"Easter is a fun time of year for people of all ages and beliefs. It’s disappointing that the Church saw fit to whip up a storm in an eggcup over this"

A storm in an eggcup: No, the National Trust has not removed Easter from its egg hunt

The Archbishop of York has today claimed that the National Trust and Cadbury's have dropped the word Easter from the name of their annual egg hunt. This has prompted Theresa May to comment, ‘I think the stance they have taken is absolutely ridiculous. I don’t know what they are thinking about frankly.’

However, exploring the National Trust’s website makes it plain that Easter is, and has always been, mentioned prominently throughout. 

The issue is reminiscent of how, in 2015, the Church of England claimed that a company controlling cinema advertising had ‘banned’ its advert featuring of the Lord’s prayer because there was a risk of the prayer being ‘offensive’. In fact, the company has a blanket policy of not allowing any religious or non-religious advertising, which is very common. This same policy often prevents the BHA from being able to place adverts in certain places. It had not said anything about the offensiveness or otherwise of the specific ad or the Lord’s prayer. In essence, it was a manufactured controversy.

BHA Director of Public Affairs Richy Thompson commented, ‘It’s sad to see the Church of England promoting a false narrative of Christian persecution where there has clearly been nothing of the sort. With all the challenges we face as a diverse society, this sort of totally manufactured, self-interested victim-pleading is not just silly but irresponsible.

‘Easter is a fun time of year for people of all ages and beliefs. It’s disappointing that the Church saw fit to whip up a storm in an eggcup over this and in a bid to maintain its relevance in an increasingly non-religious country.’

Notes

For further comment or information, please contact BHA Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson at richy@humanism.org.uk or on 0781 55 89 636.

The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.