A school choir was forced to withdraw from a Christmas event because organisers branded its carols 'too religious'.
Around 60 children aged between seven and 11 had spent six weeks practising favourites including Once In Royal David's City and Silent Night for the Corringham Winter Festival.
But they were let down at the last minute when their headteacher was informed their programme did not 'dovetail' with the festival's theme.
The event ended up going ahead last week with non-religious music and displays from an Irish school of dancing and performing arts students.
The snub was widely criticised by furious parents and religious leaders who accused the organisers of pandering to the politically correct brigade.
Nicola Hales, 36, whose nine-year-old daughter Rhiannon goes to Arthur Bugler County Junior School in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex, said: 'They must have been practising for about six weeks.
'All the programmes had gone out with the school's name on it but we got a newsletter home saying sorry for the confusion. I heard it was because the songs were too religious.
'It's ridiculous that you can't sing religious songs. It's Christmas - when can you sing them?'
Another parent, who delined to be named, said: 'The school was advised by the organisers that the carols they had chosen were not suitable because they were deemed to have a religious theme. The kids were really disappointed.
'I can't see how the Christmas carols they were going to sing would have been offensive to anyone.'
The Prayer Book Society, said 'winter festivals' were threatening traditional Christmas celebrations.
Chairman Prudence Dailey added: 'These politically correct winter festivals seek to make Christmas part of a 'multi-faith' mix and hark back to pagan winter solstice observance.
'They see Christmas as merely a local seasonal event and miss its central religious significance at the heart of national identity.
'Perhaps organisers would benefit from reading the Book of Common Prayer and discovering what winter festivities are in fact about.'
Father David Rollins, of St John the Evangelist Church in Corringham, added: 'It's rather disappointing. Christmas is a major Christian event.'
The school's headteacher, Sue Morris, said pupils had taken part in 'a great deal of rehearsal' before they were informed the songs 'would not have dovetailed into the event's theme'.
'There was no time to reorganise the choir's planned programme and we thought it best we did not take part,' she added.
The non-religious event was planned by Corringham Town Festival Partnership, even though the area is in Thurrock, where 75 per cent of the population described themselves as Christian in the 2001 census.
The next biggest religious group was Muslims, who make up one per cent of the population, followed by Sikhs, who account for barely half of one per cent of residents.
A spokesman for Thurrock Islamic Education and Cultural Association said: 'I don't think any Muslims would be offended by carols.'
There has been growing concern in recent years at the burgeoning politically correct attitude to Christmas because of concerns that people of other faiths will be offended or feel excluded.
Councils have started celebrating winter festivals or wintervals, businesses are banning staff from putting up Christmas decorations and there is a thriving industry for cards with non-religious themes. continues here
Around 60 children aged between seven and 11 had spent six weeks practising favourites including Once In Royal David's City and Silent Night for the Corringham Winter Festival.
But they were let down at the last minute when their headteacher was informed their programme did not 'dovetail' with the festival's theme.
The event ended up going ahead last week with non-religious music and displays from an Irish school of dancing and performing arts students.
The snub was widely criticised by furious parents and religious leaders who accused the organisers of pandering to the politically correct brigade.
Nicola Hales, 36, whose nine-year-old daughter Rhiannon goes to Arthur Bugler County Junior School in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex, said: 'They must have been practising for about six weeks.
'All the programmes had gone out with the school's name on it but we got a newsletter home saying sorry for the confusion. I heard it was because the songs were too religious.
'It's ridiculous that you can't sing religious songs. It's Christmas - when can you sing them?'
Another parent, who delined to be named, said: 'The school was advised by the organisers that the carols they had chosen were not suitable because they were deemed to have a religious theme. The kids were really disappointed.
'I can't see how the Christmas carols they were going to sing would have been offensive to anyone.'
The Prayer Book Society, said 'winter festivals' were threatening traditional Christmas celebrations.
Chairman Prudence Dailey added: 'These politically correct winter festivals seek to make Christmas part of a 'multi-faith' mix and hark back to pagan winter solstice observance.
'They see Christmas as merely a local seasonal event and miss its central religious significance at the heart of national identity.
'Perhaps organisers would benefit from reading the Book of Common Prayer and discovering what winter festivities are in fact about.'
Father David Rollins, of St John the Evangelist Church in Corringham, added: 'It's rather disappointing. Christmas is a major Christian event.'
The school's headteacher, Sue Morris, said pupils had taken part in 'a great deal of rehearsal' before they were informed the songs 'would not have dovetailed into the event's theme'.
'There was no time to reorganise the choir's planned programme and we thought it best we did not take part,' she added.
The non-religious event was planned by Corringham Town Festival Partnership, even though the area is in Thurrock, where 75 per cent of the population described themselves as Christian in the 2001 census.
The next biggest religious group was Muslims, who make up one per cent of the population, followed by Sikhs, who account for barely half of one per cent of residents.
A spokesman for Thurrock Islamic Education and Cultural Association said: 'I don't think any Muslims would be offended by carols.'
There has been growing concern in recent years at the burgeoning politically correct attitude to Christmas because of concerns that people of other faiths will be offended or feel excluded.
Councils have started celebrating winter festivals or wintervals, businesses are banning staff from putting up Christmas decorations and there is a thriving industry for cards with non-religious themes. continues here
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