The Deacon's Bench
In Great Britain, a longstanding tradition is becoming utterly unrecognizable.
From The BBC:
The traditional school nativity play is under pressure to modernize the story and remove religious figures, according to users of a parenting website.
Parents on Netmums have given examples of characters such as spacemen, Elvis Presley and footballers being introduced to the nativity story.
There are also claims Christmas plays are being called “winter celebrations”.
Netmums co-founder Siobhan Freegard said parents were concerned Christmas traditions were being “pushed aside”.
Don Horrocks of the Evangelical Alliance, representing evangelical Christians, warned that it was either “extreme political correctness or perhaps it reflects a nation too embarrassed to face up to its Christian heritage”.
“Perhaps it’s a sign of collective guilt amidst national commercial frenzy? Whatever the motive, it does a huge disservice not least to the younger generation who are being misled regarding their spiritual heritage,” said Dr Horrocks.
About 2,000 parents have shared their experiences of how nativity plays are being adapted in some schools – and how there has been no nativity play at all in other schools.
They report how the story has been changed, so that rather than simply casting Mary, Joseph, shepherds, wise men and a donkey, there are parts for aliens, punk fairies, Elvis Presley, footballers, a lobster and a drunken spaceman.
Christmas carols have been replaced with Christmas-themed pop songs, report some of the parents.
There were also reports of schools changing the name of “Christmas” plays, with the suggestion that it was to avoid a specific reference to the Christian festival.
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