Beijing, China, Sep 23, 2019 / 16:00 pm
Christian churches in China have been ordered to take down displays of the Ten Commandments and replace them with quotes from Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to reports.
According to Bitter Winter, a magazine covering religious liberty and human rights in China, churches belonging to the country's state-run "Three-Self Patriotic Movement" Protestant denomination have been ordered to replace displays of the decalogue with sayings of the Chinese president.
The new directive reportedly comes after Three-Self churches were initially told to remove the First Commandment, "You shall have no gods before me," as Jinping disagreed with it.
Reports indicate that those who have refused to remove any or all of the Ten Commandments have been imprisoned, with leaders and worshippers harassed even in churches that complied with the instruction.