China Denies Reports of a Bible Ban at Olympics

Organizer of the upcoming Beijing Olympics scrambled last week to invalidate reports that Bibles would be prohibited at the Games this summer.

Organizer of the upcoming Beijing Olympics scrambled last week to invalidate reports that Bibles would be prohibited at the Games this summer, reported the Associated Press (AP).

Attempting to avert a public relations nightmare, the Beijing Olympics’ official media center called the report “an intentional distortion of truth” and said foreigners will be admitted into China so long as their Bible is for personal use.

It added, however, that all texts of the Falun Gong, a spiritual movement considered an illegal cult by Chinese authorities, are strictly forbidden.

Among the many to immediately protest reports out of China placing the Bible on a list of “prohibited objects” at Olympic Village was U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, who telephoned the Chinese ambassador for an explanation, the AP reported.