Merry Diversity

One of the cardinal rules of polite conversation is never to bring up the topics of politics or religion. I try to be as polite as possible, but every so often it's necessary to vent about the various idiocies of what we are pleased to call the western -- or civilised -- world.

Christmas is approaching. Now Christmas, as any fule kno, is a Christian festival, celebrating the birth of one of the key figures of all Christian religions. It's a cornerstone of Christian religious observance, it's one of the two or three main religious holidays in the calendar and, apart from its religious context, it's the basis for a whole smorgasbord of social interaction - visits to family, friends, colleagues, goodwill, seasonal cheer, etc etc. So it serves both sacred and secular purposes.

Well, it did. Before the claws of political correctness sank into it and started tearing the substance from its bones. What we have now is an almost indecent eagerness on the part of The Powers That Be in Britain to teach us to wish each other "seasonal" greetings, a happy "winterval", a pleasant non-denominational holiday festival.

I notice that it's still OK to express good wishes on the occasion of Eid, Diwali, Channukah and whatever other non-Christian religious festivals occur around this time of year. Quite rightly, too, more power to them etc etc.

But why is British society stripping itself of its own, historical, religious trappings faster than a horny student in a brothel room? Why are we bending over backwards to deny our own faith?

I can't help but detect a vague shame on the part of modern British society, or at least the parts of it that are in charge of these things: local council diversity commandos, equal opportunity police, the whatever-you-do-don't-upset-them squad. You know, the "we mustn't shove our religion down their throats" argument.

Why must we be so self-effacing that we must deny our own, national, faith? If I travel to the Middle East or Asia, I respect the local culture and religion, I enjoy it, I learn from it. Is Britain subtly saying that we can't expect people of other faiths to respect ours, so instead we must erase it?

What's wrong with Christianity? Don't get me wrong, I'm not a devout Christian by even the longest stretch of the imagination, but I'm concerned at the abandonment of the Christian underpinnings of a culture that has thrived for nigh on two millenia. Christianity has no more to be ashamed of than most other religions though yes, it has been a warlike religion on numerous occasions.

Britain is one of the more cosmopolitan countries on this earth. It has a history of tolerance, of welcoming other religions. Ironically, the nastiest episodes in this country's history have been those of intra-Christian strife: but to all other religions, Britain has been a pretty accomodating host.

But studiously wiping out your own faith so that other people can feel more confident of theirs is taking hospitality just a bit too far.