Should Satantic Christmas be Scrapped?

In Edinburgh, someone has set up a grotto where Satan takes the place of Santa. He questions children and seeks to track down Santa Claus in order to return him to his place in hell. Some religious leaders in the city, though, are not pleased and would like to have the attraction shut down.

The Herald reports:

Satan’s Grotto, a tinsel-free “fun” alternative to Santa’s Grotto, has opened its doors to the public at Edinburgh Dungeon, but not everybody appreciates the humour. It has upset some church members who complained it was corrupting a Christian festival and “making it into something nasty”.

The kirk session of London Road church has lobbied Edinburgh City Council to try to stop the attraction’s public entertainment licence being renewed. The Rev William Armitage, minister of the church, said they had objected to the “satanic Christmas”. He added: “We got loads of e-mails from groups in the United States supporting us, and other churches in Edinburgh said if they had known about it they would have formed a campaign.”

However, Andrew McDonald, general manager of Edinburgh Dungeon, described Satan’s Grotto as “an antidote to the relentless commercialism of the festive season”.

I can certainly understand why some people might be upset about this, but at the same time it’s completely out of line to try to have the attraction shut down because of this. It’s fine to criticize it, even in harsh terms, but eliminating it is another matter entirely. If Christians can’t stand the fact that people will celebrate Christmas in their own way, then perhaps they should find another holiday.

 

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