Christians versus Humanists: follow-up to the BHA report

A few weeks ago I posted about the report that the British Humanist Association (BHA) commissioned BRAP to research (click here). Below is an article by Damian Thompson that appeared in The Telegraph on the 30th April 2009 where he strongly criticises not only the report but also the Equality & Human Rights Commission (EHRC) for funding it.

The article is entitled, ‘Christians: this is how your taxes are being spent in the middle of a recession’:

When a Child is Born…Peace & Goodwill to All Men (The 12 Posts of Xmas #10)

“All across the land dawns a brand new morn

This comes to pass when a child is born”

The birth of Jesus changed the world or so the words from Johnny Mathis’ hit “When A Child is Born” seek to testify.

On the spot where it is alleged that Jesus was born stands one of the oldest churches in the world: the Church of the Nativity. Interestingly, the Church is built over a cave that is believed to have been where Jesus’ birth took place informed by a tradition goes back to the Christian apologist Justin Martyr (c.100-165). In one of his early writings, he stated that the Holy Family had taken refuge in a cave:

Joseph took up his quarters in a certain cave near the village; and while they were there Mary brought forth the Christ and placed Him in a manger, and here the Magi who came from Arabia found Him.

A half decade or so later, Origen of Alexandria (circa 185-254) wrote:

In Bethlehem the cave is pointed out where He was born, and the manger in the cave where He was wrapped in swaddling clothes. And the rumor is in those places, and among foreigners of the Faith, that indeed Jesus was born in this cave who is worshipped and reverenced by the Christians.

It seems strange that whilst the Gospels clearly do not mention that Jesus was born in a cave (see my earlier post here), early Christian theologians believed that he was. This is important because so much we think we know about the Nativity Story is built around the ‘no room at the inn’ scenario whereas the Church marking the site is not.

Where is the Nativity Story in the Gospels? (The 12 Posts of Xmas #9)

How many people realise or know that the ‘Nativity Story’ in the New Testament of the Bible is neither complete nor consistent across the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John)? When asked, many believe that the ‘Story’ played out through Nativity plays is indeed how it is in the Bible. When they find out that this is not the case, many are truly shocked.

To show how the various takes on the ‘Nativity Story’ have been weaved together from the different Gospels – including where it is not even mentioned – each version of the  ‘Story’ is set out below (note – the numbers at the start of the lines correspond to the verse of that particular chapter):

The Gospel of Matthew

Christmas not just for Christians – Jews, Hindus, Muslims et al Welcome (The 12 Posts of Xmas #6)

Whilst the average school nativity play might include a diverse array of children in today’s Britain, it would seem that the bare essentials – the  angels, the shepherds, the baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph – would also be present and correct. However, if the Church of England get their way, this may soon be slightly passe.

As reported in the Daily Telegraph over the weekend, the Church of England want to make Christmas ‘more multicultural’. As such, they have sought to include “Hindu snowmen, a Chinese dragon and a Jewish temple” in their festivities. As the newspaper article went on:

…in an attempt to make the celebrations more inclusive of Britain’s diverse communities,Westminster Abbey will unveil life-size snowmen that Anglican clergy hope will help to improve relations and dialogue between other faiths.

Dressed in turbans, with bindi dots on their foreheads, they are intended to demonstrate that Christmas should not be exclusively for Christians.

The Rev Jane Hedges, a canon at the abbey, said that it was important to encourage people from other faiths to join in the celebrations.

“We’ve done this as it creates a good opportunity for Christians to meet and hear about the stories of people of other faiths,” she said.

“Christmas is an opportunity for everyone to stop and think and is a great opportunity for the different faiths to talk to one another.

“Wherever you’re coming from there should be something to celebrate at Christmas.”

In principle that’s fine. Christmas as a ‘cultural’ celebration is already quite a multiple one and quite a diverse affair. Just see how many people from different backgrounds participate in Christmas parties at work, exchange cards or buy presents for each other.

But this doesn’t seem to be what the Rev Jane Hedges of the Church of England is saying. She is saying that this has been done “as it creates a good opportunity for Christians to meet and hear about the stories of people of other faiths”.

Why exactly would Christians want to hear the stories of people from other faiths at Christmas, the second most significant Christian festival in the calendar…???

The 12 Posts of Xmas (#4): “Mary’s Boy Child, Jesus Christ, was Born on Christmas Day…”

If ‘Mary’s Boy Child’ was born on Christmas Day, then if the scientists and astronomers are right, it is likely that this will have been on June 17th rather than the 25th December that most of us associate with it. As The Daily Telegraph explained:

…researchers claim the ‘Christmas star’ was most likely a magnificent conjunction of the planets Venus and Jupiter, which were so close together they would have shone unusually brightly as a single “beacon of light” which appeared suddenly.

If the team is correct, it would mean Jesus was a Gemini, not a Capricorn as previously believed.

Australian astronomer Dave Reneke used complex computer software to chart the exact positions of all celestial bodies and map the night sky as it would have appeared over the Holy Land more than 2,000 years ago.

It revealed a spectacular astronomical event around the time of Jesus’s birth.