CHINESE OFFICIALS ERASE FIRST OF 10 COMMANDMENTS by Lindy Lowry – Open Doors
“You shall have no other gods before me.” It is No. 1 on the list of Ten Commandments God gave to His people.
Anyone who follows and worships Christ knows that its placement at the top is significant–a fact Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his regime are well aware of, based on a recent report from Bitter Winter, a website focusing on religious liberty and human rights issues in China.
The website reported that authorities in Luoning county in Henan Province (where China’s underground house church movement started) ordered a registered church to alter the list of the Ten Commandments hanging on the wall during a worship service. The website talked to church members in attendance who shared their accounts.
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Reportedly on November 1, about 30 officials from the central “patrol inspection team” for religious supervision and from Luoyang city and Luoning county United Front Work Department arrived at the church in Dongcun village during a worship service to conduct an inspection.
An official inspecting the church stopped in front of the pulpit and pointed to the first of the Ten Commandments displayed on the wall: “You shall have no other gods before me.”
“This must be removed,” he said.
After saying that, the government officials immediately wiped off the commandment.
The church’s leader and believers strongly opposed the removal of the commandment. One believer reportedly said, “This isn’t appropriate. They’re falsifying the words of God! It’s resisting the Lord!”
“Xi Jinping opposes this statement,” an official said. “Who dares not to cooperate? If anyone doesn’t agree, they are fighting against the country.”
The official also warned the church: “This is a national policy. You should have a clear understanding of the situation. Don’t go against the government.”
Believers took down the Ten Commandments sign that day. Later, personnel from the county’s United Front Work Department took a photo of it and reported the incident to their superiors.
