Bibles pulled from online stores as China increases control of religion

[yallerdawg]

Persecution or freedom from religion? We'll see. The US used to support religious freedom, didn't we?

Source: CNN, by James Griffiths


The Bible appears to have been removed from online marketplaces in China, as Beijing clamps down on how its citizens practice religion.

China has always controlled sales of the Bible, only allowing it to be distributed and printed by state-sanctioned churches, but in recent years it had been available to buy online.

That loophole now appears to be firmly closed. Searches for "Holy Bible" did not return results on JD.com, and results on Amazon.cn did not include the main text, but did include study guides and the Koran.

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Sarah Cook, senior research analyst for East Asia at Freedom House, said the sales ban "is an important example of how internet censorship intersects with restrictions on religious freedom."

"Sensitive religious topics and groups are among the most censored in China," she said. "In our research we found the Chinese authorities increasingly using more high-tech methods to control religion and punish believers -- including surveillance and arrest of believers for sharing information online."

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Efforts are underway to produce a new version of the Chinese Bible, with a more "Sinicized" text, according to the SARA five year plan.

"The possibility of the Bible's being removed because of planned efforts to engage in and publish official reinterpretations would fit with a broader effort by the atheist (Communist Party) to actively interpret religious scriptures that we've seen for Islam, Tibetan Buddhism, and to a lesser extent to date, Christianity," Cook said.

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Read it all at: https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/05/asia/china-bible-online-christianity-intl/index.html

[Mariana]

1. I support complete separation of church and state.

What's going on in China is an example of what can happen when that principle is not followed.

[MineralMan]

2. Lucky for us that we live here and not there, eh?

Last edited Thu Apr 5, 2018, 05:56 PM - Edit history (1)

I own multiple copies of the Bible, in various translations. I don't live in China. I could buy more, for next day delivery, but I have a sufficiency of them at this point.

[Major Nikon]

3. The history of modern China is very different than the US

Western imperialism was quite devastating to China in the nineteenth century. Wars were fought that forced China to accept western imports, notably opium which had a big negative impact on the people. Much of this imperialism was aided, if not directly perpetrated by Christian missionaries.

Does this make what they are doing right? Certainly not from a Western perspective, but their experience is considerably different and they do at least have some cause to be suspicious of organized religion.

[MineralMan]

5. China does what China does.

I know it's history to some degree. It finally ejected European influences. I have known families with histories of missionary work there. They apparently felt they knew better than the Chinese what was needed.

China is what China is.

[Major Nikon]

6. Its a very different country with different needs

It’s pretty hard to judge them by our standards

[MineralMan]

7. Very true. One of the oldest cultures on the planet.

For some reason, some seem to feel justified in meddling with cultures. It is not one of the West's better traits. Yet we have done so again and again, usually to the other culture's detriment. We utterly destroyed the existing cultures of the Americas, in the name of Jesus.

How arrogant a thing to do. We did not succeed in China. Now someone takes umbrage at limitations on religious scriptures there. I prefer non-censorship, but that is based on my own cultural heritage. China has its own history with Christianity. Its own reactions to that.

China is China.

[guillaumeb]

4. Recommended.

Intolerance in action.

[Eko]

8. Uhh, what?

"Persecution or freedom from religion? We'll see. The US used to support religious freedom, didn't we?"

What do the actions of china have to do with the US supporting something?

[yallerdawg]

9. Freedom of religion is the first item up in our Bill of Rights.

Hence, "The US used to support religious freedom, didn't we."

We used to promote our democratic values, didn't we.

[Eko]

10. Yes,

How do we not still support and promote it?

[yallerdawg]

11. Where you been the last year and a half?

What core fundamental American values of any kind are being promoted by the US?

[Eko]

12. Here you go.

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback will be the next U.S. ambassador at large for international religious freedom, after the Senate confirmed his nomination Wednesday on a close partisan vote. Jan 25, 2018.
“[Brownback] will be the voice within the larger apparatus that’s making foreign policy to push the president and the secretary of state,” Mark said, naming the administration’s discussions with China and Saudi Arabia as particularly important diplomatic relationships with a need to add a religious freedom emphasis. “The ambassador can play an important role in making sure the people who actually do the foreign policy, from the president down, care about prioritizing religious freedom.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2018/01/25/the-challenges-facing-sam-brownback-the-next-u-s-ambassador-for-international-religious-freedom/?utm_term=.b9182b71bfba