The Chinese government’s opposition to the Ten Commandments has led to bloody confrontations between government leaders and Christians – and in at least a few churches, the Ten Commandments being replaced with portraits of Communist leaders.
Government officials across China last year began forcing churches either to take down the Ten Commandments or to erase the First Commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me.”
The policy has sparked shocking violations of human rights and religious liberty.
The Ten Commandments in many churches have been replaced with portraits of communist revolution leader Mao Zedong and current Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to Bitter Winter, a religious liberty watchdog. Officials often tell the churches “things will be tough” if they don’t cooperate.
A local government official told Bitter Winter that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is opposed to the First Commandment. In China, only the government and its leaders are to be worshipped.
“Christianity claims that no other goods should be worshiped,” the official said.
Still, some churches – even government-approved Three-Self congregations – are pushing back. Members of a Three-Self church in Zhengzhou city in the province of Henan tried stopping the forced removal of a Ten Commandments sign and poster Jan. 4. Three church…
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