A court in Moscow has banned the distribution of The New Testament: The Restoration Translation, published by the ministry of Witness Lee and Watchman Nee, for being "extremist."
The New Testament: The Restoration Translation is a Bible translation with interpretive notes from Witness Lee, a disciple of the Chinese church leader Watchman Nee, who founded the Local Church movement in the 20th century and was later imprisoned for his religious activities and writings.
According to the Russian Agency of Legal and Judicial Information (RAPSI), the Moscow City Court declared the commentary by Witness Lee had "special linguistic signs of propaganda and humiliation" against other religions. The court also determined that some comments are to justify violence against people of other religions.
The court further declared that the commentary was overly exclusive of Bible translations, particularly those of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Wtiness Lee founded the Local Church in Moscow, according to Christian Today.
However, a representative from International Christian Concern expressed concern over the case: "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 striking that a Bible edition developed amid the persecution of Chinese Christians has now become a focal point of increasing challenges faced by evangelical believers in Russia," the representative continued and urged prayer for believers in both nations and the continued translation of the Bible worldwide.
It is learned that Russia has previously banned other religious and philosophical texts, declaring them "extremist," including a translation of the Koran, Jehovah's Witness literature, and some theological and atheist pieces.
