Community tithing from the strangest source

In yesterday’s Times Online Nick Griffin , the leader of the BNP announced  that: “We promised we would give 10 per cent of our wages to local community groups and if we made anything in expenses we would pledge to do the same with that. We will not be putting any money into the BNP but to local community groups to help them celebrate St George’s Day or promote a Christian Christmas.”  Who would have imagined that the notion of community tithing and helping to promote Christmas would be championed by the far right? What does the church feel about taking this money? So is this a simply a cheap PR stunt, and what is the nature  of  the “Christian Christmas”that Mr Griffin has in mind? Let’s  set the BNP a challenge to outline its  definition of which groups they will be financially supporting and what they mean by “Christian Christmas”. How do they square their support for Christianity,an inclusive  faith which is growing  fastest in the UK within the back churches, and sweeping across Africa, South Amercia and the East with their exclusive political agenda. Someone should tell Mr Griffin that the son of God is not blue-eyed Robert Powell but an Aramaic speaking Palestinian Jewish refugee who wouldn’t be allowed to join the BNP.  That’s the sort of truth we all need to confront.

P.S. A report commissioned by the Red Cross published earlier this week  and reported in The Independent highlighted the following facts:

• Almost 25% of people believe there are more than 100,000 asylum applications each year- about 4 times the real figure of 25,670.
• On average people think that the UK is home to 24% of all asylum-seekers- 8 times the actual figure of 3%.
• Applications for asylum have fallen from 84,130 to 25,670 last year.
• 95% of people are ignorant about the true facts concerning the level of refugees coming to the UK.
• A third of refugees have university degrees or professional qualifications yet the population assumes this figure is only 10% and 7% think they are mostly jobless.
• 48% said refugees were either uneducated, hostile, lazy or cowardly.

Hopefully  Refugee Week later this month will help set the record straight. I wonder if Mr Griffin and the BNP will be doing their bit to get the actual facts out there as opposed to whipping up a climate of fear and negativity. To respect Jesus is to respect the second commandment he gave- to love your neighbour as yourself