Experience and Prospect of Marxist Atheism Publicity and Education in the New Era

Xin Xiangyang, Secretary of the Party Committee and Deputy Director of the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), delivered an address. (Image provided by the organizers)

Xin Xiangyang pointed out that the research, publicity, and education of Marxist atheism have always been an important component of the Party's ideological work. Since the New Era, atheism publicity and education have reached a new level in terms of both research and practice. The achievements made in atheism publicity and education during the New Era constitute a significant result of the Party's ideological work. The report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC has pointed out the future direction for the cause of atheism publicity and education. We should conduct a deep reflection on the relationship between Marxist atheism and the "Two Combinations" ^[1], between Marxist atheism and Chinese-path modernization, and between the publicity and education of Marxist atheism and the construction of a socialist cultural powerhouse. We should persist over the long term to push forward the cause of atheism publicity and education with the spirit of the "Three Musts" ^[2].

Ding Hong, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Heilongjiang University, delivered an address. (Image provided by the organizers)

Ding Hong introduced the status of Heilongjiang University and its School of Marxism. She emphasized that this forum, centering on the theme of Marxist atheism publicity and education in the New Era, would carry out exchanges and discussions on "promoting the scientific spirit, conducting atheism education, safeguarding citizens' freedom of religious belief, and driving the implementation of the strategy of invigorating the country through science and education." The forum aims to profoundly study and grasp the important essence of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s discourses on religious work and atheism, pushing Chinese atheism research toward the academic frontiers of international atheism studies. She expressed hope that the Schools of Marxism from various brother institutions across the country would take this opportunity to further strengthen linkages, exchange academic ideas, communicate friendship, and develop hand in hand.

Zheng Xiaoyun, Director of the Institute of World Religions at CASS and President of the China Association of Religious Studies, delivered a speech. (Image provided by the organizers)

Zheng Xiaoyun pointed out that to profoundly study and grasp the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the CPC, we must currently promote the high-quality development of the construction of a Marxist religious studies talent pool in an innovative manner within the process of Chinese-path modernization, thereby solidifying the talent foundation for the development of the discipline of Marxist religious studies. Researchers in religious studies should persist in taking Marxism as their guide and consciously integrate the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics throughout the entire process of research and teaching. They should focus on the essential internal connection between socialist ideology and scientific atheism, and strengthen research on the relationship between the Marxist religious studies research contingent and the construction of the Marxist religious studies discipline.

Zhu Xiaoming, Honorary President of the China association for Atheism and former Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the China Tibetology Research Center, delivered a keynote report. (Image provided by the organizers)

Zhu Xiaoming delivered a keynote speech titled "Reviewing the Evolution of Religious Thought in New China and Pioneering the Practical Path of 'Sinicization of Religion' in the New Era." He stated that properly grasping the "relationship between freedom of religious belief and the ideological struggle" primarily involves the contest between theism and atheism, as well as the contest between patriotic, progressive religious thought and the thought of Sinicization of religion in the New Era versus conservative, backward religious thought and religious extremist thought. The volume Socialist Primary Stage of the General History of Chinese Religious Thought demonstrates the key nodes and significant achievements in the evolution of contemporary Chinese religious thought, providing important inspiration and reference for doing religious work well in the New Era and promoting the Sinicization of religion. The report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC pointed out the direction, emphasis, and principles for Marxist atheism research, publicity, and education in the New Era. We should work hard on mastery and innovative breakthroughs, manifesting the vitality and vigor of Marxist atheism in the New Era, and making unremitting efforts for the comprehensive construction of a modern socialist country and the comprehensive advancement of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Gong Yun, Deputy Director of the Institute of Marxism Studies at CASS, presided over the opening ceremony. (Image provided by the organizers)

Wang Qiu, Dean of the School of Marxism at Heilongjiang University, presided over the theme speeches of the conference. (Image provided by the organizers)

Tian Xinming, former Director of the Higher Education Social Science Development Research Center of the Ministry of Education, delivered a speech. (Image provided by the organizers)

During the theme speech session, Tian Xinming stated that properly grasping the relationship between freedom of religious belief and the ideological struggle is a scientific summary of the Party's long-term historical experience in religious work and ideological struggle. This relationship is both a contradiction within ideological work and a contradiction within religious work. Atheism publicity and education must follow both the guiding principles of ideological work and the basic policies of religious work; therefore, it is permeated by this pair of contradictory relations. From the aspect of ideological struggle within the contradiction, to persist in Marxism, one must oppose theism. From the other side of the contradiction, religion is a unity containing multiple contradictions. We should understand this pair of contradictions as a whole based on an analysis of both sides of the contradiction, comprehensively implementing the Party's guidelines and policies, and unifying the conduct of ideological struggle with the persistence in freedom of religious belief. We must accurately grasp the sphere of struggle in using Marxist atheism to oppose theism; accurately grasp the target audience of atheism publicity work; unify the clear-cut opposition to theism with the correct treatment of religious culture; and properly grasp the relationship between persisting in militant atheism ^[3] within the ideological sphere and persisting in uniting the broad masses of religious believers around the Party and the government.

Zhang Xinying, former Deputy Director of the Institute of World Religions at CASS, delivered a speech. (Image provided by the organizers)

Zhang Xinying pointed out that Marxist religious studies cannot exist without the discipline of atheism. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party's theory on religious work in the New Era—with General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on religious work as its core concepts and main content—has elevated the foundational status of the Marxist atheistic worldview to the height of a "major principle" for the Party's governance of the country and its own self-construction. This has allowed the Party's theory on religious work in the New Era to possess a "global" strategic positioning that transcends narrow "religious affairs" under the perspective of the Holisitic Approach to National Security and the modernization of the national governance system. Only within this strategic positioning framework is it possible to strengthen the research and elucidation of the Party's theory and policies on religious work in the New Era—including atheistic theoretical thought and its methods of publicity and education—as an important aspect of Marxist religious studies.

Researcher Xi Wuyi, a member of the Academic Advisory Committee of the Science and Atheism Research Center at CASS, delivered a speech. (Image provided by the organizers)

Xi Wuyi emphasized that the key to promoting the construction of Marxist religious studies in the New Era is to persist in Marxist atheism. To persist in the major principle of Marxist atheism, we must ensure that Marxist atheism, as a mainstream ideology, consistently maintains a dominant position in the thoughts of the masses. We must consolidate the guiding position of Marxism and enhance the appeal and cohesion of socialist ideology; the nature of scientific atheism must not be distorted, and its role must not be ignored. Public opinion attempting to excise scientific atheism from the Marxist view of religion and socialist ideology is dangerous; it conforms neither to the secularization trends of human history and the contemporary world, nor to China's humanistic tradition.

Researcher Zhao Wenhong, former Secretary of the Party Committee of the Institute of World Religions at CASS, and Researcher Jing Linbo, Director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Evaluation Studies (CASES), respectively delivered theme reports titled "The Patriotic Sentiments of Chinese Atheism Researchers" and "The Development and Evaluation of Humanities and Social Science Journals." (Images provided by the organizers)

Researcher Liu Zhiming, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Direct Departments of CASS and Director of the Department of Marxist Sinicization Research at the Institute of Marxism Studies, presided over the closing ceremony. (Image provided by the organizers)

Professor Li Shen of Shanghai Normal University delivered a speech. (Image provided by the organizers)

At the closing ceremony, Professor Li Shen proposed that to engage in atheism research, one must study religion—even more deeply and comprehensively than scholars specializing in religious studies. Regarding religious issues, one cannot stop at description but must conduct in-depth research and must also step outside the religious issues themselves to criticize various theological fallacies. The 2021 National Conference on Religious Work emphasized the need to "strengthen the construction of the discipline of Marxist religious studies." This is a call issued by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core to the cause of Chinese atheism, and also to the discipline of Chinese religious studies. Therefore, based on On Religion, Principles of Scientific Atheism, and A Brief History of Religion, he compiled the Lectures on Marxist Religious Studies. He hopes this can serve as an achievement of the China Association for Atheism, contributing to the cause of Chinese atheism and to the development of Chinese Marxist religious studies.

Jia Runguo, Deputy Director of the Religious Research Center of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, provided a summary of the conference. (Image provided by the organizers)

Jia Runguo pointed out that the leaders, experts, and scholars all delivered brilliant speeches, making this a very successful conference. Since the 2021 National Conference on Religious Work proposed to "strengthen the construction of the discipline of Marxist religious studies," the development of atheism in our country has been in good shape, and various universities have begun to respond to and implement the spirit of the conference. Overall, Marxist atheism research has a long way to go, and we should have confidence. The research contingent of Marxist atheism is the "hardcore" contingent of Marxist religious studies research, and Marxist atheism is the "hardcore" discipline of Marxist religious studies. He proposed handling three relationships well: first, the relationship between Marxist atheism and Marxist religious studies; the China Association for Atheism must explain this relationship clearly. Second, the relationship between Marxist religious studies and Western religious studies; we must study, analyze, and criticize Western religious studies, which is also a part of atheism research and publicity. Third, the relationship between Marxist religious studies and current Chinese religious studies; he suggested that Schools of Marxism across the country could establish research directions in Marxist religious studies. The 20th National Congress of the CPC proposed the "Three Musts," which are also applicable to Marxist atheism and Marxist religious studies. We must study and implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress to compose an even more splendid chapter for Marxist atheism in the New Era.

Participating experts and scholars engaged in heated academic discussions on themes such as the construction of the Marxist religious studies discipline, theoretical research on Marxist atheism, the prevention and resolution of risks in the religious sphere, and issues in atheism publicity and education. More than 50 experts and scholars from universities and research institutions—including the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies, the CASS Institute of World Religions, the Religious Research Center of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Central Institute of Socialism, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing Union University, Heilongjiang University, Wuhan University, Sichuan University, Xinjiang University, and Xinjiang Normal University—submitted papers and spoke at the conference. Over 100 people from more than 40 units across the country watched the conference online. Registrar Xu Shaogang, a member of the Party Leadership Group of the Central Institute of Socialism, also attended the meeting.

(Online group photos of participants provided by the organizers)