Zhang Kai, Wang Hongsheng, et al.: The Hazards of Overseas Religious Infiltration to the Ideological Security of Socialist Countries and Contemporary Illuminations
Marx once noted: "If we consider this from a conceptual standpoint, then the disintegration of a particular form of consciousness is sufficient to bring about the downfall of an entire epoch." This assertion was corroborated by numerous facts following the 19th century. In 1848, all the powers of old Europe—including the Pope—carried out a so-called "holy hunt" [1], leading to the dissolution of the recently founded Communist League and sending the international workers' movement into a low ebb. In 1982, a "Holy Alliance" between the U.S. and the Vatican led Western capitalist forces and religious forces represented by the Holy See to launch a "real war" against the socialist states of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. This led to the collapse of the Polish socialist regime and was implicated in the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the drastic changes in Eastern Europe [2], causing the international communist movement to sink into a low ebb. From the Cold War to the present, the Western capitalist world—represented by countries such as the United States and Britain—has consistently implemented religious infiltration against the socialist states of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, as well as existing socialist countries such as China and Vietnam. This article attempts to clarify the history and reality of religious infiltration implemented by Western capitalist countries, represented by the United States, against socialist states from those of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in the 1980s to present-day China and Vietnam. It summarizes the threats posed by overseas religious infiltration to the ideological security of socialist states and the corresponding countermeasures.
I. Ideological Weapons: Religion as a Form of Ideology
Marx and Engels elucidated the ideological attributes of religion in several important treatises. In the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, while discussing the specific modes governed by the mode of production, Marx proposed seven forms: "religion, family, state, law, morality, science, art, etc." Here, religion, law, morality, and art refer to several forms of ideology. In the Preface to A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy, Marx further expressed this as: "legal, political, religious, artistic or philosophic—in short, ideological forms." This discourse demonstrates that, in Marx's view, politics, law, religion, morality, philosophy, and art are all ideologies. In the Middle Ages, all other forms of ideology—philosophy, politics, and jurisprudence—were merged into theology, becoming departments within it. Consequently, any social or political movement of the time was forced to adopt a theological form; for the sentiments of the masses, which were nurtured entirely by religion, to be stirred into a great storm, it was necessary to allow the vital interests of the masses to appear cloaked in religious garb. This shows that Marx and Engels not only recognized the ideological attributes of religion long ago but also understood its social function.
The instrumental attribute of religion can be traced back to the long history of the union of church and state in major capitalist countries. One dimension of the Marxist critique of religion is its spiritual bewitchment and oppression of people. While studying commerce in Bremen, Engels attacked the dual calamity of religious constraints and political oppression brought upon the people; this was, in fact, Engels's critique of the ideological class nature of the collusion between religion and despotic governments to oppress the populace. In 1886, in Ludwig Feuerbach and the End of Classical German Philosophy, Engels further noted: "The state presents itself to us as the first ideological power over man," and "higher ideologies, i.e., such as are still further removed from the material, economic basis, take the form of philosophy and religion." Here, "acting as the first ideological power over man" means that the ruling class utilizes the power of ideology to manipulate the ruled class, and this "ideological power over man" includes philosophy and religion. Engels hit the mark, recognizing that the ruling class utilizes ideologies such as religion to control the ruled. Furthermore, in Frederick William IV, King of Prussia, he more clearly revealed the logic of the ruling class utilizing religion to control the ruled: Frederick William IV used the "divine right of kings" to transform himself into the earthly incarnation of God, thereby granting himself all power in heaven and on earth. As a king by divine right, he was able to rule the people doubly—economically and spiritually; at this point, religion became a potent tool of secular power.
When socialism was transformed by Marx from utopia into science and Marxism became the guiding ideology for the struggle of the proletariat, the rulers of the Old World immediately sensed the "danger." Viewing it as a flood or a savage beast, they quickly formed a united force to conduct a "hunt" against communism, which included religious forces represented by the Pope. As stated at the opening of the Communist Manifesto: "All the powers of old Europe have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre: Pope and Tsar, Metternich and Guizot, French Radicals and German police-spies." As Engels also profoundly exposed: "All historical struggles, whether they proceed in the political, religious, philosophical or some other ideological domain, are in fact only the more or less clear expression of struggles of social classes." When the world entered the era of imperialism, the major capitalist countries, in order to compete with socialist states for the hearts and minds of the people, once again utilized the "opium of the masses"—religion—to "attract" the people of socialist countries. They attempted to use the belief in the afterlife and the divine found in religion to dissolve the spiritual drive of people in socialist countries to create a better life in this world [3], thereby establishing "legitimacy" for the bourgeoisie and its ideology to conquer socialism.
As an ideology, religion possesses unique functions. After the formation of the capitalist system, religion became the "apologist" for maintaining bourgeois rule. After the birth of the proletariat and its theoretical guide, communism, religion conspired with the bourgeoisie to encircle and suppress the communist "movement" in Europe. Once the socialist system became a reality, religion immediately stepped into the secular realm, at one point uniting with the Western capitalist world represented by the United States to besiege the socialist system. For instance, in the 1980s, the Holy See and the United States formed a "Holy Alliance," plotting to use religious activities—such as financial aid, material support, remote-controlled strategizing, public opinion bewitchment, and underground proselytizing—to compete for ideological leadership with the socialist states of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. This meant that the political function of religion to cause negative impacts such as deconstruction and dissolution in other countries was continuously amplified. Religious forces also gradually joined the struggle of the Western capitalist world to infiltrate capitalist values into socialist countries and deconstruct the people's identification with socialist ideology.
II. Historical Investigation: Factors of Religious Infiltration in the Drastic Changes in Eastern Europe
In order to achieve the "legitimate" reproduction of capitalist relations of production in socialist countries, the Western bourgeoisie had to ensure that bourgeois ideology occupied the position of leadership within those countries. To this end, major Western capitalist countries hoped that the church, popes, bishops, and priests—representing the interests of the bourgeoisie—would fully play their role in "utilizing ideology" to implant bourgeois ideology into socialist states.
(i) From Opposing Worldviews to Political Plots: The Alliance Between Religious Forces and Western Capitalist Forces
Religious forces, represented by Christianity, Catholicism, and Eastern Orthodoxy, have always been entangled with state power throughout the long course of history; for example, medieval European kings needed to be crowned by the Pope to demonstrate the legitimacy of their status. In the 1980s, when U.S. President Reagan saw the grand spectacle of the Pope visiting Poland on television, he marveled that "a Polish-born Pope pointedly demonstrated how much power religious faith can mobilize," and "The Pope, of course, has no armored divisions, but the power he possesses is something Soviet tanks cannot crush. The emotions he spreads reach deep into the human soul. The power of religion is often overlooked by those who do not understand it." His Secretary of State Shultz also emphasized the need to utilize the church organizations that had "survived" in communist countries, allowing them to participate in a peaceful offensive against communism.
Subsequently, the United States swiftly formed a "Holy Alliance" with the Holy See, publicly declaring a "real war" aimed at eliminating communism. They established the goal of using Poland as a breakthrough point for religious infiltration, subsequently achieving "full flowering" across Eastern Europe to "accelerate the disintegration of the Soviet Empire." Thereafter, the U.S.–Vatican "Holy Alliance" jointly supported the Polish church and the largest opposition group, "Solidarity," to subvert the regime of the Polish United Workers' Party. First, they provided a continuous stream of funds and material aid to Solidarity. For example, the "Holy Alliance" used channels established by the Catholic Church, U.S. intelligence personnel, regional representatives of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO), and European labor unions to provide Solidarity with food, medicine, communication equipment, printing machinery, and other materials. During Solidarity’s strikes, they arranged for the Catholic Church to provide command posts and sanctuaries. Second, they provided moral and strategic support. The Holy See, in league with the Polish Catholic Church, offered counsel to Solidarity; the Polish Catholic Church even directly intervened in Polish politics, joining Solidarity in holding "Roundtable Talks" with the Polish government, which led to the subversion of the Polish socialist regime.
(ii) The Implantation of Capitalist Ideology: "Conquest" with Religious Infiltration as the Breakthrough
To carry out the reproduction of bourgeois ideology in socialist countries, the Holy See and major capitalist countries like the United States focused on cultivating and expanding religious rebel forces. Through religious influence, they aimed to make socialist populations "automatically submit" to bourgeois ideology.
First, utilizing the power of episcopal appointment to cultivate religious opposition in socialist countries. The "episcopal appointment power" discussed here primarily refers to this power held by the Holy See. To cultivate religious forces in socialist countries like the Soviet Union and Poland that could be utilized by the Western capitalist world, the Holy See continuously engaged in a gambit with socialist states to gain full control over the appointment of bishops. For instance, in 1982, Pope John Paul II appointed two Lithuanian bishops and auxiliary bishops while they were still in prison. In 1983, he elevated Archbishop Glemp, the Primate of Poland, and Archbishop Meisner of the GDR to the rank of Cardinal. The bishops appointed by the Pope shared his hostile ideological stance toward communism. These church heads, hostile to communism and socialist governments, became internal accomplices and promoters of Western efforts to implement religious infiltration. During Cardinal Glemp's tenure in Poland, the Roman Catholic Church became a sanctuary for anti-government activities. Kuharić in Yugoslavia not only criticized the government's atheist education policy but also trained clergy into militant activists. Archbishop Tomášek of Czechoslovakia, citing "freedom of belief," demanded an "equal dialogue" with the government.
Second, utilizing the Pope’s influence over religious circles to coordinate with Western ideological infiltration. Pope John Paul II had a significant impact on socialist ideology. In 1986, in the encyclical titled Dominum et Vivificantem (Lord and Giver of Life), he began to explicitly criticize Marxist ideology. He argued that dialectical materialism and historical materialism—the core of Marxism—do not accept the existence of God and are essentially atheistic; he thus called upon believers to resolutely struggle against materialism. In his religious infiltration of Poland, John Paul II not only made frequent visits and personally preached but also encouraged the Polish Catholic Church by stating that they "must prioritize the struggle for human rights and political pluralism," emphasizing that the church "should accept the goals and strategies of Solidarity as its own." During the period of martial law in Poland, John Paul II instructed Walesa through Vatican channels to continue underground activities and guided the methods of those activities. In 1987, on the eve of the drastic changes in Poland, Pope John Paul II visited for the third time, touring nine cities and delivering 36 sermons and speeches, continuously boosting morale and providing counsel for Solidarity. Ultimately, with the Pope's coordination, Poland became the first domino to fall in the ideological struggle between capitalism and socialism. It is not difficult to see that at this time, the Pope was largely serving the "Holy Alliance's" ideological infiltration of the socialist states of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
III. A Micro-Analysis of Reality: Religious Infiltration Still Threatens the Ideological Security of Socialist States
The conspicuous role of religious infiltration in the drastic changes in Eastern Europe not only caused the West to gloat over the "victory" of theism over "atheism" but also led them to fantasize about "conquering" socialism once again through religious infiltration in existing socialist countries.
(i) The Abuse of "International Law": Empowering "Violations of Religious Freedom"
In 1998, the U.S. Congress passed the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. This meant that the freedom of religious belief was granted "international law status" by the United States through legislation to "constrain" the international community. It formally became a sharp tool for Western countries to launch religious infiltration against socialist states. Since then, the United States has continuously concocted so-called "International Religious Freedom Reports," using pretexts such as violations of "religious freedom" and "human rights" to attack the socialist system.
Since the start of the 21st century, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has released annual reports on religious freedom, categorizing countries such as North Korea, China, and Vietnam as "countries with the worst religious freedom," "Countries of Particular Concern (CPC)," and similar designations. For a considerable period, China has been listed consecutively as a "Country of Particular Concern" by the USCIRF. In December 2016, the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act and the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, both signed by President Obama, further tightened the link between "religious freedom" and "human rights" issues. Subsequently, in 2018 and 2019, the United States hosted two "Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom" conferences and advocated for the establishment of the "International Religious Freedom Alliance." Following the first Ministerial, the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback, launched a succession of attacks on China’s religious situation.
2. Collusion of Various Forces: Continually Strengthening the Negative Influence of Religion
According to 2018 data, China has nearly 200 million religious believers of various types, over 380,000 clerical staff, approximately 5,500 religious groups, and a cumulative total of over 47,000 students in religious colleges; there are also more than 140,000 legally registered venues for religious activities. According to 2022 data, Vietnam has 26.7 million believers, 190,000 clergy, and over 29,000 venues for religious activities. Furthermore, socialist countries such as North Korea, Laos, and Cuba all have significant numbers of religious believers. Certain Western powers continue to hope, in the 21st century, to use the development and expansion of religious forces to strengthen the negative influence of religion on socialist countries.
First, the power to appoint Catholic bishops serves as a primary tool relied upon by hostile Western forces. They use this authority to cultivate bishops in socialist states who are hostile to socialist ideology and the socialist system, relying on these bishops to carry out religious activities that compete with socialist ideology for the hearts and minds of the masses. For example, after several rounds of maneuvering between Vietnam and the Vatican, the "Vietnam Model" for appointing bishops was formed. In 2005, the Vatican appointed 57 bishops in Vietnam for the first time according to this model. However, this change is likely to repeat the disastrous mistakes made by the Holy See in the 20th century regarding bishop appointments in Soviet and Eastern European socialist countries—namely, that bishops appointed by the Holy See are highly likely to be anti-communist and anti-socialist.
Second, Catholic and other church forces are continuously gaining the right to participate in the application of the ideological state apparatus [4]. In Vietnam, for instance, through "active striving," the Catholic Church obtained the right to run schools independently; in 2016, the Church was permitted to establish a Catholic university. The independent operation of universities by religions seriously deviates from the principle that socialist states must maintain the separation of education and religion. It provides a legal right for Vietnamese religious groups to use education—an ideological state apparatus—to compete with the state for the people's support.
Third, the Pope continues to utilize his authority to promote the negative influence of religious forces on socialist countries. In Cuba, which has a long tradition of Catholic history, the Pope still seeks in the 21st century to spread the Gospel to every corner of the country by drawing closer to the Cuban state. In 2012, during his visit to Cuba, Pope Benedict XVI called on Cuba to deepen reforms, open its society, and "seek true freedom," urging Cuban authorities to encourage non-religious Cubans to convert and even demanding the Cuban government grant the Catholic Church the right to run universities. In 2015, Pope Francis visited Cuba; in a speech delivered at the airport, he declared his intent to further support Cuban Catholics, subsequently holding a mass for tens of thousands in Havana. Papal visits have reawakened the religious memories of believers who were once dormant. For example, after Benedict XVI’s visit, members of the Communist Party of Cuba were permitted to attend mass. Such negative influences undoubtedly pose a significant threat to Cuba's socialist ideological security.
Furthermore, propagating various narrow ideas of "freedom" and "national independence" and developing them into political movements is another means of fracturing ideological identity in socialist countries. In Vietnam, incited by Western religious forces, some illegal religious organizations in mountainous and border areas promote ideas of "human rights," "secession and autonomy," and narrow nationalism. Meanwhile, Western countries such as the United States support Vietnamese Evangelical and Catholic churches in their efforts to compete for converts among ethnic minorities, instigating the "struggle for national independence" movement among the Hmong people of Northwest Vietnam under the banner of the "King of the Hmong" (Vua Mèo) [5] belief. Additionally, hostile forces have established illegal religious organizations such as "Yegu" and "Redeeming Grace" in Vietnam’s Yên Bái Province, luring unsuspecting Hmong people into attempting to establish "their own country," while also attracting large numbers of college students and young people through charitable activities, vocational training, overseas travel, and foreign conferences. In short, religion is used to sever the collective memory and identification of the masses with socialist ideology.
3. Extension of the Field: The Collusion of "Digital Hegemony" and Ideology
As digital technology continues to develop, the space for overseas religious penetration has extended into the virtual world—cyberspace. Here, "digital hegemony" colludes with ideology, forming new hidden dangers that threaten the ideological security of socialist countries.
Supported by digital technology, it has become increasingly easy for overseas religious forces to transmit religious information to socialist countries through various digital intermediaries. First, the West utilizes its first-mover advantage in network dissemination to seize the high ground of online ideological propaganda in socialist countries through websites and other media. For example, websites and social media platforms like Google, Facebook, and YouTube dominate the social networking landscape in Vietnam; various religious forces use these network channels to continuously funnel religious thought into the country.
Second, they use "algorithmic recommendations" and "digital production manipulation" to inject large amounts of "theistic" thought into the online information pools of socialist countries or to disrupt these pools. For instance, in the current "siloed" ecosystem [6] of online audiences, overseas religious penetration forces induce superstition among audiences in socialist countries by embedding theistic ideas such as horoscopes, divination, and repeated "push" notifications for fortune-telling. Alternatively, they disrupt the information pool through "digital production manipulation." For example, Google uses its dominant position in the Vietnamese search engine market to pin, push, or reconstruct religious information, implementing an imperceptible religious influence on the Vietnamese people.
Third, many illegal religious websites use various digital formats to conduct online religious exhibitions, deluding people in the virtual world. This includes spreading religious thought through videos, audio, and online lecture halls, and providing virtual religious venues such as VR churches, Metaverse churches, online communities, and forums to conduct religious activities. Fourth, they hype religious issues to create a "rationality" for capitalist ideology to replace socialist ideology. For instance, Western countries and religious forces use the pretext that socialist countries like China and Vietnam lack "religious freedom" to hype issues online such as the "suppression of religious freedom," the harming of the interests of believers in ethnic minority areas, and "human rights violations," thereby creating "rationality" for Western "liberalism" and other ideologies to replace socialist ideology.
At the same time, we must remain vigilant regarding the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, represented by ChatGPT. This has created new and uncontrollable ideological threats in the religious field for groups like teenagers who use AI for learning and work. As a system developed by an American AI laboratory, ChatGPT was born carrying the ideological genes and biases of its developers. For example, American-style ideological discourse such as "religious freedom" is naturally embedded within it, along with a natural hostility toward socialist ideology. The information it integrates and outputs may contain religious ideas with clear purposes and tendencies, which could affect the socialist ideological identity of the audience to varying degrees.
IV. Contemporary Insights: Resisting Overseas Religious Penetration and Safeguarding the Ideological Security of Socialist Countries
History has already confirmed the harm of religious penetration to the ideological security of socialist countries, and reality repeatedly shows that the West still uses religion to seek the reproduction of capitalist ideology in existing socialist states. Taking history as a mirror, persisting in taking the Marxist view of religion as the fundamental guide, building a normalized mechanism for defending against Western religious penetration, and consolidating the mainstream ideological position will help safeguard the ideological security of socialist countries.
(1) Persisting in Taking the Marxist View of Religion as the Fundamental Guide
For socialist countries to clear the fog of religious theology, suppress the negative influence of religion, and guide religion to adapt to socialist society, they must adhere to the principle of Marxist atheism.
The Marxist view of religion is the fundamental guide for socialist countries to understand the essence of religion, lead religious work, and judge religious issues; it is also the theoretical weapon for socialist countries to criticize Western religious penetration and maintain ideological security. Socialist construction under the guidance of the principles of scientific socialism is by no means the pursuit of an illusory happiness in the "hereafter" (彼岸), but rather the construction of a real and beautiful world in the "here and now" (此岸). Constructing this beautiful world requires the people of socialist countries to have common ideals and beliefs, and a powerful spiritual impetus. Therefore, Communism began with the critique of religion and originated from atheism, describing for the proletariat a free and beautiful life of happiness that can be pursued in this world. As Marx pointed out: "The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness." Since religion will not disappear in the short term, the contradiction between "theism" and "atheism" is a subject that cannot be ignored in the governance of current socialist countries. To understand and solve this problem, it is necessary to persist in taking the Marxist view of religion as a guide for conducting religious work, respecting and protecting normal religious activities while also guiding religion to adapt to socialist society, thus uniting the people of socialist countries within socialist ideology.
(2) Constructing a Normalized Mechanism to Guard Against Overseas Religious Penetration
Beginning with Marx's explanation of ideological forms—"legal, political, religious, artistic, or philosophical, in short, ideological forms"—guarding against overseas religious penetration has become an inherent part of ideological security. Consequently, for socialist countries, constructing a normalized mechanism to guard against religious penetration is the only way to prevent and resolve the risks of overseas religious penetration and ensure the security of socialist ideology.
First, establish a regular research and judgment mechanism for the risks of religious penetration. On the one hand, establish a report and ledger system for the regular submission of religion-related issues. Relevant departments, groups, and personnel involved in religious management, as well as key regions and fields, should regularly report to higher authorities their work ledgers regarding religious security meetings, study, training, inspections, problems, key tasks, and key personnel, providing basic information for management departments to make scientific judgments. On the other hand, form a risk assessment system for the regular judgment of religious security issues. Currently, the risk assessment of overseas religious penetration is increasingly difficult due to the wide range of personnel and fields involved and the hidden nature of various activities. Therefore, institutions at all levels need to assess the risk values of potential religious penetration among various groups, fields, and activities, expressing "uncertain" or probabilistic risk events as relatively precise risk value data to improve the effectiveness of preventing, resisting, and resolving religious penetration risks.
Second, form a prevention and control mechanism to resist religious penetration. "In preventing and resolving major risks, the key lies in prevention." Primarily, cultivate a professional team with deep theoretical foundations and rich experience. In various levels and types of institutions, departments, and industries—especially universities—cultivate a professional team with a solid foundation in Marxist theory, particularly one with a deep understanding and research of the Marxist view of religion, ideological theory, and ideological penetration, thereby laying the ideological and organizational foundation for the precise prevention and control of religious penetration. Furthermore, move the defense line forward and track and monitor religious security issues on a normalized basis. This involves, on the one hand, the normalized monitoring of religious activities and foreign-related religious activities in key regions, key fields, and among key personnel. On the other hand, it involves emergency monitoring of major religion-related events and at important, key time points. Monitoring information should be analyzed and reported to ensure effective measures are taken in a timely manner to precisely prevent and control hidden security risks related to religious penetration.
Third, establish a collaborative and linked mechanism for resolving religious penetration risks. Based on the foreign-related nature of religious penetration activities, their subversive harm, the complexity of the circumstances, and the difficulty of precise judgment, resisting overseas religious penetration requires various subjects, including government, society, and the people, to form a collaborative mechanism. For example, the government, society, individuals, religious management agencies, security departments, universities, ethnic minority areas, and rural areas should form a synergy to coordinate all parties and work together to resolve the risks of religious penetration.
(3) Strengthening Synergistic Construction to Consolidate the Ideological Position
At present, in such arenas as the cyberspace of socialist countries, institutions of higher education, rural areas, and ethnic minority settlements, multiple religions coexist and various ideologies clash; the issue of religious security can be described as a surging undercurrent. This necessitates the waging of a long-term struggle across all fields, fighting an ideological "war of positions" and defending the main battlefields of socialist ideology.
First, we must adhere to the principle of "Party spirit" [7] and fortify the main battlefield of public opinion and propaganda. One aspect is adhering to the principle of "Party spirit" by ensuring that the Party manages public opinion and propaganda, and firmly grasping the leadership over frontline ideological work. Lenin once pointed out: "We demand that religion be held as a private matter so far as the state is concerned. But by no means can we consider religion a private matter so far as our Party is concerned... We demand the complete separation of Church and State in order to combat the religious fog with purely ideological and solely ideological weapons, our press and our oral persuasion." To clear away the religious fog and suppress the negative influences of religion, the proletarian party must exercise leadership over public opinion and propaganda work.
The second aspect is to leverage the role of public opinion and propaganda as educational high ground to carry out atheist publicity and education. Regarding this, "Engels long ago advised the leaders of the modern proletariat to translate the militant atheist literature of the late 18th century for wide distribution among the people." "They should be provided with all kinds of atheist promotional materials, told about the facts in all aspects of actual life, and approached in every way to arouse their interest, awaken them from their religious slumber, and stimulate them from all directions in every possible way, and so on." In short, regarding the passive thoughts of those enchanted by religion who believe in "cultivating the afterlife," we must promote atheist ideology to the masses through the proletarian Party's journals and media. This will allow "socialism to attract science to dispel the religious fog, and unite the workers for a real struggle for a better life on earth, thereby freeing them from superstition regarding life after death."
Second, we must strengthen the governance of cybersecurity and consolidate the main battlefield of online ideology. One task is to establish a team for online ideological work that is professional and firm in its political stance. "Wherever the people are, that is where the focus of propaganda and ideological work must be." To maintain the online ideological security of socialist countries, we must cultivate workers in mainstream socialist ideology to be its disseminators, practitioners, and the defenders of online ideological security. At the same time, we must cultivate "online vocal leaders" capable of disenchanting the religious fog and exposing religious deceptions to form a core force for maintaining the security of socialist online ideology.
The second task is to empower the construction of online positions through technology, enhancing the dominance and discourse power [8] of socialist countries in the realm of online ideology. On one hand, we must optimize the research, development, innovation, and application capabilities of core network technologies to strengthen the "hard power" of preventing religious risks online. To resolve the risks posed by Western religious forces using technical means such as "digital hegemony" and "algorithmic recommendations" to covertly spread religious ideas in the cyberspace of socialist countries, these states must use the innovation and iteration of network and digital technology to monitor, intercept, and process religious offensives from abroad through "technological rationality." On the other hand, we must strengthen innovation in the discourse of online ideological propaganda to enhance the "soft power" of online ideological security. Online ideological workers must fully recognize, scientifically evaluate, and accurately grasp the psychology and individual interests of netizens, as well as social concerns and practical needs. They must innovate the narrative logic and online discourse systems of socialist ideology to enhance the appeal of socialist online ideological discourse to the masses, "using mainstream value orientation to steer 'algorithms' and comprehensively improving the ability to guide public opinion."
Third, we must construct a defensive line in education and fortify the main battlefield of ideology in institutions of higher education. One step is to conduct education on the Marxist view of religion, Marxist atheism, and the proletarian party's religious policies within current ideological and political education courses for university students. This will help faculty and students correctly understand the essence of religion, its ideological attributes, and the goals and harms of religious penetration, thereby enhancing their perception, discernment, and immunity regarding overseas religious penetration, and building an ideological defense line against it. A second step is to strengthen education on communist ideals and convictions for faculty and students. Through education in Marxist materialism and atheism, we can help them disenchant religion and improve their ability to correctly distinguish between the real world of "this shore" and the false illusions of the "other shore." A third step is to carry out education on the rule of law regarding religion for faculty and students. Therefore, university propaganda departments and other bodies should utilize various media to promote and popularize relevant laws and regulations, such as the socialist educational principle of separating education from religion—which states that "non-religious schools may not organize or hold religious activities, may not accept religious donations, and may not conduct religious education or training"—to enhance the legal awareness of faculty and students in preventing religious penetration.
(Author Profiles: Zhang Kai, Associate Professor, School of Marxism, Chongqing Three Gorges Medical College; Wang Hongsheng, Deputy Director and Associate Professor, Department of Public Foundations, Chongqing Three Gorges Medical College; Wang Tingyou, Professor, School of Marxism, Renmin University of China; Adjunct Professor, School of Discipline Inspection and Supervision; Researcher, Collaborative Innovation Center for 21st Century Chinese Marxism, Renmin University of China)
Online Editor: Tong Xin Source: Science and Atheism, Issue 6, 2024