• Priest from Lxkken, Denmark, says children should not be taught elves are linked to Jesus
  • He also offers to exorcise elves from people's homes
A priest sick of 'mixed' Christmas messages has declared war on Santa's elves by hanging one from a noose attached to the front of his church.

Jon Knudsen, 45, from Lxkken, Denmark, believes elves are historically minions of Satan and they should not be associated with the Christian festival.

Jon claims there is a Trojan horse effect associating previously bad cultural creatures such as elves with the birth of Jesus.

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Hanged: The elf swings from a rope attached to the church's gallows

In Scandinavia elves were historically thought of as evil spirits in the home which had to be banished by priests.

As these bizarre pictures show Jon has now decided to hang an effigy of the cheery Christmas character from the front of his church
.
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Chase them out of house and gnome! Jon Knudsen says elves historically served Satan
Under the prostrate elf hangs a sign reading: 'We renounce the devil and all his deeds
and all his being'.

Jon has been hanging elves since 2010. He said: 'I think elves are house demons.

'In the old times before Christianity came to Scandinavia they were evil spirits which did bad things to people.

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Jon, who offers to exorcise elves from homes, said people should not 'worship false idols'
'When Christianity came, people asked priests to help them banish the elves which the priests did in the name of Jesus Christ.

'So now it is against Christianity to have these creatures associated with the birth of Jesus.

'People have tried to mix elves with Christmas and it is not right.'

Jon - who now offers exorcisms for elves from homes in Denmark - said hanging one from his church was a message that people should not worship false idols.