A vicar has banned the Christmas carol O Little Town of Bethlehem because it does not represent the modern-day reality of the war-torn city.
The Rev Stephen Coulter told parishioners not to sing the carol after he visited the West Bank.
He told them the words 'How still we see thee lie' were too far removed from life in Bethlehem.
He said where shepherds once used to watch over flocks by night now security guards watched over the people living there.
As a result the carol has been banned from all festive services in his Dorset parish of Blandford Forum.
Mr Coulter told the congregation at North Dorset District Council's civic carol service that he had visited the city in a recent pilgrimage to Israel and the West Bank and was shocked by the devastation he witnessed.
He said the Arab-Israeli conflict had destroyed its population and tourism and that he would not join in the singing of the carol.
He added: "My parishioners know why we will not be singing O Little Town in church this year."
Mr Coulter also showed the congregation a nativity scene carved by one of his guides which he had smuggled out of the West Bank.
He described how the guide's family was prohibited from leaving the town, which is surrounded by the fence which separates the crib from the wise men in the carving.
And he highlighted reports that the Israeli government was prohibiting the movement of communion wine from Bethlehem this Christmas because it was deemed a security risk. courtesy
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