A US watchdog has said the Chinese government is currently rewriting the Bible to align it with Communist principles and values. Speaking to Faith Wire, spokesman for Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), Todd Nettleton said the new translation would “really support the Communist Party.”
“This is a project that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced in 2019. At the time, they said it would be about a 10-year process … to release a new translation of the Bible.
“He explained that the Chinese government’s goal is for people to understand their ultimate goal is to be a “good communist.”
In a recent Facebook post, VOM shared an example of several verses in John 8 changed according to the Chinese government. As the biblical story goes, Jesus forgives an adulterous woman despite the Pharisees’ calls to stone her to death. However, in the CCP’s translation, Jesus ends up stoning the woman, admitting he is also a sinner.
John 8:7-11, according to the CCP reads: “Jesus once said to the angry crowd who was trying to stone a woman, who had sinned, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him cast a stone at her.’ When his words came to their ears, they stopped moving forward. When everyone went out, Jesus stoned the woman himself, and said, ‘I am also a sinner.’”