Multi-culturalism and political correctness are undermining the message of Christmas, the Bishop of Manchester has claimed.The Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch used his Christmas Day sermon at Manchester Cathedral to question attempts to separate the festival from Christian beliefs. He said attempts to undermine the church by aggressive atheists, who he branded almost as `fundamentalist' as the religions they criticise, would only make it stronger.He is said to have been reacting to a growing trend for government organisations to send cards wishing `Seasons Greetings' rather than Happy Christmas and by Warrington council's decision to replace the traditional festive lights message with a recycling promotion. But secular groups said the speech was part of a growing attempt to blame atheists for falling attendances. Mr McCulloch said: "What we do need to say good-bye to is the woolly mish-mash of multi-culturalism, so encouraged by the secular agenda of modern political correctness. It pretends to sensitivity and the avoiding of offence. But its sole purpose is to get rid of all religion, and especially Christianity. "And that belief is also under attack from another source - for the indifference of the 20th century has given way to the aggressive atheism of the 21st. Praise the Lord for that. The Church when under attack, the Christian faith when its beliefs are tested intelligently, have often grown stronger."Keith Porteous Wood, executive director of the National Secular Society, said: "He attacks secularists because he wants someone to blame but I am not standing outside the cathedral stopping people from going to Christmas services - it's happening anyway." Phil Woolas, MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, said he strongly agreed that we should celebrate Christianity and Christmas. He said: "Multi-culturalism should recognise faiths but I believe the clear message of Christianity is tolerance."And in his advent message the Roman Catholic Bishop of Salford, the Rt Rev Terence Brain, said the Winterval cheer of office parties and the Christian celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord shouldn't be confused. Has the message of Christmas been undermined?Source Manchester Evening News
6 comments:
Now show the front of the card that says merry Christmas.
Thats it the season of goodwill and all that is now over, no more being kind to the local fascist and racist, another one gone today Chris Hill North West organiser Chris from Lancaster is another victim of SADIGATE.
A second newsletter is being produced to be delivered later this year with more information on our fascist activities in Dukinfield.
Scum bag who stole memorial plaques from our cemetery is still locked up awaiting trial date. Council to replace all plaques stolen.
Councillor Brian Wild will be our candidate for the May 2008 elections - A long-standing popular Councillor and ex Mayor of Tameside, Chair of the Dukinfield DA, a local Magistrate, School Governor, Trustee at Willow Wood Hospice, and still a local football referee. These are just a few of his activities.
We are making preparations for this election now. We will not wait like others do for the two weeks before this election and hope we can count on your support for Brian.
Can councillor John Taylor really stand the heat?
Is Johnny a Jew?
"The Evening Standard has uncovered dramatic new allegations of fraud and intimidation in a project closely linked to the Mayor's senior adviser, Lee Jasper.
The project, run by two close associates of Mr Jasper - Greg Nowell and Clive Grey - received at least £280,000 from Ken Livingstone's London Development Agency and a further £70,000 from his other body, Transport for London, after strong pressure from Mr Jasper ...
However, three former instructors at the Clapham-based "taxi school" have said it never operated properly after the grant, and never had more than a handful of students. None of the instructors was paid and the school lacked basic materials such as textbooks and proper maps.
One instructor said that when he walked out he was threatened and told "there would be bullets flying in my direction".
Bank statements seen by the Evening Standard show that only 17 days after the "taxi school" received its LDA grant - in 2002, according to the instructors - £25,000 of the money was diverted from the school's bank account into another body, the Inner City Fund. The Inner City Fund was controlled by Mr Nowell and Mr Grey ...
The Inner City Fund filed no accounts for the relevant year. At the time it received the money it was being struck off the companies register for breaching company law regulations. Within weeks of receiving the money, it was struck off and all the cash vanished.
A few days later, according to bank statements and invoices seen by the Standard, a further £93,000 of the LDA grant was paid to a firm called Scape Developments, ostensibly for refurbishment of the "taxi school". Some work was carried out, but nothing like £93,000 worth.
The Standard has established that Scape Developments trades from the same floor of the same office building in London Road, Norbury, as another company, Phoenix Logistics. Both firms have the same official registered addresses, in Bond Street, Mayfair, and their directors are the same. The development manager of Phoenix Logistics is Mr Grey.
After a further few days, according to bank statements and invoices, another £45,000 was paid to a company called John Kent Automobiles, apparently to purchase taxis. The address of John Kent Automobiles is the Harrow home of Mr Nowell.
A few days after that, again according to bank statements and invoices, a further £15,000 was paid to Egal Consulting. One of its directors is Joe Ahmed-Dobson, the then LDA official responsible for administering the grant to Green Badge.
Mr Ahmed-Dobson is the son of Frank Dobson, the Labour MP and former candidate for Mayor. "There is no point in lying if you've got documentary evidence," said Mr Ahmed-Dobson. "I know it does look very bad. There is a clear conflict of interest." However, he denied personally pocketing the money ...
Within eight weeks of receiving the LDA money, the bank statements show, the Green Badge school's bank account had been almost emptied of a grant meant to last at least a year. Green Badge annual reports and letters seen by the Standard make clear the LDA and TfL grants were gained thanks to the "strong support of Lee Jasper", and many of the ordinary letters Green Badge sends are copied to their protector, Mr Jasper.
The Standard has also seen handwritten notes of thanks to Mr Jasper. "The partnership between Green Badge, TfL and the LDA was brought about through the good offices of Lee Jasper," says Mr Nowell in one of his chairman's reports. The Green Badge school appears to have been part of what is known as a "grant farm", in which Mr Nowell and Mr Grey created a number of "social enterprises", all based in the same small office, which then applied for public sector funding ...
As well as the Inner City Fund, other organisations included the Social Enterprise Group, the West London Construction Partnership, Bellamy Construction, and Careplus 2000 Ltd. Mr Grey and Mr Nowell went under various guises, including "His Excellency Greg Nowell, Vice President of World Health Concern Incorporated." ...
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