Science and Atheism, 2010 Issue 1 (General No. 63) | Marxism Research Network

Table of Contents

Editorial Foreword Persist in Promoting the Steady Development of the Cause of Atheism

Studies on the Marxist View of Religion The Communist Party Must Adhere to the Worldview of Dialectical Materialism — Tian Xinming

Discussions on Current Issues Scientific Rationality: An Essential Element of Modern University Education — Zuo Peng Several Tasks Requiring Immediate Strengthening in Xinjiang to Safeguard Social Stability and Ethnic Unity in Light of the July 5 Incident ^[1] — Liu Zhongkang We Must Dare to Publicize the Negative Influence of Religion — Tao Shilong Persisting Conceptions of Ghosts and Gods in Contemporary Rural Funerals: A Case Study of a Village in Chuzhou City, Anhui Province — Yu Longyan

Explorations in Science and Atheism The Scientific Study of Religion — Du Lei The Impact and Enlightenment of the Historical Development of Astronomy on Fundamental Conceptions — Zhao Yang

Studies on Chinese Atheism A Brief Account of the Jiang Chong Witchcraft Incident ^[2] — Zhao Guangqing

Atheism in the West Charles Bradlaugh’s A Plea for Atheism and Other Matters — Wang Zhen

International Window Reflections of Americans and Their Enlightenment for Us: Feeling the New Pulse of Scientific Rationality and Secular Humanism — Sun Qian

Analysis of Cultic Groups Attention Should Be Paid to the Destructive Factors of Emerging Cultic Groups ^[3] — Xi Wuyi On the Roots of the Proliferation of Evil Cults ^[4] in the 20th Century — Zhou Feng

News and Commentary Activity and Reporting on "Listening to Temple Bells to Pray for Blessings" Should Be De-emphasized — Yan Mingfa

Academic Information An Annual Meeting Achieving a Historic Breakthrough: A Record of the 2009 Annual Academic Meeting of the Chinese Atheism Society and the Symposium on "Atheist Research and 60 Years of New China" — Qiu Shi

Notes

↩ [1] 7.5事件 (Qī-Wǔ Shìjiàn): Refers to the July 2009 riots in Ürümqi, Xinjiang. In Chinese political discourse, this event is framed as a serious violent crime involving "three forces" (terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism), necessitating the strengthening of ethnic unity and state security measures.

↩ [2] 江充巫蛊事件 (Jiāng Chōng wūgǔ shìjiàn): The "Witchcraft Persecution" or "Wu Gu" incident of 91 BCE during the Han Dynasty. It was a political purge triggered by accusations of sorcery (specifically using buried wooden figures to curse the Emperor) which led to the death of Crown Prince Liu Ju. It is often cited in Chinese atheist scholarship as a historical example of the destructive nature of superstition.

↩ [3] 膜拜团体 (móbài tuántǐ): Literally "cultic groups" or "worship groups." In Chinese social science, this term is often used to describe high-control groups or "New Religious Movements" that are viewed as potentially destabilizing to social order or individual well-being, but which may not yet be legally classified as "evil cults."

↩ [4] 邪教 (xiéjiào): Translated as "evil cults." In the Chinese legal and political context, xiéjiào refers to heterodox teachings or organizations that the state has formally banned for "using religion" to deceive people, cause deaths, or disturb social order. While often translated as "cult," the term has a much longer history in Chinese law dating back to the imperial era to denote seditious religious movements.