Website Seethes Over Newly PC Christmas Carols

By Kristina Loew,  Newser User
Posted Dec 14, 2008 3:17 PM CST
Website Seethes Over Newly PC Christmas Carols
Children from the special language school Angeles sing Christmas carols at the post office in Santiago, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007.   (AP Photo/Santiago Llanquin)

A British website is accusing churches of political correctness after they made changes to age-old Christmas carol lyrics, the Telegraph reports. Vicars say the edits aim to remove gender-specific or racially charged words, but the editor of a Christian site calls it "a festive car crash. Half the congregation sing familiar words from memory, while the rest stumble over revised alternatives."

Changes at some churches include:

  • "Glory to the Christ child, bring" will replace "Glory to the newborn King"
  • "O come in adoration" in place of "O come let us adore Him"
  • A new "Twelve Days of Christmas" that mentions drug addiction and AIDS
  • The cutting of "virgin" from "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen"
The website, Ship of Fools, is holding a contest to name its least favorite lyric changes.
(More A Christmas Carol stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X