The ruling Chinese Communist Party has continued its widespread offensive against the Christian faith by stripping church sanctuaries of the Ten Commandments.

Among state-mandated churches, persecution watchdog Bitter Winter reports that almost all the Christian buildings under the government’s watch have been forced to remove the Ten Commandments and replace them with quotes from President Xi Jinping.

Increasingly, Christianity is being labeled as a “Western Ideology” that must be resisted at all costs by the Chinese people. Simply put, the Chinese government is fostering demand for total devotion and loyalty to its leader and chief, warding Christians away from putting their hope in a religious deity like Jesus Christ.

Citing a member of the so-called “Three-Self” state church, Bitter Winter reported that many of these congregations have “been shut down for not implementing the government’s demand to replace the Ten Commandments with the president’s quotes.”

“Some congregations have been threatened to be blacklisted by the government, meaning that their travels will be restricted and schooling and future employment of their offspring will be impeded if they refused to overhaul their churches according to the current national policies,” the watchdog added. “Disobeying the orders means opposition to the Communist Party, officials claimed.”

One preacher from a state-led protestant church explained that the government is determined to destroy all Christian communities by replacing their Biblical theology with a doctrine of socialism that they promise will cure the peoples’ problems.

“The government’s first step is to prohibit religious couplets. Then it dismantles crosses and starts to implement the ‘four requirements’ by ordering the national flag and ‘core socialist values’ to be placed in churches,” the minister explained.

“Surveillance cameras to monitor believers and religious activities are then installed. The last step is to replace the Ten Commandments with Xi Jinping’s speeches. The Communist Party’s ultimate goal is to ‘become God.’ This is what the devil has always done.”

Christians of Hong Kong continue to resist Chinese authority
Fully aware of the Chinese state’s staggeringly oppressive attitude toward religion, the Christian community of neighboring Hong Kong has spent months resisting an extradition bill that could see many of them locked up in mainland China for their faith.

Now, with Hong Kong’s pro-China Chief Executive Carrie Lam finally conceding to a withdrawal of the extradition bill, Christians are breathing a huge sigh of relief — the threat, for now, is over.

This could change, however, as the Chinese government could make another hasty attempt to force the legislation through. In that instance, Lam would be almost completely powerless to resist it — she is, after all, a mere figurehead, controlled by the central communist government under the command of President Xi Jinping.

Despite the withdrawal, violent skirmishes continue in Hong Kong, with vicious incidents of police brutality taking place most days. Earlier this week, footage emerged of one man being sprayed point-blank in the face with mace as he was forcibly pinned to the ground, blood pouring from a deep head wound.

Many believers remain horrified by the sustained level of violence they are facing from law enforcement on the streets of Hong Kong — indeed, this indiscriminate mistreatment, they say, continues to fuel anti-government and anti-China sentiment.