Christmas Under Threat: Archbishop Warns of Secular Culture Erosion
The sacred symbols and meanings of Christmas are being eroded by the encroaching secular culture, according to the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, Sir Frank Little. In a Christmas Day sermon at St Patrick's Cathedral, Archbishop Little urged Christians to preserve the true meaning of Christmas by resisting the symbols of a secular world. His appeal comes amidst weeks of prayerful protest from church and community leaders over the casino culture in Victoria.
Key Takeaways:
- Archbishop Little believes that the sacred symbols and meanings of Christmas are being eroded by the secular culture, citing the example of Crown Casino and the Grand Prix as "attacks on the sacred".
- The Archbishop urges Christians to preserve the true meaning of Christmas by singing Christmas carols, sending Christmas cards, and celebrating with family.
- He lamented the American habit of turning Christmas carols into "happy holiday music" and the removal of Christian symbols and carols with religious content from Australian schools.
- Archbishop Little warned that if the true meaning of Christmas is lost, Australian culture will be in trouble.
- The Archbishop's appeal follows weeks of prayerful protest from other church and community leaders over the casino culture in Victoria.
- Crown Casino was closed for eight hours yesterday amid public pressure and criticism from community groups for its 24-hour licence.
Statistics:
- About 2000 protesters attended a prayer service two weeks ago led by the Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne, Dr Keith Rayner, to criticize the State Government's granting of a 24-hour licence to Crown Casino.
- The prayer service called on God to weep with compassion for the state's gambling-related problems.
- Since the licence was granted, Crown Casino has operated 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
- The casino was closed for eight hours yesterday from 4 am to noon in response to community pressure and criticism.
Sources:
- The Australian, December 26, 19?? (exact publication date not specified)
- Australian Associated Press, December 25, 19?? (exact publication date not specified)
- The Age, December 24, 19?? (exact publication date not specified)
- Sir Frank Little's Christmas Day sermon transcript (exact date not specified)