At last, The archbishop and I agree!

[SueBaRoomForAMincePie]

I'm sure this will get some knickers a twistin', but I am, for once, in complete agreement with the ABoC

Turning to the topic of when Jesus was born, he said it was 'very unlikely'that there was snow.

He's right, clearly. Love the bit with the presenter saying 'he's plugging Christmas'.

He is just saying what THE BIBLE says about the matter - it's hardly controversial, unless you are A Bit Dim

Glad to see him hold his own against Ricky Gervais and Simon Mayo
Am trying not think of what the toy-hurling Bishop of Southwark would have come out with
It is such bliss to have a really clever and warm man as Archbishop again

mp, precisely. Why it should be controversial in the slightest I don't know. He's not saying the wise men ate hamster sandwiches or anything.

I agree marina. Dread to think what our bishop would have said....

I love the Archbishop of Canterbury. Only in the Daily Mail could this be a newsworthy story though surely?

Didn't everyone else stop believing in the snow and the crib and the gold, frankincense and myrhh about the same time as Father Christmas?

PS I have one of these which I persuaded dh to buy me when they came out! Hugely limited edition, is in pride of place at home!

I'm just trying to imagine Ricky Gervaise thinking he could challenge Rowan Williams on anything on an intellectual level

Not exactly shocking though is it? I used to spend hours telling this to my GCSE Religious Studies students

lol tortoise

Ah, I love Ship of Fools too
Smashing teddy

I think it's newsworthy in the DM because many of the readers will read it as the Archbishop suggesting the resurrection didn't happen or something like that.

Read the comments. You'd think he'd said Jesus didn't exist. Very odd.

Hmm. I see what you mean SueBaRoom. The DM just whips 'em up like a kenwood doesn't it.

Yes, I was surprised at the comments too - their imbecility I mean
But then it is the DM

I read a delightful article about a 21 year old mother of five - with the same man for all of them, both parents working to support their family, no benefits - in the DM.

The comments had a goodly collection of utter reactionary morons who had just read the headline and not the article, all making stoopid comments about 'and the taxpayer funds it all!!' Dimwits.

I have dark suspicions about comments on newspaper websites in general though Sue, especially newspapers without a reasonable history of integrity behind them

DM is an irresponsible, inflammatory pile of poo. IMO (obviously).

It's a great read though. Every page makes you go "OH MY GOD!!!". You don't get that in the Grauniad.

My extremely mildmannered and conformist grandpa called the DM the Hoors' Gazette.

It is fun playing DM bingo, though. You go through it (on the website, naturally) and you have to pick the single most classic DM article - the one designed to press the most irate buttons as possible, without actually being a news story.

There are usually plenty of candidates.

I once picked up a copy at a time when there happened to be a particularly rare and attractive comet visible in the night sky.

The DM's headline was "IS THIS THE HARBINGER OF THE APOCALYPSE"

That is so Muggletonian

LOL at your grandpa Marina.
Does anyone really think Jesus was born in December in the snow? Hardly breaking news, is it? Or maybe it is. AbofC and Ricky Gervais seem a superb combination to run the Cof E actually. [actually Bill Bailey would be better]

I remember in 1978 finding my mother sitting over the Daily Mail reading a story about "Grease" entitled "50s send-up or sexual subversion?" about how the movie was going to lead to increased levels of promiscuity and teenage pregnancy. Not much changes.