A reverend has been under scrutiny after suggesting covering pictures of Jesus and crosses in order for Muslims to celebrate Ramadan in her church in Darlington, UK.
Following the decision to allow Muslims to fast in the St. Matthew and St. Luke’s church, outraged Christians have slammed Reverend Lissa Scott for organizing the celebration.
In order to provide the Muslims with a comfortable environment, the reverend also agreed to cover up devotional paintings depicting Jesus as well as all crosses.
Rev. Scott devised the plan together with local Muslim representatives and former mayor Gerald Lee who aims to encourage racial harmony through the organization of diverse events.
Despite their good intentions, however, the organizers have been facing a backlash following their announcement.
Criticizing the plan, Bishop Gavin Ashenden spoke out and said covering the pictures of Jesus would be disrespectful to Christians.
“When Muslims come into our church, we invite them to come in and respect Jesus. If we accepted an invitation to go into a mosque, we would respect Muhammad,” the bishop said.
The diocese of Durham also joined the debate and claimed that the laws of the church don’t permit non-Christians to perform acts of worship within the holy place.
Following the backlash, Mr. Lee admitted they made an “error of judgment” and organized for Muslims to pray at a nearby building instead.
As the former mayor added, it was never in their intention to “convert or upset” Christians with their proposal. According to Lee, all they wanted to do was bring members of the community together.
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