Persecution of Christians in China: This is part of the Chinese government’s ongoing attempt to create a “religion with Chinese characteristics,” a Christianity that is essentially a mouthpiece for Chinese Communist Party propaganda. With this alteration of the Biblical account of the Lord Jesus forgiving the woman who was taken in adultery (John 7:53-8:11), the Chinese government has demonstrated its complete indifference to the religious freedom and rights of Christians. In this, China offers yet another instance of the persecution of Christians by governing officials that is unfortunately on the increase not only in China, but in all too many other nations around the world.
This endeavor is a matter of grave concern also for the tiny community of Orthodox Christians in China. The Chinese government has not granted Orthodox Christianity any official status; Orthodox churches in China could be closed at any time at the whim of local officials, and Orthodox Christians taken into custody.
For previous ChristianPersecution.com coverage of the persecution of Christians in China, see here.
“Chinese Catholics angry over book claiming Jesus killed sinner,” UCA News, September 22, 2020:
Catholics in mainland China are upset about the distortion of a Bible story in a school textbook, which claims Jesus Christ stoned to death a sinner woman in order to respect the law of the time.
The textbook, published by the government-run University of Electronic Science and Technology Press, aims to teach “professional ethics and law” to the students of secondary vocational schools.
The book quotes the story of Jesus forgiving the sins of a woman who committed adultery from the Gospel of John. But it has a changed ending.
The crowd wanted to stone the woman to death as per their law. But Jesus said, ‘Let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone.’ Hearing this, they slipped away one by one.
When the crowd disappeared, Jesus stoned the sinner to death saying, “I too am a sinner. But if the law could only be executed by men without blemish, the law would be dead,” the textbook said.
A parishioner who uploaded the textbook on social media said the distortion was an insult to the Catholic Church.
“I want everyone to know that the Chinese Communist Party has always tried to distort the history of the Church, to slander our Church, and to make people hate our Church,” his post said….
