Science and Atheism, No. 6, 2010 (General Issue No. 68) | Marxism Research Network

Science and Atheism, Issue 6, 2010 (General Issue No. 68)

Table of Contents

Editorial The Role of Propagating Atheism

Special Features Speech at the Symposium on the Publication of the Collected Works of Ren Jiyu on Religion — Zhuo Xinping ^[1] An Examination of “Religious Freedom” in the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 — Wen Ding

Studies in the Marxist View of Religion Engels’ Contributions to the Marxist View of Religion (Part II) — Wang Xiaoyan The Importance of Heeding Marx’s Critique of Religious Teleology: On J.B. Foster’s Research into Marx’s “Doctoral Dissertation” — Chen Xueming ^[2]

Discussion of Issues On the Principles and Responses of Scientific Atheist Education in Universities: With an Analysis of the Characteristics of Religious Perspectives among University Students in Xinjiang — Li Jiansheng ^[3] Research on the Causes of and Countermeasures for Religious Belief among Ethnic Minority University Students in Current Higher Education — Iliham Yasen Several Issues to Note in Carrying out Atheist Ideological Propaganda and Education in Multi-ethnic and Multi-religious Regions — Qi Fujuan The Implicit Form of Religious Infiltration into Universities: Cultural Proselytization — Zuo Peng ^[4] The Contest Between Science and Superstition in Cyberspace — Tao Shilong

Explorations in Science and Atheism How Dawkins Defends Atheism — Chen Rongxia God is a Delusion: A Review of Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion

Atheism in the West Bruno Bauer’s Critique of the Synoptic Gospels and Other Works: Selected Classical Readings No. 15 — Wang Zhen ^[5]

International Perspective Is the Developmental Trend of Religion in the Contemporary World Growing Increasingly Strong? A Challenge from the Perspective of New Atheists — Xi Wuyi

Analysis of Cultic Groups The Concept, Characteristics, and Disposal of “Evil Cults” in Chinese History — Yan Ruixue ^[6]

News and Commentary Treat the Words of Celebrities with Skepticism — He Liang

Notes

↩ [1] 任继愈 (Rèn Jìyù): A preeminent 20th-century Chinese scholar of philosophy, religion, and history. He was a pioneer in applying Marxist historical materialism to the study of Chinese Buddhism and Daoism and famously argued that Confucianism functioned as a religion in imperial China.

↩ [2] J.B. 福斯特 (J.B. Fúsìtè): Refers to John Bellamy Foster, a prominent American Marxist sociologist and editor of Monthly Review. The article discusses Foster's influential ecological reading of Marx, specifically how Marx's early engagement with Epicurean materialism in his dissertation provided a foundation for his later critique of religious and teleological views of nature.

↩ [3] 新疆 (Xīnjiāng): The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwest China. In the context of 2010 (following the 2009 Ürümqi riots), academic discussions regarding religion in Xinjiang universities were heavily focused on maintaining the secular nature of education and preventing the rise of religious extremism and ethnic separatism.

↩ [4] 渗透 (shèntòu): "Infiltration." In CPC discourse, this term specifically refers to the perceived efforts by foreign forces or religious organizations to exert influence within China's domestic institutional spaces (like schools) to subvert secular state ideology or the Marxist educational monopoly.

↩ [5] 布鲁诺·鲍威尔 (Bùlǔnuò Bào’ěr): Bruno Bauer (1809–1882), a Young Hegelian and former mentor to Karl Marx. He is a significant figure in the history of Marxist atheism for his radical historical-critical analysis of the New Testament, which influenced the early development of Marx and Engels' critique of religion.

↩ [6] 邪教 (xiéjiào): Usually translated as "evil cults" or "heterodox teachings." While the term has roots in imperial Chinese legal codes used to suppress millenarian movements that threatened dynastic stability, in modern PRC law, it refers to organizations that misuse religion or qigong to deceive members and disrupt social order (e.g., Falun Gong). Use of the term "disposal" (处置 chǔzhì) indicates state-led administrative or legal suppression.