Crematorium cross is taken down because it might offend other religions
FOR 50 years, the 4ft cross etched into the crematorium chapel window has been a poignant symbol offering comfort to mourners.
But all that is to change after town hall bureaucrats decided it might offend other religions.
And so – even though there has not been a single objection – the window is being taken out and replaced by a clear pane.
The decision has infuriated many in Bath, who see it as yet another example of Christianity being side-lined in a society obsessed with political correctness.
They include Hugh Mackay, 82, a former Christian missionary in
‘Obliterate our religious heritage’
Nigeria who lives nearby. ‘It seems there is a determined secular campaign to try to obliterate religious heritage in our country,’ he said.
‘The council says it is not to upset people of all faiths but I’ve talked to Hindus, Muslims and Jews and none of them have ever complained.
‘They all respect the cross as a symbol of the Christian faith. Some of us feel very strongly that this is a deliberate attempt by the council to downplay our Christian heritage.’
Conservative councillor Colin Barrett said: ‘ There are blinds on the window. If anyone did object to the cross, all you’d need to do is lower the blinds. But no one, to my knowledge, has ever objected.
‘Because we are a multi- cultural society, they want to do away with it. But I say it should be a case of when in Rome, do as the Romans. It’s bureaucracy gone mad.’
Edgar Evans, 79, a retired patient advocate for the NHS, said: ‘The window and cross provide comfort for mourners who look at it.
‘It just seems it is another attack on our Christian culture. We remain a Christian country but this is an example of creeping secularisation.’
The cross at Haycombe Cemetery and Crematorium has been there since it was built in 1961 and is the last permanent Christian symbol.
The window is one of three being replaced as part of a £140,000 facelift which also includes new carpets and seats, and installing a more up-todate sound system.
A ‘mobile’ cross will be available for mourners if they wish, the council said. But this is not enough for campaigners, who have started a petition calling for a similar cross in the new window. So far, more than 100 supporters have signed.
A spokesman for Bath and North East Somerset Council said it had consulted funeral directors, ministers and crematorium users.
The consensus was that all mourners, including those of no faith, should be able to ‘ adapt the surroundings to suit the wishes of their loved ones’, he said.
This month, a judge ended centuries of custom to ban a council in Devon from putting prayers on the formal agenda.
In 2007, an open-air chapel at Belchamps Scout Centre in Hockley, Essex, was replaced with a campfire circle to include non-christians.