Zuo Peng and Liu Yuxiang: On Atheism Education in Ideological and Political Work
Ideological and political work is a fine tradition, a distinctive feature, and a prominent political advantage of the Party. In September 2021 [1], the CPC Central Committee issued the Regulations on the Ideological and Political Work of the Communist Party of China. Building upon the historical experience of the Party’s leadership in ideological and political work—particularly the theoretical and practical experience gained in the New Era—the Regulations further clearly defined the institutional mechanisms, work responsibilities, content, methods, goals, and tasks of ideological and political work. Regarding the main content of ideological and political work, the Regulations emphasize nine aspects, one of which is to "strengthen education in dialectical materialism and historical materialism, and strengthen atheism education." This marks the first time "atheism education" has entered into intra-Party regulations. It reflects the principled requirement to improve the scientific, institutionalized, and standardized level of ideological and political work, and establishes an institutional guarantee for promoting the normalization and long-term effectiveness of atheism education. This holds significant theoretical meaning and practical value for comprehensively and accurately grasping the "great principle" of Marxist atheism and ensuring its dominant position as the mainstream ideology in the minds of the masses.
I. The Status and Role of Atheism Education in Ideological and Political Work
Ideological and political work consists of practical activities—such as ideological education, political guidance, moral cultivation, spiritual inspiration, cultural nourishment, psychological counseling, and caring services—carried out to mobilize and organize Party members, cadres, and the masses to complete the Party’s central tasks and historical missions. It is an important method for persisting in and implementing the Party’s political line, ideological line, organizational line, and the mass line, and is an important guarantee for upholding Party leadership, realizing the Party’s propositions, and consolidating the Party’s governing foundation and mass base.
"Atheism" is the premise of all Marxist theory and an essential component of the dialectical and historical materialist worldview of Communists. Marx began creating his new worldview under the condition that "the criticism of religion has been largely completed"; indeed, "Communism begins from the outset with atheism." If we do not persist in atheism and exclude the "intervention" of gods, creators, and all supernatural mystical forces, it is impossible to understand and transform the world as it actually is, and impossible to complete the Party’s central tasks and historical missions. Therefore, within the entire content system of ideological and political work, atheism education occupies the starting position and plays an indispensable role as a cornerstone.
First, strengthening atheism education is a foundational project for ideological and political work to consolidate the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological sphere. Marxism is our fundamental guiding ideology for establishing and rejuvenating the Party and the country. For over a century, the reason the Party has been able to complete arduous tasks that various political forces in modern times were unable to achieve—leading the revolution, construction, and reform to one victory after another—lies in the scientific guidance of Marxism. The Regulations emphasize that ideological and political work must take as its fundamental task the consolidation of the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological sphere and the consolidation of the common ideological foundation for the united struggle of the whole Party and the people of the whole country. To achieve these "Two Consolidations," we must strengthen atheism education. This is because atheism is a component and a manifestation of materialism; the entire edifice of Marxist theory is built upon the worldview foundation of atheism and materialism. Marxist atheism is both a significant component and a vital cornerstone of Marxist theory. If ideological and political work does not attach importance to, or lacks the courage and skill to grasp atheism education—remaining for a long time in a state of inaction, passive coping, or ineffective operation—it will inevitably lead to a shift in the ongoing struggle between atheism and theism in the ideological sphere in favor of theism. This, in turn, will cause various forms of theism to spread throughout society, leading to an increasing number of religious believers. This not only deviates from the profound humanistic spirit inherent in fine traditional Chinese culture [2], but also allows the ideological strongholds of the masses to be occupied piece by piece by theism. The cornerstone of the Marxist theoretical edifice would be hollowed out step by step by non-Marxist and anti-Marxist ideas, ultimately and inevitably weakening the Party's governing foundation and shaking the Party’s guiding ideology. General Secretary Xi Jinping once warned: "Currently, the number of religious venues and religious believers is growing very rapidly. We must treat this issue with caution." How should we treat it with caution? The foundational project is to strengthen atheism education to prevent the spread of theism and the unhealthy development of religion. As Lenin demanded: "Our Party is an association of class-conscious, advanced fighters for the emancipation of the working class. Such an association cannot and must not be indifferent to lack of class-consciousness, ignorance or obscurantism in the shape of religious beliefs. We... fight the religious fog solely with ideological weapons, and only ideological weapons, through our press and our oral persuasion."
Second, strengthening atheism education is a key line of defense for ideological and political work to resist the spiritual allure and ideological penetration of religion among the masses. Freedom of religious belief is a long-term basic policy of the Party and a basic right granted to citizens by the Constitution. We respect the freedom of belief of religious citizens and guide them to unite around the Party and the government as patriotic and law-abiding citizens. Yet, at the same time, we cannot ignore a fundamental fact: on the one hand, in a socialist country led by the Communist Party, Marxist atheism must always occupy the dominant position as the mainstream ideology in the minds of the masses; on the other hand, as an objective existence in human society, religion has not only existed for a long time in the past but will continue to exist for a long time in the future. In reality, all religions are striving to develop themselves and expand their social influence. In particular, external hostile forces have always used religion as an important tool for ideological and cultural penetration against our country, attempting to fundamentally undermine the mass base of the Party’s governance and sabotage our sovereignty, security, and development interests. If these internal and external factors are allowed to act together, the number of religious followers will grow, and correspondingly, the influence of atheism in society will diminish, which will inevitably affect the political and ideological leadership of the Communist Party in uniting and leading the people to strive for a better life. To prevent and resolve this major risk, and in accordance with the requirements of the Regulations, we must build a solid line of defense through atheism education while taking education in ideals and convictions as the core of ideological and political work in the New Era. Only then can we, in this battle for the hearts and minds of the people between atheism and theism, educate and guide the masses to more firmly believe that "there are no gods, ghosts, heavens, hells, or any other supernatural forces in actual existence; man's destiny is in his own hands." Consequently, they will more effectively resist the spiritual allure and ideological penetration of religion, more firmly establish a dialectical and historical materialist worldview, and more consciously strengthen their faith in Marxism, their conviction in socialism with Chinese characteristics, and their confidence in realizing the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. As Lenin also required: "It would be the biggest and worst mistake a Marxist could make to think that... [the masses] can advance out of this unenlightenment only along the straight line of purely Marxist education. They should be supplied with the most varied atheist propaganda material, they should be made acquainted with the facts from the most diverse spheres of life, they should be approached in every possible way, so as to interest them, rouse them from their religious slumber, shake them up in all sorts of ways by all sorts of methods."
Third, strengthening atheism education is an important cornerstone for ideological and political work to promote the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity. The national governance system is the institutional system for managing the country under the leadership of the Party, covering institutional mechanisms and legal arrangements in various fields such as economy, politics, culture, society, ecological civilization, and Party building. National governance capacity is the ability to use national institutions to manage various social affairs. The modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity is a major strategic goal for comprehensively deepening reform and comprehensively building a modern socialist country. Achieving this goal requires both innovation in governance concepts and optimization of governance methods, and even more so, the institutional guarantee of Party leadership and institutional confidence in socialism with Chinese characteristics. To achieve this, we should follow the requirements of the Regulations, taking ideological and political work as the "lifeblood" running through the process and giving play to its leading role. There is a basic premise for realizing this leadership: namely, adhering to the guidance of Marxism and the principle of the separation of church and state, ensuring that religion does not interfere with the implementation of state functions such as administration, justice, and education. This means "persisting in Marxist atheism as a great principle" and ensuring that "our country's legislation, administration, justice, as well as economic, political, social, cultural, and ecological work in all aspects... do not intentionally or unintentionally violate this great principle." This necessitates the strengthening of atheism education. For Party members and cadres, only through atheism education can the "master switch" of their worldview, outlook on life, and values be tightened, allowing them to firmly hold the political bottom line that Party members must not believe in religion, maintain their advanced nature and purity, and build a strong ideological dam against corruption and degeneration. Only then can they completely, accurately, and comprehensively implement the Party’s policy on freedom of religious belief, respect the right of citizens to independently choose whether to believe or not believe in religion, treat different religions equally, and resolutely oppose any use of religion to engage in activities that disrupt social order, harm the health of citizens, or obstruct the national education system. For the masses, only through atheism education can the humanistic spirit of fine traditional Chinese culture be inherited and promoted, the negative influences of fideism and obscurantism be overcome, and participation in national governance and social life be conducted with a scientific and rational attitude. Even for religious personages and believers, understanding some basic principles from socially-oriented atheism education can help them properly position the relationship between believing and not believing, between different religious beliefs, and between religious belief and national law, government management, national education, and the common interests of society, thereby becoming patriotic and law-abiding citizens.
Fourth, strengthening atheism education is a strong guarantee for ideological and political work to mobilize the initiative, enthusiasm, and creativity of the entire society to engage in Chinese-path modernization. Advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through Chinese-path modernization is the central task of the Party on the new journey in the New Era. However, "Chinese-path modernization is the cause of hundreds of millions of people; the people are the subjects of Chinese-path modernization. We must rely closely on the people, respect their pioneering spirit, and pool the wisdom and strength of all people to continuously push Chinese-path modernization forward." This requires following the requirements of the Regulations and focusing on mobilizing all positive factors by doing a good job in ideological and political work. To this end, we must uphold a basic creed: "There has never been a savior, nor do we rely on gods or emperors; to create human happiness, we must rely entirely on ourselves." [3] This necessitates strengthening atheism education, because "atheism is a negation of God, and through this negation, it asserts the existence of man," and "the criticism of religion disillusions man, so that he may think, act, and fashion his reality like a man who has discarded his illusions and regained his senses." Atheism is not passive; it requires people not to pursue an illusory kingdom of heaven or an afterlife, and not to rely on the revelations and protection of deities, but rather to rely on their own strength to strive for personal freedom and happiness and to promote social development and progress. Historically, it was precisely by excluding the interference of religion and various forms of theism, telling the people where their interests lay, and uniting and leading the people to strive for their own interests that the Communist Party of China achieved great successes in revolution, construction, and reform. Entering the New Era, integrating ideological and political work throughout the entire process and all aspects of Chinese-path modernization still requires the strong guarantee of atheism education. Only by strengthening atheism education can we further solidify the worldview foundation of Party members, ensuring they do not seek their values and beliefs in religion, but instead better play their roles in political leadership, backbone support, and vanguard modeling in advancing Chinese-path modernization with lofty ideals and a firm people-centered stance. Only then can we continuously consolidate the mainstream and dominant position of Marxist atheism in the ideological sphere, enabling the masses to more consciously resist the spiritual allure and ideological penetration of religion, more firmly establish a dialectical and historical materialist worldview, and more closely unite and gather around the Party—forging ahead with determination and working hard to create new historical achievements through a new great struggle on the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country.
II. The Core Content of Atheism Education in Ideological and Political Work
The fundamental goal of atheism education is to enable people to recognize a simple fact:
There are no gods in this world. Yet, this simple fact remains unacknowledged by over 70 percent of the world's population, even today when science and technology have made tremendous progress. It is evident that religion and theism are by no means "nonsense concocted by a gathering of swindlers"; [4] correspondingly, the atheism that negates religion and theism cannot be a mere set of simple preachings. As a "product of human civilization and reflection," atheism has undergone an evolution from the spontaneous to the self-conscious—advancing from the simple atheism of antiquity to the scientific atheism of the modern era, and finally to Marxist atheism—leaving behind a wealth of ideological and cultural achievements. In strengthening atheism education within ideological and political work, we should make full use of these achievements. On the basis of profoundly grasping its principles, academic logic, and philosophical underpinnings, we must use plain and accessible language to help people clarify the fact that there are no gods, dispel the mystery of why some people believe in them, and resolve the contradiction between the non-existence of gods and the persistence of belief.
First, the fact that there are no gods is a fundamental reality of the objective world, proven by millions of years of human developmental history. Regarding the question of human origins, every ethnic culture in the world possesses myths and legends filled with magical color. However, according to archaeology and paleontology, humans evolved from ancient apes and are the result of the continuous development of the natural world. Early humans could not have believed in deities because consciousness had not yet developed to that degree. Humans developed intelligence through labor and became Homo sapiens without deities in their minds. In this sense, humans are natural, spontaneous atheists. During the Homo sapiens stage, human consciousness reached a new level of development, but was not yet able to comprehend many natural phenomena—such as the movement of celestial bodies, wind and rain, earthquakes and tsunamis, or floods and droughts—nor could they master their own destinies. Consequently, they imagined that some gods presided over all things in the universe, which gave rise to various forms and contents of nature worship and totem worship: the primitive tribal religions. Upon entering class society, social forces also came to "dominate man with the same apparent natural necessity." [5] This caused the "fantastic figures, which at first only reflected the mysterious forces of nature, to now acquire social attributes and become representatives of historical forces." [6] On one hand, this provided a spiritual anchor for the laboring masses to escape their miserable conditions; on the other hand, it provided an ideological tool for rulers to strengthen their class rule. From this, tribal religions gradually developed into national religions; the different deities originally worshipped by different tribes were gradually aggregated into a single deity worshipped by a single nation. "At a still further stage of development, all the natural and social attributes of many gods are transferred to one almighty god... Thus monotheism arises." [7] The deity worshipped in monotheism concentrated all the powers of the older deities; it was omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, yet invisible and intangible. Because it could "understand all the sufferings of the world" and "fulfill all the desires of the world," it gradually went global through the struggles and exchanges between different nations and states, and national religions finally developed into world religions. Looking across the three stages of human religious development, whether it be the animal-gods, demon-gods, or man-gods of tribal religion, or the spirits and supra-spirits of national and world religions, none exist in the objective world. They are "nothing but the fantastic reflection in men’s minds of those external forces which control their daily life, a reflection in which the terrestrial forces assume the form of supra-terrestrial forces." [8]
Thus, Marxist atheism provides a scientific answer to the historical process of how deities were created and worshipped by humans, how they were refined and promoted by humans, to the extent that over 70 percent of the world’s population still believes in them today. Moreover, since the dawn of the modern era, the development of the natural sciences has driven deities out of every field of the natural world one by one; they can only survive precariously in the unknown realms where science has not yet reached and in the spiritual realm of the people. Through this, one can sufficiently conclude: there are no gods in the world; it is man who created God, not God who created man.
Second, the fact that some people believe in gods is also a basic reality of the objective world, but this fact cannot change the reality that there are no gods. There are no gods, yet there are vast numbers of believers in both history and the present. "In the long course of history, the world has undergone enormous changes, science and technology have made huge progress, human understanding of the laws of motion in nature and society has greatly improved, and people's understanding of religious phenomena has profoundly deepened. However, looking at the global scale, religion not only exists but at times shows a trend of spreading and expanding. The several major traditional religions continue to develop, with numerous sects within them. Various new religious organizations emerge incessantly, with some estimates reaching into the thousands. Certain extremist forces and cults [9] have also attracted a large number of followers, causing many appalling incidents. Especially in Western countries, where science and technology are undeniably advanced, the influence of religion remains deep-rooted, and the number of believers has not significantly decreased." The existence of these conditions does not indicate that the atheist negation of theism is untenable. Rather, it indicates that the level of development of human material and spiritual civilization, as well as the level of people’s ideological understanding, is still far from the point of being sufficient to eliminate the roots of theism. The existence of theism still has a considerable social basis.
First, Engels pointed out: "Only real knowledge of the forces of nature ejects the gods or God from one position after another." [10] To this day, although human research into nature and ourselves has reached unprecedented levels, we have not yet truly understood it in its entirety; there are still many phenomena in the universe and in life that cannot be scientifically explained. This provides an opportunity for theologians who, in order to leave a final resting place for God in the natural world, often use their own delusions and sophistry to constantly update the forms of God's existence and expand the space where God resides. Even in those fields where God has been ejected and science has gained true understanding, some people often fall into a state of confusion and hardship because the results of that knowledge have not been popularized. For example, some of the masses still cannot scientifically understand the origin of the universe and life, and cannot correctly deal with aging, illness, death, natural phenomena, or natural disasters. In this way, God may become their final reliance and savior in a rootless and helpless world.
Next, Marx pointed out: "Religion itself is without content, it has its roots not in heaven but on earth, and with the disappearance of the distorted reality, of which it is the theory, it will collapse of itself." [11] As long as this reality does not disappear, religion will have the soil to continue existing. As history moves into socialist society, the class roots upon which religion relied have basically disappeared, and the economy and society have seen great development. However, the problems of unbalanced and inadequate development remain prominent, and people still encounter various sufferings and anxieties in their material and spiritual lives—such as the harassment of poverty, disease, and disaster; the inability to realize dreams; the unpredictability of fate; the mourning of the deceased; and the concern for ultimate meaning. Facing these alien forces created by objective facts that the individual cannot control, people often feel powerless. At this time, religion—as an "illusory sun," the "sigh of the oppressed creature," and the "sentiment of a heartless world"—may become a source of psychological comfort, an object of spiritual sustenance, and one of their diverse choices of belief.
Finally, Comrade Xi Jinping once pointed out: "Religion is not only a social ideology, but also a special cultural phenomenon." As a social ideology, religion both hangs high at the top of the superstructure and exists long-term within the practices of social life. As long as people live in society, they will inevitably be influenced by religion and various forms of theism, and may even encounter the solicitations of proselytization. At such moments, if they have not mastered systematic knowledge of atheism, and when combined with a specific mood or opportunity, they may accept concepts of ghosts and gods and become religious believers. As a cultural phenomenon, the uniqueness of religion lies not in its colorful and fascinating appearance, but in the theistic ideas hidden behind that appearance. Accepting religion, as well as the specific ethnic and family cultures closely integrated with it, will lead to being influenced by theism. People may be attracted or even regulated by these, and consequently gradually become believers. In short, under the combined action of nature, society, and cognitive factors, religious believers and theists continuously emerge in society. But no matter how much they believe it to be true, they are in fact fantastically reflecting this-worldly world and creating an other-worldly world. It is all the mind playing tricks, and it cannot change one basic fact: there are no gods in the world.
Third, the non-existence of gods and the fact that some people believe in them are both basic facts of the objective world; resolving this contradiction between atheism and theism requires the protection of freedom of religious belief. There are no gods, yet people believe in them. How to treat the non-existent gods and the people who believe in them is a question atheism must answer. From spontaneity to self-consciousness, the mission undertaken by atheism is to expose and criticize the absurdity of theism, explaining its roots and the path to overcoming it. Entering the modern era, atheism made full use of the new achievements of natural science at that time to launch a sharp critique of Christian theology and the feudalism for which it provided legitimate support. This both promoted the development of science and led the bourgeois revolutions. The atheism of this period was known both as scientific atheism and "militant atheism."
With Marxist atheism, built upon dialectical materialism and historical materialism, the development of scientific atheism was pushed to its advanced stage. Theoretically, it moved beyond the critique of heaven, religion, and theology into the critique of the earth, law, and politics; in practice, it moved beyond critique in the ideological realm into real social practice—namely, striving for the liberation of the working class and all humanity. This provided scientific guidance for the political party of the working class to correctly understand and handle religious issues. On one hand, based on the fact that there are no gods, the working class party inherited the "historical tradition of a materialism that is absolutely atheist and resolutely opposed to all religion." While ensuring that citizens enjoy the freedom to not believe in religion, it also persists in disseminating and promoting atheism. Freedom of religious belief was originally proposed by the rising bourgeoisie in the modern era to liberate themselves from the shackles of religious theology and to strive for the freedom not to believe in religion. From the beginning, it included two equally important aspects of freedom: believing in religion and not believing in religion. Later, Marx endowed it with new meaning: "Bourgeois 'freedom of conscience' is nothing but the toleration of all possible kinds of religious freedom of conscience, and that for its part [the workers' party] endeavors rather to liberate the conscience from the witchery of religion." [12] This effectively put forward the requirement to persist in and promote atheism. The provision in our country's Constitution that the state "conducts education in dialectical materialism and historical materialism among the people" inherently contains this point. The Regulations [13] emphasis on "strengthening education in dialectical materialism and historical materialism, and strengthening education in atheism" is a further institutionalized requirement of this point.
On the other hand, based on the fact that some people believe in gods, although the working class party advocates thorough atheism, it also recognizes the long-term nature of religion's existence. It emphasizes that "the religious reflex of the real world can, in any case, only then finally vanish, when the practical relations of every-day life offer to man none but perfectly intelligible and reasonable relations with regard to his fellowmen and to Nature... This, however, demands for society a certain material ground-work or set of conditions of existence which in their turn are the spontaneous product of a long and painful process of development." [14] This provides an objective basis for ensuring citizens' freedom of religious belief. Having entered socialist society, although atheism has occupied the dominant position in the people's thinking as the mainstream ideology, religion persists as a non-mainstream ideology and is still believed in by a portion of the masses. Although the overall trend is toward extinction, this is by no means something that can be achieved in the short term. Communists respect this fact, holding that "the idols were set up by the peasants, and in time they will pull them down with their own hands; there is no need for anybody else to throw them away prematurely on their behalf." [15] Before that time arrives, the peasants must be allowed to set up their own "idols" and independently choose whether to believe or not believe in religion. Because Communists are atheists, they must not attempt to "eliminate religion" by artificial means, as this would inevitably hurt the feelings of the religious masses, create opposition between religious and non-religious people, and harm the unity of the people and social stability. Only by respecting and protecting the freedom of religious belief can we unite the religious and non-religious masses to work together for the cause of revolution, construction, and reform. In the midst of continuous economic development and social progress, we create the conditions for the eventual natural extinction of religion. Only then will the contradiction between atheism and theism be finally resolved.
III. Key Areas of Atheism Education in Ideological and Political Work
Strengthening atheism education is one of the main components of ideological and political work, and...
"Ideological and political work is the lifeline of economic work and all other work." This requires that atheism education be integrated into all aspects of the Party and state's work, truly ensuring that "adhering to Marxist atheism is a major principle." Adapting to the developmental changes of social groups in the New Era, the Regulations [16] stipulate the tasks, requirements, and specific measures for Party organizations at all levels to carry out ideological and political work across seven fields: enterprises, rural areas, government organs and public institutions [17], schools, communities, emerging fields [18], and the internet. This indicates that atheism education should be strengthened in all seven fields. However, because these fields occupy different positions in the overall cause of the Party and the state, have different specific goals and key tasks for ideological and political work, and are subject to different degrees of religious and theistic influence, the intensity and direction of strengthening atheism education must vary. Based on these circumstances, atheism education should currently be emphasized in the ideological and political work of four key fields: government organs and public institutions, schools, rural areas, and the internet.
First, strengthening atheism education in government organs and public institutions. As the core components of the national governance system, government organs and public institutions shoulder various responsibilities such as implementing the Party's comprehensive leadership, managing state affairs, providing public services, and promoting social development. Ideological and political work in these sectors is primarily directed at their staff—namely, Party members and cadres. It aims to educate and guide them to temper their political character of loyalty, integrity, and responsibility, ensuring they remain firm in their convictions, serve the people, perform their duties with diligence and pragmatism, dare to take responsibility, and maintain clean governance. Among these, "firmness of ideals and convictions" is the primary criterion for a good cadre.
"Only... by tempering a 'body of unshakeable vajra' [19] through firm ideals and convictions can cadres be clear-cut in the face of major issues of right and wrong, fearless before the tests of wind and waves, steadfast in their position against various temptations, and remain reliable, trustworthy, and dependable at critical moments." In reality, however, within our cadre ranks, "some harbor doubts about communism, viewing it as a nebulous and unattainable fantasy; some believe in spirits and gods rather than Marxism-Leninism, seeking spiritual solace in feudal superstitions, and are avid practitioners of fortune-telling, physiognomy, and temple worship—'consulting the gods' whenever issues arise..." In response, General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly stated: "Communist Party members must be firm Marxist atheists, strictly abide by the provisions of the Party Constitution, remain firm in their ideals and convictions, keep the Party's purpose in mind, and must never seek their values and beliefs in religion." This requires that ideological and political work in government organs and public institutions place special emphasis on strengthening atheism education. Beyond regularly integrating materialism and atheism education into primary-level Party building, curricula in Party schools at all levels should include Marxist atheism as a key component of theoretical and Party-spirit education [20]. It should be incorporated into teaching plans and "core classes" to lay a world-view foundation for Party members and cadres to comprehensively improve their theoretical literacy, Party-spirit cultivation, and professional competence. As for Party schools in western and frontier regions, they should specifically align with the local realities of multi-ethnic and multi-religious populations, appropriately increasing the proportion of Marxist atheist education for local cadres to enhance their quality and ability to handle ethnic and religious affairs.
Second, strengthening atheism education in schools. Young people are the future vital force for building a strong nation and the great cause of national rejuvenation. Schools are the main battleground for educating and cultivating the youth. Ideological and political work in schools centers on the fundamental task of "fostering virtue through education" [21]—a systematic effort to provide ideological education, political guidance, moral cultivation, spiritual inspiration, cultural nourishment, psychological counseling, and care services. Its core goal is to solve the problem of "what to believe, whom to follow, and what to struggle for" among the youth. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Whom to cultivate is the primary question of education... We are a socialist country under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, which dictates that our education must take the cultivation of socialist builders and successors as its fundamental task." Furthermore, "the qualifier for 'builders and successors' is 'socialist'—this is our essential definition of whom we cultivate. The people we cultivate must establish the lofty ideal of communism and the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics." In reality, the youth have long been the primary targets for hostile forces attempting to implement strategies of "Westernization" and "differentiation" [22] against China, with religion being a key tool of penetration. They often use the pretexts of academic exchange, mutual learning between civilizations, charitable aid for students, socializing, and extracurricular activities to spread religious culture among the youth, develop religious followers, and promote their political and value systems. Consequently, campus proselytization occurs occasionally; some students hold blurred understandings of religion, and a few even believe in religion or participate in extremist activities. Therefore, school ideological and political work must treat Marxist atheism education as foundational work for resisting penetration and preventing campus proselytization. First, we must give full play to the leading role of classroom teaching. In ideological and political theory courses and relevant professional courses across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels, we should reinforce education in dialectical materialism and historical materialism in a step-by-step and "spiral" manner, clearly explaining the origins and developmental laws of religion, the Party’s principles and policies on religious work, and relevant national laws and regulations. Second, we must actively expand the avenues for "cultivating people through culture." Within healthy and diverse campus cultural activities, we should continuously expand the ground for excellent culture and the scientific spirit. In mental health education and counseling, we must effectively improve students' ability to endure setbacks and overcome adversity. In campus safety education, we should effectively enhance students' consciousness and sensitivity in resisting penetration and preventing campus proselytization. Third, we must diligently perform daily ideological education and management services, keeping timely track of students' ideological states, resolving doubts, guiding emotions, and properly addressing practical issues like academics, employment, and financial aid. By moving people with facts and emotions and focusing on meticulous implementation, we can neutralize the temptation and penetration of religion.
Third, strengthening atheism education in rural areas. China is a major agricultural country, and the belief choices of the peasant masses relate to the ideological foundation of the Party's governance. Rural ideological and political work is the ideological lifeline of the Party in the countryside, serving as an important lever for rural revitalization and the promotion of "civilized rural manners" [23]. Its core goal is to guide the peasant masses to unswervingly listen to and follow the Party. Since the founding of New China, and particularly since the start of Reform and Opening-up, the construction of a new socialist countryside has continuously advanced, and both the material lives and mental outlook of the peasants have undergone earth-shaking changes. However, compared to cities, rural economic and social development remains relatively backward, and the scientific and cultural literacy of peasants is relatively low. Since "the deepest root of religious prejudice is poverty and ignorance," even today, superstitions and pseudo-scientific phenomena such as divination, fortune-telling, fengshui [24], and exorcism remain prevalent in some rural areas. The vast majority of religious believers are in the countryside, and some illegal religious organizations are persistent in developing followers and incited religious fanaticism in rural areas, attempting to influence or even seize control of rural social governance. These facts necessitate that rural ideological and political work "strengthen atheist publicity and education, enrich the spiritual and cultural life of the peasants, and resist feudal superstitious activities." For non-believers, the focus should be on popularizing basic viewpoints of materialism and common knowledge of natural science. Using methods they enjoy, we should vigorously promote scientific and cultural knowledge regarding natural phenomena, social evolution, and human life—birth, aging, sickness, death, fortune, and misfortune—to help them master scientific methods, establish a scientific worldview, and draw a clear line between materialism and idealism, atheism and theism, science and superstition, and civilization and ignorance. For religious believers, we cannot demand they abandon their faith, but we should require them to love the motherland, support the socialist system, support the leadership of the CPC, and abide by national laws, regulations, and policies. Their religious activities must obey and serve the supreme interests of the state and the overall interests of the nation. Furthermore, based on the reality of peasant production and life, atheism education should be integrated into mass spiritual civilization activities [25], combined with the transformation of customs [26] and the cultivation of civilized rural manners, as well as cultural and sports activities that meet the masses' spiritual needs. This will allow them to break with outdated customs, oppose feudal superstition, and resist the erosion of decadent and backward culture through broad participation.
Fourth, strengthening online atheism education. Since the 1990s, the technological revolution represented by internet technology has pushed human society into the Information Age. Various political forces are competing to gain a foothold on the internet, which has become the main battlefield for public opinion struggles. In this context, "Western anti-China forces have always attempted to use the internet to 'topple China.' Years ago, Western politicians claimed that 'with the internet, there is a way to deal with China' and that 'the embrace of socialist countries into the West will begin with the internet.'" Consequently, they encourage and support various religious organizations, especially Christian ones, to use portals, community forums, blogs, social networks, and all available internet platforms to spread religious doctrines and thoughts, publish news and personal reflections of believers, and organize online and offline religious activities. Some even hire "internet water armies" [27] to hype religious topics or use AI to push religious information, causing religious influence to spread through society like a virus. In fact, shortly after China connected to the internet, Comrade Jiang Zemin [28] pointed out: "The internet has become a new and important front for ideological and political work." In the New Era, online ideological and political work, as a critical field, plays an active role in innovating and improving the Party's leadership and governance methods, following the "online mass line," and building "concentric circles" [29] online and offline. Faced with the continuous expansion of religious social influence both online and offline, online ideological and political work must place atheism education in an important position. On one hand, we must innovatively carry out online atheist publicity; for instance, enriching the science and ethics pages of major websites with atheist content and strengthening the guidance of online comments. We should build specialized atheist websites to collect, organize, and release a vast amount of atheist ideological theories and anecdotes. We should also develop personal and institutional WeChat public accounts and Weibo [30] accounts, starting from common phenomena such as fortune-telling, fengshui, temple worship, and prayer meetings, and use scientific theories, vivid language, and engaging images or short videos to reveal truths and solve mysteries. On the other hand, we must govern online religious ideology according to the law. This includes establishing and improving mechanisms for gauging and guiding religious public opinion online, identifying hot-button and sensitive issues in a timely manner, providing scientific domestic explanations, and responding to social concerns. We must further refine management measures for online religious information services, limiting the entities that provide information and regulating the content published to ensure it is legal, compliant, inclusive, and harmonious.
IV. Basic Guarantees for Atheism Education in Ideological and Political Work Strengthening atheism education is a primary component of ideological and political work. Throughout the Party's century-long struggle, atheism education has advanced actively yet steadily, and the guiding role of Marxism has been established and increasingly consolidated. However, there was a period when, influenced by internal and external factors, "theism was talked about while atheism was ignored," leading to the spread of religious theology, the overflow of feudal superstition, and the rise of the "Falun Gong" cult. Since the 18th National Congress [31], the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to and purposefully strengthened atheism education, allowing atheism to take root in people's hearts and effectively preventing the spread of theism and the unhealthy development of religion. Given the twists and turns that occurred in history and the institutional barriers that still exist in reality, to maintain the good momentum of atheism education seen since the 18th National Congress, we must have strong leadership guarantees, sound organizational guarantees, reliable rule-of-law guarantees, and powerful intellectual guarantees.
First, the Party's clarity and resolve provide a strong guarantee of leadership for atheism education. In managing China’s affairs, the key lies with the Party. Leadership by the Communist Party of China is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the greatest advantage of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Moreover, the CPC is a party that takes Marxism as its guide for action and is built upon the foundation of the dialectical materialist and historical materialist worldviews. From the very beginning, such a worldview has been inseparable from atheism. If atheism were extracted, the theoretical edifice of Marxism would collapse, and the cause of revolution, construction, and reform under the guidance of this theory would become a soul-less body, a tower without a foundation. Regarding this, the Party must maintain a clear and firm understanding under all circumstances. Only in this way can we avoid being bewildered by the seemingly profound and mysterious ideological systems of theism, and remain untroubled by the reality that religion will continue to exist for a long time and that religious believers can still play a positive role. In the contest between atheism and theism in the ideological sphere, and amid the situation where overseas forces are stepping up the use of religion to conduct infiltration [32] against our country, we must stand firm in our position and clarify our direction. We must be determined to strengthen atheism education within ideological and political work to consolidate the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological sphere. Furthermore, under the Party's comprehensive leadership, we must mobilize positive factors from all sectors of society to promote atheism education in a steady and sustained manner, strengthening it through improvement and developing it through innovation.
Second, the system for prospering and developing advanced socialist culture provides an integrated organizational guarantee for atheism education. "In governing a country, institutions play a fundamental, overall, and long-term role." The inclusion of "strengthening atheism education" as a core component of ideological and political work in the Regulations [33] is itself an institutionalized requirement for atheism education. This is not a single, isolated system, but rather a systematic integration of multiple institutional aspects. Its origins can only be found in the various sub-systems contained within the national governance system's framework for prospering and developing advanced socialist culture. These must include the fundamental system for the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological sphere, the system for leading cultural development with Socialist Core Values, the system for guaranteeing the people’s cultural rights and interests, and the mechanism for public opinion guidance that adheres to the correct orientation, among others. By importing atheistic content into the operation of these sub-systems and integrating them systematically, the system for atheism education is constituted. In this sense, the atheism education system is also a sub-system within the system for prospering and developing advanced socialist culture. Accordingly, the responsible subjects who drive the operation of the "parent" system—namely, the departments of propaganda, ideology, and culture—also become the responsible subjects for driving the operation of this sub-system. This includes both the propaganda departments of Party committees at all levels, which fulfill the primary responsibility, and other departments that perform relevant duties in their respective fields, such as organization departments, united front departments, cyberspace affairs departments, education departments, culture and tourism departments, agricultural and rural affairs departments, as well as mass organizations such as trade unions, the Communist Youth League, women's federations, and the China Association for Science and Technology. As long as these departments are established as the responsible subjects for atheism education, their divisions of labor clarified, and their sense of responsibility strengthened, atheism education will have a sound organizational guarantee and a foundation for being carried out on a regularized and long-term basis.
Third, the legalization of religious affairs governance provides a reliable legal guarantee for atheism education. Religion is both an ideology and a social entity. Usually, "religious affairs governance" refers to the governance of religion as a social entity—that is, the governance of religious groups and places of religious activity that involve national interests and public social interests. Like national governance in other fields, this also requires the law as an important support—namely, the legalization of religious affairs governance. This means using the law to regulate various social relations involving religion, including the relations between the Party/government and religion, society and religion, different domestic religions, Chinese religions and foreign religions, and religious believers and non-believers. The regulation of these relations inevitably involves atheism. For example, in the relationship between the Party/government and religion, only by using legal means to guarantee the freedom of citizens to believe in religion can we similarly use legal means to guarantee the freedom of citizens not to believe in religion and to propagate atheism. In the relationship between believers and non-believers, the law must stipulate that no one may enter religious venues to conduct atheist propaganda or initiate debates on the existence of God among believers; simultaneously, the law must also stipulate that no religious organization or believer may preach or propagate theism outside of religious activity venues. Only by comprehensively advancing the legalization of religious affairs governance can we, under the premise of respecting and protecting citizens' freedom of religious belief, effectively curb the expansion of theism at the social level and continuously consolidate the position of atheism. This involves governing religion both as a social entity and as an ideology, ensuring that governance efforts and atheism education work in the same direction while providing a safeguard for the latter.
Fourth, the construction of the discipline of Marxist atheism and the cultivation of talent provide a powerful intellectual guarantee for atheism education. The purpose of atheism education is to make people realize there is no god in the world; however, this simple fact has been covered up and packaged through layers of sophisticated and brilliant theological systems by theists for thousands of years, deeply influencing believers and tempting the masses like "dancing ghosts and shadows" [34]. For atheism education to help people avoid religious belief and resist religious temptation, it is by no means enough to simply say "there is no god." Educators must possess a broader knowledge base, richer practical experience, and more rigorous argumentative logic than theists. This raises special requirements for strengthening the construction of the atheism discipline and talent cultivation. Disciplinary construction must first establish that what is being built is the discipline of Marxist atheism. It must then conduct scientific research and produce academic results centered on the fundamental contradictions within the discipline—the contradiction between the reality that there is no god and the presence of "gods" in the socio-historical sphere, and the contradiction between believing and not believing in god—to provide a knowledge system and a resource platform for training professional atheist talent. This will, in turn, boost the construction of religious studies research teams and teams of religious affairs cadres. It will allow for the recruitment and strengthening of a core contingent for atheism education, primarily composed of Party affairs and propaganda cadres in government agencies and public institutions, ideological and political theory teachers and counselors/homeroom teachers in schools, grassroots rural cadres and community workers, as well as internet commentators and cyberspace affairs cadres. By carrying out atheism education on a regularized and long-term basis, Marxist atheism, as a mainstream ideology, can consistently occupy the dominant position in the minds of the masses, becoming the foundational ideological support for the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation.
Source: Science and Atheism, Issue 1, 2026. Editor: Huihui