Diverging Paths of Conviction: The Fundamental Differences Between Communist and Religious Beliefs Through the Lens of Faith and Credence

Abstract

Faith and belief are both interconnected and distinct. Their connection lies in the inclusion of the subject's "belief." The differences between them manifest in their objects of focus, distinguishing between the concrete and the abstract, the individual and the collective, the diverse and the unified, and in their formation, where the involvement of emotion and willpower varies. There is a fundamental difference between Communist faith and religious faith, evident in their bases of existence as social facts versus mystical entities; in their modes of cognition as scientific rationality versus emotional experience; and in their value orientations as self-liberation versus the salvation of others. It is imperative to vigorously promote the education of Communist faith, transforming it into an internal "conviction" and external "consciousness," thereby advancing the grand cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics continuously forward.