British schoolchildren are being denied lessons on the true meaning of Christmas by teachers frightened of offending other faiths, a BBC broadcaster has said.
In an arrticle penned for the current edition of the Radio Times, Roger Bolton, presenter of Radio 4’s Feedback programme states that a combintaion of fear and reluctance within a PC culture is creating a religious illiteracy among children, with neagtive consequences for other subject areas.
“In some schools in this country, little is taught about the true meaning of Christmas, possibly because secular staff are unsympathetic to religious education or because of the fear of offending those of other faiths,” he writes. Arguing that such lessons are “vital”, Mr Bolton added: “Without a knowledge of Christianity, what will our schoolchildren make of our finest literature and drama, filled as it is with Christian imagery?
In a multicultural Britain, the former host of Radio 4’s Sunday programme continues, a conveyed knowledge of Christianity is also an important element in lessons for children coming from non-Christian traditions.
“How can they begin to integrate into our country if they know little of the faith still at its heart?”
Mr Bolton goes on to quote a Bible Society survey of 2013 which revealed that among British schoolchildren, 25% had never heard of the Nativity while 43% knew nothing of Christ’s crucifixion.
In his piece, Bolton asserted that in the current climate, the famed Band Aid single’Do They Know It’s Christmas’ would be better named ‘Do They Know What Christmas Is?’
