Introduction to the Chinese Atheism Society

The Chinese Atheism Society is a national academic mass organization ^[1] dedicated to the study of Marxist religious studies and Chinese and foreign atheistic thought. It was established in late 1978 under the initiative of the renowned philosopher and scholar of religion, Mr. Ren Jiyu ^[2]. The Chinese Atheism Society is supervised by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and is currently affiliated with the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies. The society's mission is to "propagate the scientific spirit, conduct education on atheism, safeguard the rights of citizens to freedom of religious belief, and promote the implementation of the Strategy of Invigorating the Country through Science and Education ^[3]." For many years, the Chinese Atheism Society has consistently adhered to the use of Marxist positions, viewpoints, and methods. It utilizes various forms—including academic conferences, specialized field research ^[4], commissioned projects, subsidized publications, internal reports ^[5], and international exchanges—to advance academic research and public education in Marxist religious studies and scientific atheism. Through its official public journal, Science and Atheism (a bimonthly), the society has been committed to propagating the scientific spirit, dispelling ignorance and superstition, facilitating the cultivation of a scientific worldview among youth, and promoting the disciplinary development of scientific atheism.

Currently, the President of the Chinese Atheism Society is Senior Researcher Gong Yun, who serves as the Party Committee Secretary of the CASS Institute of Finance. The Vice Presidents are: Senior Researcher He Xinyuan, Deputy Director of the Department of Sinicization Studies at the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies; Senior Researcher Zeng Chuanhui of the Institute of World Religions; Senior Researcher Song Yuehong, Deputy Director of the Institute of Contemporary China; Professor Wang Zhen of the Central Institute of Socialism; Professor Lyu Jianfu of Sichuan University; Professor Wang Yueqing of Nanjing University; Professor Gu Guanghai, Vice President of Xinjiang University; Senior Researcher Huang Chao, Associate Dean of the School of Philosophy at Wuhan University; Professor Peng Wuqing, Dean of the School of Political Science and Law at Xinjiang师范大学 (Xinjiang Normal University); and Professor Dai Jicheng of the People’s Public Security University of China. The Secretary-General of the society is Associate Researcher Huang Yanhong, who serves as the Director of the Marxist Atheism Research Office at the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies and Director of the Editorial Department of Science and Atheism. Senior Researcher Zhu Xiaoming, formerly the Party Group Secretary of the China Tibetology Research Center, serves as the Society’s Honorary President.