A Christian charity decided to remove Bible verses from the Nativity story in its book so that it would not confuse children who do not go to church.
The Scripture Union gives out books every year that tell the Christmas story, according to The Telegraph. This year, they plan on handing out 100,000 copies of the book. However, there's one big change in this year's version - it won't contain any Bible verses.
Jennifer Babb, church and community fundraising manager at the Scripture Union, explained that their decision to remove the Bible verses "takes that barrier away" from non-believers because "it makes it more of a simple story."
"When we realized that children don't even know the basics of what they are celebrating, then the traditional, simple story is the best way," she continued.
This year's booklet is written by Gemma Willis, and it shares the story of Mary's visit from an angel, Joseph's dream, the couple's long and difficult travel to Bethlehem, and the birth of Jesus. The previous versions included the visits of the shepherds and the wise men, as well as the family's flight to Egypt.
The Scripture Union's decision to simplify their book came after recent surveys revealed that fewer children actually know about the Christmas story. One survey conducted by the Children's Society in 2013 even showed that one in three children between 10 and 13 do not know that Christmas actually celebrates the birth of Jesus. What's worse, one in 10 children also believe that December 25 marks Santa's birthday.
To educate children about the true meaning of Christmas, the Scripture Union decided to make some changes. "We wanted to create something new this year that was specifically designed for the audience of children who might not know the real Christmas story," said Babb. "This is all part of our work to invite children and young people to explore the difference Jesus can make to the challenges and adventures of life."
