Wang Lili and Dai Lixing: Strengthening Party Building Must Adhere to Marxist Atheism
In April 2016, the National Conference on Religious Work clearly pointed out that adhering to Marxist atheism is a major principle. This major principle must be upheld in all aspects of our country's legislation, administration, and judicature, as well as in the economy, politics, society, culture, and ecology; it must not be violated, whether intentionally or unintentionally. As a Marxist ruling party, the CPC likewise needs to adhere to Marxist atheism in strengthening Party building.
I. Adhering to Marxist atheism concerns the building of the Party's advanced nature and purity
Adhering to Marxist atheism should, first and foremost, be a requirement for the ruling party’s self-construction. Strengthening the building of the Party’s ideological advanced nature is a foundational project for maintaining the Party’s advanced nature. Party members must not only maintain advanced nature and purity in politics, organization, and conduct, but also in their worldview. Only by consistently adhering to Marxist atheism can we draw a clear line between materialism and idealism, and between atheism and theism. This allows us to resist the erosion and infiltration of various decadent ideas into the Party's worldview, thereby laying a solid ideological foundation for maintaining the Party’s advanced nature and purity in ideology and politics.
The struggle between atheism and theism is, in essence, a struggle between materialism and idealism. Marxist atheism is the most thorough form of materialism; it is committed to liberating people from the ideological shackles of theism and takes the realization of socialism and communism as its goal. If one does not adhere to Marxist atheism, one's faith in the Marxist worldview and socialism will waver, resulting in a loss of the Marxist standpoint and turning the individual into a captive of erroneous ideas such as idealism and theism.
Since its founding, the Communist Party of China has consistently taken Marxism as its guiding ideology and guide to action. The theoretical achievements formed by the three leaps in the Sinicization of Marxism [1] all possess the characteristics of atheism. Mao Zedong said that Communists believe in science and "do not believe in theology"; Deng Xiaoping pointed out that while the Party implements freedom of religious belief, it "also carries out propaganda for atheism"; and General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that Communist Party members "must never seek their own values and beliefs in religion." 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, when reflected in their worldview, manifests as an adherence to the dialectical materialist and historical materialist worldview, an opposition to idealism, metaphysics, and all forms of theism, and a lifelong struggle for communism. If Party members were allowed to believe in religion, it would mean allowing the coexistence of two worldviews—idealism and materialism—within the Party. This would inevitably lead to the shaking and loss of the guiding status of Marxism and cause ideological and theoretical splits, thereby eroding the Party’s ideological advanced nature and purity.
First, the nature of the Party requires that Communist Party members must be thorough atheists. The CPC is a proletarian political party with Marxism as its theoretical foundation. Marxist philosophy provides the CPC with a dialectical materialist worldview and methodology. The fundamental standpoint of dialectical materialism dictates that Communist Party members must draw a clear line against all kinds of idealism (including theistic thought). Communist Party members must never mix themselves up with the non-Party masses; they must consciously and strictly regulate themselves in thought, politics, and action according to the standards of the Party Constitution, and comprehensively shape themselves according to Marxist theory.
Second, the Party's goals and its source of strength dictate that Communist Party members must be thorough atheists. As a Marxist political party, the CPC takes the realization of communism as its ultimate goal. The class basis and the force to be relied upon for achieving this goal are primarily the broad proletariat—that is, the people. Engels once pointed out: "Among the socialists there are also theorists, or, as the communists call them, 'thoroughgoing atheists,' while the socialists are called 'practical atheists.'" Therefore, the Party's goals dictate that members should draw a clear line against theism.
Third, Party discipline constrains Communist Party members to be thorough atheists. On this issue, our Party has been consistent throughout. In December 2023, the Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Disciplinary Action issued by the CPC Central Committee once again explicitly stipulated: "Party members who have religious beliefs should be subjected to strengthened ideological education and required to correct their ways within a time limit; those who fail to change after help and education from the Party organization should be advised to withdraw from the Party; those who are advised to withdraw but refuse to do so shall be removed from the rolls; those who participate in or utilize religion to engage in provocative activities shall be expelled from the Party." Party discipline demonstrates that by choosing to join the CPC, one must adhere to the standpoint of Marxist atheism, not believe in religion, and not believe in ghosts or gods; otherwise, one will face corresponding disciplinary action.
Ideals and beliefs are the fundamental essence of the Communist Party. General Secretary Xi Jinping explicitly pointed out: "Communist Party members must be firm Marxist atheists, strictly abide by the provisions of the Party Constitution, strengthen their ideals and beliefs, keep in mind the Party's purpose, and never seek their own values and beliefs in religion." For a Communist Party member, being a firm Marxist atheist is a concrete manifestation of maintaining the Party's advanced nature and purity, and is a basic requirement for being a qualified member. Because Communist Party members possess Marxist faith and communist ideals, their "bones will be very hard" [2]; they will know "where they come from and where they are going," understand "for whom, by whom, and who I am," and will not seek their values and beliefs in religion. Among certain fallen corrupt officials, some resort to fortune-telling and physiognomy, or burn incense and worship Buddha—consulting ghosts and gods instead of the "common people" [3]. Investigating the reasons, some use religion as a facade to cover up their corrupt hearts and filthy souls, or to alleviate their panicked and uneasy minds; others distort religious belief by engaging in feudal superstition, believing in egoism and "officialdom philosophy." Ultimately, the problem lies in the worldview of these Party members and officials; the "master switch" [4] was flipped to the wrong position, leading to a loss of faith, a lack of ideals, spiritual disorientation, and a loss of purpose. Their behavior completely violates Party discipline and results in the loss of their identity as Party members. Having failed to uphold the Party's nature, purpose, and true character, their lapse into disorientation and corruption became inevitable.
Since the 18th National Congress [5], General Secretary Xi Jinping has addressed the shaking and deviation of ideals and beliefs among some Party members and officials. He has repeatedly emphasized the need to strengthen education in ideals and beliefs, build a solid ideological foundation, continuously strengthen Party spirit cultivation, prevent the erosion of Party members' thoughts by religion, maintain the purity and advanced nature of Party members forever, and consciously set an example in studying and propagating Marxist materialism and atheism. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "With firm ideals and beliefs, one's stance will be high, one's horizons will be broad, and one's mind will be open. One can then adhere to the correct political direction, refrain from pride and impatience in times of victory and prosperity, and remain steadfast and undeterred in times of difficulty and adversity. One will withstand various risks and trials, consciously resist the erosion of various decadent ideas, and forever maintain the political character of a Communist." The vast majority of Party members should firmly believe in atheism from the height of their worldview, use atheism as an ideological weapon for understanding and transforming the world, resolutely resist the erosion and infiltration of various decadent ideas into their worldview, and maintain their advanced nature and purity of worldview.
II. Adhering to Marxist atheism concerns whether the mass foundation of the Party's governance is consolidated
The core of Marxist atheism’s publicity and education work is to unite and win over the masses. It is of special and vital significance for consolidating the mass foundation of the Party's governance. Currently, the social influence of various forms of theism remains significant. Various domestic and foreign forces are stepping up their use of religion for infiltration, competing with us for the masses and the youth. The contradiction and struggle between atheism and theism are very prominent. 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 governing status. We must attach great importance to grasping the work of Marxist atheism publicity and education from the height of the Party's governing security and the survival of the Party's cause.
"The question of 'for whom' is a fundamental question, a question of principle." Standpoint of the people is the fundamental political standpoint of the CPC and the distinctive mark that distinguishes a Marxist party from other political parties. "Putting the people first" centrally expresses the people-centered nature of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, showing that this thought is centered on the people. Objectively analyzed, being "people-centered" is fundamentally opposed in its worldview and historical outlook to any "god-centered" view. it is incompatible with all forms of theism that regard a god as the master of humanity and require people to obey that god's commands.
First, we must insist on everything for the people, rather than everything for the "divine." Theism emphasizes the dedication of the individual to various "divinities," including God, while Communists emphasize dedicating themselves to the people. Although both involve dedication, the benevolent deeds advocated by theism are for the "cause of God," whereas the dedication of Communists stems from the lofty ideal of "serving the people." For the CPC, if there is any "God," then "this God is none other than the masses of the Chinese people" [6]. Only by working continuously and hard can the Party move this "God" of the masses, thereby consolidating the Party’s governing foundation; conversely, if this "God" is angered, the Party will fall.
Our Party comes from the people, and seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation constitute the original aspiration and founding mission of Chinese Communists. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The hundred-year history of our Party is a history of practicing the Party's original aspiration and founding mission, a history of the Party being heart-to-heart with the people, breathing the same air, and sharing the same fate." The fundamental reason why the CPC has been able to grow from small to large, from weak to strong, rise from setbacks, and achieve a great transformation from suffering to glory throughout its hundred-year struggle is that it has always placed the people in the highest position in its heart, relied on the people to achieve continuous victories, and ensured that the Chinese people truly became the masters of their country, society, and destiny. All of this proves the importance of Marxist atheism as an ideological foundation. On the new journey, to closely rely on the people to create history and adhere to the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, we must adhere to the Marxist historical materialist outlook and implement the important prerequisite of Marxist atheism.
Regarding the Party's tasks and purpose, our Party represents the fundamental interests of the broadest masses of the people, which naturally includes the interests of religious believers. The history of China's revolution, construction, and reform has fully proved that our consistency with religious believers in terms of fundamental interests is primary. Under the premise of respecting the people's freedom of religious belief, it is entirely possible to unite both religious and non-religious masses closely around the Party and work together for the great goals of the various periods of revolution, construction, and reform. At the same time, we must unswervingly carry out Marxist atheism publicity and education, telling the masses the truth that the "divine" world and heavenly happiness do not exist. We must help them clear away the theological mist on the road to seeking a happy life. Under the correct guidance of a scientific worldview, they should combine their personal pursuit of happiness with the historical cause of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Only in this way can we fundamentally unite and educate the people, consolidate the mass foundation of the Party's governance, and ensure they follow the Party with one heart and one mind to create their own happy lives.
Second, we must insist on everything relying on the people, rather than relying on the "divine." Is history created by the people or determined by the will of a god? Different answers to this question determine the different standpoints of being "people-centered" or "god-centered," and determine the different attitudes when facing various problems. Communists adhere to Marxist atheism not only to uphold a "doctrine," but also to enable the masses to master Marxist atheism as an ideological weapon for understanding and transforming the world. This liberates the masses from the shackles of various forms of theism, allowing them to take control of their own destiny and become their own masters.
The Party’s original aspiration and founding mission determine that the Party will never rely on religion to seek its governing status; on the contrary, it must guide the broad masses of the people to break free from the shackles of divine protection and transcendent consciousness, recognizing that it is humans who created God rather than God who created humans. Socialists, as "practical atheists," must firmly believe that real-world happiness and a beautiful life on earth are worth striving for, while an illusory heaven or afterlife is not worth longing for. Adhering to Marxist atheism is the ideological and theoretical prerequisite for upholding the principle of the people above all else; it is also an indispensable and important foundation for consciously implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Therefore, within the “Five-Sphere Integrated Plan,” whether it is adhering to the people-centered development philosophy in economic construction, the governing concept of the people as masters of the country in political construction, the people-centered creative orientation in cultural construction, the goal of achieving common prosperity for all people in social construction, or the commitment to meeting the people's growing needs for a beautiful ecological environment in the construction of ecological civilization—the conscious and firm implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era cannot be separated from the ideological and theoretical foundation of adhering to Marxist atheism.
Through unremitting, widespread, and in-depth propaganda for atheism, we must educate and guide the masses to consciously establish an atheistic worldview, treat the world and life with a scientific attitude, and rely on themselves to strive for a happy life. As the lyrics of The Internationale go: "There has never been any savior, nor do we rely on gods or emperors; to create the happiness of humanity, we must rely entirely on ourselves."
Finally, we must consistently maintain the guiding position of Marxism and solidify the ideological cornerstone of the Party's governance. At present, certain religious issues have already constituted a serious impact on and challenge to the mainstream ideology. The insistence on Marxist atheism must be scrutinized and positioned within the overall framework of the Party's ideological work; this concerns the security of the Party's mainstream ideology and the consolidation of the political foundation upon which the people of the whole country unite and struggle together.
In today's world, a significant portion of the population holds religious beliefs, and our country also has a considerable number of religious believers. To this end, preventing and resisting external infiltration through the use of religion is an important task that cannot be overlooked. As early as 1990, Chen Yun [7] pointed out: "Using religion to compete with us for the masses, especially the youth, is a common tactic of class enemies at home and abroad, and it is also a painful lesson learned from some countries led by Communist Parties that lost their political power." The use of religion by foreign forces for infiltration includes using religion to incite ethnic separatist activities, interfering in our country's internal religious affairs, and conducting illegal missionary activities within our borders. These are essentially political issues that concern our country's political security. In this political struggle, while employing legal means and even the apparatus of the democratic dictatorship [8] is important, we absolutely cannot lack the sharp "weapon" of Marxist atheism. Once this "weapon" loses its voice, goes missing, or falls silent, and the battlefield becomes a forbidden zone, various theistic ideas will seize the opportunity to enter, and external religious infiltration will become unscrupulous. Therefore, to build a solid dam against external religious infiltration, there is an urgent need for the propaganda and education of Marxist atheism to play a foundational role.
Communist Party members must actively promote Marxist atheism to society. Proceeding from the goal of uniting the broad masses and submitting to the Party's central tasks, they must aim to coalesce the people closely around the Party to realize the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation and advance the improvement of the socialist system, while taking care to unite religious believers to struggle for common goals. Under the guidance of the Party's basic principles and various policies on religious work, as long as we fully implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on religious work, we can completely unite the broad masses of religious believers to work together toward the grand strategic goal of realizing the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation.
III. Adhering to Marxist Atheism Relates to the Carrying Out of the Party’s Self-Revolution
Religion is typically a spiritual tool used by the ruling class to conduct its rule. In a class society, it is not enough for the ruling class to rely solely on state violence such as the army, courts, and prisons to maintain its rule; it must control the people spiritually, making them content with the status quo. Lenin pointed out: "All oppressing classes of every description need two social functions to safeguard their rule: the function of the hangman and the function of the priest. The hangman is required to quell the protests and the rebellion of the oppressed. The priest is required to console the oppressed, to paint for them the prospects of mitigation of their sufferings and sacrifices (this is particularly easy to do without guaranteeing that these prospects will be 'achieved'...), while preserving class rule, and thereby to induce them to tolerate this rule, resign them to abandoning revolutionary action, undermine their revolutionary enthusiasm, and shatter their revolutionary determination."
For the oppressed classes, religion is a form of spiritual opium that numbs the revolutionary will of the people. Religion uses heaven and the afterlife to describe an illusory happiness for people, invisibly placing a chain adorned with illusory flowers upon the masses. Consequently, they can no longer investigate the causes of their suffering, nor can they generate the revolutionary demand to break free from their miserable fate. They merely settle for the status quo, placing their hopes for happiness in the afterlife, while allowing the actual rulers to carry out ruthless oppression and exploitation. In this sense, Lenin regarded Marx's famous dictum that "religion is the opium of the people" as "the cornerstone of the entire Marxist worldview on the question of religion."
In contrast to theists, the Communist Party of China has always adhered to Marxist atheism and emphasized carrying forward the spirit of revolutionary struggle. This is of great significance for breaking the spiritual shackles of theism and strengthening Party building.
First, adhering to Marxist atheism helps promote the Party's spirit of having the courage and the ability to struggle. The courage and ability to struggle are the spiritual qualities of Marxist atheism and the spiritual foundation upon which the Communist Party of China has been able to achieve continuous victory. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in the report to the 20th CPC National Congress: "All of us in the Party must stay true to our original aspiration and founding mission, must remain modest, prudent, and hardworking, and must have the courage and ability to struggle." Among these, "must have the courage and ability to struggle" vividly reflects the spiritual character of Chinese Communists, who are not afraid of ghosts and do not believe in heresies [9], who dare to struggle against powerful enemies, and dare to strive for victory.
In the 1960s, facing suppression by the Soviet Union and containment by the United States, Mao Zedong pointed out: "The world does not have the kind of ghosts described in the stories of the past, but there certainly exist many things resembling ghosts. From international imperialism and its running dogs in various countries... down to the difficulties and setbacks in our general work, all can be said to be things resembling ghosts." Mao Zedong emphasized that one must not be afraid of various "ghosts" but must instead struggle against them. "All Marxists and all revolutionary people who take the transformation of the world as their personal responsibility should possess this sublime style and revolutionary boldness, thoroughly break down superstitions, emancipate the mind, be a 'tough guy' who fears neither heaven nor earth, and be a person of both wisdom and courage who possesses both soaring drive and a spirit of scientific analysis!"
Currently, there are still many "ghosts" at home and abroad affecting China's development. The risks and tests facing our country's development are no fewer than in the past, and the contradictions to be handled are complex and diverse, with the "Two Overalls" [10] intertwined. We must carry forward the spirit of struggle possessed by Marxist atheism, have the courage and ability to struggle, be brave enough to overcome various difficulties and challenges, and continuously win victories in the Great Struggle with many new historical characteristics in the New Era.
Second, adhering to Marxist atheism helps to effectively carry out the Party's self-revolution and advance the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party in depth. The Party's Marxist worldview requires us to adhere to thorough atheism, which is to adhere to the "militant materialism" proposed by Lenin. Being brave in self-revolution is an important manifestation of this spirit in the field of Party building. Our Party has the courage for self-revolution, on the one hand, because our Party has no special interests of its own other than the interests of the country, the nation, and the people—this is the source of the courage and the foundation for our Party's daring self-revolution. On the other hand, it is because our Party has always carried forward the spirit of thorough materialism, adhered to the spirit of struggle directed inward (turning the blade inward), had the courage for criticism and self-criticism, dared to listen to different opinions, and corrected errors in a timely manner—this is the powerful weapon for our Party's conduct of self-revolution.
Since the beginning of Reform and Opening-up, the Party has insisted that the Party must manage the Party and govern itself strictly, achieving significant results in advancing Party building. At the same time, due to a period of lax management and insufficient discipline within the Party, the Party's image and prestige were seriously affected, and relations between the Party and the masses, and between officials and the masses, were severely damaged, causing strong dissatisfaction and indignation among the broad ranks of Party members, officials, and the masses. In the face of this grave situation, since the 18th CPC National Congress, our Party has remained problem-oriented, implementing comprehensive and strict governance of the Party across all aspects of Party building. The situation of lax, weak, and soft governance has been fundamentally reversed, and the Party has become even stronger through revolutionary forging, exploring a successful path to escape the "historical cycle" [11] under the conditions of long-term governance.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "Our Party is a Marxist governing party, but at the same time it is a Marxist revolutionary party." In the New Era, we must continue to carry forward the spirit of thorough revolution and carry the Party's self-revolution through to the end. We must always adhere to the principle that the Party must manage the Party and govern itself strictly. With the political courage of self-revolution, we must focus on solving the prominent problems existing within the Party itself, resolutely overcome the phenomena of laxity, weakness, and softness in Party management, and promote the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party in depth. We must continuously enhance the Party's capacity for self-purification, self-perfection, self-renewal, and self-improvement, ensuring the Party remains the strong leadership core for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Third, adhering to Marxist atheism helps lead the continuous progress of the social revolution in the New Era through the Party's great self-revolution. The Communist Party of China in the New Era is both a Party that remembers its revolutionary spirit and continuously conducts "great self-revolution," and a Party that takes changing the world as its own responsibility to conduct "great social revolution." On the "new road of rushing to the examination" [12], the "examination hall" our Party faces is becoming larger, the "test questions" are becoming harder, and the "conditions for answering" are becoming more complex. In advancing the great social revolution, one of our important tasks in the field of social construction is that we must always maintain the fighting edge of Marxist atheism, directing the spearhead of struggle toward ethnic separatist forces, religious extremist forces, and violent terrorist forces, "allowing the people of all ethnic groups to hold together as tightly as pomegranate seeds, and uniting religious believers closely around the Party." Through proactive struggle, we must seize the initiative, dominance, and discourse power in the ideological sphere, expand the position of Marxist atheism in the ideological field, and win over the masses and the next generation.
On the new journey, we must at all times persist in having the courage and ability to struggle, not believing in heresies, not fearing ghosts, and not fearing pressure. We must keep the fate of China's development and progress firmly in our own hands and continuously win new victories in comprehensively building a modern socialist country.