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PARANOIA is defined as suffering from the delusion of persecution, of losing touch with reality.

If true, it seems that the Rt Rev John Davies, Bishop of the Church in Wales, is, like some other leading divines, just a teeny little bit paranoid. Why else do they and their tabloid allies constantly chant that Christianity is under attack from what they invariably call "aggressive atheism"?

Last week someone chopped down a bush known as the Holy Thorn Tree of Glastonbury. It’s believed by the gullible to have sprung up from a walking stick stuck into the soil 2,000 years ago by Joseph of Arimathea, Jesus’ Uncle Joe according to legend and, like most legends, about as factual as Father Christmas.

Typical vandalism? Not according to the usual suspects. "Were anti-Christian (aggressive atheists) behind the pilgrimage site attack?" asked one tabloid. Why would they be? That millions of Christians believe this fable is a pretty persuasive argument in favour of atheism. Why not Jack’s beanstalk?

Enter the aforementioned Rt Rev John Davies, of the dioceses of Brecon and Swansea. In his Christmas message to his flock he condemns, yes, "aggressive atheism". Blimey, you’d think they were out tearing down nativity scenes every night.

"One of the great falsehoods perpetrated by the aggressive atheist lobby," he writes, "Is that our faith is without foundation and that, in effect, it’s all made up." On the contrary, he insists, "Christianity is rooted in the experience of real people, living witnesses whose words were distilled and developed into the stories we possess and treasure."

No it isn’t. By stories I presume he means the Gospels, penned long after Christ’s death and not by any "living witnesses". Only Matthew offers a full account of what we call the nativity with the virgin birth, wise men, star of Bethlehem and Herod’s slaughter of the innocents. Luke comes up with shepherds and manger but offers no star, wise men or Herod. Nothing at all about the birth in Mark and John, somewhat careless considering the importance of such a world- changing event.

Let’s forget that, according to every expert in ancient languages, Matthew misquoted a Greek translation of the prophet Isaiah’s work, making it "virgin" instead of "young girl". Handy, though, as a virgin birth is part of the mythology of almost all ancient religions, with the Persian god Mithras born in a stable like dozens of others from Horus to Hermes.

Blaming atheists for the crisis in Christianity is nothing new. Back in 1995, the British Humanist Association asked eight local authorities in Wales to recognise its views as a legitimate part of religious education. Naturally, the answer was that atheism had no place in our schools. (Although these days crackpot Creationism theories do.)

But can the Rt Rev Davies deny that what I call aggressive Christianity has done far more harm than what he calls aggressive atheism? Atheists never burned dissenters, indulged in the massacres called crusades, set up an Inquisition, wiped out millions in South America and murdered each other in the name of their different gods.

Atheists don’t need to be aggressive. Christianity is already proving itself adept at self-destruction with crises over women bishops, sex abuse scandals and its approach to gays, contraception and Aids.

Maybe it feels vulnerable; a couple of years ago a survey showed it was a bleak midwinter for the nation’s churches. In some areas, 10% at most attended seasonal services, at worst just 2%. Indifference, not aggressive atheism is the threat.

A Christmas commercial for a national retail company shows the three wise men hamming it up like the Three Stooges. Many more people will see this than will read the arguments of aggressive atheists. And even though not meant as such, it’s far more demeaning to Christian beliefs than anything the Rt Rev Davies’ aggressive atheists can muster.

All in all it seems to me that this meaningless mantra "aggressive atheism" is simply a handy excuse for the churches’ own failures.

Tis the season for some shocking songs - next page

Tis the season for some shocking songs

SO NOW that the yowling, the bickering, the back-biting is over, the battle for Christmas top spot begins.

But does it really matter? The fact that White Christmas has never been number one puts things into perspective – seasonal winners are usually pretty awful and have nothing much to do with Christmas anyway.

Generally reckoned to be not only the worst Christmas record ever but the worst record ever period, was 1980s number one, a sugary singalong by kids of the St Winifred School Choir from Stockport.

“There’s No-one Quite like Grandma” they trilled, unbelievably getting a recording contract and spot on Top of the Pops. Real X Factor material.

And 10 years ago Can We Fix It by Bob the Builder sold 600,000, showing that X Factor addicts aren’t the first to be conned into thinking mediocrity is marvellous.