China bans online sale of Bibles (Newsweek)

The Bible appears to have been pulled from all online retailers in China this week, as Beijing continues to crack down on religious freedom.

Searches for “Bible” on Chinese marketplaces, such as Taobao and Dang Dang, Beijing’s equivalent of eBay, did not return results for the Christian text. While some sites returned results for other Christian-related publications, such as children’s story books and study guides, the full scripture could not be found.

A source at a Chinese publishing house told Inkstone that the removal of Bibles from online stores likely started at the end of March. “Some shops on Taobao [selling Christian books] have been closed permanently,” the source said. Read more