In a recent opinion piece by U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI), the lawmaker highlighted the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) ongoing efforts to rewrite the Bible and other religious texts as part of a broader campaign to “sinicize” religion in China.
Gallagher cited a notable Chinese university textbook’s rewrite of the woman “caught in adultery” story in the Gospel of John, stating: “The rewritten Gospel of John excerpt ends, not with mercy, but with Jesus himself stoning the adulterous woman to death.”
This comes as part of the CCP’s 10-year project to reshape key religious texts in a manner that encourages the faithful to serve the party over their religion.
In his op-ed, Rep. Gallagher revealed that Protestant churches in Henan province were pressured by local CCP officials to replace the Ten Commandments with quotes from President Xi Jinping.
Statements like, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,” were replaced by: “Resolutely guard against the infiltration of Western ideology.”
Relating back to Chairman Xi Jinping’s declarations at the 19th Party Congress, Gallagher interpreted the message to mean: “Xi Jinping has no problem with the first commandment, just so long as he and the CCP are playing the role of God.”
Surprisingly, Gallagher noted that the Vatican appeared to comply with the CCP’s efforts.
He referenced a secret 2018 agreement where the Vatican allowed the CCP to select Catholic bishops in China in exchange for “vague reassurances of safety” for Catholic congregations.
The Congressman also expressed concern about the CCP’s attempts to select the next Dalai Lama, a sacred tradition in Tibetan Buddhism, stating: “The CCP wants the authority to select the next Dalai Lama.”
The author criticized the CCP’s approach towards religious freedom, stating, “The PRC constitution states that citizens ‘enjoy freedom of religious belief,’ but, of course, the CCP’s definition of ‘freedom’ bears a much closer resemblance to what we’d call oppression.”
Gallagher also shed light on the plight of lesser-known faiths such as the Falun Gong, which has faced intense persecution under the CCP’s rule.
He mentioned shocking estimates from the State Department that, at times, half of the population in China’s “Reeducation through Labor” camps were Falun Gong adherents.
He further emphasized the CCP’s brutal approach to religion in Tibet and Xinjiang, mentioning reports of “genocide, the crime above all crimes” taking place against the country’s Uyghur population.
Rep. Gallagher highlighted the Chinese government’s measures to dilute religious practices, as related by Uyghur poet Tahir Hamut Izgil, and researcher at Human Rights Watch, Maya Wang.
Both claimed severe restrictions on religious practices, with Wang noting that the Chinese government’s “religious restrictions are now so stringent that it has effectively outlawed the practice of Islam.”
Despite the severe oppression, Gallagher emphasized the power and persistence of faith in China, quoting a pastor from a Chinese church: “In this war, in Xinjiang, in Shanghai, in Beijing, in Chengdu, the rulers have chosen an enemy that can never be imprisoned—the soul of man.”
The Wisconsin representative ended his piece with a stern critique of the CCP’s oppressive rule and a hopeful prediction, echoing the pastor’s words, “The PRC rulers are doomed to lose.”
