Qu Chengji: The Construction Process, Implementation, and Basic Experience of the Political Discipline "Party Members Must Not Believe in Religion" Since the 18th CPC National Congress
The Communist Party of China (CPC) has consistently attached great importance to the construction of political discipline among its members. Since the 18th National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has placed particular emphasis on the political discipline that "Party members must not believe in religion." At the 2016 National Conference on Religious Work, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Communist Party members must be firm Marxist atheists, strictly abide by the provisions of the Party Constitution, hold firm to their ideals and convictions, keep in mind the Party's purpose, and must never seek their own values and beliefs in religion." In actual work, however, cases of Party members and cadres "believing in ghosts and gods rather than Marxism-Leninism" [1] still occur from time to time. For example, Li Zongyi, former member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of Lanzhou Jiaotong University, violated the Party's political discipline, was dishonest and disloyal to the Party, and held religious beliefs over a long period. Luo Jijing, a former member of the Party Leadership Group of the Standing Committee of the Guangzhou Municipal People's Congress, engaged extensively in superstitious activities while simultaneously ignoring the spirit of the central Eight-Point Regulations and illegally accepting gifts and money. Zhang Enliang, former Secretary of the Hegang Municipal Party Committee, became obsessed with official advancement, believed in ghosts and gods rather than Marxism-Leninism, and engaged in superstitious activities while using his position to seek benefits for others and accepting huge amounts of property. The situation wherein Party members and cadres "believe in ghosts and gods rather than Marxism-Leninism" can be roughly attributed to reasons such as being obsessed with official power, obsessed with wealth, having a guilty conscience [2], or delusively hoping for blessings in the afterlife. Therefore, emphasizing that "Party members must not believe in religion" is a key link in the construction of Party discipline.
I. The Course of Construction of the Political Discipline of "Party Members Must Not Believe in Religion" Since the 18th National Congress
Since the 18th National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has, from an overall, strategic, and fundamental perspective, pointed out the extreme importance of the construction of the Party's political discipline. In the process of deepening the promotion of Party discipline construction, it has promoted the scientific and standardized development of the political discipline that "Party members must not believe in religion." Specifically, the construction of this political discipline since the 18th National Congress can be divided into two stages.
(1) The Development of the Political Discipline that "Party Members Must Not Believe in Religion"
The Constitution of the Communist Party of China clearly stipulates: "A member of the Communist Party of China is a vanguard fighter of the Chinese working class with communist consciousness." This expression fundamentally requires that Party members must remain firm in their communist faith and draw a clear line against religious belief. Therefore, the prohibition of Party members from believing in religion is an inherent requirement stipulated by the Party Constitution.
Since the 18th National Congress, the Party Central Committee revised the Regulations on CPC Disciplinary Action in 2015. Article 50 clearly stipulates: "Those who organize or participate in secret societies [3] or cult organizations shall be expelled from the Party in the case of planners, organizers, and core members." In January 2016, the "Opinions on Further Strengthening and Improving the Work of Retired Cadres" issued by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council clearly stipulated that "retired Party cadres cannot believe in religion or participate in religious activities, and must resolutely struggle against cult organizations; at the same time, attention should be paid to distinguishing Party members' participation in certain ethnic customs from religious belief." General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at the 2016 National Conference on Religious Work: "Communist Party members must be firm Marxist atheists, strictly abide by the provisions of the Party Constitution, hold firm to their ideals and convictions, keep in mind the Party's purpose, and must never seek their own values and beliefs in religion." On June 28, 2016, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee deliberated and adopted the CPC Regulations on Accountability, pointing out that for leading cadres who violate the Party Constitution and other intra-Party regulations—such as political, organizational, integrity, mass, work, or lifestyle discipline—the Party's accountability system must be strictly implemented. The Sixth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee adopted and issued the newly formulated Certain Norms Regarding Intra-Party Political Life Under the New Situation (hereinafter the "Norms") and the newly revised Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Intra-Party Supervision (hereinafter the "Supervision Regulations"), emphasizing that abiding by the Party's political discipline is the basis for abiding by all the Party's disciplines. Among these, the "Norms" clearly stipulate: "Communist Party members must take the Party Constitution as their fundamental guide, adhere to the Party's political, ideological, organizational, and mass lines, and are forbidden from engaging in feudal superstition, believing in religion, participating in cults, or condoning and supporting religious extremist forces, ethnic separatist forces, and violent terrorist forces and their activities." This provision further clarified the political discipline for Party members regarding belief. In August 2017, the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, and the Cyberspace Administration of China jointly issued the "Opinions on Regulating the Online Behavior of Party Members and Cadres," clearly stating: "Party members and cadres must not participate in online religious activities or cult activities, nor condone or support religious extremist forces, ethnic separatist forces, and violent terrorist forces and their activities."
In summary, during the period from the 18th to the 19th National Congress, the Party Central Committee continuously deepened the construction of intra-Party regulations. By clarifying disciplinary requirements and regulating behavior, it enhanced Party members' awareness of the risks that religious belief may bring. The updates to the Regulations on CPC Disciplinary Action, the issuance and implementation of various "Opinions" and "Regulations," as well as the diverse study and education activities carried out by Party organizations at all levels—such as the regularization and institutionalization of the "Two Studies, One Action" [4] education campaign—effectively strengthened Party members' understanding and acceptance of the political discipline that "Party members must not believe in religion" to a certain extent, further standardizing this discipline.
(2) The Improvement of the Political Discipline that "Party Members Must Not Believe in Religion"
Since the 19th National Congress, the political discipline that "Party members must not believe in religion" has been further improved within the construction of Party discipline. The 2018 revision of the Regulations on CPC Disciplinary Action (hereinafter "Regulations (2018)") added provisions for handling the issue of Party members believing in religion, clearly stating: "For Party members who believe in religion, ideological education should be strengthened. If they fail to transform after help and education from the Party organization, they should be advised to resign from the Party; if they are advised but do not resign, they shall be removed from the rolls." In addition, the "Regulations (2018)" also made strict disciplinary provisions for participating in or utilizing religious activities to undermine ethnic unity. Since the 20th National Congress, the Party Central Committee has again revised the Regulations on CPC Disciplinary Action, deepening the provisions regarding this discipline. Article 64 of the "Regulations (2024)," which officially came into effect on January 1, 2024, stipulates: "Those who organize or participate in rallies, parades, or demonstrations that oppose the Party's basic theory, line, or policy, or who oppose the Party's basic theory, line, or policy through lectures, forums, reports, or symposia, causing serious negative impacts, shall be expelled from the Party in the case of planners, organizers, and core members." Articles 65 to 71 stipulate that treatment shall be meted out according to the severity of the circumstances for those organizing or participating in organizations aimed at opposing the Party's leadership or the socialist system; for those organizing or participating in secret societies or cults; for those engaging in or participating in provoking and undermining ethnic relations or ethnic separatist activities; for those organizing or utilizing religious activities to oppose the Party's theory, line, principles, policies, and resolutions, or undermining ethnic unity; for those believing in religion or organizing superstitious activities; for those participating in煽动 [incitement] activities utilizing religion; and for those organizing or utilizing clan forces to confront the Party and government, hinder the implementation of Party and state policies, or undermine the construction of primary-level Party organizations. The implementation of the "Regulations (2024)" means that the construction of the political discipline that "Party members must not believe in religion" has entered a new milestone, providing more solid institutional support for the practice of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party.
On November 30, 2020, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee deliberated and adopted the Regulations on the Work of the United Front of the Communist Party of China. Article 23 pointed out: "Adhere to the attitude of 'guidance' [5] toward religion, protect what is legal, prohibit what is illegal, curb extremism, resist infiltration, and strike at crime." On January 14, 2024, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee issued the Provisions on the Online Behavior of CPC Members, further emphasizing behavioral norms for Party members and cadres on the internet. Article 13 clearly states: "Party members must not participate in online religious or superstitious activities, and must not participate in, condone, or support the use of the internet to promote terrorism, separatism, extremism, cults, or to incite ethnic hatred and discrimination, or undermine ethnic unity." This is a deepening and improvement of the 2017 "Opinions," aiming to regulate behavior in cyberspace, prevent the spread of religious ideology or participation in religious activities online, and ensure that Party members abide by the Party's political discipline in virtual spaces as well.
Since the 19th National Congress, the Party Central Committee has issued a series of documents, such as the Certain Provisions of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Strengthening and Maintaining the Centralized and Unified Leadership of the CPC Central Committee, the Second Five-Year Plan for the Formulation of Intra-Party Regulations (2018–2022), and the Provisions on the Responsibility System for the Execution of Intra-Party Regulations (Trial). While improving the standardization and scientific level of intra-Party regulation formulation, these have further improved the implementation and supervision mechanism for the discipline that "Party members must not believe in religion." The issuance of the Regulations on United Front Work and the Provisions on Online Behavior means this discipline has been further reinforced and detailed in the New Era. Especially important are the two revisions to the Regulations on CPC Disciplinary Action since the 19th National Congress, which added many details and perfected the specific requirements of this discipline. Through these specific provisions, the "Regulations (2024)" hold great practical significance for Party members to firmly establish the "Four Consciousnesses" [6], strengthen the "Four Confidences" [7], consciously abide by and maintain the Party Constitution, and strictly execute and maintain Party discipline.
II. The Execution of the Political Discipline of "Party Members Must Not Believe in Religion" Since the 18th National Congress
Since the 18th National Congress, the political discipline that "Party members must not believe in religion" has been executed more strictly.
First, nationwide, Party organizations at all levels have strictly implemented this discipline, ensuring compliance through regular inspections and irregular spot checks. For example, in 2014, in a special rectification action against religious Party members in Yueqing City, 121 Party members with varying degrees of religious belief were identified through self-investigation and field inspections by primary-level Party organizations. Among them, 15 members who held believer certificates and had long engaged in religious activities were removed from the Party rolls, while the remaining 106 with religious tendencies underwent education and "transformation." In 2015, the Party Working Committee of Chengdong Sub-district in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, discovered that a member named Yu in a subordinate migrant Party branch [8] held Christian beliefs and intended to engage in religious work. After investigation and interviews, it was found that his organizational sense was weak, his political stance was unstable, and he lacked the determination to change, thus losing his "Party nature." According to the "Disposal of Unqualified Party Members" provisions, he was identified as unqualified and removed from the rolls after review by the municipal organization department. In 2023, the First Supervision and Inspection Office of Nagqu, Tibet Autonomous Region, conducted supervision over Party members' religious beliefs during the "Saga Dawa" festival [9]. Staff went to religious sites like Xiaodeng Monastery to check for Party members participating in religious activities, ensuring the regulations were implemented. Since the 18th National Congress, Party organizations at all levels have strictly enforced this discipline through signing letters of commitment, special screenings, and other methods.
Second, strengthening the education and training of Party members, and continuously reinforcing their recognition and understanding of the political discipline that "Party members must not believe in a religion" through forms such as Party lectures and seminars. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, Party committee organizations at all levels and in all regions have adopted a variety of practical measures to strengthen this understanding, employing different implementation strategies based on the specific conditions of each region. First, Party organizations at all levels in higher education institutions have fully utilized their educational resources to carry out various forms of specialized training. By holding Party-spirit [10] education training classes, they have invited experts and scholars to provide in-depth interpretations of the Party's political discipline, specifically elaborating on the regulation that Party members must not believe in a religion. For example, the School of Philosophy at Wuhan University conducted a thematic Party lecture on "CPC Members Must Not Believe in Religion." The lecture emphasized the political stance of the CPC regarding religious issues and religious work, and proposed four measures to address the problem of religious infiltration [11] on campus. The School of Mathematics and Statistics at Hubei University conducted a "thematic Party Day" activity on "Party Members Must Not Believe in Religion," guiding all Party members to always keep in mind the nature and mission [12] of the Party, strictly observe the Party's political discipline and political rules, and be firm Marxist atheists. This helped all teacher and student Party members fully understand that the nature of the Party and the worldview of a Communist Party member dictate that they cannot believe in religion. The Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) conducted a thematic Party Day activity titled "Communist Party Members Absolutely Must Not Believe in Religion." The meeting emphasized the purity and firmness of the faith of Communist Party members, pointing out that since Communist Party members believe in Marxism, they must resolutely resist and oppose any form of religious superstitious activity. As Marxists, Communist Party members should adhere to atheism and use scientific attitudes and methods to understand the world and solve practical problems. Second, local Party organizations have gained timely understanding of the ideological trends of Party members by conducting "heart-to-heart talks" [13], strengthening their education and guidance. The Jingyang County Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision in Shaanxi Province carried out routine heart-to-heart talks to understand the religious beliefs of Party members, focusing education and assistance on those with religious inclinations. They guided these members to correctly recognize the conflict between religion and the nature and mission of the Party, thereby hardening the political stance that Party members must not believe in religion. Third, the Party committees of various companies and units have incorporated the study and education of Party discipline into the compulsory curriculum for training Party members and cadres, promoting the normalization of discipline education. For example, Luan Yu, the Party Committee Secretary and Chairman of the Yichun Forest Industry Wuying Forestry Bureau Company, included the Regulations [14] in the compulsory training for Party members and cadres, focusing on the two aspects of political discipline and political rules to guide everyone in consciously observing them. Through regular and diverse forms of education such as Party lectures and seminars related to "Party members must not believe in religion," the recognition and understanding of this political discipline among Party members have been continuously reinforced.
Third, in dealing with members who violate political discipline, the Party adheres to the principle of "learning from past mistakes to avoid future ones, and curing the illness to save the patient" [15], emphasizing both strict handling and the importance of education and redemption. For Party members whose violation of the "no religion" political discipline is not serious, the Party organization helps them correct their mistakes through ideological education. For example, in 2019, Zhouqu County in Gansu Province launched a special rectification campaign addressing the problem of rural Party members believing in religion. Using the "six visits and three evaluations" [16] working method, they conducted a comprehensive screening of 7,955 rural Party members and provided assistance and transformation [17] for the 119 religious members identified. Among them, 114 religious members completed the "one person, one policy" assistance and transformation, while 5 religious members were persuaded to withdraw from the Party. For Party members whose violation of the "no religion" political discipline is serious, the Party organization must handle them strictly. For instance, Li Zongyi, the former member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of Lanzhou Jiaotong University, had a long-term problem of religious belief. Li Zongyi repeatedly accepted banquets and travel arrangements that could affect the impartial performance of official duties, long-term borrowed vehicles from management and service targets, profited from illegal business operations, colluded with others to provide false testimony, forged evidence, and transferred or hid illegal gains. Additionally, Chen Jian, former Secretary of the Dali Prefectural Party Committee in Yunnan Province, "believed in ghosts and gods instead of Marx and Lenin," engaged in feudal superstition [18], and corrupted the team and the social atmosphere. Xu Ming, a member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the National Food Administration, was keen on superstitious activities and illegally accepted huge amounts of property. Zhu Renxiu, former member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice Mayor of Nanping City, Fujian Province, maintained "close but unclean" [19] relations with unscrupulous businessmen, willingly allowed herself to be "hunted" [20], resisted organizational review, and participated in superstitious activities. Regarding members like Xu Ming, Chen Jian, and Zhu Renxiu who seriously violated the political discipline that "Party members must not believe in religion," the Party organization, in accordance with the Regulations on CPC Disciplinary Action, the Supervision Law of the People's Republic of China, and the Law of the People's Republic of China on Administrative Sanctions for Public Officials, imposed punishments such as expulsion from the Party and dismissal from public office.
Fourth, publicizing the political discipline of "Party members must not believe in religion" through media and public channels to create a favorable atmosphere for joint maintenance by the whole of society. On June 27, 2018, a report released on the official website of the Zhongwei Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region was widely forwarded by major mainstream websites, becoming high-profile "hot information." The report pointed out that Ma Tingke, a Communist Party member from Mabao Village, Qiying Town, Haiyuan County, had concealed his Party membership status and traveled to Mecca to participate in the Hajj pilgrimage between August 30 and October 11, 2015. As a Communist Party member, Ma Tingke's behavior seriously violated the Party's political discipline and political rules, causing an extremely negative social impact. In view of this, the Haiyuan County Commission for Discipline Inspection made a decision on May 18, 2018, to expel Ma Tingke from the Party in accordance with laws and regulations. This report, in the form of a specific case, revealed to the public the serious consequences of Party members violating the political discipline of "must not believe in religion," giving full play to the role of warning education. In addition to news reports, the political discipline can also be publicized through educational films and videos, theoretical readings, the "Xuexi Qiangguo" [21] app, and WeChat public accounts. Educational films and videos have the characteristic of being vivid and graphic, capable of enhancing the persuasiveness and impact of education through authentic and credible cases and situational simulations. For example, the Ministry of Public Security organized Party members and cadres to collectively watch the "Warning Bell" series of warning education films. Hubei Province launched thematic education activities among Party members and cadres province-wide, organizing collective viewings of the film Loyalty and Betrayal to carry out publicity and education on Party discipline in a vivid form. Theoretical readings, through expert interpretations and case analyses, help Party members and cadres better understand and grasp the essence of Party rules and discipline. For instance, the Suizhou Branch of the Hubei Special Equipment Supervision and Inspection Institute organized a General Meeting of Party members to centrally study relevant documents, emphasizing that all Party members and cadres must strictly observe the political discipline of not believing in or proselytizing religion. As an official learning platform, the "Xuexi Qiangguo" app can provide systematic learning resources and interactive functions. By pushing the spirit of religious work conferences, study materials, online courses, and video lectures, it provides in-depth explanations of why Communist Party members cannot believe in religion and how to uphold the political discipline of non-belief. This guides Party members to firm up their Marxist atheist stance and enhance their political and ideological identification with the Party, helping them fully understand and comply with the Party's disciplinary regulations. WeChat public accounts can release the latest developments in Party rules and discipline, explanatory articles, and study materials, making it convenient for Party members and cadres to access relevant information anytime and anywhere, improving the convenience and timeliness of learning. For example, the Party Committee of Jingzhou University in Hubei Province released Party-building newsletters via its WeChat account, emphasizing the political discipline that Party members must not believe in religion; the WeChat account of the Qianjin District Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision opened a "Micro-Broadcast on Party Discipline" column to specifically explain the punishment regulations for Party members believing in religion. Through diversified publicity of "Party members must not believe in religion," the political consciousness and sense of discipline among Party members are reinforced.
III. Basic Experience of the Political Discipline "Party Members Must Not Believe in Religion" Since the 18th National Congress
"Party members must not believe in religion" is a consistent principle of the Party, an inherent meaning of a Marxist party adhering to atheism, and an inevitable requirement of the Party's advanced nature and purity. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee has attached great importance to the construction of the Party's political discipline. As an important political discipline, "Party members must not believe in religion" has formed two basic experiences in practice: First, for the small number of Party members who believe in religion, ideological education should be continuously strengthened to ensure that they deeply understand the Party's disciplinary requirements, firm up their communist faith, and avoid the erosion of their thinking by religious activities. Second, the disciplinary sanction mechanism must be standardized. For those few Party members who ideologically deviate from the Party's mission or behaviorally violate Party discipline and state laws by believing in religion, they must be resolutely subjected to disciplinary action or even expelled from the Party. This ensures that the Party’s ranks always maintain their purity and combat effectiveness, preserving the seriousness and authority of the Party's discipline.
(1) Strengthen Ideological Education to Consolidate the Foundation of Party Members' Ideals and Convictions
According to Article 69, Chapter 6 of the Regulations [14] most recently revised by the Party Central Committee in December 2023: "Party members who believe in religion should be subject to strengthened ideological education and required to correct their behavior within a specified time limit; if they fail to change after help and education from the Party organization, they should be persuaded to withdraw from the Party; if they refuse to withdraw, they shall be removed from the Party rolls." Our primary task is to strengthen the ideological education of Party members and cadres and consolidate the foundation of their ideals and convictions.
First, it must be clarified that theism and atheism are opposite in their worldviews. From the day they join the Party, CPC members waive the freedom to "believe in a religion" within the freedom of religious belief and choose to be firm Marxist atheists. To this end, Party committees and organizations at all levels must carry out publicity and education on the scientific worldview, Marxist materialism, and atheism. In short, only CPC members who do not believe in religion can fully implement the Party's policy of freedom of religious belief. Therefore, when conducting ideological education for individual Party members who believe in religion, focus should be placed on guiding them to correctly handle the relationship between religious belief and the atheist worldview, clarifying the boundaries and connections between the two. Toward this end, we can take the following measures.
One is to strengthen the Party-spirit education of members. This is an important measure to ensure the Party's advanced nature and purity. The content of Party-spirit education should cover education on ideals and convictions, the Party's mission, Party and national history, revolutionary traditions, moral conduct, legal thinking, and anti-corruption and integrity-building. Simultaneously, the study of the Party Constitution and Party rules and discipline should be an important component of Party-spirit education. First, Communist Party members must be firm in their faith in Marxism and maintain a steadfast belief in socialism and communism; this is one of the core contents of Party-spirit education. For the few members who "believe in ghosts and gods instead of Marx and Lenin," the Party organization needs to correct their concepts by strengthening education on ideals and convictions. Furthermore, the awareness of the mission of serving the people should be reinforced through education on the Party's purpose. Second, the Party-spirit of members should be enhanced through education on Party and national history and revolutionary traditions. Through studying Party history, members can deeply understand why the CPC "can," why Marxism "works," and why socialism with Chinese characteristics is "good," [22] thereby firming up their faith and conviction in the Party. This helps members enhance their identification with the great motherland, the Chinese nation, Chinese culture, the CPC, and socialism with Chinese characteristics. In addition, strengthening revolutionary tradition education—by studying the heroic deeds and revolutionary spirit of revolutionary predecessors—enables members to further firm up their ideals and convictions, resist the interference of erroneous ideas, and maintain the dominant position of mainstream ideology. Third, Party-spirit education should also include education on moral conduct, legal thinking, and anti-corruption. Moral conduct education can strengthen members' education in social ethics, professional ethics, family virtues, and personal morality, guiding members to pursue noble sentiments, maintain social fairness and justice, loyally fulfill their duties, and adhere to the moral bottom line. Legal thinking helps members use Party discipline, state laws, and the Constitution as their bottom line in thought and action. Through education in legal thinking, members can better understand and abide by laws and regulations, thus becoming more rational and lawful when handling religious issues. Moreover, the situation of "believing in ghosts and gods instead of Marx and Lenin" is often accompanied by corrupt behavior; therefore, anti-corruption and integrity-building education must be conducted to build an ideological and moral defense line against corruption and degeneration. Finally, incorporate the study of the Party Constitution and Party rules and discipline as an important part of Party-spirit education. The prohibition of Party members believing in religion or participating in superstitious activities in the Party's political discipline exists because these behaviors contradict the materialistic and Marxist atheist stance that members should hold; they may erode the Party's political soul and often coexist with corruption. The Constitution of the CPC and relevant laws and regulations also clearly stipulate that members are not allowed to engage in feudal superstition, believe in religion, or participate in cults. These regulations aim to maintain the purity and advanced nature of the Party and ensure that members hold a firm Marxist atheist stance. Studying the Party Constitution and Party rules and discipline helps members clarify the Party's discipline and norms, establish a "red line" awareness, and guides members to improve their ideological consciousness, spiritual realm, and moral cultivation, thus maintaining the political character of Communists.
Second, conducting thematic education. This involves launching a series of educational programs with clear objectives, including warning education using typical cases and "Thematic Party Day" activities [23]. By organizing the study of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on religious work, the Constitution of the Communist Party of China, the Regulations on CPC Disciplinary Action, and the Certain Norms regarding Political Life within the Party under New Circumstances, the Party helps members clarify the political discipline and rules stating that Party members must not believe in a religion. Specialized discussions can also be organized around the theme "Party members are not permitted to believe in religion," helping members profoundly understand why this is the case and exploring the potential dire consequences of religious belief. For example, the Party General Branch of the Yanshan Highway Sub-Bureau in Yunnan Province drew lessons from typical cases in their vicinity and organized a viewing of the warning education film The Confused Life Account of a "Financial Expert"—An Analysis of the Case of Kong Caimei, Former Member of the Party Committee and Vice President of Fudian Bank, for Serious Violations of Discipline and Law. Using this as an opportunity, they held a Theoretical Learning Center Group meeting. At the meeting, by deeply analyzing the details of the case and listening to the party's profound confession, they provided warning education based on real-world cases, intuitively guiding Party members and cadres to realize the importance of revering the law, maintaining vigilance, and upholding moral and legal bottom lines, achieving the effect of "using cases to warn and using cases to clarify discipline." Similarly, the Party Branch of the Planning and Finance Department of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region organized a Thematic Party Day activity around the theme "Rectifying problems of religious belief and participation, and fortifying the foundation of faith," ensuring that all members clarify boundaries, revere the "red line," and guard the bottom line in both thought and behavior, resolutely preventing Party members from believing in or participating in religion, and tempering a Party branch with a clean and upright atmosphere.
Third, constructing long-term mechanisms for the ideological education of Party members, including leadership, study and education, innovation, incentive, and guarantee mechanisms. Through institutionalized and standardized measures, the Party ensures that members receive long-term education and management. Through regular education on Party spirit, Marxist atheism, and Party discipline, the Party helps members firm up their ideals and convictions and enhance their sense of Party spirit and political awareness. The Party will establish and improve evaluation and assessment mechanisms to comprehensively and objectively assess the conduct of members, ensuring they consistently meet the requirements and standards of Party membership. Through a long-term ideological education system, one-on-one and point-to-point ideological education and assistance will be continuously provided to members with wavering ideals and convictions. Special assessment groups and ideological supervisors will be established to regularly report the thoughts of "problematic members" to the supervisors and assessment groups, and to regularly report supervision and management conditions to the Party organization. For individual members with clear inclinations toward religious belief, the Party organization will promptly conduct criticism and education to help them correct their errors, ensuring the purity and combat effectiveness of the entire ranks of the Party. Primary-level Party organizations must play a core role, strengthening ideological and political education through the "Three Meetings and One Lesson" system [24] and Party member rotation training plans. Alongside ideological and political education, Party organizations should care for members with religious inclinations, ascertaining why they wish to believe in a religion or what difficulties they encounter in their work or life, and carry out intra-Party "care activities" to help them resolve practical problems.
(2) Standardizing Disciplinary Actions to Create a Favorable Internal Political Ecosystem
According to Articles 69 and 70 of Chapter Six of the Regulations on CPC Disciplinary Action as newly revised by the Party Central Committee in December 2023, members who "participate in using religion to engage in provocative activities shall be expelled from the Party." "Those who organize superstitious activities shall be dismissed from their intra-Party positions or placed on probation within the Party; in serious cases, they shall be expelled from the Party. Those who participate in superstitious activities or engage in personal superstitious activities, causing a negative impact, shall be given a warning or a serious warning; in relatively serious cases, they shall be dismissed from their intra-Party positions or placed on probation within the Party; in serious cases, they shall be expelled from the Party." Strengthening the political faith of members and creating a political environment where Party rules and discipline are strictly observed has been the unwavering goal of the Party Central Committee. All Party members must possess the conscious initiative to strictly demand of themselves according to the standards of Party rules and discipline and resolutely eliminate problems of religious belief or participation.
Through the standardization of disciplinary actions, any nascent signs of religious belief or participation among individual members can be promptly curbed; inclinations among nearby members can be discovered early; and erroneous thoughts can be corrected through ideological education. For members who believe in religion and fail to reform after receiving help and education, or those who participate in using religion for provocative activities or organize superstitious activities, strict disciplinary action must be taken according to the severity of the circumstances. These can be categorized as follows:
First, withdrawal from the Party or summary removal from the rolls. For members who believe in religion, if they still have not shifted their faith after receiving help and education from the Party organization, the organization should urge them to withdraw from the Party. If the member insists on not withdrawing after being urged, the Party organization will remove their name from the rolls according to procedure.
Second, participation in using religion to engage in provocative activities. For activities such as organizing, planning, or participating in religious activities that are anti-Party, anti-social, or damaging to national unity, the penalty of expulsion from the Party shall be given. Yang Yiwen, former Secretary of the Changde Municipal Party Committee in Hunan Province, believed in "ghosts and gods" instead of Marxism-Leninism and organized or participated in superstitious activities many times; Zhang Fenghuai, former President of the Inner Mongolia Branch of the Bank of China, Ren Baoyuan, former Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Yushu Prefectural People's Congress in Qinghai Province, and Wang Yu, former member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal Petition Office, frequently participated in religious activities and burned incense to worship Buddha. Based on the relevant provisions of the Regulations (2024), it was decided to give them "Double Expulsion" [25] treatment.
Third, "participating in superstitious activities or engaging in personal superstitious activities" will be judged based on circumstances. Compared to the second paragraph of Article 63 of the Regulations (2018), the Regulations (2024) clearly added provisions regarding the accountability under Party discipline for "engaging in personal superstitious activities." This move aims to make supervision and disciplinary work more precise by judging different scenarios of "participating in superstitious activities or engaging in personal superstitious activities." For example, in the case of serious violations of discipline and law by Tao Chenghua, former Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Chairman of the Jinhua Municipal CPPCC in Zhejiang Province, Tao’s act of inviting a so-called "Feng Shui Master," a certain Mr. Zhu, to perform rites and change the Feng Shui [26] at Mount Hua and in his home was identified as "having no principles of Party spirit, trusting in Feng Shui instead of the organization, and engaging in superstitious activities."
IV. Conclusion
Overall, the development of political discipline regarding "Party members must not believe in religion" demonstrates the Party's firm stance in strengthening disciplinary construction and maintaining the purity and advanced nature of the Party. Especially since the 18th National Congress, the Party Central Committee has continuously improved relevant regulations, not only clarifying the responsibilities and obligations of members in terms of political discipline but also providing a more solid institutional guarantee for the implementation of this mandate. Through the implementation of these regulations, intra-Party political life has become more standardized, and the political awareness and sense of discipline among members have been strengthened, thereby effectively preventing deviations and errors on the issue of religious belief. From the experience of developing this political discipline, on one hand, it is necessary to conduct education on Party spirit and thematic education for members while establishing long-term mechanisms for ideological education. On the other hand, through the continuous standardization and improvement of disciplinary actions, a "red line" is established, ensuring that the political discipline of "Party members must not believe in religion" exerts a dual constraint on members in both thought and action. As staunch Marxist atheists, Communist Party members should always maintain clarity and firmness in their work, as the construction of political discipline remains a process that will continuously improve with the development of the times.
(Author Profile: Qu Chengji is a doctoral candidate at the School of Philosophy and Social Development, Huaqiao University) Online Editor: Tong Xin Source: Science and Atheism, Issue 1, 2025