Former DUP leader Arlene Foster expresses 'sadness' after Girl Guiding UK drops 'God' from campfire songs

In a now-deleted blog post, Girl Guides said that the tradition of singing songs could have “references that have been hurtful to people” and suggested groups could make changes “so everyone can join in”.

In one example, a group changed the lyrics of the traditional camp song Brownie Bells to remove references to religion, the Daily Telegraph reported.

The original version of Brownie Bells stated: “Oh Lord, our God; Thy children call; Grant us thy peace; And bless us all; Goodnight.”

However, the altered version reads: “Time for the end; our meeting’s past; Brownies is great; time flies so fast; Goodnight."

The blog post added: “Making accommodations, no longer singing racist and colonialist songs, or changing traditionally faith-based songs to be non-religious isn’t about taking away traditions of Girlguiding. Instead, making changes to the songs we sing is about making every girl in a unit feel welcome.”

The News Letter asked Girl Guiding if the changes would apply right across the UK but got no clarification on the question.

A spokeswoman said: “We are proud to be an inclusive organisation. Our ambition for diversity and inclusion is for Girlguiding to be a place where everyone is welcome and is free to be themselves – whoever they are and wherever they’re from. As part of our commitment, it’s important we consider elements of our heritage that may not illustrate our values and ethos of today, and how they may be excluding girls or volunteers from taking part fully or feeling truly welcome. We encourage all members to consider how they can do their part to support our ambition to be a place where everyone has an equal sense of belonging.”

But Former First Minister Arlene Foster decried the changes. "As someone who cherishes the memories of time spent in Brownies, this makes me very sad," she said on social media.

Former Presbyterian Moderator Rev Norman was also concerned.

"The statement from Girlguiding should strengthen the resolve of church based groups to be very explicit in promoting real faith and belonging amongst their members - as well as allowing secular leaders to be more honest," he said.

Ciaran Kelly, of The Christian Institute, criticised the decision. He told the Mail on Sunday: “The Girl Guides and Scouts should remember that their founders, Robert Baden-Powell and his sister Agnes, were motivated by their faith.

“Erasing their past and our traditions do not promote greater inclusion or diversity. Quite the opposite. The many Christian members of the Girl Guides will certainly question how welcome they really are. I hope they reconsider this decision.”

Toby Young, the general secretary of the Free Speech Union, said: “No British institution, however revered, is safe from the ‘woke’ thought police. It was only a matter of time before they came for the Girl Guides.

“Funnily enough, this may turn out to be quite helpful to those of us trying to defend free speech. Censoring the lyrics of the Girl Guides’ songs is a step too far, like sanitising the works of Roald Dahl.”