The 17th-century Christmas song “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” has had its lyrics updated by a British church to make it more “inclusive” of women and LGBT people. The hymn, which was sung with the modified words during a carol service on Monday, has caused controversy within the Church of England because some claim the modifications are an overt attempt to introduce a liberal political viewpoint.
The Any Saints with Holy Trinity church in Loughborough, England, altered the original birth tale entirely and eliminated all allusions to Christ as the Savior and any talks of defeating Satan. The revised version, on the other hand, speaks to “the queer and questioning,” as well as “women, who by males have been erased, through history disregarded and despised, soiled and displaced.”
A parishioner named Rachael Piffle, who uses the pronouns “she” and “her,” according to her Twitter account, tweeted the amended wording. After receiving criticism for her first tweet, she clarified that the ceremony at which the revised carol was performed was a mayor’s community carol service that benefits a children’s hospice and was attended by non-churchgoers from the neighborhood.
“We had representatives from significant charity dealing with the homeless, refugees, and other vulnerable population groups in our region. Don’t you believe it would have been dishonest to ignore their labor? Piffle disagreed.
Nevertheless, the attempt to alter the traditional lyrics has been denounced by traditionalist groups within the Church of England. Sam Magrave, a church official, tweeted in response to the revised wording that he was “extremely appalled” that a religious service was being exploited to advance a “political philosophy.”
The wording were obviously modified to match a “woke, unbiblical agenda,” according to the former vicar Reverend Matthew Firth, who contributed to the fury.
The mission of the Inclusive Church network, an educational nonprofit, is to challenge the church “where it continues to discriminate against people on grounds of disability, economic power, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, learning disability, mental health, neurodiversity, or sexuality.” The All Saints With Holy Trinity in Loughborough is a member of this network.
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