The Republic of China has finally placed a banned on the sales of the
Holy Bible. Citizens in the country can no longer buy the book on
numerous e-commerce sites that are available to them
It has been reported that people that search for the Bible on
e-commerce sites such as JD.com and Amazon.cn the result didn’t show.
Although the Republic of China had always controlled the sales of the Holy Bible by only letting it be distributed and printed by state-sanctioned churches, it had been available to buy online.
The ban on selling Bibles on the internet is the latest restriction the country had placed on its fast-growing Christian population.
Religious freedom campaigners have said freedom for Christians in the Republic of China has been the worst it’s ever been.
The crackdown on Christians in China has meant that crosses have been removed from churches in China, churches have been destroyed, and Christians that were suspected of worshiping at home have been arrested.
A new Chinese government white paper on religious freedoms that was published this week asserted that all faiths must “adapt themselves to the socialist society”.
The ban is coming in spite the government publishing a new document claiming that it gives freedom of worship.
Although the Republic of China had always controlled the sales of the Holy Bible by only letting it be distributed and printed by state-sanctioned churches, it had been available to buy online.
The ban on selling Bibles on the internet is the latest restriction the country had placed on its fast-growing Christian population.
Religious freedom campaigners have said freedom for Christians in the Republic of China has been the worst it’s ever been.
The crackdown on Christians in China has meant that crosses have been removed from churches in China, churches have been destroyed, and Christians that were suspected of worshiping at home have been arrested.
A new Chinese government white paper on religious freedoms that was published this week asserted that all faiths must “adapt themselves to the socialist society”.
The paper listing official Communist Party policies added:
Chinese Catholic bishops and the Vatican have not good relations for ten years because Chinese Catholic bishops are not appointed by the Pope. However, both sides have shown some progress in reconciliation in recent weeks.
Nee said:
“Religious believers and non-believers respect each other, and live in harmony, committing themselves to reform and opening up and the socialist modernization, and contribute to the realization of the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.”William Nee, a China researcher at Amnesty International, said the Vatican should address the online Bible sale ban with Beijing.
Chinese Catholic bishops and the Vatican have not good relations for ten years because Chinese Catholic bishops are not appointed by the Pope. However, both sides have shown some progress in reconciliation in recent weeks.
Nee said:
“[The Vatican] should probably take this issue into consideration in its discussions with their Chinese counterparts, since the banning of the sale of Bibles is obviously a worrying move, demonstrating the worsening state for freedom of religion in China.
“[There is] a broader trend under President Xi Jinping to more tightly control religion, especially Christianity.
“It’s absurd that the government claims to promote religious freedom at the same time that they’re banning the sale of Bibles.”
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