King Charles' Christmas Day speech upsets Christians for suggesting all religions the same
'I am sorry, he is wrong on this one,' missiologist says
King Charles has been criticised for his Christmas Day speech which suggested that all faiths are the same.
The monarch's Christmas Day address to the nation is an annual Christmas tradition that many households gather round to listen to on the big day.
In his address this year, the king said, "The example that Jesus gave us is timeless and universal. It is to enter the world of those who suffer, to make a difference to their lives and so bring hope where there is despair.
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"As the famous Christmas Carol, 'Once In Royal David's City' reminds us, 'Our Saviour holy' 'came down to Earth from Heaven,' lived among 'the poor and mean and lowly' and transformed the lives of those He met, through God's 'redeeming love.'
"That is the heart of the Nativity story and we can hear its beat in the belief of all the great faiths in the love and mercy of God in times of joy and of suffering, calling us to bring light where there is darkness."
Missiologist and Home for Good founder, Krish Kandiah, said that while he appreciated the king "showing hospitality to people of all faiths and none," his comments demonstrate "a fundamental misunderstanding of either Christianity or world religions."
"The idea that God becomes human and then willingly dies to redeem and rescue humanity is unique to Christianity," said Kandiah.
"To argue that all faiths are basically the same is to make a claim not backed up by serious study of religion and could be heard as patronizing as claiming all Asian people look the same.
"I am grateful for the king's important work in the environment and his work on empowering young people, but I am sorry, he is wrong on this one."
Other critics accused the king of syncretism and wokery.
Speaking from the Chapel of the former Middlesex Hospital in London, the king later spoke of how "diversity of culture, ethnicity and faith provides strength, not weakness."
Before concluding his speech, he stated, "Again, listening is a recurrent theme of the Nativity story. Mary, the mother of Jesus, listened to the Angel who revealed to her a different future full of hope for all people. The message of the Angels to the shepherds — that there should be peace on Earth — in fact echoes through all faiths and philosophies."
This article was originally published at Christian Today
