Christian Charity Defends Publishing Nativity Story That Refuses To Speak About The Bible, Says ‘We Are Trying To Be Inclusive’

A Christian charity in the UK has published a story of the Nativity for children that has no references to the Bible in it at all saying it is trying to be more ‘inclusive’ according to a recent report:

A Christian charity in the U.K. has responded to media reports that it decided to remove Bible references in its latest version of the Nativity story in order to present a more accessible story for a largely unchurched population of youths.

“Whilst we’re grateful that our plans to share the real Christmas story with thousands of children have pricked the interest of many, it’s a shame that some of the information about our new book, The First Christmas, has been misunderstood,” Scripture Union of England and Wales wrote on Sunday in a Facebook post.

Jennifer Babb, church and community fundraising manager at Scripture Union, said the decision to remove explicit Scripture references was aimed at taking “that barrier away — it makes it more of a simple story,” according to The Telegraph.

“When we realized that children don’t even know the basics of what they are celebrating, then the traditional, simple story is the best way,” Babb said.

According to The Telegraph, previous versions of the Scripture Union’s Christmas book contained Bible references and asked children to explore the Gospels. Also, the newly published book does not feature visits of the shepherds and the wise men.

Babb said that children in the U.K. have shown declining knowledge when it comes to the Bible over the years, and insisted that the simplification of the story surrounding Jesus’ birth is “specifically designed” to engage with children who do not know the details.

“This is all part of our work to invite children and young people to explore the difference Jesus can make to the challenges and adventures of life,” she stated.

Paul Stockwell, who is Scripture Union’s head of fundraising, told Premier that polls show that “knowledge of the Christian faith and the Christian story is slowing dwindling amongst the next generation.”

National surveys, such as one commissioned by the Children’s Society in 2013, found that one in five parents in the U.K. do not teach their children that Christmas is the story of Jesus’ birthday

Also, 14 percent of kids said that they believe Dec. 25 marks the birth of Santa Claus.

A separate ComRes survey released in September found that only six percent of Britons are practicing Christians, defining the term as those who read the Bible, pray, and attend church on a regular basis.

The results showed that 55 percent of Christians admitted they never read the Bible, while 33 percent said they never attend church, and 29 percent said they never pray.

With that, Scripture Union chose to produce a “retelling of the real Christmas Story” and launched the 95 Campaign to equip and encourage “those with a heart for the 95% of children and young people not regularly in church.”

“We plan to get copies of The First Christmas into the hands of many children this Christmas and especially those who may have little or no understanding of the real Christmas story. It features a beautifully illustrated retelling of the Christmas story which is written in a contemporary and accessible style, but which also remains completely faithful to the accounts as found in the Bible,” Scripture Union said Sunday.

“While we endeavour to ensure children with little to no knowledge of the Christian faith are able to hear the good news in a way that is accessible to them, we place a great deal of importance on remaining true to our Biblical foundations. Helping children to engage with God’s word and the unchanging truths of the Bible will always remain central to our work.”

In its vision and mission statement, Scripture Union identifies its priority as “those who don’t yet know him” (Jesus). The group also explains that it: wants to see “a new generation of children and young people who have a vibrant, personal faith in Jesus,” and creates “opportunities for children and young people to explore the Bible, respond to Jesus and grow in faith.”

“Through a wide range of activities and initiatives, we provide opportunities for young people to explore the Bible, respond to Jesus and grow in faith,” it says, noting it was established 150 years ago in England.

“We believe every child should have the chance to discover Jesus. And, with an estimated 95 percent of children in England and Wales not part of a church, we’re working harder than ever to take the good news of Jesus beyond the church in exciting and culturally relevant ways.” (source)

We have noted before on Shoebat.com that Christianity in England is essentially dead. Only 6% of all people identify as practicing Christians, and that number is set to decline because the numbers are skewed in favor of the elderly, as the majority of Christians in the UK are old and past their prime years of family. Islam has a much larger presence that continues to grow. If that were not enough, as we have reported before, so-called “Christian” parents have even taken to criticizing and attacking the Biblical teachings on homosexuality yet refuse to ignore the scandalous fact that countless numbers of Brits are traveling to countries such as Serbia for the express purpose of engaging in the worst forms of sexual perversity such as bestiality:

Brits are among a growing number of sick tourists travelling to Serbia for sex at ‘animal brothels’, it has been claimed.

The capital Belgrade is said to be a hotspot for ‘zoophiles’ who enjoy sex with animals such as goats, sheep, donkeys, dogs, cats, geese and cows.

The eastern European city can be reached via a direct flight from London, but an animal rights group claims most groups come via organised ‘bus tours’.

Online adverts offer animal sex from between 70 and 150 Euros (£60 to £135) with visitors paying an extra 50 Euros (£45) to film themselves, it is claimed.

An investigation into the horrifying trend was broadcast by TV channel RTL recently.

It included an image of a dog apparently wearing fish-net suspenders and high heels. (source”)

As we have noted, the decline of Christianity correlates directly with the rise of serious forms of perversity and unnatural behavior, and this is because Christianity is not about being ‘nice’ or ‘tolerant.’ Christ came to restore man to relationship with God, and as God is perfect love, Christ came to bring mercy to those who embraced Him and justice to those who rejected Him. Christ did not come to conform to the social and cultural patterns of the time He walked the Earth, or before that time, or after that time. Christ came to invite all men to follow in the path of salvation, and in order to do this He had to give the human race a choice. In order to unify, Christ had to divide, and by divide I speak not of creating division between men for power, but to rend asunder those who would follow in the ways of God to reflect the good of their creator from those who would reject God and embrace perversity fashioned by their own wills. Christianity is as much a faith of mercy and love as it is a feast of justice, for mercy cannot exist without justice.

One may look at the story about why “Christians” in the UK would even consider publishing a story about Christ without any references to sacred scripture, and the answer given the state of “Christianity” in the UK should be obvious. It is because what you are seeing in the transmission of what they believe are sociocultural myths meant to convey ideas of morality and “British Values” without any actual belief in the divine origin of the stories themselves. These people do not believe that Jesus is God, that He was actually born of a virgin in Bethlehem, or that He even came to save mankind. In fact, it is likely they do no believe in Christ or even in God at all. They want the ideas and values of Christianity in their children, but they refuse to accept the divinely revealed foundation through which these beliefs were established as moral absolutes for all time. They desire a Christianity without a cross, and salvation without a savior, and rejection of the ways of the world without having to reject worldliness.

Yet to believe that one can have Christianity without Christ is simply to adopt one of many different forms of secular paganism, for one is simply creating a religion to fit what he already believes in no different than in the same way we are seeing the National Socialist movement of our times, just like their predecessor of old, do with their own ideas about religion and morality. If one asks one of the many “neopagans” that occupy these movements, they will tell you that they do not believe that Odin, Freja, or Thor are actually divine or even exist, but that they are symbolic of the values which these people hold about themselves, their land, and their identity as a distinct ethnic group. This is the essence of pagan ethnonationalism, which takes the legitimate and worthy distinctions that exist between people and parlays them into a form of self worship where the cosmos is understood through the interpretations of a particular people and without divine origin either because they believe there is no God and truth comes from the acquisition of power, or because they believe they can become God, or because they believe that God exists only for them and they have a right to oppress and destroy all who do not share their same ethnic lines.

Christ came to bring salvation to all men and destroy the works of the evil one, and one of the great evils which Christ came to fight was this form of ethnonationalism. John’s Gospel makes this explicitly clear in the first chapter:

He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:11-13)

Likewise, look at the persecution of Christ at the hands of the Jews. As we have noted here on Shoebat.com, the Jews of that time had many complaints against the Romans, and many of them legitimate. As the Bible notes, there was a considerable dispute at that time between the Jews, some who believed in a rigorous application of the Mosaic law as the way to salvation (the Pharisees), and another who believed that Judaism was an ethno-nationalist religion meant to distinguish the Jews as a people from other peoples but otherwise did not believe in God or an afterlife (the Sadducees). However, as many grievances as these groups had with each other and likewise against the Romans, they allied with each other and sought the assistance of their Roman enemies to murder Christ because He opposed their ethnonationalism.

Ethnicity is good. Being happy and wanting to promote one’s ethnicity is good. However, one cannot promote one’s ethnicity at the expense of the dignity of another person because all men are made in God’s image and likeness, and to be among God’s chosen people is to follow in the way that He has ordained for salvation without regard to race. This is the reason why the Catholic Church is also called the “new Israel,” because just as God chose a particular people out of the world through which to come into the world, by His coming, death, and resurrection He has opened the way of salvation to all peoples, fulfilling and perfecting the Mosaic covenant so that he who believes in Him might not perish, but have eternal life, by choosing to be a Jew of the soul, circumcising one’s heart and submitting one’s will before the God who descended into our humanity in order that we might be raised up to His divinity.

Likewise, this is the reason that we have warned at Shoebat.com that not the criticism of Judaism within the context of divine revelation articulated through Sacred Scripture and Tradition, but that coming from without and based on ideas of ethnonationalism is a gateway to anti-Christian persecution, for if the fulfillment of Judaism is the Catholic Faith, then when one is persecuted the other one will immediately follow. It is the reason why the in spite of the differences and even actions of individuals or groups, the Catholic Church has consistently defended the Jews throughout its history and why heretics often times attack both the Catholic Church and the Jew alike, and if not both at the same time, both in due time.

What is happening in the UK in this situation is a reflection of what we have warned is taking place across Europe, which is either the rejection of Christianity or its subjugation, and in its place the heresy of ethnonationalism rising. This will inevitably lead to another war and conflict with horrors as have never been seen before.