Jesus held on the cross with nails in his hands

So not a phobia then.

Really? First Roman invasion of Britain was A.D. 43. So some 43 years after the birth of Christmas.

Jesus of Nazareth as a real person is very much in dispute among historians. There is no primary evidence of his existence. That doesn't mean he didn't exist but it is not correct to say it is not in dispute

Even if you don't believe it( I am an atheist and brought my children up as atheists), don't you think that as Christianity is the majority religion in this country and has had a huge and fundamental impact on our history over the past two millennia, that you should explain the basics of it to your children, in terms of general knowledge? Even if you just stick to explaining about Christmas and Easter, and say that while many people believe it, you don't, you're helping to give your children a more rounded view.

I used to wonder how gravity didn’t kick in, came to the conclusion they probably used rope and there was the malteser joke and the one about the house…….

Even us card carrying Catholic’s knew that it was a version of the truth.

Easter bunnies are not part of the Easter story, but they are something lovely to do on an Easter Sunday.

I agree actually op. I don't think kids as young as 5 and 6 need to be hearing about people being crucified. There again if it's a religious school I guess they have to teach the story, unless they said he was stuck to the cross with sellotape or blu tac or something.

Nope Judas had free will, just like Pilate, just like the temple elders, just like the crowd who shouted "Crucify" (although they were rent a mob). The soldiers were following orders, but some of them had fun with it. God exists outside of time and what we experience as history is the outcome of free will.

But this is a bigger debate and I'm just going to go back to being tickled by the OP whose DD will, I'm sure, be OK.

This is not true. Jesus of Nazareth (the historical figure, who was very much real whether you believe in the religious figure or not - this is not in dispute among historians) died some time in the 30s AD/CE. The Roman conquest of Britain was 43CE. There were earlier attempts by Julius Caesar which didn’t result in a lasting occupation.

There is no evidence of a link between either rabbits or hares and Easter before the 17th century. Eggs are certainly an ancient fertility symbol for obvious reasons.

@ZenNudist We were all really little, the kids wouldn’t have had a clue, but interesting to reflect on as an adult, and I’m glad the teachings have changed.

I think I was more disturbed by the crown of thorns rather than the nailing of wrists.

How very dare you compare the magnificent hare to a bunny. Hares are amazing, intelligent, strong animals. Bunnies are mere animal feed. Grass for carnivores.

Depends if that’s what you believe. At Easter we celebrate a couple of days off work and an excuse to eat too much chocolate.

As a daughter of a vicar, who spent her childhood largely in churches, I can categorically say that I wasn't traumatised by this. Even after the reading of the Passion on Palm Sunday, and the (quite frankly, very depressing and sad) services on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday). Easter is a huge event in the Christian calendar. Children will learn about it from a very early age, as will they learn about mummification and Mayan history (which includes sacrificing children). It's not pleasant, but I don't know any children who have been actually traumatised by it. Perhaps upsetting and conversations needing to be had with parents about it, but it is part of culture - even if not a religion that someone is actively involved in. Children are resilient - far more than adults, sometimes.

That said, it's hard for a parent to see their child upset, and I'm sorry if yours has been. I'm certainly not disputing that children (and adults) could have a very real human reaction to learning about it, because it's hard to hear.

My DC went to a secular school but were still taught about Jesus being brought back from the dead 🙄. Can’t escape it by avoiding faith schools sadly.

Yeah, this.

That is the whole point of Easter. Jesus dies for our sins. You may or may not believe it, but for Christians Jesus died a painful death before rising again 3 days later. Being nailed to the cross is a key part of that.

I'm also in the camp that new life - eggs, bunnies etc are much more fun to celebrate.
Christians took over the festival to indoctrinate everyone.
And why not chocolate?!!

I'm sorry this happened to you. Presumably the teacher didn't hear this anti-semitic bullying.

The Catholic catechism teaches that the Jewish people were not responsible and that Christ died for every single one of us.

And weren't the nails through the wrists and ankles? Through the hands they'd apparently just tear out.

Among other things Easter was appropriated into Christianity from Pagan celebrations (to make it easier to convert more people and erase Paganism).

"Easter actually originated as an ancient pagan celebration of the spring equinox. "

There are two elements to Easter - Christian and celtic. The Christian part is obviously the execution and resurrection of Jesus while the celtic part is the equinox, spring and new life (ie eggs, chick's, lambs etc).

Children need to learn about both elements as both influence our culture significantly. Which one you favour depends on your own views and religious leanings.

That’s true. There were two thieves on either side of him

The nailed to the cross thing is taught right from the start. It always says “nailed to the cross.” She should already know that.

Lots of people were nailed to the cross, not just Jesus. It was a fairly common punishment.

I was raised a Catholic and I am completely comfortable about the crucifixion of Christ as it was part of of the Christian belief. Whilst I’m now an atheist I struggle to explain the Easter bunny thing. Where did the Easter bunny come from?

God wanted him dead.
God made Judas betray Jesus.
All part of the plan

Judas probably had no control over what he did