The 6th National Congress of the Chinese Atheism Society and the 2023 Annual Academic Conference Convene in Beijing
In order to deeply study and implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the CPC, and to further implement the spirit of the National Conference on Religious Work held in 2016 and 2021, the 6th Membership Representative Assembly of the Chinese Association of Atheism and the 2023 Academic Annual Meeting were held in Beijing from June 10–11. This conference was hosted by the Chinese Association of Atheism, the Institute of Marxism Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), and the Center for Science and Atheism Research of CASS, and co-organized by the editorial board of Science and Atheism. The theme of the conference was "Atheism Propaganda and Education in Rural Areas in the New Era."
Gong Yun, Researcher, Party Committee Secretary and Deputy Director of the Institute of Finance of CASS, Vice President of the 5th Council of the Chinese Association of Atheism, and Director of the Center for Science and Atheism Research of CASS, delivered the opening speech. Fan Jianxin, Party Committee Secretary and Deputy Director of the Institute of Political Science of CASS and President of the 5th Council of the Chinese Association of Atheism, presented the work report of the 5th Council. He Xinyuan, Deputy Director of the Department of Marxism Sinicization Research at the Institute of Marxism Studies of CASS, presided over the opening ceremony.
In his speech, Gong Yun noted that 2023 marks the 60th anniversary of Comrade Mao Zedong’s important instruction (pishi) [1] titled "Strengthen the Research on Religious Issues." He stated that holding the 6th Membership Representative Assembly of the Chinese Association of Atheism and the 2023 Academic Annual Meeting here today is both a commemoration of Comrade Mao Zedong’s important instruction and an expression of high respect for the elder generation of pioneers in Marxist atheism research, such as Mr. Ren Jiyu [2]. Today, representatives from across the country have gathered to elect the new council and leadership of the Chinese Association of Atheism. Simultaneously, scholars from various research fields have converged in Beijing to contribute ideas and strategies for atheism propaganda and education in rural areas in the New Era.
President Fan Jianxin, representing the 5th Council of the Chinese Association of Atheism, delivered the work report to the 6th Membership Representative Assembly. He pointed out that since the 5th Membership Representative Assembly in December 2018, the Association has witnessed a series of major celebratory events, including the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the centenary of the CPC, the successful completion of the task of poverty alleviation, the comprehensive building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and the victorious convening of the 20th National Congress. During this period, under the firm leadership of the governing bodies and with the strong support of all members and directors, the Association’s work has developed steadily. Notable achievements, and in some areas significant breakthroughs, have been made in atheism discipline building [3], theoretical research, atheism propaganda and education, the containment of extreme religious ideological trends, and the provision of policy advice (zizheng jianyan) [4].
Following the opening ceremony, the Assembly held elections for the leadership of the Chinese Association of Atheism. First, members from across the country elected the directors of the 6th Council of the Chinese Association of Atheism. Subsequently, the directors of the 6th Council elected the leadership and executive directors. Gong Yun was elected President; Wang Zhen, Wang Yueqing, Lv Jianfu, Song Yuehong, He Xinyuan, Gu Guanghai, Huang Chao, Peng Wuqing, Zeng Chuanhui, and Dai Jicheng were elected Vice Presidents; and Huang Yanhong was elected Secretary-General. Newly elected President Gong Yun stated that he would shoulder this mission, uniting and leading Marxist atheism researchers and propaganda/education workers nationwide to strengthen and expand the cause of Chinese atheism, ensuring the Chinese Association of Atheism plays its proper role.
During the keynote report session, Zhu Xiaoming, Honorary President of the Chinese Association of Atheism and former Party Group Secretary of the China Tibetology Research Center, shared several reflections on upholding and propagating Marxist atheism. First, upholding Marxist atheism is a fundamental principle. Second, one must always maintain the dominant position of Marxist atheism as the mainstream ideology in the minds of the masses. Third, fully implement the Party’s basic policy on religious work. Fourth, properly handle the relationship between "freedom of religious belief and ideological struggle." Fifth, strengthen Marxist atheism propaganda in a targeted manner.
Tian Xinming, Consultant to the Chinese Association of Atheism and former Director of the Social Sciences Center of the Ministry of Education, discussed the primary questions in atheism research: What is Marxist atheism, and how should it be treated? He argued that only Marxist atheism constitutes "scientific atheism" in the social science sense. The relationship between Marxist atheism and the discipline of atheism is that of a guiding ideology to a disciplinary, academic, and discourse system [5] guided by it. Research and discipline building in atheism should involve a "division of labor without separation" from religious studies, closely monitoring and participating in the research and development of religious studies while remaining committed to constructing its own discipline and promoting the cause of atheism.
Jia Runguo, a member of the Academic Advisory Committee of the Center for Science and Atheism Research of CASS and Deputy Director of the Religious Research Center of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, pointed out that the current mission of Marxist atheism research in the New Era is to construct the "Three Systems" [6] of New Era Marxist atheism. First, clarify that Marxist atheism is a foundational discipline of Marxist religious studies and an interdisciplinary field between Marxist religious studies and philosophy. Second, construct a "disciplinary system" based on the practical needs of Marxist atheism education. Third, construct an "academic system" based on the reality of religious and atheistic developments domestically and internationally. Fourth, construct a "discourse system" for Marxist atheism.
Professor Gu Guanghai, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of Xinjiang University, and Director of the Base for Forging a Sense of Community for the Chinese Nation, defined theoretically the concept of "adapting religion to socialist society." He then analyzed several prominent issues where religion remains incompatible with socialist society and concluded with suggestions on how to guide religion toward such adaptation.
In the concluding phase of the conference, Jia Runguo noted that the next task is to further explore the construction of the "Three Systems" for Marxist atheism in the New Era. Professor Li Shen remarked, "We can now say one thing: someone is finally speaking up for atheism!" He pointed out that atheism is the ideological foundation of Marxism and the ideological foundation of Communist Party members; therefore, the atheistic stance must be steadfastly maintained. While the cause has seen great development, given the current international and domestic situation, rapid development in the short term remains difficult. Atheism research, propaganda, and education constitute a long-term and arduous undertaking; we must hold our ground and prepare for a persistent defense over the long term. He expressed his hope that in this battle—analogous to the "Battle of Triangle Hill" (Shangganling) [7] in the spiritual realm—none of the colleagues present would fall behind or retreat.
During the expert presentation phase, participating scholars conducted in-depth discussions on themes such as "Theory and Practice of Rural Atheism Propaganda and Education in the New Era," "History and Experience of Atheism Propaganda and Education in China and Abroad," "Basic Theory of Marxist Atheism," "Chinese Civilization and Atheism," "Discipline Building of Marxist Religious Studies," "Religious Governance," "The Party’s Religious Work," "Research on Anti-Cultism," and the "History of Atheism in China and Abroad."
More than 90 representatives attended the meeting from the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, the Central Institute of Socialism, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and various universities including Xinjiang University, Nankai University, Wuhan University, and the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as Party schools and departments of religious affairs.