In a significant legal move by the Moscow City court, a religious text by Chinese Christian Witness Lee has been banned. Known for founding the Local Church in Moscow, Witness Lee was a disciple of Watchman Nee, who faced imprisonment under the Chinese Communist Party.
The banned text is “New Testament: The Restoration Translation”, a translation of the New Testament by Lee. Although the New Testament is not considered extremist under Russian law, the court raised concerns over Lee’s accompanying commentary.
The Moscow court communicated to the Russian Agency of Legal and Judicial Information (RAPSI) that Lee’s commentary contained “special linguistic signs of propaganda and humiliation” against other faiths, with some remarks allegedly justifying violence against other religious groups.
Additionally, the text was criticized for being uncanonical and unduly exclusive of other Biblical translations, particularly those of the Russian Orthodox Church.
A member of International Christian Concern expressed concerns over the court’s decision, stating, “This is likely to create more pressure and a chilling effect on the members of the Local Church Congregation in Moscow and around Russia.
“It is fascinating that a Bible translation born out of so much persecution of Chinese Christians is now at the core of increasing pressure on evangelical believers in Russia. Please continue to pray for the local church members, for the evangelical Christians in China and Russia, and also for ongoing Bible translation efforts across the globe.”
This ruling is part of a broader trend in Russia where several religious texts have been banned for inciting extremism, including translations of the Koran and the Jehovah’s Witness Bible. The ban extends to some theological texts, novels, and articles with religious themes, as well as certain atheist materials.
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
