Building on Past Achievements and Forging Ahead to Create a New Situation for the Cause of Scientific Atheism: A Summary of the 2013 Annual Academic Conference of the Chinese Atheism Society
From August 18–19, 2013, the Fourth Membership Representative Conference and the 2013 Academic Annual Meeting of the Chinese Atheism Society were held in Beijing. The theme of this year's conference was "The Historical Mission of Carrying Forward the Cause of Scientific Atheism." Jointly hosted by the Chinese Atheism Society and the Institute for the Study of Science and Atheism at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), the meeting was attended by more than 80 experts and scholars from across the country. Participants engaged in heated discussions on topics such as Marxism and atheism, atheistic education, and resisting overseas religious infiltration and religious extremism.
I. The Historical Mission of Carrying Forward the Cause of Scientific Atheism
Researcher Xi Wuyi, Vice President and Secretary-General of the Chinese Atheism Society, delivered a work report on behalf of the third Council titled "Carrying Forward the Past and Opening Up the Future: Striving to Create a New Situation for the Cause of Scientific Atheism." She noted that, under the high degree of importance attached by the Party Central Committee, the cause of scientific atheism in China has steadily advanced through two important historical periods of opportunity. At present, the Project to Study and Build Marxist Theory has designated scientific atheism as a "threatened discipline" [1] receiving priority support, and disciplinary development has taken solid steps forward. However, the situation we face remains far from optimistic, and our tasks are arduous. First, cultural infiltration by international right-wing religious forces poses a serious threat to our national security. There are three primary forces: Tibet-independence separatist forces led by the Dalai clique; "East Turkestan" separatist forces operating under the banner of Islam; and American Christian neo-conservative forces. Second, a vital and urgent strategic task at present is to uphold the separation of education and religion, resisting the use of religion by overseas forces to infiltrate universities and preventing campus proselytization. Finally, to respond to the severe domestic and international situation, it is imperative to develop the discipline of scientific atheism. Nevertheless, the overall state of the discipline remains suboptimal, with a dearth of professional research institutions and a serious shortage of research personnel. Therefore, contemporary workers in scientific atheism have a heavy burden and a long road ahead. Strengthening the discipline will be a long-term strategic task, with the cultivation of high-quality professional talent being the most urgent core link.
Researcher Zhu Xiaoming, the newly appointed President of the Chinese Atheism Society, noted in his address that the Society's work will continue along the path of scientific atheism research, publicity, and education pioneered by Mr. Ren Jiyu [2]. Atheism is rooted in human labor and praxis; it is the ideological foundation of the dialectical materialist and historical materialist worldviews, the logical premise of beliefs in scientific socialism and communism, and the spiritual "base color" of Chinese Communists. Xi Jinping clearly pointed out: "Ideals and convictions are the spiritual 'calcium' of Communists. If their ideals and convictions are firm, they will be strong-boned; if they lack ideals and convictions, or if these are shaky, they will suffer from a 'calcium deficiency' in spirit, leading to 'rickets'." This provides us with an important ideological and political weapon for conducting research and publicity on atheism. In our future work, we must smooth the channels of communication with relevant Party and government departments to create a better external environment for the Society's work. Through the collective efforts of the Society, we must provide ideological and theoretical weapons and create a climate of public opinion to resist religious infiltration, "cultural proselytization," the rampancy of cults, and the virulence of Tibet-independence and Xinjiang-independence forces. We must change the abnormal situation in certain fields and localities of our socialist country led by the Communist Party where "theism has its speakers, but atheism has none."
Deng Chundong, Director and Party Secretary of the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies, delivered a speech on behalf of the supervisory department. He warmly congratulated the successful formation of the new Council and pointed out that while the cause of atheistic research is of great importance, its current state is worrying. The new Council needs to face this situation squarely, uniting atheism researchers and publicists nationwide to further the work of promoting the scientific spirit. The new Council should also take as its direction the task of helping the whole of society establish firm Marxist convictions and faith in the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. While conducting academic research and exchanges, the Society should also pay attention to and intervene in social life to foster a positive social atmosphere.
Comrade Zhu Weiqun, former Executive Vice Minister of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), delivered an important speech at the opening ceremony. He pointed out that the worldview of the governing party is dialectical materialism and historical materialism, and atheism is the starting point and cornerstone of our worldview. Chinese culture possesses a deep and highly distinctive atheistic tradition that we must excavate, uphold, and promote to serve the construction of the Chinese people's spiritual world under new historical conditions. It is precisely because of this tradition that, although various religions have been active throughout Chinese history, China has never become a religious state but has remained a secular state. Chinese religion itself is rich in a Chinese-style "earthly character" [3]. This is a major reason why our Party, as an atheistic party, was able to emerge so naturally from among the Chinese people, gain their long-term support, overcome various difficulties, and achieve victory—and remain in power long after that victory. However, today, various anti-scientific and anti-rational phenomena involving "supernatural charlatanism" [4] are intensifying, necessitating a cleanup at the source of the worldview. Behind these ignorant and anti-scientific behaviors, there are often certain Party members, cadres, and even leading officials adding fuel to the fire. As long as we do not settle accounts with these strange and chaotic phenomena from a philosophical height, and as long as historical materialist atheism does not become the guiding ideology for the majority—or at least for our governing party—to understand the world, we will never be able to build a modern country where science flourishes. Therefore, upholding atheism is a requirement for the governing party's own self-construction. At the same time, we must be adept at educating and publicizing to the masses. Our persistence only has meaning if atheistic theory is truly accepted by the majority of the masses and can be consciously applied to social practice.
Researcher Du Jiyuen, Academic Advisor to the Chinese Atheism Society, delivered a keynote speech. He pointed out that notions such as a "crisis of faith" or a "desert of faith," or the idea that we need to integrate into a "faithful China," are artificially manufactured and do not originate from China. China does not have that type of "faith" [5] but does have ideals, known as the "Great Harmony" [6], which is what Xi Jinping refers to as the "Chinese Dream." Humanism, which the West only discovered during the Renaissance and especially the Enlightenment, is a deeply rooted national tradition in China. Therefore, what China lacks is neither faith nor morality, but science. The Chinese tradition is not closed; Christianity has been repeatedly rejected because its dogmas are largely incompatible with our humanist tradition, whereas modern Western science, technology, and rationality have been widely studied and absorbed by us. Freedom of religious belief is the fundamental policy of the Party and the state in handling religious issues and is a civil right stipulated by the Constitution. Currently, certain "Christian public intellectuals" have been attacking our Constitution for years; their core aim is to attempt to elevate religious belief—a private matter for individual citizens—into a public affair, serving the socio-political goal of "Christians in power." The most important and urgent task facing scientific atheism today is to counter "cultural proselytization"—that is, religious infiltration carried out under the guise of culture and academia. Effectively implementing legislation on the "separation of education and religion" to maintain the gravity of the Constitution and the law will be a relatively effective measure for solving such problems. The "occupation of China by Christianity" is a "movement" initiated by the United States a century ago; religious infiltration is its current primary manifestation, and "cultural proselytization" is the most dangerous form of that infiltration.
II. Marxism and Atheism
Researcher Tian Xinming of the Center for the Development of Social Science Research in Higher Education Institutions under the Ministry of Education pointed out that "atheism" is the premise of all Marxist theory. Marx and Engels were staunch atheists, but they did not merely repeat the exposition of "atheism"; they dedicated themselves to advancing it. Marx said: "The criticism of religion is the prerequisite of all criticism." To accurately grasp the position of atheistic thought in Marxism, one must see it as the starting point of the historical development of Marxism and the cornerstone at the base of the edifice of Marxist theory. Therefore, upholding atheistic thought does not necessarily make one a Marxist; but failing to uphold atheistic thought certainly makes one a non-Marxist. To abandon atheistic thought while calling oneself a Marxist is necessarily "fake Marxism." Only by upholding and yet transcending "atheism"—using the scientific Marxist worldview to reveal the essence, origins, social role, and laws of development and eventual withering away of religion—can one be a true Marxist. In applying Marxism to guide practice, we must place the upholding of atheism and the opposition to theism in their proper positions, neither exaggerating nor diminishing or denying them.
Professor He Husheng of Renmin University of China pointed out that the requirement that Communist Party members must not believe in religion is the inevitable result of the CPC combining the principle of ideological Party building with China's specific national conditions and Party circumstances; it is a religious policy with the characteristics of CPC "Party spirit" (dangxing). The fundamental opposition between religious belief and communist belief in terms of worldview is the ideological basis of this policy; the CPC Constitution, Party regulations, and relevant provisions are its disciplinary basis; the consistent requirements throughout the long history of revolution, construction, and reform are its historical basis; and the negative influence on the Party caused by a small number of religious members is its practical basis. Therefore, we must unswervingly uphold the policy that Party members may not believe in religion and maintain its consistency and firmness. Of course, drawing a clear line of demarcation regarding ideological belief and adhering to the non-religious policy for Party members is based on maintaining the Party's advanced nature and purity, consolidating the ideological foundation of the Party's governance, and enhancing the Party's cohesion and combat effectiveness; it is by no means about being "anti-religion" or even "eliminating religion."
Associate Professor Huang Chao of Wuhan University noted that in recent years, the domestic academic community has paid particular attention to Marx's "On the Jewish Question," published in the Deutsch-Französische Jahrbücher in 1844, during discussions on the Marxist view of religion. Surprisingly, however, for a long time, relevant passages in this work were interpreted by some domestic scholars as advocating "violent means" for dealing with religion. The fact is that the "violent means" theory is a crucial misreading and "blackening" [7] of the Marxist view of religion. On the one hand, in the text of "On the Jewish Question," the vulgar understanding of "violent means" is not only not Marx's position but is precisely the "political drama" [8] without results that Marx rejected. On the other hand, in The Holy Family, Marx restates the core views of "On the Jewish Question" and further explicitly criticizes the "terrorist attitude of the French Revolution toward religion," viewing the use of violence against religion as a "terrorist mist." Some may feel that Marx's attitude toward religious issues seems self-contradictory: advocating "thorough" atheism on one hand, while being "tolerant" of religion on the other. In fact, Marx's views are direct and inevitable conclusions derived from dialectical materialism.
III. The Problem of Atheistic Education
Atheistic education was a focus of this annual meeting. Discussions covered atheistic education in a general sense, atheistic education in universities, and atheistic education within the military.
Regarding atheistic education in a general sense, Professor Li Shiju of Hebei Normal University pointed out that the essence of atheism is to focus on, care for, and liberate the person—that is, to focus on the comprehensive development of human beings, scientific living, physical and mental health, and social civilization and progress. In past atheistic theory and publicity, more emphasis was placed on exposing and criticizing the political functions and social deceptiveness of religious theism; it emphasized the "militancy" of atheism and highlighted its materialist basis and spirit of scientific rationality, while researching its humanistic significance and humanistic care less. However, the fact that people can lead happy, civilized, and dignified lives through their own efforts is indeed a solemn promise of atheism. We must overcome the superficiality, one-sidedness, and abstractness in atheistic research, affirm the humanistic standpoint of atheism, and increase the intensity of publicity and research. We must respond to the humanistic theories within religion—especially the humanistic approach in religious studies since the 20th century—which not only reflects the secularization of religion but also brings new topics to atheistic research. We must provide proactive guidance for people's worldview, outlook on life, and healthy lifestyles.
Professor Li Jiansheng of Xinjiang Normal University pointed out that education in the Marxist view of religion inherently contains the basic content of scientific atheistic education and is internally consistent with it. Conducting education in the Marxist view of religion and scientific atheism is necessary for doing good work among the masses, handling domestic and international relations, improving the quality of the entire nation, and resisting the infiltration and influence of various erroneous trends of thought. They possess three distinct characteristics: they are mass-oriented, long-term, and arduous. In conducting this education, three principles must be upheld: serving central tasks, using persuasion and education, and combining theory with concrete reality. We must recognize their importance and urgency, master their characteristics and principles, follow the laws of education, and do a good job in publicity and education.
Regarding the issue of atheism education in higher education institutions, Jia Ringuo, a research fellow at the State Administration for Religious Affairs Research Center, pointed out that ideological and political education must attach high importance to the issue of religious theology. The attitude of a Marxist party toward religion consists of two sentences: fully implementing the policy of freedom of religious belief, and persisting in the propagation of and education in atheism. Since the Reform and Opening-up [9], freedom of religious belief has been fully guaranteed, yet atheism propagation and education have been listless. The core of ideological and political education is to cultivate ideals and convictions and to establish a scientific "three outlooks" [10]; to this end, the religious issue must be taken very seriously. Propaganda and education departments should establish specialized agencies to study religious issues. Philosophy courses in schools should increase content on atheism to effectively strengthen education on worldviews. Relevant university majors should offer courses on the principles of religious studies to help students establish a Marxist view of religion. Institutions and personnel engaged in religious research must persist in Marxist guidance. Propaganda and education departments should strengthen leadership over the teaching and research of religious studies.
Professor Zuo Peng of the University of Science and Technology Beijing pointed out that conducting education on religious issues within university ideological and political theory courses is necessary to help university students establish a Marxist view of religion, resist the use of religion by foreign forces to infiltrate [11] campuses, and comprehensively improve the cultural quality of university students. After several revisions, the content of the Marxist view of religion, the Party’s religious policies, and national religious regulations has entered the various textbooks of ideological and political theory courses to varying degrees. However, entering the textbooks is not the same as entering the classroom or entering the students' minds; the cognition and attitude of the instructors themselves toward religious issues determine whether and how they teach religious issues in the classroom. Therefore, to exert the leading role of classroom teaching and effectively conduct education on religious issues, it is necessary to implement the principle of the separation of education and religion, and take the Marxist view of religion and scientific atheism as the basic guideposts for religious issue education. It is necessary to closely integrate the education with the religious "hotspots" and difficult issues that students care about, fill gaps in the current textbook content, focus on teacher training, and provide targeted education and guidance for students.
Associate Professor Liu Limin of the University of Science and Technology Beijing pointed out that the current "religion fever" [12] on university campuses presents a severe challenge to religious work in our higher education institutions. Offering courses on the Marxist view of religion, incorporating them into the university ideological and political education system, and strengthening education on the Marxist view of religion among university students constitute a proactive response and a beneficial exploration. However, how to offer this course well and effectively fulfill the preset goals and tasks is a major topic that urgently requires exploration. Only by accurately understanding the nature and tasks of this course, closely linking it to the ideological reality of contemporary university students, and carrying out teaching creatively, can this course be truly successful and benefit the students.
Liang Tong of the Ideological and Political Department of the Guangdong Youth Professional College pointed out that the growth in the number of religious believers among university students has become an indisputable fact in recent years, with Christianity showing the strongest momentum and the largest number of converts. The fact that more and more university students believe in religion poses a great challenge to our country’s ideological and political education work, which has always taken Marxism as its core. This is also an important issue that atheism propagation and education for young students in universities must face. According to his survey at a certain vocational college, students who believe in atheism account for 58.72% of all respondents, representing a relatively large proportion. To explore the mechanism for propagating and teaching atheism to young students in vocational colleges, one must re-recognize and evaluate the relevant characteristics of the target audience; integrate the atheism propagation mechanism with "Chinese Dream" [13] theme education for vocational students in line with the developmental direction of building an innovative country; and ensure that the methods of propagation and education reflect the "群众化" (popularization) of Marxism, the quality of advancing with the times, and the training philosophy of "unity of knowledge and action" [14] inherent in vocational education.
Associate Professor Yutikuer Dawuti of Kashgar Teachers College in Xinjiang, taking some universities in Xinjiang and the interior as examples, pointed out that scientific atheism education plays an irreplaceable role in eliminating various theistic influences in students' ideology, helping them open doors to better receive modern scientific and cultural knowledge, and establishing a scientific worldview, outlook on life, and values. Currently, scientific atheism education in some universities in Xinjiang and the interior still suffers from many deficiencies, which has brought extremely adverse effects on the implementation of our national education policy in universities. For example, atheism education in universities is still neglected, lacks target-specificity and standardization, and has poor results. This is mainly because relevant leaders and teachers lack a sense of responsibility, students have some erroneous viewpoints in their thinking that obstruct the acceptance of scientific atheism education, and there is a severe shortage of specialized personnel. Therefore, we should perform foundational work in four areas: teaching staff, curriculum design, strengthening ideological and political work, and blocking the impact of the social religious atmosphere on campuses. At the same time, we must pay attention to adopting regular measures, deeply engaging with the reality of students' lives, and ensuring the timeliness and target-specificity of scientific atheism education.
Regarding the issue of atheism education in the military, Professor Wang Weijun of the PLA Nanjing Institute of Politics pointed out that in recent years, influenced by the macro-environment of the increasing number of religious believers in Chinese society and the "religious culture fever," certain phenomena have appeared in some units where individual service members are keen on religious beliefs, obsessed with religious thought, or participate in religious activities. Intense debates have broken out in academic circles regarding issues such as "Communist Party members cannot believe in religion" and "the relationship between atheism propagation and freedom of religious belief." The irresponsible viewpoints and remarks of some scholars have, to a certain extent, fueled "unhealthy winds and evil spirits" [15] within the realm of belief in military barracks. We must clearly recognize the challenges facing atheism education in the barracks: first, although the phenomenon of religious belief is extremely limited in the barracks, the cognitive confusion of some officers and soldiers regarding religion and superstition is quite prominent; second, while most officers and soldiers have a clear consciousness of basic norms regarding not believing in religion or participating in religious organizational activities, there is also a problem of weak defensive and resistive capabilities caused by cognitive ambiguity. Therefore, we must accurately grasp the problems that atheism education in the barracks needs to solve, vigorously strengthen the study of and education in the Marxist view of religion and scientific atheism, carry forward the scientific spirit, strengthen education on the Party’s religious policies, and improve the ability of officers and soldiers to resist the erosion of theistic thought as well as their ability to understand and execute religious policies. At the same time, we must strive to innovate the paths through which atheism education is carried out in the barracks.
Professor Wang Zhiping of the PLA Xi’an Institute of Politics stated in his speech that ideological security is an important component of the cultural security of our country and our military, and Marxist atheism education is the foundational work for ensuring ideological security. Due to the influence of the social environment, the political identification of some officers and soldiers with scientific atheism has declined; under market economy conditions, changes in people's psychology have caused some officers and soldiers to waver regarding the role of scientific atheism; and the neglect of education at certain stages has also caused the consciousness of scientific atheism among some officers and soldiers to weaken unconsciously. Therefore, we must strengthen the education of the materialist worldview in the barracks with perfect assurance to lay a solid foundation for ideological security; we must carry out "green education" that integrates science and the humanities to form ideological concepts that ensure ideological security; and we must combine education with care and assistance for officers and soldiers to ensure that ideological security is implemented effectively.
IV. Resisting Foreign Religious Infiltration and Religious Extremism
Research Fellow Zhu Xiaoming delivered a speech titled "The 'Post-Dalai' Period: Trends and Tendencies." He proposed the basic judgment that in the "post-Dalai period," the essence of the Dalai clique remains unchanged while its tactics are changing. The so-called "post-Dalai period" refers to the transitional period after the 14th Dalai [Lama] entered his later years, during which he arranged his legacy to maintain the "handover" of the clique’s political power. The background of the Dalai’s "retirement" is his increasing age, but his aim is to ensure the "sustained existence" of the "Tibet independence" organization and the "continued progress" of the "Tibet independence" cause. He predicted that in the coming period, the focus of the anti-separatist struggle in Tibet—or the points of conflict likely to trigger instability—will be manifested in four areas: first, the Dalai clique planning and manufacturing incidents within the borders, such as monk self-immolations; second, continued hype in the international arena; third, changing its guise in an attempt to squeeze into contact and negotiations; and fourth, the struggle surrounding the reincarnation of the Dalai has already begun. The current objective of the Dalai clique is to squeeze into contact and negotiations to achieve the Dalai's return to China, a "Greater Tibet," and "high-degree autonomy." From the perspective of historical trends, there is no possibility of the Dalai clique making a comeback or restoring their rule over Tibet; strategically, we have the confidence of certain victory. At the same time, we must clearly see that while the essence of the Dalai clique's persistence in separatist claims has not changed, its tactics are constantly adjusting and becoming more deceptive, bringing new challenges to our Tibet-related struggle and the work of maintaining stability in Tibetan areas; its harmfulness must not be underestimated.
Professor Qi Fujuan of Kashgar Teachers College in Xinjiang pointed out that Xinjiang is a region where multiple ethnic groups reside and multiple religions coexist. The irrationality and exclusivity of religious extremism have distorted the normal development of the moderate dimensions of religion, undermined the Party and state’s policy of freedom of religious belief, and exacerbated instability and inter-ethnic alienation in the Xinjiang region. This is primarily manifested as follows: first, religious identity has affected authority based on public power; second, religious prejudice and exclusivity have affected unity among various ethnic groups; third, religious extremism and fanaticism bring disaster to society; and fourth, the problem of lack of freedom in religious belief exists—for example, not respecting the religious beliefs of other ethnic groups at all or even imposing one’s own beliefs on others. Therefore, the management of religious affairs in the Xinjiang region must be intensified, and the propagation and implementation of the policy of freedom of religious belief should be increased. The Party and government must take a clear-cut stand to protect what is legal, stop what is illegal, and crack down on various crimes committed under the cover of religion. Furthermore, supervision must be strengthened over social personnel with a certain degree of religious knowledge, so that religion can be "cleansed at the source" [16] and remain moderate and normal.
In addition, the participating experts and scholars also conducted in-depth discussions on experiences in religious work, the relationship between science and religion, and the current phenomenon of strengthened religious identity among certain groups.