The Government has distanced itself from an official letter which claimed that Christianity is a violent religion.
The letter was sent to an Iranian convert to Christianity who had claimed asylum. Iranian converts can face heavy legal penalties. The asylum seeker said he had converted partly because Islam was violent, whereas “In Christianity there is peace, forgiveness and kindness”.
A Home Office official rejected his application, arguing that the Bible contains many violent passages, such as the verses about warfare in the Old Testament and Christ’s statement that “I came not to send peace, but a sword”.
