic theory of Marxism. It is the most thorough form of materialism and a more scientific and thorough atheism than any previously seen in history. It seeks not only to explain that there is no God in the world but also to dedicate itself to liberating people from the ideological shackles of theism, taking the realization of socialism and communism as its pursuit.
Marx pointed out in the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844: "Atheism and communism are indeed the real becoming, the realization become real for man, of man’s essence, and the realization of his essence as something real." Marxism is thorough materialism. The first principle of materialism is to uphold materialist ontology—to maintain that matter is primary and that matter determines spirit, while opposing all forms of idealism. The Marxist critique of theism began with the critique of religious theology. In his Introduction to A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right, Marx pointed out: "The criticism of religion is the prerequisite of all criticism." "The foundation of irreligious criticism is: Man makes religion, religion does not make man." "Religion is the fantastic realization of the human essence since the human essence has not acquired any true reality. The struggle against religion is, therefore, indirectly the struggle against that world whose spiritual aroma is religion." "Religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people." "The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness. To call on them to give up their illusions about their condition is to call on them to give up a condition that requires illusions. The criticism of religion is, therefore, in embryo, the criticism of that vale of tears of which religion is the halo." "The criticism of heaven turns into the criticism of earth, the criticism of religion into the criticism of law, and the criticism of theology into the criticism of politics."
Marxism shifted precisely from the critique of religious theology to the political critique of society. The critique of theism is the theoretical prerequisite upon which Marxism was established. In this sense, atheism is the starting point of Marxist theory.
Anyone who does not uphold Marxist atheism is not a thorough materialist and not a true Marxist. The Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Strengthening and Improving Religious Work under the New Situation, issued in 2016, emphasized the need to "strengthen the publicity of dialectical materialism, historical materialism, the theory of religion with Chinese characteristics, and atheism throughout society. We must consistently ensure that Marxist atheism maintains its dominant position as the mainstream ideology in the minds of the masses and earnestly safeguard ideological security." We must attach great importance to the research, publicity, and education of Marxist atheism from the height of consolidating the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field. We must clearly recognize that certain current forms of religious fanaticism have already constituted a serious impact on and challenge to the mainstream ideology. To maintain the dominant position of Marxist atheism as the mainstream ideology in the minds of the people, we must consciously resist the spiritual temptation and ideological infiltration of religious fanaticism among the masses. We must emphasize the publicity and education of Marxist atheism and incorporate it into the overall layout of the Party's ideological work. This is a very important and urgent task of ideological building [1] that concerns the security of the Party’s mainstream ideology, the consolidation of the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field, and the consolidation of the ideological foundation for the common struggle of people nationwide.
II. Communists Must Be Firm Marxist Atheists
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Communist Party members must be firm Marxist atheists, strictly abide by the provisions of the Party Constitution, strengthen their ideals and convictions, keep in mind the Party's mission, and never seek their values or beliefs in religion." For Communist Party members to be firm Marxist atheists is a concrete manifestation of maintaining the Party’s advanced nature and purity, and is a basic requirement for being a qualified Party member. To be a firm Marxist atheist, one must firmly believe in Marxist atheism and actively promote it.
Since its founding, the CPC has always taken Marxism as its guiding ideology and guide to action. All the Party's theories, lines, and actions are built upon the foundation of a dialectical materialist and historical materialist worldview. Communist Party members are Marxists, the vanguard fighters of the working class, and the most advanced and conscious elements among the masses. Their advanced nature is reflected in their worldview through their adherence to dialectical materialism and historical materialism, their opposition to idealism and metaphysics, and their lifelong struggle for communism.
Marx pointed out: "Communism begins from the outset with atheism." Comrade Deng Xiaoping once said: "Faith in Marxism was the spiritual motivation for the victory of the Chinese revolution." Upholding a Marxist atheist worldview is the innate spiritual pillar of the Communist Party. As practical atheists, it is precisely because they adhered to an atheist worldview—rather than leading the people to place their hopes in divine protection, pursue an illusory heaven or after-life, or seek help from divine revelation and subjective fantasies—that Chinese Communists led the Chinese people through long-term struggle. By following the laws of social development, they led the Chinese people step by step toward the bright road of liberation and prosperity during a 96-year journey. If this ideological cornerstone of atheism were removed, the Party’s theoretical edifice would collapse, and everything the Party has fought for would become ethereal and void. Failure to uphold Marxist atheism would lead to a wavering of the Marxist worldview and socialist convictions, a loss of the Marxist standpoint, an inability to distinguish between the true and the false or right and wrong, and a loss of necessary political discernment and sensitivity, eventually becoming a captive of erroneous ideas such as idealism and theism. A key characteristic and advantage of socialist society, as distinguished from other societies, is that people consciously create a new world under the guidance of Marxist faith. In this sense, the state of belief among the majority—and specifically whether members of the ruling party hold correct, profound, and firm beliefs and can uphold Marxist atheism—is of decisive significance to the success or failure of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Upholding Marxist atheism inherently requires that Communists must not believe in religion. As vanguard fighters of the working class, Communists cannot abandon atheism to turn to religion for spiritual pillars and values. Communists can only be atheists; they cannot be theists, and they cannot believe in religion. The prohibition on Communist Party members believing in religion is a consistent principle of the CPC. In 1940, Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out in On New Democracy: "Communist Party members may form a united front for political action against imperialism and feudalism with certain idealists and even with religious believers, but they can never approve of their idealism or religious doctrines." In 1982, Document No. 19 regarding religious work, formulated under the leadership of Comrade Deng Xiaoping, also stated: "The Party’s policy of freedom of religious belief is directed toward the citizens of our country; it is not applicable to Communist Party members. A Communist Party member is different from an ordinary citizen; as a member of a Marxist party, they must undoubtedly be an atheist rather than a theist. Our Party has made clear regulations on many occasions: Communist Party members are not allowed to believe in religion or participate in religious activities. Those who persist in doing so despite long-term education should be persuaded to leave the Party. This regulation is entirely correct and should continue to be resolutely implemented by the whole Party in the future." In 1990, during a discussion with representatives of the National Conference on Religious Work, Comrade Jiang Zemin pointed out: "The religious worldview and the Marxist worldview are fundamentally opposed. Communists are atheists, and the worldview of Communists should be the Marxist worldview." In 2006, in a speech at the National United Front Work Conference, Comrade Hu Jintao pointed out: "We Chinese Communists are atheists and do not believe in any religion." At the National Conference on Religious Work held in April 2016, General Secretary Xi Jinping reiterated the disciplinary regulation that Party members must not believe in religion, requiring members to be firm Marxist atheists and never seek their values or beliefs in religion.
To maintain the purity of their worldview, the broad masses of Party members should not only treat non-belief in religion as a disciplinary requirement but also as a conscious internal pursuit. They should take the initiative to study dialectical materialism and historical materialism, firmly believe in atheism from the height of their worldview, and use atheism as an ideological weapon for understanding and transforming the world. They must draw a clear line between materialism and idealism, and between atheism and theism, resolutely resisting the erosion and infiltration of various decadent ideas into their worldview. The high degree of consistency between our political program and our worldview—and the fact that Party members do not believe in any religion—is a major characteristic and a major advantage that distinguishes our Party from most political parties at home and abroad. The prohibition on Communist Party members believing in religion is an important piece of political discipline. In comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, this political discipline must be strictly enforced. If Party members believe in religion, it will inevitably shake the Party’s worldview foundation, weaken the adherence to ideals and convictions, impact the purity of Party organizations, and harm the Party’s leadership and the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
III. We Must Have the Courage and Skill to Publicize Marxist Atheism
Communist Party members must not only uphold atheism themselves but must also have the courage and skill to carry out education and publicity work on atheism for the masses. Communists publicize atheism not merely to uphold a scientific theory, but more importantly, to enable the masses to master atheism as an ideological weapon for understanding and transforming the world, to liberate the masses from the shackles of various forms of theism, and to let them master their own destinies and be their own masters. Although Marxist atheism cannot solve the social roots of theism [2], it can improve people's ability to distinguish truth from falsehood, enhance their capacity for self-protection, strengthen their subjective consciousness, and help them form a scientific worldview, a healthy lifestyle, and a sound psychology.
Our Party has always attached importance to atheist publicity and education. On September 13, 1941, Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out: "We believe in science, not in theology." On November 18, 1957, he noted: "We must replace idealism with materialism and theism with atheism." In an instruction on December 30, 1963, he pointed out: "Without criticizing theology, one cannot write a good history of philosophy, nor can one write a good history of literature or world history." On October 19, 1979, Comrade Deng Xiaoping pointed out: "Since the founding of the People's Republic, we have always implemented a policy of freedom of religious belief. Of course, we also conduct publicity for atheism." On December 7, 1990, Comrade Jiang Zemin noted...
Communists not only cannot believe in a religion, but must also propagate atheism and a scientific worldview to the masses. On August 19, 2003, Comrade Hu Jintao pointed out: "The research, propaganda, and education regarding atheism constitute a long-term task that needs to be incorporated into the overall plans for scientific research and the general deployment of propaganda and ideological work, to be carried out with perseverance [3]. In particular, Communist Party members should firmly establish a materialistic worldview. This is not contradictory to implementing the Party's policy of freedom of religious belief." On May 28, 2004, six ministerial-level bodies—the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Propaganda Department, the Central Civilization Office, the Central Party School, the Ministry of Education, and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS)—jointly issued the "Notice on General Strengthening of Research, Propaganda, and Education Work Regarding Marxist Atheism."
Ren Jiyu [4], the renowned Marxist scholar of religious studies, also said in 1988: "The only means available for the proletariat to engage in the struggle against theology is through ideological means—that is, the conduct of propaganda and education in atheism."
A qualified Communist Party member must not only uphold Marxist atheism but also take a clear-cut stand in propagating it, popularizing scientific and cultural knowledge alongside healthy lifestyles. They must help and guide people to draw clear lines of demarcation between materialism and idealism, atheism and theism, science and superstition, and civilization and ignorance. This serves to gradually expand the influence of atheistic thought, eliminate the social and ideological foundations that give rise to theistic thought, and consistently ensure that Marxist atheism maintains its dominant position as the mainstream ideology in the minds of the masses. If theism is allowed to spread without limit and expand rapidly in society, or even develop into the mainstream ideology, it will directly threaten the Party's guiding ideology, seriously damage the Party's governing foundation, and ultimately challenge the Party's status as the ruling power. The broad ranks of Party members must attach great importance to the propaganda and education of Marxist atheism from the height of its relevance to the security of the Party's governance and the life or death of the Party's cause.
In actively propagating Marxist atheism to society, Communist Party members must proceed from the starting point of uniting the broad masses and subserving the Party's central tasks. The goal must be to consolidate the broad masses in close unity around the Party to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and promote the perfection of the socialist system, while ensuring unity with religious believers to strive for these common goals. One must not equate the opposition between theism and atheism with political opposition. Under the socialist system, the fundamental interests of religious believers and non-believers are identical; the differences in their worldviews are secondary. Under the guidance of the Party’s correct religious principles and policies, as long as we comprehensively implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech at the National Conference on Religious Work, we can fully achieve "political unity and cooperation, and mutual respect in matters of belief," working together toward the grand strategic goal of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Education and propaganda in atheism are by no means intended to create confrontation between religious and non-religious masses, but rather to enable more people to learn to view religious phenomena scientifically through the worldview and methodology of dialectical materialism, to choose their worldview rationally, and to take the initiative in creating their own real, happy lives.
The broad ranks of Party members should continuously improve their own standards, arming themselves with rich knowledge of the natural sciences, humanities, and religious studies, as well as a broad global perspective. They should highlight the importance of atheism education for youth, focusing on the policies, modes, methods, and practical effectiveness of atheism propaganda. It is necessary to prevent hurting the religious feelings of believers, avoid exacerbating religious fanaticism, and prevent social fragmentation caused by matters of faith. One cannot treat believers with a contemptuous attitude or "kick them aside"; rather, one must persist in enlightening them through measured and patient efforts in practical social life. Only when atheism is truly accepted by the majority of the masses can the propaganda and education of atheism attain its full significance. Through unremitting, extensive, and in-depth propaganda, we must gradually educate and guide the masses to consciously establish an active atheistic worldview, treat the world and life with a scientific attitude, and rely on themselves to strive for a happy life and build a paradise on earth. As the "L'Internationale" sings: "There has never been any savior, nor do we rely on gods or emperors; to create human happiness, we must rely entirely on ourselves." "Do not say we have nothing; we shall be the masters of the world."
IV. Thoroughly Study and Comprehensively Implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's Important Thought on Marxist Atheism
Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to the research, propaganda, and education of atheism, putting forward a series of clear-cut viewpoints and requirements, mainly including:
First, Communist Party members must be firm Marxist atheists; those who do not uphold atheism are not Marxists and are not thoroughgoing materialists.
Second, our country is a socialist state led by the Communist Party. We cannot use feudal or capitalist ideologies and value systems as the spiritual pillar of society, nor can we use religion as the spiritual pillar of the whole society.
Third, in our country, while atheists and theists differ in their worldviews, this does not hinder their political identification [5] with the system.
Fourth, we Communists must not only uphold Marxist atheism but also actively propagate it, popularize scientific and cultural knowledge, and help and guide people to draw lines of demarcation between materialism and idealism, atheism and theism, science and superstition, and civilization and ignorance, gradually eliminating the ideological and social foundations for the emergence and spread of religion.
Fifth, upholding Marxist atheism is a major principle. Our country’s legislative, administrative, and judicial branches, as well as economic, political, social, cultural, and ecological aspects, must all adhere to this major principle and must not violate it, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Sixth, we must consistently maintain Marxist atheism as the mainstream ideology and ensure it occupies the dominant position in the thoughts of the masses.
The discourses on upholding and developing Marxist atheism constitute an important part of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s series of important speeches. They represent the most comprehensive, profound, and thorough treatment of the issue of Marxist atheism by a primary Party leader to date. They enrich and develop Marxist atheistic thought and represent the latest achievement in the Sinicization of Marxist atheism. They serve as the fundamental guide for strengthening the research, propaganda, and education of Marxist atheism and are of great significance for opening a new chapter in the cause of Marxist atheism. To thoroughly study and comprehensively implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thought on Marxist atheism, we must: correctly handle the relationship between atheistic propaganda/education and the implementation of the policy of freedom of religious belief, and not pit them against each other; vigorously strengthen the construction of "positions" [6] for Marxist atheism; and attach great importance to the disciplinary construction and theoretical research of Marxist atheism.