Stand up for Christmas, archbishops tell their flock
By Neil Tweedie and Jonathan Petre
(Filed: 19/12/2005)

Political correctness or fear of offending other religions should not be allowed to cloud the fact that Christianity lies at the heart of British culture, the Archbishop of Canterbury and his predecessor said yesterday.

In what appeared to be a co-ordinated pre-Christmas offensive, Dr Rowan Williams and Lord Carey mounted a stout defence of Christianity's place in society.

They attacked the "silly bureaucrats" who insisted on banning Christian words and symbols in a misguided attempt to placate Muslims and others.

Their comments coincide with a poll showing that 43 per cent of adults intend to attend church at some time over the festive season, almost a third more than those giving the same answer in 2001.

Dr Williams gave warning that Christmas was in danger of being turned into a secular winter festival through a mixture of political correctness and profit-driven consumerism. Story



Don't stifle Christianity by political correctness, says Carey
By A Correspondent

THE public expression of the Christian faith and other religions is being undermined by political correctness, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey of Clifton, says.

“I think there is a view around that practising Christianity and all the symbols that go with it embarrasses people of other faiths and of course that’s nonsense,” he told GMTV’s Sunday Programme.

This month a Derby schoolgirl was sent home after she refused to remove her crucifix necklace. A crucifix was “an expression of our faith”, Lord Carey said, dismissing the claim that it was jewellery. “I’m glad that many people have risen up against that and said it’s nonsense,” he said. The rest