Ann Widdecombe condemns Girl Guide decision to drop oath to God

Ann Widdecombe

Former MP Ann Widdecombe today condemned the Girl Guide movement for deleting their oath to God. Speaking on Premier Christian Radio she described the “appalling decision” as an example of the “me society” and claimed it was totally unnecessary.

“The crucial thing is this,” she told Premier’s breakfast show. “Removing God and saying I’ll be true to myself. If you want an example of the ‘Me Society’, you can look to the Girl Guides.”

She claimed the move was to accommodate a tiny minority of youngsters, saying: “Any census of this country shows that the overwhelming majority of people classify themselves as belonging to a religion. What the Girl Guide group is doing is actually trying to accommodate a tiny minority – and it is a tiny minority of youngsters who would have already embraced, on rational and thought-through grounds, atheism. This is a minority. Adults – yes, but youngsters do not reason themselves into that position that young. I think it is an appalling decision.”

Asked if she thought this might represent a thin end of the wedge and a prelude to further deletion of Christianity in schools, Ms Widdecombe said; “As long as we have an established Church we will have a basis in law of ensuring the teaching of religion in schools. But ask yourself about the state of ignorance that there is about the Christian religion in schools. They don’t know the Ten Commandments, some of them don’t know the significance of Good Friday, and they can’t say the Lord’s Prayer.”

Ann Widdecombe was speaking with Premier Christian Radio’s John Pantry and Nage. Premier is Britain’s largest Christian broadcaster.