“I have seen performances where the central character has not been Jesus. Instead he is replaced by an angel or a sheep, and I think that’s a shame,” said Rev Roger Widdecombe, vicar of St Paul’s in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
Oh no, here we again!
A growing number of schools have scrapped the traditional Mary and Joseph performances in favour of secular alternatives such as Snow White or Scrooge.
Others have removed explicitly religious messages from their re-enactments of the birth of Christ for fear of upsetting pupils of other faiths.
Now vicars have spoken out against this watering down of the nativity, complaining that children are not being taught the spiritual message of Christmas.
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