Marxist Atheism: New China and the New Era — A Summary of the 2019 Annual Conference of the Chinese Atheism Society and the Tiantai Forum
From October 26 to 27, the 2019 Academic Annual Conference of the Chinese Association of Atheism and the Tiantai Forum were held in Tiantai, Zhejiang. This forum was jointly sponsored by the Chinese Association of Atheism, the Center for Studies of Science and Atheism of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), the Tiantai County Committee of the CPC, and the Party School of the Taizhou Municipal Committee of the CPC. Over 80 participants attended the meeting, including experts from nearly thirty universities and research institutions—such as CASS, the Central United Front Work Department, the Ministry of Education, Wuhan University, Nankai University, Ningxia University, People's Public Security University of China, Beijing Union University, Inner Mongolia University, Harbin University of Science and Technology, Shaanxi Normal University, Zhejiang Normal University, and the Zhejiang Institute of Socialism—as well as educators representing the Tiantai Mountain Culture Research Institute and the Party School of the Tiantai County Committee.
Gong Yun, a research fellow and Deputy Director of the Center for the Study of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics at CASS; Cao Jiaohong, a member of the Standing Committee of the Tiantai County CPC Committee and Director of its Propaganda Department; and Zhu Jiyuan, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Taizhou Municipal Party School, attended and addressed the opening ceremony. Comrade Zhu Weiqun, Director of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attended the meeting and delivered an important speech. Comrade Zhu Xiaoming, Honorary President of the Chinese Association of Atheism, delivered a keynote report titled "Atheism: The Journey of New China and the Tasks of the New Era."
I. The Development of Marxist Atheism in New China
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. At this significant historical juncture, it is necessary to review and organize the development of the cause of atheism in New China, summarizing the achievements attained and the experiences and lessons accumulated.
Zhu Xiaoming pointed out that the development of religious work and the cause of atheism in New China can be divided into two major stages: the first thirty years and the subsequent forty years. During the first thirty years, despite experiencing many twists and turns, the direction of the separation of church and state and the separation of religion and education was maintained. The destiny of Chinese religion underwent a historical transformation, including significant changes in the political outlook of religion, religious systems, and religious organizations. During the subsequent forty years, the Party first formed its basic views, policies, and guidelines regarding religious issues during the socialist period, entering a phase of actively guiding religion to adapt to socialist society. Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, guided by General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on religious issues and religious work, the Theory of Religion with Chinese Characteristics has been formed, ushering in a New Era where the key lies in "guidance" [1] and firmly grasping the initiative in religious work.
Zhu Xiaoming further noted that during seventy years of practice and exploration, there were setbacks and errors in the religious field and religious work, manifested prominently in two ways. First, during the period when "Leftist" [2] thought grew and spread, there was a tendency to see only the ideological differences between religion and ourselves while neglecting the need for unity and alliance in political action. Second, after the restoration of the policy of freedom of religious belief, another tendency emerged: neglecting the negative effects and influence caused by the overheating of religious activities and the rapid growth of believers. Markedly signaled by General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech at the National Conference on Religious Work in 2016, our Party has comprehensively and systematically summarized the successful experiences and both positive and negative historical lessons of religious work and the cause of atheism over the past 70 years. This has led to the formation and development of the Theory of Religion with Chinese Characteristics, with Xi Jinping’s important expositions on religious work and religious issues as its core essence, correcting the direction of religious work.
Gong Yun pointed out that during the 70 years of New China, and particularly since socialism with Chinese characteristics entered the New Era, successive principal leaders of the Party have attached great importance to research, publicity, and education on atheism. These efforts have played a unique role in consolidating the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological sphere, maintaining the Party’s ideological and organizational purity, and ensuring that the Party’s religious work develops in the correct direction.
Jia Runguo, a research fellow and Deputy Director of the Religious Research Center of the Central United Front Work Department, noted that over the 70 years since the founding of New China, the CPC has applied the basic tenets of Marxism-Leninism regarding religion to correctly answer religious questions of different eras, forming three major theoretical achievements. In the early years of New China, the religious question left over from the old China was: after a long period of feudal society and over a century of semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, religion in our country was steeped in colonial and feudal characteristics, and leadership was essentially not in the hands of the people. Chinese Communists, with Mao Zedong as their chief representative, led progressive figures in religious circles in anti-imperialist patriotic movements and democratic reforms of the religious system, purging the colonial and feudal nature of our country's religion. They established patriotic religious organizations under the leadership of the Party and provided socialist education for religious figures, forming Mao Zedong’s thought on religious work. In the early period of reform and opening up, the religious question left by the "Cultural Revolution" was: religious policies had been destroyed, religious work had been abolished, and normal religious beliefs and activities were suppressed. The Party Central Committee with Deng Xiaoping at its core fully restored the Party’s religious policies and comprehensively expounded the basic views and policies on religious issues, initiating the Theory of Religion with Chinese Characteristics. After the Fourth Plenary Session of the 13th CPC Central Committee, the problem of chaotic religious activities became prominent, as did the phenomenon of overseas forces using religion for infiltration. The Party Central Committee with Jiang Zemin at its core proposed managing religious affairs according to law, actively guiding religion to adapt to socialist society, and upholding the principle of independence and self-management, thereby developing the Theory of Religion with Chinese Characteristics. After the 16th CPC National Congress, the "fever" for religious culture continued to rise, and religious relations became increasingly complex. The Party Central Committee with Hu Jintao as General Secretary proposed the comprehensive implementation of the Party's basic guidelines on religious work, promoting harmony in religious relations and giving play to the positive role of religious figures and believers in promoting economic and social development, further enriching the Theory of Religion with Chinese Characteristics. Since entering the New Era, the religious problems remaining from the previous period included: the continuous growth in the number of believers, changes in the religious structure, the continuous expansion of religious influence, and increasingly prominent religious issues. Meanwhile, religious work suffered from problems such as ideological neglect, incorrect understanding, and an inability to handle the work, resulting in a phenomenon of "five oxen pulling a cart" [3] with no known direction. The Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core clearly proposed upholding and developing the Theory of Religion with Chinese Characteristics, incorporating religious governance into the national governance system, strengthening the Party's centralized and unified leadership over religious work, recalibrating the direction of religious work, and rectifying risks and chaos in the religious field. This led to historical changes and achievements in religious work, forming the New Era Thought on Religious Governance.
Associate Research Fellow Huang Yanhong of the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies provided a review of the pioneering period of Chinese Marxist religious studies (and atheism), spanning from the founding of New China to the beginning of reform and opening up. She divided the research of this period into three parts: first, the translation and introduction of Marxist-Leninist thoughts on religion and atheism; second, the interpretation of Marxist-Leninist thoughts on religion and atheism; and third, the preliminary study of religious studies and atheism using Marxism-Leninism. She argued that while these studies covered a wide range of themes and perspectives and were highly attentive to practical issues, there were imbalances. She also raised the question of how to view the relationship between academic research and ideology, arguing that one cannot deny the academic value of research simply because it has ideological coloring; the key is to integrate the ideological attributes of the philosophy and social sciences with their academic nature.
Hu Chaoyang, a teacher from Zhongyuan University of Technology, pointed out that Chinese Marxist religious studies over the past 70 years have undergone four stages: the pioneering stage, the low-ebb and recovery stage, the period of difficult development, and the stage of new opportunities in the new period. This development process is closely related to Mr. Ren Jiyu [4], who participated throughout the journey and made numerous academic contributions. Mr. Ren Jiyu’s academic research was the most direct manifestation of his active practice of the academic mission of "eliminating ignorance" through scientific atheism; he is the well-deserved pioneer and founder of Chinese Marxist religious studies.
Zhang Jiansong of the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies argued that the Sinicization of religion has undergone three stages: the stage prior to the founding of New China in 1949; the primary stage of the Sinicization of religion from 1949 to 2015; and the [current] Sinicization stage. He argued that in the process of promoting the Sinicization of religion in the New Era, it is first necessary to take Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as guidance and adhere to the Party’s guidelines on religious work. Second, it is necessary to solve prominent problems currently affecting the Sinicization of religion, such as the commercialization of religion, overseas religious infiltration, the spread of religious extremism, and the problem of "de-Sinicization." Third, a strict distinction must be made between the Sinicization of religion in our country and "indigenization" or "vernacularization" (本色化). Finally, one must insist on the Sinicization of all religions, not just those that came from abroad.
Zhang Xiaochen, a teacher from North China University of Technology, proposed that the Party and state leader Li Weihan creatively formulated the "Five Characteristics" [5] theory of religion and the idea of how to correctly handle religious contradictions in China. He noted that Li not only proposed the ideas that religion should adapt to socialism and that religion in our country should abide by national laws and regulations, but also proposed establishing a united front with religious circles and training "red" clergy. This contributed to the Sinicization of the Marxist view of religion and provided a theoretical basis for the Party and state’s religious work.
Research into the atheistic thoughts of classical Marxist writers is also an important way to mine historical intellectual resources for the development of the cause of atheism. Han Qi of the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies pointed out that Engels' atheistic thought possesses a complete philosophical structure. She emphasized Engels' dialectical materialistic mode of thinking, his determination of the essence of agnosticism and deism, his attention to theistic problems in the natural sciences, Marxist religious research, and his highly illuminating dialectical view of life and death. She argued that presenting the complete framework of the philosophical structure of Engels' atheistic thought not only helps promote research, publicity, and education on Marxist atheism but also clarifies today's developments in religion, religious research, and problems in the understanding of religion.
Associate Professor Hao Ruibin of Hebei Normal University analyzed the Marxist standpoint, viewpoint, and method embodied in Lenin's religious research. He pointed out that Lenin’s solution to the religious problem in the Soviet Union embodied the people-centered standpoint of "everything for the people and everything relying on the people," followed basic viewpoints such as social existence determining social consciousness, and was consistently permeated with dialectical materialism and the method of concrete analysis of concrete problems. Associate Professor Liu Fujun of Beijing Union University expounded on Mao Zedong’s atheistic thought. He argued that Mao’s atheistic thought centers on the denial of the existence of God and the liberation and development of humanity, as well as the correct handling of the relationship between atheism and theism and between atheists and theists, which can be summarized into ten aspects. He emphasized that incorporating the issue of religious belief into the "correct handling of contradictions among the people" was an important creative contribution by Mao Zedong.
II. The Mission of Marxist Atheism in the New Era
General Secretary Xi Jinping has stated that "The era is the paper-setter, we are the examinees, and the people are the examiners." Research, publicity, and education on atheism in the New Era also face various questions posed by the times. How should we complete this exam and answer these questions well?
Research Fellow Tian Xinming of the Ministry of Education’s Center for Social Science Research in Higher Education pointed out that constructing "systematic disciplinary theories and concepts" for the discipline, as mentioned by General Secretary Xi Jinping, is an important task for the development of atheism as a discipline and a requirement for constructing an all-round, all-field, and all-element system of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics. He argued that compiling the Introduction to Marxist Atheism could serve as an important handle for completing this task. This is a work of "integration" and "assembly," a kind of "independent innovation" and "comprehensive innovation." Marxism must be taken as the guiding ideology, theoretical basis, and methodological foundation. The object of study for the discipline of atheism is the objective socio-historical phenomenon wherein a godless material world produces theistic ideas and the opposing atheistic thoughts. Adhering to seeking truth from facts and combining the basic principles of Marxism with concrete reality is our basic principle for constructing the discipline of atheism with Chinese characteristics. The construction of the discipline of atheism with Chinese characteristics must adhere to the method of contradiction analysis and be problem-oriented.
Zhu Xiaoming argued that the 70-year history of the development of the cause of atheism offers several enlightenments: atheism is not only the "red gene" of the Communist Party’s revolutionary spirit and revolutionary culture, but also the spiritual advantage that allowed New China to stand up, become prosperous, and grow strong; furthermore, it is a grand principle for achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation in the New Era. In the New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, we must uphold atheism as an ideological foundation and spiritual pillar, ensuring it occupies a dominant position that permeates and covers the entire situation. The development of modern science and technology, artificial intelligence, and the internet has posed challenges to the propagation of atheism. Compared with the rapid development of the Chinese path and the constant emergence of new circumstances and problems in the spiritual realm, academic research into Marxist religious studies and atheism still lags behind reality. We require new theoretical breakthroughs.
Gong Yun argued that in the New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, we must draw lessons from both the positive and negative aspects of the 70-year development of atheism in New China. We must fully implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on upholding the grand principle of Marxist atheism, improve the academic level of atheism research, and summarize the historical experience of atheism propaganda and education in both world and Chinese history. We must handle the relationship between atheism propaganda and religious work steadily, carry forward the fighting spirit, master the art of struggle, and improve our fighting skills [6]. This is essential to fundamentally consolidate the dominant position of Marxist atheism in the field of mainstream ideology, unite the broad masses closely around the Party, and strive together for the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Xi Wuyi, research fellow and Vice Chairperson and Secretary-General of the China Association for Atheism, proposed that Marxist atheism is the inheritance and development of modern Enlightenment thinkers and humanistic atheism; it is the advanced form of the development of scientific atheism. It possesses three important characteristics: the theory of the historical materialist conception of history, the practice of the scientific socialist movement, and a constantly evolving scientific spirit. Marxist atheism is the philosophical foundation of the Core Socialist Values system. Strengthening the research, propaganda, and education of scientific atheism is an important component of strengthening socialist ideology. Scientific atheism is a happy way of life and an important path toward building a harmonious society. So long as scientific atheism is thorough, it will inevitably lead to a rational social system. The education and propaganda of scientific atheism must formulate corresponding programs and strategies and be integrated into the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era. Maintaining Marxist atheism as the mainstream ideology and ensuring it occupies the dominant position in the thoughts of the masses is the guiding principle for the development of scientific atheism in the New Era.
Zhao Wenhong, Secretary of the Institute of World Religions at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, expounded on the relationship between the Sinicization of religion and the freedom of religious belief. He pointed out that the Sinicization of religion means that religions in China identify with China, Chinese culture, and the Chinese nation, adapt to Chinese society, and absorb and integrate into Chinese culture. The boundary of freedom of religious belief is that it must not harm the legitimate interests of other citizens, society, or the state. He further noted that we should face the reality that there indeed exist phenomena within our country's religions that harm national and public interests; if left unchecked, religion could cause massive damage to national and public interests in the future. Theoretically and from historical experience, the Sinicization of religion is an effective way to reduce the harm religion causes to national and public interests and to better utilize the positive role of religion in society. Therefore, the Sinicization of religion is both the boundary of religious freedom and the guarantee for the survival and development of religion.
Professor Zuo Peng of the University of Science and Technology Beijing organized and answered several practical questions that need to be addressed in the education of the Marxist view of religion in universities. He pointed out that answering the practical questions that university students care about but do not clearly understand is a basic requirement for enhancing the affinity and target-orientation of education. The first question is: Are Chinese people the only ones in the world who do not believe in religion? His answer was that in today's world, China is not the only place with non-believers, and religion is by no means an "anthropological constant." Historically, China was a country where polytheism and atheism coexisted, but no religion ever occupied the dominant position in Chinese thought and culture; this is our tradition and our advantage. The second question is: Can only religion solve the crisis of social morality? The answer is that while religion can play a certain positive role in the construction of social morality, we cannot pin our hopes for solving the moral crisis on the development of religion. The third question is: Can only religion provide the meaning of life? The answer is that while religion can indeed provide meaning to life at certain times, the meaning it provides is illusory. The fourth question is: Why do some scientists also believe in religion? The answer is that while it is true some scientists hold religious beliefs, this cannot be taken as a basis for the beliefs of others.
Ideological security is an important aspect of national security. Xinjiang is the main battlefield and frontline in our country’s struggle against separatism and terrorism. Professor Dai Jicheng of the People's Public Security University of China argued that Xinjiang has explored a set of governance methods and paths for extremism, including: clearing the source (zhèngběn qīngyuán) [7] and consolidating the ideological foundation for governing religious extremism; "speaking out and brandishing the sword" (fāshēng liàngjiàn) [8] to set off a broad movement for the liberation of thought; governing Xinjiang according to the law to fortify the legal basis against extremism; strictly governing the Party to dig out the "black hands" and "protective umbrellas" behind the scenes of extremist forces; and treating both the symptoms and the root causes to eradicate the breeding ground of extremism. These measures have significant practical importance and historical value.
Professor Ren Xinli of Xinjiang Normal University, addressing the erosion and infiltration of religious extremism in Xinjiang's ideological sphere, argued that strengthening Marxist atheist education in the New Era is of extreme importance for consolidating the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field, consolidating the common ideological basis for the united struggle of all ethnic groups in the region, implementing the strategy of governing the country according to law, achieving the general goal of Xinjiang work, and curbing religious de-radicalization. We must use the ideological weapon of Marxist atheism to conduct an ideological struggle with a clear banner, resolutely resisting and refuting the fallacies spread by the "Two Pan-isms" [9] and the "Three Forces" [10] regarding Xinjiang’s history, ethnicity, and religion, so as to clear the source, strengthen the foundation, and safeguard ideological security.
Li Weijian, a research fellow at the Institute of World Religions of the CASS, argued that under the leadership of the Party, by governing Xinjiang according to the law, relying on the masses, and striking at the "Three Forces" through comprehensive measures, the task of treating the symptoms in Xinjiang has been basically completed. Moreover, the anti-terrorism and de-radicalization work in Xinjiang has given the people of Xinjiang and the whole country a new understanding of Xinjiang’s history and reality, enhanced everyone's patriotism and sense of ethnic unity, and played a landmark role in guiding the Sinicization of religion, which is of positive significance for forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation. However, Xinjiang will still face the threat of the "Three Forces" for a long time to come; the situation remains grim, and the task of anti-terrorism and de-radicalization has a long way to go. The content of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics is rich and colorful; secular, atheistic, and scientific culture are important aspects of it. Only cultural identification with socialism with Chinese characteristics is the ultimate means of solving the problem of the "Three Forces" in Xinjiang.
In recent years, the term "Gray Rhino" has often been used to denote risks that are so common that people become accustomed to them—a metaphor for a high-probability potential crisis with a huge impact. Associate Professor Wang Qichang of the Inner Mongolia University of Finance and Economics analyzed the "Gray Rhino" risks in our country's ideological field reflected in Xi Wuyi’s Weibo [11] posts. He pointed out that government departments at all levels need to stand at the height of defending ideological security, face up to the huge risks inherent in the current ethnic and religious fields, and simultaneously strengthen Central Inspections and encourage social supervision to solve problems in these fields in a timely manner, thereby neutralizing risks.
Professor Chen Yongsheng of Zhejiang Normal University proposed several research topics and directions for effort from a practical level regarding the psychological issues of atheist education for different age groups in the New Era. He proposed that atheist education in childhood should focus on excavating, organizing, and processing the legacy of "primitive atheism" in ancient Chinese mythology, using contemporary forms that children enjoy to subtly influence and infect the child's psyche. Atheist education in adolescence should focus on the organic integration of mental health education and scientific atheist thought, giving full play to the synergistic functions of mental health professionals and ideological and moral teachers. Atheist education in middle age should be alert to the spread of a religious psychological atmosphere in foreign-funded and other non-public enterprises during the process of expanding opening up, taking effective measures to consolidate and strengthen Core Socialist Values. Atheist education in old age should effectively utilize positive psychological resources in the community, using positive examples of teaching by word and deed to vigorously promote advanced socialist culture and scientific thought.
For a long time, the handling of the Catholic issue in our country has been unable to bypass the Vatican, which is also a major factor affecting the process of the Sinicization of Catholicism in China. Associate Professor Kong Chenyan of the Zhejiang Institute of Socialism analyzed the Vatican’s international diplomatic identity. He argued that the Vatican leads the world's largest and most organized religious transnational actor. The religious nature of the Vatican challenges state sovereignty and thus state authority; the moral authority it utilizes also challenges the ideology of many countries in the world. We should view it as a religious moral authority among transnational actors rather than a sovereign state.
III. Scientific Atheism, Civilized Rural Customs, and Social Governance
As the mainstream social ideology, Marxist atheism must occupy the dominant position in the thoughts of the masses; as a grand principle, it needs to permeate every aspect of social life in our country. Whether it is the governance of cults or the construction of civilized rural customs, scientific atheism is indispensable.
As a form of theistic thought and practice, cults still possess a considerable degree of social harm in current society. Fan Baoxiang’s team at the Center for the Study of Cults and Religious Culture at Beijing Union University conducted systematic research on the governance of cults. By identifying the main characteristics of cults and using case analysis, they analyzed the evil nature of certain cult organizations around the world, arguing that solving ideological understanding problems at the source is the top priority for preventing and governing cults. Of course, the prevention and governance of cults is an international social comprehensive governance issue as well as a problem left over from history. Therefore, to more effectively prevent, resist, and govern cults, it must be analyzed from the perspective of the social governance system. Through an analysis of successful cases of the Chinese government's governance of cults, Fan Baoxiang and others pointed out that the governance of cults must be legalized and socialized, while also strengthening the education and guidance of young people. Xue Peng pointed out that in the environment of internet popularization, the trend of cults spreading by leveraging the web cannot be underestimated. Using comprehensive cult websites as examples to study the propagation methods of cults, he excavated the characteristics of cult propagation in the internet environment and proposed a governance plan for cyber-cults targeting the online public.
Professor Tu Jianhua of Hunan City University pointed out that religion and cults share the same idealist ideological foundation and metaphysical methodology; their difference lies in the legal sense. It is precisely in the sense of law-abiding versus law-breaking that religion strives to clear its relationship with cults, while cults do everything possible to attach themselves to, borrow from, and pose as religions. Therefore, managing religion according to the law not only prevents religion from turning into a cult but also removes cults attached to religion and subsequently strikes at them.
Professor Chen Qingping and others from the Center for the Study of Cults and Social Psychological Problems at Shaanxi Normal University explored long-term methods for the community psychological rehabilitation and education of cult members by conducting semi-structured interviews and mental health questionnaires with 10 staff members and 10 cult members across 10 communities in a certain city. The study argued that even after short-term educational transformation, cult members still suffer from psychological problems such as poor attention, insomnia, and anxiety. Experiments proved that some methods have long-term effects on the psychological rehabilitation of cult members, including using cognitive therapy as the basic method for transforming cult concepts, individual counseling and group guidance as in-depth and mutual-aid methods, family strategic therapy as a three-dimensional and dynamic method, and online health services as a broad and supportive method.
The construction of civilized rural customs is an important part of the Rural Revitalization Strategy. The "Hehe" (Harmonious) Culture of Mount Tiantai is a component of China's excellent traditional culture. Scientific atheism can play a foundational ideological role in discovering positive and healthy content within it, cultivating good and civilized rural customs, and achieving the "creative transformation and innovative development" of excellent traditional culture.
Xu Shangshu, Vice Chairman of the Zhejiang Tiantai Mountain Culture Research Institute, pointed out that within the Hehe [12] folk culture of Taizhou—particularly regarding the relationship between humanity and nature—there exists a certain degree of mysticism; however, these folk rituals also manifest the people’s aspirations for a safe, beautiful, and happy life. Guided by the Socialist Core Values [13], through the "transformation of customs" (yifeng yisu) [14], we can excavate and organize ideological resources within folk culture—especially those pertaining to harmony between humanity and society—allowing the contemporary value of these traditions to play a role in the construction of rural cultural civility (xiangfeng wenming) [15]. Xu Yong'en elaborated on the role of Hehe culture in building rural cultural civility from three perspectives: the origins and spiritual core of Hehe culture, the status of Hehe culture within the deep consciousness of rural residents, and the traditional genetic markers of rural Hehe culture.
Wang Tailong, Deputy Director of the Propaganda Department of the Tiantai County CPC Committee, analyzed certain problems arising in the process of the inheritance and development of clan culture in the new period, such as the breeding of feudal superstition and outdated "stale habits" (chengui louxi). He proposed that we must discard harmful customs and feudal dross, while guiding and rationally utilizing the civilized achievements within various forms of excellent clan culture. Yao Junping, Vice President of the Tiantai County Party School, proposed relying on Tiantai's excellent traditional cultural and tourism resources to organize collective student travel. By having students leave campus for group study and residency, they can broaden their horizons, enrich their knowledge, and deepen their proximity to nature and culture; this "study-travel" model can then bolster rural revitalization, promote the sale of agricultural products, expand income growth points, and provide targeted assistance for achieving prosperity. Zhang Mizhen, a teacher at the Tiantai County Party School, used Lingxi Village in Tiantai, Zhejiang, as a research sample. Through field investigation and empirical analysis of the village's traditional cultural resources, and the interpretation of its local customs and humanistic traditions, she reflected on the social significance and contemporary value of rural revitalization, further discussing the reshaping of rural cultural civility in the New Era.
Zhang Wenzhong, also a teacher at the Tiantai County Party School, argued that rural material economy and spiritual civilization (jingshen wenming) [16] need coordinated development. The construction of rural cultural civility is the "soul" of rural revitalization and serves as its important driving force and "software" foundation; therefore, rural revitalization must be organically integrated with rural governance, ensuring the two move in the same direction and promote each other. Teacher Shi Huaichun argued that by combining the construction of rural cultural civility with "autonomy, the rule of law, and the rule of virtue" [17], a specific carrier and "handle" (zhuashou) [18] can be found for this work. Wang Changyin, a member of the Propaganda Committee of the Shifeng Sub-district in Tiantai County, analyzed the practice of building rural cultural civility and rural civilized governance. He proposed seizing the key elements of contemporary rural governance to find the direction for rural governance and development in the New Era, thereby promoting the comprehensive upgrading of agriculture, the comprehensive progress of the countryside, and the comprehensive development of farmers.
In his concluding remarks, Jia Runguo pointed out that the future of religious governance will inevitably deepen toward "addressing root causes" (zhiben). In this regard, the role of atheist propaganda and education must be exercised. Religion has two "roots": one is theism, and the other is the religious believer. Correspondingly, there are two methods for religious governance: one is to strengthen atheist propaganda, and the other is to promote the Sinicization of religion. Atheist propaganda remains oriented toward the general public, helping people establish a scientific worldview, outlook on life, and values, which can "transform" (hua) and reduce the religious problem as a whole. The Sinicization of religion is oriented toward the religious masses, guiding them to be patriotic, law-abiding, ethical, and honest contributors to society, which can "transform" and improve the quality of religious believers. These are, in fact, the two key points of religious governance thought in the New Era: adhering to Marxist atheism is the grand principle, and adhering to the direction of the Sinicization of religion is the general requirement. Scholars who love the research and education of Marxist atheism should increase their study of the theism of various religions and the laws of its dissemination, conducting more targeted atheist propaganda to contribute to religious governance in the New Era.
Since its founding in 1978, the Chinese Atheism Society has traversed 41 years. Its journal, Science and Atheism, has been published continuously for 20 years, featuring over a thousand articles by more than 900 scholars and experts. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of its founding and to encourage academic research in the field of scientific atheism, Science and Atheism selected and commended 45 outstanding authors (see page 49 of this issue for the list). Zhu Xiaoming, Honorary President of the Chinese Atheism Society, and Zhang Xinying, Director of the journal, presented awards to the outstanding authors in attendance. During the meeting, the Chinese Atheism Society also held a council meeting, electing Fan Jianxin, a researcher from the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), as the President of the Fifth Council.