Sunday, December 14, 2008

Being incorrect in church

Been missing for a while. Too much on. So blogfest coming. Last night, I sung along with a chuchfull of carollers at Welshpool's St Mary's. It was the 17th Welshpool Fire Station Carol Service. Just before going, I'd read in the Telegraph that Christmas carols are being corrected by clergy to make them more "modern and inclusive". It seems that Twelve Days of Christmas has been rewritten to include Aids victims, drug addicts and hoodies. Other churchgoers will not sing 'all in white' during Once in Royal David's City. And one clergyman has removed the word 'virgin' from God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. I believed all this until I couldn't find the word 'virgin' in there anywhere.

I was surprised that the last carol hadn't been changed to God Rest Ye Merry People, as the Dean of Llandaff insisted on a few years ago. I'm sure I've mentioned this on my blog before, but when I objected to such silliness, I was interviewed on Radio Five late on Christmas Eve, and introduced as the Dean of Berriew. At the time, I was sitting in my office with my feet up on the desk and a glass of champagne in my hand - and not the first either. John Pocket has referred to me as the Dean ever since.

Anyway 'merry gentlemen' it was last night - and none of the other carols had been interfered with. Only shock for me was during the short sermon where it was revealed that Christ was actually born in June, and it was decided to celebrate the great event soon after the shortest day of the year to give hope to all his people that there were better days to come. Please tell me its not true.

1 comment:

JPT said...

It's true.
The Christians outlawed the Pagan Midwinter festival which fell at the end of December and moved their own celebration of the birth of Christ to this period to replace the pagan festival.