Chapter 9 Between Religion and "Opium"

In December 2001, Pan Yue published an article titled "Marxist Views on Religion Must Keep Up with the Times" in several newspapers including Shenzhen Special Zone News and China Times. Facing the current moral crisis in China, he pointed out the harm of lack of faith to China, believed that the "religious opium theory" had paid a heavy price for China, and proposed that "the spirit of religion to persuade people to do good is the most important function of religion affecting social life"" The spiritual culture of a nation, the soul of culture is embodied in morality, and the support of morality lies in faith, and a nation without faith cannot stand on its own among the nations of the world, especially in China.”

Pan Yue pointed out that Marx’s original intention was not to praise or criticize the opiate function of religion, but Lenin creatively added the word “narcotic” in his explanation, that is to say, it was changed to the well-known “religion is the opium that anesthetizes the people”, making people Religion is seen as a drug.He believes that after the CCP took power, "the theory of opium has always been used as the standard for us to understand religion, so that the country's religious policy once deviated, and it paid the price for it."The article pointed out that religion has the function of spiritual compensation, psychological function, moral function, cultural function, and also multiple functions such as service and public welfare. For example, atheism and science cannot overcome the people's fear of death, but religion can.At the same time, he emphasized that China's political system and religion must be able to establish a scientific and reasonable relationship.Once the new type of state-religious relationship is clarified, it will be extremely beneficial for the CCP to complete the transformation from a revolutionary party to a ruling party and manage religion with a new type of ruling awareness and leadership.

When Pan Yue's article was published, the National Religious Work Conference was held.At the meeting, General Secretary Jiang Zemin, based on China's religious issues and world religious issues under the new situation, profoundly expounded the fundamental long-term nature and broad mass nature of religions, and for the first time raised the special complexity of religions.He pointed out at the meeting: We must fully implement the party's policy on freedom of religious belief, manage religious affairs according to law, actively guide religions to adapt to socialism, and adhere to the principle of independence and self-management.General Secretary Jiang's speech reflects that the national leaders' understanding of religion is advancing with the times and full of new ideas.

As if to echo the convening of the National Religious Work Conference, Pan Yue's article was published simultaneously in Shenzhen and Beijing, thus arousing widespread concern and controversy.Critics believe that Pan Yue advocated "religion to save the country", and some even denounced it as "creating public opinion for the invasion of China by Western fundamental Christianity". Ideas for improving religious policy and even religious policy language.Although many people may already understand these truths, few people with official status are willing to speak out boldly.