52 Countries Where the Bible is Illegal (2024)

Bibles: Dangerous, Illegal, Covert

April 20, 2019 By lovepackages

Voice of the Martyrs recently published a world map that highlights the most difficult places to own or bring a bible. VOM is working hard to get bibles into these countries, and we are honored to be working toward the same goal.

There are many other ministries printing, shipping, smuggling, and carrying God’s word into these places as well. There are almost as many different strategies as there are ministries, and it’s breathtaking to consider how the Lord orchestrates his plans: One ministry prints, another uses cutting edge digital technology, another collects and recycles discarded material.

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And you’re invited into the work as well. Pray for the work, learn how to collect material for us to ship, and/or donate toward the shipping costs.

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VOM’s map is a stunning visual of the great need for truth.

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Is the Bible Illegal in 52 Countries?

You may have heard that the bible is illegal in 52 countries. It gets printed on t-shirts and stitched on bible covers.

“Illegal” may not be strictly true, but it might as well be in most of these places. The Voice of the Martyrs map categorizes countries where bibles are (1) difficult/dangerous to obtain, (2) illegal or highly restricted, and (3) strictly illegal and only available through covert smuggling.

The map was in their last newsletter, but you can also see it on their website.

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52 Countries Where the Bible is Illegal (1)

Click to see it on their site. It’s interactive over there.

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Please note that no one is claiming thatChristianity is illegal in these places. It is alsonot about which countries do or do not have physical church buildings or the presence of Christian communities.

Finally, it is worth noting that in many larger countries, especially, experiences vary based on specific location. Some states or regions within a country may have more religious freedoms or looser enforcement of restrictions than others.

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A list of 52 countries where the bible is illegal and/or severely persecuted:

  1. Afghanistan
  2. Iran
  3. Kazakhstan
  4. Kyrgyzstan
  5. Maldives
  6. Mauritania
  7. North Korea
  8. Saudi Arabia
  9. Somalia
  10. Tajikistan
  11. Turkmenistan
  12. Uzbekistan
  13. Yemen
  14. Algeria
  15. Bhutan
  16. Brunei
  17. China
  18. Cuba
  19. Djibouti
  20. Eritrea
  21. Kuwait
  22. Laos
  23. Libya
  24. Malaysia
  25. Morocco
  26. Oman
  27. Sudan
  28. Tunisia
  29. Bahrain
  30. Bangladesh
  31. Central African Republic
  32. Columbia
  33. Egypt
  34. Ethiopia
  35. India
  36. Iraq
  37. Jordan
  38. Kenya
  39. Lebanon
  40. Mali
  41. Myanmar (Burma)
  42. Nepal
  43. Niger
  44. Nigeria
  45. Pakistan
  46. Philippines (Mindanao)
  47. Sri Lanka
  48. Syria
  49. Tanzania
  50. Turkey
  51. United Arab Emirates
  52. Vietnam

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How to Get Bibles into 52 Restricted Nations

As mentioned, there are several good ministries doing this work. Pray about where God would have you get involved.

How is Love Packages helping? We collect new and used bibles and other Christian literature from all over the country, and ship it overseas.

Because we ship to distributors in port cities, we pack materials into cargo containers and ship about 20 tons at a time. It’s a big job, but it’s the very best use of our resources. Bulk shipping + donated materials and a lot of volunteer labor means that, when numbers are crunched, every $1 you donate puts 10 pounds of the gospel into the 10/40 window.

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52 Countries Where the Bible is Illegal (2)

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It comes with some limitations, of course. We can’t ship 20 tons of bibles and Sunday school workbooks to Beijing, for example, because it would never get past port authorities. We ship to distributors who can receive the material—like India and South Africa—and their networks move it over land.

We recently received this note from a distributor based in South Africa:

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The Portuguese Bibles are all on their way to different parts in Africa. Some of them to churches in Namibia, some are waiting on private people who will visit Angola in a short while, some are on their way to a mining group in Malawi, and some to another missionary in Malawi. Two big boxes of Portuguese Bibles was sent with pastors to Mozambique.

Some of the Arabic Bibles are on their way to Dakar Senegal, some to Nigeria and Malawi/Mozambique, some to Uganda and Kenya, where there are new converts who can speak and read Arabic.

The Hebrew tracts will be send to Mr. [redacted] of Israel. He is a mighty missionary, and he will be able to use these little small tracts in different areas.

The French tracts are also being sent to Senegal – to pastor [redacted] – and to Uganda – to the area where the Kampala camp is with 12,000 refugees. I also send many French bibles from your organization to them.

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There are several ways you can help:

  • Pray for our ministry and our work. Pray for our team and our volunteers, for the finances needed to ship, and for our distributors and their teams on the field.
  • Donate to help cover costs. If we assume, for simplicity’s sake, that a bible weighs about one pound, every $1 you donate puts 10 bibles on the mission field. That’s a good return.
  • Collect used materials for us. Put a box in your church foyer. Scan the bookshelves at your local resale store. Hit up garage sales. We have all the materials you need to organize a bible collection drive at your church, and you can download them for free.
  • Order materials for us. We ship to distributors who can use mostly English literature, but we also have foreign language material organized. You can order a case of Swahili New Testaments, for example, and have them shipped right to us.

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Bible Donation Testimonies from Restricted Nations

Here are just a couple of the testimonies we’ve received from distributors in some of the 52 restricted countries listed above.

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From Myanmar
The past three month I went to Myansalii village. There was a man named Theing and originally his religion was Buddhist. They are so strong but the personal talking was very affective with him.

Now he knows that he has many great sinfulness in his life according the Bible which I gave to him. By the goodness of God He accepted what I am sharing with him in his house.

The story that touch him so much and turned him to God was the lost coin from the book of Luke. The coin doesn’t know about it being lost, he said that I am the same as the lost coin. I didn’t know I was lost, but now I know that He is the true and the living God.

From Kenya
We are writing to say Thank You for the Christian books, Bibles and Sunday school materials. We hope to use these during the year in the villages of Kisumu rural areas where not many has bibles even the pastors who borrows from brothers who are privileged to have one.

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God is doing a great work to get his word to his people all over the world. How will you be a part of the work?

52 Countries Where the Bible is Illegal (2024)

FAQs

Is reading the Bible in China illegal? ›

The Bible is printed in China but legally available only at church bookstores approved by Beijing. Roughly two years ago, the Chinese government banned online Bible sales. Audio Bible players, nevertheless, have become popular with people of faith in China because of their ease of use.

Is Bible banned in Saudi Arabia? ›

Bringing a Bible and other types of religious texts are allowed into the country as long as it is for personal use.

Who tried to destroy the Bible? ›

In A.D. 301-304, the Roman Emperor Diocletian burned thousands of copies of the Bible, commanded that all Bibles be destroyed and decreed that any home with a Bible in it should be burned.

Why is the Bible banned in North Korea? ›

Officially, North Korea guarantees freedom of religion for its 24 million people. In practice, authorities crack down on Christians, who are seen as a Western-influenced threat to the government. The distribution of bibles and secret prayer services can mean banishment to a labor camp or execution, defectors say.

Who is God in Chinese religion? ›

tian, (Chinese: “heaven” or “sky”) Wade-Giles romanization t'ien, in indigenous Chinese religion, the supreme power reigning over lesser gods and human beings. The term tian may refer to a deity, to impersonal nature, or to both.

Can I take my Bible to China? ›

Under Chinese law, it is illegal to bring printed religious material into the country if it exceeds the amount for personal use. The group distributes the Bibles through a local shop owner in Kunming, according to Klein.

Can I take my Bible to Dubai? ›

The importation and sale of religious material is allowed; however, attempts to spread Christianity among Muslims are not permitted. Non-Muslim religious leaders reported that customs authorities rarely questioned the entry of religious materials such as Bibles and hymnals into the country.

Is Christianity allowed in Russia? ›

A: Russia adopted a law making it unconstitutional to be a Christian, even though the (Russian) constitution says you are free to profess any faith. (The Yarovaya law increases regulation of evangelism, including a ban on the performance of “missionary activities” in non-religious settings.)

Are there Christians in Turkey? ›

Today there are more than 200,000–320,000 people of different Christian denominations, representing roughly 0.3–0.4 percent of Turkey's population, including an estimated 80,000 Oriental Orthodox, 35,000 Roman Catholics, 18,000 Antiochian Greeks, 5,000 Greek Orthodox, 8,000 Protestants, and 512 Mormons.

Which Bible is the true Bible? ›

The New American Standard Bible is a literal translation from the original texts, well suited to study because of its accurate rendering of the source texts.

What religion is most persecuted? ›

Between 2007 and 2017, the PEW organization found that "Christians experienced harassment by governments or social groups in the largest number of countries"—144 countries—but that it is almost equal to the number of countries (142) in which Muslims experience harassment.

Where is the original Bible? ›

Written on vellum or calf's skin, the codex has been in the Vatican Library at least since 1475. Along with Codex Vaticanus, Codex Sinaiticus is one of the most important manuscripts of both the Greek Old and New Testaments.

Which country has no religion? ›

It is worth noting that atheism is not a religion—however, in actively rejecting the existence of spiritual deities, atheism is arguably a spiritual belief.
...
Least Religious Countries 2022.
CountryLuxembourg
Unaffiliated %26.70%
Unaffiliated140,000
2022 Population647,599
108 more columns

Can I take my Bible to South Korea? ›

In the latest efforts to stop Scripture from crossing borders into North Korea, South Korean authorities made Bible launches illegal on Friday.

Why is religion illegal in China? ›

The Chinese government is wary of religion for several reasons. China is officially an atheist state and Communist Party members are banned from believing in or practicing any faith; there is concern that religion can function as an alternative to Communism and thus undermine loyalty to the government.

Who is the god of Russia? ›

Veles, also known as Volos (Russian: Волос, Влас, Власий), is a major Slavic god of earth, waters, livestock, and the underworld. His attributes are wet, wooly, hairy (bearded), dark and he is associated with cattle, the harvest, wealth, music, magic, and trickery.

Who is god of Japan? ›

Hachiman (八幡神) is the god of war and the divine protector of Japan and its people. Originally an agricultural deity, he later became the guardian of the Minamoto clan. His symbolic animal and messenger is the dove. Inari Ōkami (稲荷大神) The god or goddess of rice and fertility.

Which religion is the best religion in world? ›

Largest religious groups
ReligionFollowers (billions)Cultural tradition
Christianity2.4Abrahamic religions
Islam1.9Abrahamic religions
Hinduism1.2Indian religions
Buddhism0.5Indian religions
1 more row

Can you worship God in Russia? ›

The 1997 Law. The Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations ( a.k.a. the 1997 Law) declares all religions equal before the law, prohibits government interference in religion, and establishes simple registration procedures for religious groups. The country is by law a secular state without a state religion ...

What is the fastest growing religion in China? ›

Since the 1980s, China has seen a significant growth in Christianity, and today Protestantism is the country's fastest-growing religious group. There are three state-regulated Christian organizations and many underground house churches of widely varying size.

Can you wear a crucifix in Dubai? ›

In Dubai you will have no problem if you are wearing a Crucifix around your neck ect. No problems with the crucifix at all.

What is the main religion in Dubai? ›

The constitution designates Islam as the official religion. It guarantees freedom of worship as long as it does not conflict with public policy or morals. It states all persons are equal before the law, and prohibits discrimination on grounds of religious belief.

What is the religion of Ukraine? ›

What is the religious landscape of Ukraine? Surveys estimate a large majority of Ukraine's population is Orthodox, with a significant minority of Ukrainian Catholics who worship with a Byzantine liturgy similar to that of the Orthodox but are loyal to the pope.

What is the main religion in Ukraine? ›

According to the study, the majority of Ukrainians (74%) identify themselves as Orthodox, 8% as the Greco-Roman Catholicism, 1% – as Roman Catholicism and Protestant and Evangelical churches. Just Christians consider themselves almost 9% of respondents, don't identify themselves with any religious denominations 6%.

Is Christianity allowed in Japan? ›

Japan's Meiji government lifted the ban on Christianity in 1873. Some hidden Christians rejoined the Catholic Church. Others chose to remain in hiding — even to this day. A baptism ceremony for a child on Ikitsuki Island, Nagasaki prefecture.

Are missionaries allowed in China? ›

Missionaries are still officially forbidden in China, and proselytizing is technically illegal. Nonetheless, more Christian activists are entering China openly. By some estimates, 10,000 foreign Christian workers now live in the country, more than half of them Americans.

Are there Christians in China? ›

Although most practice traditional Chinese religions such as Taoism, and longer-standing foreign imports such as Buddhism, Protestant Christianity is probably the fastest-growing faith, with at least 38m adherents today (about 3% of the population), up from 22m a decade ago, according to the government's count.

Is there an official religion in China? ›

The government recognizes five official religions – Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Protestantism, and Catholicism.

What religion do the Chinese have? ›

The research and advocacy group Freedom House estimated in 2017 that there are more than 350 million religious believers in China, primarily made up of Chinese Buddhists, followed by Protestants, Muslims, Falun Gong practitioners, Catholics, and Tibetan Buddhists.

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