Is the King James Bible banned in China?

Upvote:5

Q – Is the King James Bible banned in China?

A – It would seem that the King James Bible is not banned - yet.

However, as part of a longstanding effort to limit the influence of Christianity in China, central government authorities last year indicated that they would publish an “official translation” of the Bible for Chinese worshippers. The CCP called for “a comprehensive evaluation of the existing religious classics aiming at contents which do not conform to the progress of the times” in a 2019 meeting held by the Committee for Ethnic and Religious Affairs, which oversees religious matters in China. The meeting concluded that the new “official edition” of the Bible must not contain any content that contradicts socialism, and paragraphs deemed wrong by censors will be amended or retranslated. Source: https://www.voanews.com/a/east-asia-pacific_china-conducts-two-trials-crackdown-audio-bibles/6199571.html

Q – Would an Anglican Bible be legal, or at least easy, to bring into China?

A – January 2023: Bibles are allowed for personal use and up to three copies is a reasonable number. Any extra copies will be confiscated by Customs. Source: https://www.travelchinaguide.com/essential/not-taken.htm

Be aware that the Chinese government is currently rewriting the Bible to align it with Communist principles and values. The new “official edition” of the Bible must not contain any content that contradicts socialism, and paragraphs deemed wrong by censors will be amended or retranslated. Source: https://www.voanews.com/a/east-asia-pacific_china-conducts-two-trials-crackdown-audio-bibles/6199571.html

In a recent Facebook post, VOM shared an example of several verses in John 8 changed according to the Chinese government. As the biblical story goes, Jesus forgives an adulterous woman despite the Pharisees' calls to stone her to death. However, in the CCP's translation, Jesus ends up stoning the woman, admitting he is also a sinner. John 8:7-11, according to the CCP reads: "Jesus once said to the angry crowd who was trying to stone a woman who had sinned, 'He who is without sin among you, let him cast a stone at her.' When his words came to their ears, they stopped moving forward. When everyone went out, Jesus stoned the woman himself, and said, 'I am also a sinner.'"

Nettleton told FaithWire he thought the rewritten passage was trying to diminish Jesus' divinity. He said: "If Jesus is a sinner, then he's not God." "The issue for the Chinese Communist Party is control. It is always about control," Nettleton added. "And they see the … Christian message as something that would take control away from the communist party." Source: https://premierchristian.news/en/news/article/china-is-rewriting-the-bible-with-communist-principles-says-christian-watchdog

With thanks to Grateful Disciple and Nigel J for two the links provided.

More post

Search Posts

Related post