Zhang Wanjie and Gao Yuzheng: Domestic Research on Lenin's View of Religion Since the Reform and Opening-up: Review and Prospects
Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has issued several important instructions regarding religious work, which occupies a prominent position within the strategic overall situation of Chinese-path modernization. As a great Marxist theorist and proletarian revolutionary mentor, Lenin gradually explored and formed his own outlook on religion while identifying and handling complex religious issues, representing a vivid practice of the Marxist outlook on religion in Russia. By sorting through the academic research results and summarizing various viewpoints, we can deepen our understanding of Lenin’s outlook on religion and expand the dimensions of its interpretation. This article primarily sifts through the key issues and research achievements concentrated upon by domestic theoretical circles in the field of Lenin’s outlook on religion since the reform and opening up, and provides a preliminary outlook on future research.
I. Research on the Theoretical Sources of Lenin’s Outlook on Religion
The formation of Lenin’s outlook on religion possesses both deep theoretical roots and urgent practical momentum; it emerged in response to the needs and challenges of the times and was formed on the basis of inheriting the intellectual achievements of predecessors. There are different views in domestic theoretical circles regarding the theoretical sources of Lenin’s outlook on religion, but there is a relatively unified view on one aspect: that the influence of Marx and Engels was the most direct and important in the formation of Lenin’s outlook on religion. As an outstanding successor to the outlook on religion of Marx and Engels, Lenin stood at the heights of dialectical materialism and historical materialism, and in combination with the specific practice of the Russian proletarian revolution, gradually established his own theoretical system. For example, Sun Hutang and Du Li argue that Lenin’s outlook on religion and the practice of religious policy were a direct inheritance of the religious thought of Marx and Engels; he always persisted in and applied the principles of historical materialism to "analyze religion as an exceptionally complex cultural and social phenomenon involving all aspects of human society." Tian Xinming believes that Lenin inherited Marx’s view that "religion is the opium of the people" and "further used the 'low-quality wine' [1] familiar to the Russian people to illustrate the function of religion," combining classic Marxist formulations with indigenous Russian culture to enable the masses to recognize the true face of religion. Huang Chenxin argues that Lenin inherited and developed Engels’ view that "from the perspective of the state, the masses of the people have the freedom to choose their religious beliefs," providing a more systematic and comprehensive exposition of it. In the struggle against religion, Lenin always upheld a materialist standpoint and the principle of seeking truth from facts, "truly basing himself on a materialist perspective to correctly view the roots of religion," rather than being confined to hollow propaganda.
Some scholars also believe that, in addition to Marx and Engels, the formation of Lenin’s outlook on religion was influenced by other thinkers. These sources can be mainly divided into three categories: The first category consists of early Marxist theorists represented by Plekhanov and Dietzgen, whose thoughts greatly inspired Lenin and played an important catalytic role in the formation of his outlook on religion. For instance, Wang Ping points out that after the 1905 Russian Revolution failed and fell into a low ebb, facing the rise of "God-seeking" [2] and "God-building," [3] Plekhanov conducted an in-depth analysis and sharp criticism of them. In fierce polemics, he always stood on the side of historical materialism, defended the scientific nature of the Marxist outlook on religion, and "provided a direct philosophical foundation" for Lenin’s handling of religious mysticism. Zhang Yibing (2008) argues that Dietzgen’s philosophical materialism had a very important theoretical influence on Lenin; Lenin systematically read and annotated a large number of his works. Regarding views on religion, Lenin mostly expressed agreement with Dietzgen’s expositions, especially Dietzgen’s practice of following Feuerbach’s thought by examining religious theology and historical idealism in connection with one another, which had a profound impact on Lenin’s later views on God and idealism.
The second category is the Russian revolutionary democrats, whose atheist thoughts are closely linked to the formation of Lenin’s outlook on religion. For example, Guo Ruike pointed out in his doctoral dissertation that the materialist and atheist thoughts of revolutionary democrats represented by Herzen and Chernyshevsky cleared the way for the formation of Lenin’s outlook on religion. Li Danyang points out that Russian revolutionary democracy is the truly direct theoretical source of Lenin’s outlook on religion, which completely inherited the intellectual tradition of these predecessors and always persisted in the fundamental positions of materialism and atheism.
The third category is the atheist thought of 18th-century French materialists. As a "militant materialism," French materialism played a non-negligible and important role in the formation of Lenin's outlook on religion. For example, Han Zhen argues that the "militant spirit of the French materialists against theology and religion" was affirmed and praised by Lenin, who called them "the most consistent atheists before Marx." The sharpness and criticality of French materialist atheist thought dealt a heavy blow to the clericalism and religious superstition prevalent at the time; meanwhile, Lenin also profoundly perceived the ideological limitations of the French Encyclopedists and criticized and transcended them.
II. Research on the Historical Periodization and Main Basis of Lenin’s Outlook on Religion
Lenin’s outlook on religion is an important component of Lenin's thought; its emergence and development spanned decades, running through Lenin’s entire career from his schooling and growth to his social and political practice. Regarding the division of the developmental stages of Lenin’s outlook on religion and its basis, theoretical circles have formed different classification methods, mainly "two-stage" and "three-stage" divisions. Different researchers also have different definitions for the specific timing of these divisions.
Regarding the "two-stage" division, the understanding in theoretical circles is relatively unified, generally using the 1917 Russian October Revolution as the boundary. Wang Xiaoyan believes that Lenin’s expositions on socialism and religion can be understood from the two periods before and after the October Revolution: Before the October Revolution, Lenin mainly proposed propositions such as freedom of religious belief, the equality of all religions before the law, and the separation of church and state, clarifying the attitude and strategy of the proletarian party toward religion; these propositions were still in the conceptual stage and had not been put into practice. After the October Revolution, he began to put these propositions into practice, truly realizing the separation of church and state and freedom of religious belief. In dealing with religious issues, Lenin, on the one hand, persisted in applying basic Marxist principles to understand and analyze religion, formulating guidelines and strategies according to the specific requirements of Russian revolutionary practice; on the other hand, he persisted in solving religious problems through social practice to make them serve the socialist cause. Chen Mei also divides it into the periods before and after the October Revolution, arguing that before the October Revolution, Lenin mainly deepened the understanding of religious issues and scientifically expounded the relationship between socialism and religion based on inheriting the religious views of Marx and Engels; after the October Revolution, he gradually applied these ideas to the construction of a socialist state and actively explored new paths for solving religious problems under the socialist system.
On the "three-stage" division, domestic theoretical circles have different classification standards. Liu Yaqiong believes that the development of Lenin’s outlook on religion can be divided into three stages: "the period of Tsarist feudal rule," "the period of the Russian bourgeois revolution," and "the period of the Russian October Revolution and socialist construction." She points out that during the Tsarist rule at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, Lenin conducted a preliminary exploration of religious issues. As domestic and foreign contradictions continued to intensify, overthrowing Tsarist autocracy became the primary task; the Orthodox Church, as an accomplice of the Tsarist autocratic government, was an object of Lenin’s strenuous criticism and exposure. During the period of bourgeois revolution (1905–1917), to resist the dual offense of the church and the bourgeoisie, curb the spread of "God-seeking" and "God-building," and purge distorted understandings of Marxism within the Party, Lenin conducted an in-depth analysis of the social roots and functions of religion, clarifying the fundamental position of the proletariat on religious issues. After the October Revolution, Lenin led the Soviet government to issue a series of decrees to handle religious issues, adjusted religious policies in a timely manner to resist church attacks and opposition and maintain the stability of the nascent regime, and emphasized taking reasonable methods in the process of helping people break away from religious prejudice to avoid hurting the feelings of believers and exacerbating religious fanaticism.
Li Jie and Ma Yingjie also divide Lenin’s outlook on religion into three developmental stages, calling it "Lenin’s socialist outlook on religion," divided into: "from secondary school to 1894, studying, accepting, and propagating Marxism"; "1895–1917, starting to lead the socialist revolution"; and "1918–1924, from the victory of the October Revolution to Lenin’s death." Lenin studied and grew up during the decline of Tsarist autocratic rule, where the vast peasantry suffered under the dual enslavement of serf owners and religion. He had preliminary contact with Marxism during his secondary school years and began systematic reading and research of Marxist works after entering university, participating in student movements and actively propagating Marxism. The period from 1895 to 1917 was the key period for the formation of Lenin’s outlook on religion; he led the proletariat in a confrontation with the Orthodox Church as the state religion, while also uniting and educating the religious masses to attract them to the side of socialism and expand the proletarian ranks. He also had to struggle against various ideological trends within the Party that distorted Marxism. The core ideas and main content of Lenin’s outlook on religion were gradually formed during the revolutionary struggle of this period. From 1918 to 1924, as the nascent Soviet regime faced complex and severe domestic and international situations, Lenin mainly led the refinement of the policy of freedom of religious belief and the resolution of the issue of religious belief among Communist Party members.
Guo Ruike divides Lenin’s outlook on religion into three stages: the "exploration and formation stage (Autumn 1888–June 1907)"; the "deepening and refinement stage (June 1907–November 1917)"; and the "transformation and practice stage (November 1917–January 1924)." His analysis suggests that in the autumn of 1888, Lenin ended his life in exile, returned to Kazan to participate in the Marxist group organized by Fedoseev, and began to deeply study Capital and the basic positions, viewpoints, and methods of the Marxist outlook on religion contained therein; this point in time should be regarded as the beginning of Lenin’s outlook on religion. The "June 3rd Coup" in 1907 announced the failure of the Russian democratic revolution and its entry into a low ebb; during this period, all strata, including the revolutionary ranks, were filled with various forms of idealism and religious ideological trends. To resolutely defend the scientific nature and purity of the Marxist outlook on religion and criticize and refute various erroneous trends, Lenin systematically and deeply studied religious issues and proposed a series of important ideas, leading to the further deepening and developmental refinement of his outlook on religion. From the victory of the October Revolution in 1917 to Lenin’s death in January 1924 can be seen as the stage where Lenin’s outlook on religion transformed from theory to practice.
Li Danyang divides Lenin’s outlook on religion into three periods: the "embryonic stage," the "formation stage," and the "refinement stage." The "embryonic stage" lasted from 1895, when Lenin went to Western Europe to contact Plekhanov and began spreading Marxism among the working class, until the outbreak of the first Russian bourgeois-democratic revolution in 1905. The "formation stage" was the revolutionary stage from 1906 to 1917, during which Lenin’s thought became more mature through the baptism of revolutionary practice, studying the relationship between religion and various fields such as culture, economy, politics, and ethnicity from multiple dimensions. The "refinement stage" was from the victory of the October Revolution to Lenin’s death in 1924; in this stage, Lenin’s outlook on religion was implemented through laws and policies, and further development and refinement were achieved in combination with practical experience.
III. Research on the Content Composition and Main Characteristics of Lenin’s Outlook on Religion
Research on the content composition and theoretical characteristics of Lenin’s outlook on religion is a field of significant concern in theoretical circles. Different researchers have different entry points and interpretative perspectives, forming a series of fruitful results.
In his work Research on the Marxist Outlook on Religion, Chen Rongfu dedicates a standalone chapter to interpreting and expounding upon Lenin’s religious thought. He explicates its content through three sections: "New Expositions on the Roots of Modern Religion," "Discourses on the Socio-Political Functions of Religion," and "Theoretical Innovations on How a Marxist Party Should Correctly Handle Religious Issues." Chen argues that the characteristics of Lenin’s outlook on religion were determined by two features: the union of church and state in Russia and the transformation of the socialist revolution from theory into reality. Consequently, Lenin on one hand pursued a resolute and thorough struggle against religion and the church in the political sphere, while on the other hand, guided by the principles of historical materialism, he scientifically formulated policies for handling religious issues to serve the cause of socialism. Lü Daji and Gao Shining (2011) summarize and interpret Lenin’s outlook on religion through seven dimensions: "Comparative analysis of the religious views of Marx/Engels and Lenin"; "The struggle on the religious front during Lenin’s era"; "The emphasis on using class struggle theory and class analysis to explain primary aspects of Marx and Engels’ historical materialist theory of religion"; "On the relationship between philosophical idealism and religion"; "On the opposition between religion and socialist ideology"; "On the attitude of the proletarian party toward religion"; and "Lenin's theory and practice regarding religious issues after the victory of the October Revolution." They contend that Lenin’s outlook on religion, in both theory and practice, strove to apply the Marxist worldview to solve religious problems encountered during the leadership of the Russian proletarian revolution, giving it strong practical relevance. In analyzing various religious issues, Lenin particularly emphasized the historical materialist theory of class struggle and the method of class analysis. Guided by this methodology, he tended toward a thorough critique of religion, emphasizing its negative and reactionary nature while overlooking the positive roles religion played during certain historical periods—a stance that differs somewhat from the religious views of Marx and Engels in their mature period.
Zhu Yangjun and Zeng Chuanhui attempt to interpret Lenin’s outlook on religion from the perspective of value philosophy. They systematically organize the content of Lenin’s religious outlook through the four dimensions of value goals, value orientation, value utility, and value realization. By revealing its value structure and internal relations, they seek to understand the vital issues in his religious theory and revolutionary practice, aiming for a comprehensive, systematic, multi-dimensional, and accurate grasp of Lenin’s outlook on religion from the dimension of value philosophy to bring order out of chaos [4] and resolve the predicament of his views being distorted. Shi Yanfeng summarizes Lenin’s required attitude and strategy for a working-class party toward religion across three levels: the basic starting point, the basic attitude, and the basic policy. Shi argues that Lenin’s outlook on religion is a precious treasure of the Marxist outlook on religion, providing fundamental guidance for contemporary socialist states in resolving specific religious issues. Sun Ruoqiong and Qin Guangguang point out that Lenin’s outlook on religion achieved an organic combination of the "serious scientific nature and purity of the Marxist outlook on religion" with "flexibility in dealing with specific religious issues." Lenin consistently emphasized that the betrayal of advocating for a "socialist religion" could never be tolerated; when handling religious issues, one must adhere to the basic Marxist views on religion while resolving them flexibly according to concrete circumstances.
Zhang Jing and Wang Huan believe that in the Russian proletarian revolutionary struggle of the early 20th century, religious issues appeared frequently and were unavoidable. Lenin’s outlook on religion primarily answered three major questions: "What is the most basic attitude toward religion?", "How to struggle against religion?", and "What is the relationship between religion, the state, and the proletarian party?"
Examining relevant research results, the primary characteristics of Lenin’s outlook on religion can be summarized in the following three aspects: First, its inheritance. Liu Yaqiong points out that Lenin inherited and applied historical materialist viewpoints, opposing metaphysical, dogmatic, mechanical, and abstract methods of viewing religious issues. He emphasized analyzing religious phenomena and problems within specific historical conditions and social environments. Second, its scientific nature. Jia Runguo notes that in The Attitude of the Workers' Party to Religion, Lenin scientifically summarized the three basic principles for a Marxist party in handling religion. These principles are necessary conditions for ensuring the ideological unity, political solidarity, and consistency of action within the proletarian party. Lenin defended the religious views of Marx and Engels, powerfully striking back against the distortions and attacks of anarchists and opportunists, setting a brilliant example for proletarian parties to correctly understand and handle religious matters. Third, its people-centered nature. Wang Xiang believes that the proletarian party shoulders the heavy responsibility of liberating the masses from religion. Addressing and resolving religious issues must ultimately return to the fundamental standpoint of the people. In the process of struggling against religion, Lenin consistently adhered to the unity of principle and flexibility, combining the implementation of atheist education with the avoidance of hurting the feelings of religious masses, adjusting policies opportunely and handling religious issues with caution.
IV. Research on the Theoretical Evaluation and Contemporary Value of Lenin’s Outlook on Religion
Because the situations faced in different historical periods varied, researchers have emphasized different aspects of Lenin’s outlook on religion. During the process of socialist construction, religious issues have shown a trend of complexity and diversity, requiring a continuous deepening of the understanding of religion. This has led to certain differences in the theoretical world regarding the theoretical significance and contemporary value of Lenin’s outlook on religion. Especially since entering the 21st century, some researchers have conducted comparative analyses between Lenin’s outlook on religion and that of Marx and Engels, forming different interpretations of the relationship between the two. This has led to considerable debate at various levels and within certain scopes, some of which are quite sharp. Generally speaking, the main viewpoints in the domestic theoretical community can be summarized as follows:
First, focusing on one or several important components of Lenin’s outlook on religion, combining them with the specific historical context of relevant discourses to summarize practical experience, and then further extending this to an appraisal of its contemporary value. Representatively, Wang Daowen focuses on Lenin’s theory regarding freedom of religious belief, arguing that studying this theory is not only a key to helping us deeply understand China’s policy of freedom of religious belief, but also an important basis for correctly formulating socialist religious policies and a theoretical basis for respecting others' beliefs. Tan Yuanmin highly evaluates the religious policies Lenin promoted, considering them a direct theoretical source for the Communist Party of China's religious policies. Jiang Wenxuan summarizes Lenin’s religious theory into two major parts—the "essence and roots of religion" and "strategic thought on handling religious issues"—and combines this with the lessons learned in China since the founding of the People's Republic. He believes Lenin's thought still possesses profound practical significance; one could say that after the "Cultural Revolution" ended and we achieved the "rectification of errors" (拨乱反正), the dialectical thinking used by our Party in handling religious issues originated from Lenin’s religious thought and constitutes its further development and application.
Other researchers focus on Lenin’s contributions to atheistic propaganda and education. Xin Shijun points out that Lenin’s outlook on religion, based on a firm stance of "freedom of religious belief," emphasized not only the importance of atheistic propaganda but also its improvement. This provides a practical model for our Party and state in handling the relationship between socialism and religion. Yu Liangzao believes that throughout his long revolutionary career, Lenin consistently demanded that Communists adhere to materialism and propagate atheism. His rich ideas hold significant practical importance for strengthening contemporary ideological and theoretical building, conducting scientific atheistic propaganda and education, replacing ignorance with science, and enlightening the masses. Jia Donghai notes that Lenin’s atheistic thought mainly analyzed and expounded on "various social roots of religion in modern society," "the basis on which religion exists in private-property-based societies," and "the reasons why unawakened workers accept religion." Lenin consistently upheld the standpoint of Marxist scientific atheism and resolutely resisted any form of "religious socialist" variants, leaving behind a precious heritage of atheistic thought. Jia Runguo emphasized: "Modern idealist philosophy and religious theism are birds of a feather [5] in their opposition to materialist philosophy." He Haitao and Xie Ran also criticized contemporary idealism. Basing their work on the text On the Significance of Militant Materialism, they systematically summarized the logic and strategies Lenin employed in the ideological sphere to critique idealism and religious prejudice. They argue that this is of great value for maintaining the main battlefield of ideology [6] under new historical conditions, strengthening Marxist faith, and critiquing complex idealist phenomena.
Second, evaluating Lenin’s outlook on religion from the perspective of theoretical totality, highly affirming its progressive and scientific nature in terms of analyzing the social roots of religion, analyzing its social functions, and formulating action strategies for the struggle against religion. This view holds that Lenin’s outlook on religion not only inherited the Marxist outlook on religion but also greatly enriched and developed Marxist religious theory. It not only directly guided the Russian Revolution but also inspired other socialist countries. Representative views include those of Sakeda Dongsheng, who points out that in the contemporary era, deeply studying and systematically learning Lenin’s religious theory is of great significance for completely and accurately implementing the Party's religious policies, opposing ethnic separatism, and maintaining national stability. Zhu Yakun believes that Lenin’s outlook on religion has had a profound impact on China’s socialist construction, providing extensive practical enlightenment for handling religious issues. The important theoretical and practical achievements China has accumulated in the religious sphere are, without doubt, the Sinicization, development, and innovation of Lenin’s outlook on religion. Zhu Yangjun and Zeng Chuanhui further broaden the horizon of discourse, arguing that Lenin’s outlook on religion not only has a profound impact on the construction of the system of socialist religious theory with Chinese characteristics and the formulation and implementation of related policies, but also significant revelatory meaning for the advancement of the international socialist movement.
Third, advocating for an objective and dialectical evaluation of the theoretical significance and contemporary value of Lenin’s outlook on religion. For example, Chen Rongfu points out that Lenin’s outlook on religion is "Marxist religious views with Russian characteristics." On one hand, it is the inheritance and development of the Marxist outlook on religion, and the basic Marxist positions, viewpoints, methods, and principles it contains have universal guiding significance for proletarian parties in handling religious issues. On the other hand, one must acknowledge that Lenin’s outlook on religion possesses historical and regional limitations; his discourses on religion must be viewed dialectically and historically. Li Jie and Ma Yingjie argue that Lenin’s outlook on religion did not sufficiently highlight the positive functions of religion. After the October Revolution, Lenin occasionally showed a tendency toward rushing to eliminate religion, and his understanding of the long-term nature of religion's existence and its social functions was insufficient. Because he died prematurely, many of his theoretical views were not fully implemented or further tested and developed in practice, and thus did not reach complete maturity. However, it should also be seen that Lenin’s outlook on religion further expanded the Marxist outlook on religion at both the theoretical and practical levels, possessing profound practical significance.
In earlier years, Lü Daji believed that Lenin’s series of explorations and attempts in the religious sphere after the October Revolution constituted a process of specifying and practicing Marxist religious theory. Its fruitful results and rich experience provided a "very precious intellectual heritage" for correctly handling religious issues under new historical conditions. Later, through in-depth study, comparative analysis, and reflection on the religious theories of Marx, Engels, and Lenin, he partially changed his view. While affirming its inheritance of the Marx-Engels outlook on religion, he acknowledged that certain aspects did not entirely align with the developmental tendencies of Marxist religious theory in its mature period, and that there was a problem of directing the Marxist outlook on religion toward "Leftist" deviations.
V. Critique and Prospect of the Research Status of Lenin’s Outlook on Religion
Since the reform and opening up, the domestic theoretical community’s research on Lenin’s outlook on religion has achieved a series of fruitful results, continuously expanding research horizons and resolving many theoretical issues, possessing significant value. Looking across the relevant research, it is mainly reflected in three aspects.
First, regarding the primary theoretical sources of Lenin’s outlook on religion. There is a general consensus that the primary theoretical source is the religious critique of Marx and Engels. Lenin’s outlook on religion has distinct Russian characteristics and salient specificity; however, as far as fundamental positions and methods are concerned, Lenin consistently adhered to the use of dialectical materialist and historical materialist methods to analyze and interpret religious issues. In formulating religious policy and strengthening scientific atheistic propaganda, Lenin also persisted in implementing the basic principles of the Marx-Engels outlook on religion. The Marxist outlook on religion is of fundamental significance to the formation and development of Lenin’s outlook on religion.
Second, concerning the classification of the developmental stages of Lenin’s view of religion. Regarding developmental stages, there are primarily "three-stage" or "two-stage" theories; however, it is generally believed that the Russian October Revolution was the landmark event defining his developmental stages. Using this as the dividing line and logical basis is a relatively broad consensus among researchers. Before the October Revolution, Lenin primarily conducted theoretical explorations of religion and complex domestic religious issues based on the inheritance of historical materialism. After the October Revolution, he gradually applied his view of religion to practice, promoting the promulgation and implementation of a series of religious policies and making timely adjustments. This deepened the understanding of the major issue regarding the relationship between socialism and religion, serving the consolidation and development of socialism. Within domestic theoretical circles, there are many differences in understanding regarding major issues such as how to determine the historical starting point, how to classify developmental stages more scientifically and reasonably, and how to define specific temporal nodes. Therefore, strengthening research on topics such as its historical starting point, developmental stages, and historical periodization [7] to eliminate cognitive differences and reach a more authoritative and reliable consensus is a problem that urgently needs to be solved in the future.
Third, concerning the contemporary value of Lenin’s view of religion. It is generally believed that while Lenin’s view of religion certainly possesses certain historical limitations, the basic attitude of the proletarian party toward religion and the basic principles for handling religious issues that he elucidated—as well as the methods and ideas contained therein for using basic Marxist principles to analyze the nature of religion, and the precious experience accumulated in the practice of socialist construction—still hold very important guiding significance for contemporary socialist countries in solving religious issues.
At the same time, it must be recognized that there are still many deficiencies in the research. Research on certain key issues remains relatively weak and still requires continuous attention and the promotion of in-depth study. Prospects can be explored from at least the following five aspects:
First, research targeting its practical significance needs further strengthening. The intensity of research on Lenin’s view of religion has shown a declining trend in recent years. High-quality theoretical research results are relatively limited, and research on the guiding significance and contemporary value of Lenin’s view of religion is relatively scarce. Continuously strengthening research in this area will be very helpful in guiding the handling of religious affairs in our country's socialist modernization construction and promoting the modernization of religious governance.
Second, the textual references for research need further expansion. Related research mostly concentrates on Lenin’s three primary texts discussing religious issues, while neglecting the excavation, collation, and interpretation of relevant ideological content scattered throughout Lenin’s other important documents. This has led to a tendency toward homogenization in related research and interpretations. Due to the certain time span in the creation of these three texts, research on the reasons for shifts, ideological characteristics, and practical orientations of Lenin’s religious thought across different creative periods is still quite insufficient.
Third, research on its historical periodization needs further clarification of standards. The theoretical community has not yet formed a relatively authoritative and unified classification standard for its historical periodization. Merely using the October Revolution as the dividing line is clearly insufficient. Further controversy remains regarding which specific developmental stages would be the most scientific and reasonable, and what the main basis for such classification should be.
Fourth, the systematic nature and depth of research need further strengthening. Currently, there are few major systematic monographs specifically researching and interpreting Lenin’s view of religion; most of them elaborate and discuss it within a single chapter of a related work. This results in relatively limited length and a lack of theoretical depth. Additionally, some researchers mostly focus on compiling collections of important papers, which lacks systematicity and innovation.
Fifth, comparative research with the thoughts of relevant important figures and the concrete practices of socialist countries needs further expansion. Comparative research between Lenin’s view of religion and the views of subsequent key Soviet leaders—such as Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev, and Gorbachev—is still very insufficient. It is often described and summarized in general terms such as "inheritance," "distortion," or "development," lacking specific and in-depth comparative interpretation and discussion. Further strengthening and improvement are needed in comparative research on many aspects, such as what specific influences Lenin’s view of religion had on the Soviet Union, China, and other socialist countries during different historical periods, and the similarities and differences in their respective practices.
VI. Conclusion
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in the report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC that we must "uphold the direction of the Sinicization of religion in our country and actively guide religion to adapt to socialist society." As a multi-religious socialist country, the effectiveness of religious work is directly related to the advancement of Chinese-path modernization. We must fully excavate and utilize the precious thoughts passed down by classical Marxist writers. Lenin’s view of religion both inherited the Marxist view of religion and enriched and developed it through vivid practical experience during socialist construction, demonstrating distinct theoretical characteristics and unique practical charm. It represents a precious exploration and vivid practice of the Marxist view of religion on Russian soil. It is undeniable that while Lenin was alive, the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) also faced some problems in handling religious issues; after Lenin’s passing, his successors largely failed to fully and accurately understand and apply the Marxist-Leninist view of religion, leaving behind many lessons. We must take history as a mirror [8], comprehensively and accurately understand and uphold the Marxist view of religion, and integrate it with specific national conditions and the requirements of the times. We must scientifically assess and reasonably respond to our country’s religious issues, strengthen research on Lenin’s view of religion, inherit, draw lessons from, and develop the beneficial ideas and valuable experiences within it. By combining these with the specific practice of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era, we can promote the Sinicization and modernization of the Marxist view of religion to better guide our country's religious work with scientific theory.