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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To wish school would stop this God crap

123 replies

MrsGravy · 10/09/2010 21:05

DD is in Year 1 at school, in nursery class and reception they would sing the odd hymn and did a nativity play at Christmas, but other than that there wasn't a lot of religious stuff going on.

By the end of her first week in Year 1 she has come home with two prayers to learn (which they have to say before lunch and before going home) and talking about how God made the world and when you pray you are talking to God.

As you can probably discern from the title of this thread, I am an atheist. I don't mind DD being taught about the various religions that exist, but I actually really resent her being told these things as fact. I resent the fact that her teacher is expecting me to spend a significant amount of time teaching her prayers.

AIBU to question why christianity is playing such a big part in a non-church school??

OP posts:

GoldenGreen · 10/09/2010 21:07

yanbu.

UnePrune · 10/09/2010 21:07

No, it's not unreasonable, but you will be told it is.
DS is coming out with it too. The one I most object to is 'but it's nice to have a belief'. (His teacher told him this.) Bringing quality into it is insidious. You either have faith or you don't, it's neutral in terms of quality.

myredcardigan · 10/09/2010 21:08

YADNBU, unless you've sent her to a Church school.

nikkershaw · 10/09/2010 21:08

it's just a guide to life

fuschiagroan · 10/09/2010 21:08

Is it a faith school?

I wouldn't worry - shoving something down kids' throats is the best way to make them hate it.

JaxTellersOldLady · 10/09/2010 21:08

This is definitely a non church school, are you sure? I mean by the sounds of things I would be expecting a faith school of some sort - or are they teaching different religions as their topic for this term?

My children both go to a C of E School - and they have NEVER had to learn hymns or prayers as homework.

SirBoobAlot · 10/09/2010 21:08

Well we always said a basic, quick prayer before lunch at primary school, and it was a non-church school. We were taught prayers and beliefs from various religions down the line, too. So to me that sounds relatively normal.

deemented · 10/09/2010 21:09

YANBU.

I tell DS2 that they are stories that people have made up - somepeople think they are truw and it's up to him what he believes.

SherbetDibDab · 10/09/2010 21:09

YANBU, especially for a non-faith school

SirBoobAlot · 10/09/2010 21:10

Oh, and by the way your thread title is bound to offend some people...

MoreCrackThanHarlem · 10/09/2010 21:10

Yanbu

I don't mind singing hymns in assembly as dd enjoys it and doesn't take much notice of the words
Praying twice a day should be kept for faith schools

Squitten · 10/09/2010 21:10

YANBU if it's not a faith school. I went to Catholic schools for primary and secondary and I don't remember ever bringing home prayers to learn, with the possible exception of the year when we were prepped for our Communions.

Songbird · 10/09/2010 21:11

yanbu, dd went through a phase of 'praying' before a meal. Pisses me off that it's still indoctrinated so early. It's 2010 ffs!

Tomatefarcie · 10/09/2010 21:12

YANBU

DD shouted "It's an Act of God!" while spotting a rainbow yesterday. She was served with a condensed version of real FACTS about rainbows.

(But I did explain that some people believe one thing, and other people believe another, and that's fine -"However, those are scientifically proven"- )

TaurielTest · 10/09/2010 21:13

YADNBU, I would not be happy with that at all.

Original poster

MrsGravy · 10/09/2010 21:13

Definitely not a church school. And I wouldn't mind a quick thankful 'prayer' along the lines of 'for what we are about to receive' etc etc but this is a 4 line prayer talking about God being part of our family and protecting us and other such gubbins.

And I've seen absolutely no evidence of them learning about other religions thus far - they don't celebrate Diwali or Eid or anything like that.

Nikkershaw, why is it a guide to life?

OP posts:

Minxie1977 · 10/09/2010 21:13

YANBU - the odd prayer wouldn'tphase me personally but 'god made the world' as a fact!?! No way!

Original poster

MrsGravy · 10/09/2010 21:16

I do apologise actually if my thread offends - I like to think I'm respectful of other people's beliefs generally and certainly want to bring my kids up to be. I suppose I think what they are doing is crap rather than religion being 'crap' iyswim.

OP posts:

RockinSockBunnies · 10/09/2010 21:19

Well, I suppose I can't see how your DD's 'belief' or acceptance of God will actually do her any harm. Fair enough, you have your beliefs, but how will your daughter being taught a few prayers, or some Christian beliefs along the lines of 'turn the other cheek', 'love thy neighbour' etc, actually do any harm to her?

Perhaps it's nice for your DD to see God as someone that she could communicate with, pray to, share her worries? She's going to be exposed to some kind of religion at some point in her life, and if nothing else, learning about Christianity is a cultural and historical lesson, as much as spiritual. Furthermore, nominally, this is still a Christian country and Christianity makes up a good deal of the UK's history, in terms of law, social morality etc.

Why does the fact that she's being taught about God threaten you? I'm sure she'll make up her own mind one way or another when she's older.

zipzap · 10/09/2010 21:21

If it worries you then ring up the school and find out what is going on.

if it supposed to be a non-church school then say you are worried that one of the teachers is going against the ethos of the school by putting so much emphasis on religious stuff when there is so much general education to be got through (reading, writing, maths, etc) and see what they say.

Might be she has got a fundamentalist teacher who is taking it upon herself to teach this to her class.

Alternatively it might be that despite being a non-church school they do have a policy of being religious.

But at least you will know what the school's take on it is.

Then you can either ask that they have to learn a prayer/hymn/whatever from every major world religion/belief each week and that the teacher has to teach each one as fact and not that christianity is the only one. And they need to include atheism in that too.

Or you can ask that your dd is given a non-religious song or poem to learn when they have to learn something overtly religious, and is given an exemption from saying anything religious at school.

Or you can ignore it. Doesn't sound like you want to do this though.

Could also complain to the local education authority or ofsted or governing body and see what their reaction is... Take it to the local paper if it really bugs you.

Depends how good the school is, how much your dd likes it, what the other schools are like around you if you need to change I guess!

Original poster

MrsGravy · 10/09/2010 21:30

I wouldn't say I feel threatened by it, and I wouldn't have any issue with her becoming a christian when she's older. I also don't mind her being taught about christianity or any other religion. It's the idea of her having to pray as part of her school day and being taught christianity as an absolute fact that annoys me. For one thing, she's 5.5 and shouldn't really be going homework full stop imo, let alone doing something as onerous as learning 2 prayers by rote. How on earth does this benefit her?

Zipzap, I'm not bothered enough to complain to ofsted and certainly wouldn't remove her from the school. I may speak to her teacher if things continue in this vein and take it from there. I'm certainly not teaching her those prayers unless DD asks me to herself.

OP posts:

TonariNoTotoro · 10/09/2010 21:33

YANBU. I would be offended by this.

check with the teacher, check with the head. Personally I wouldn't put up with this (obv unless it was a faith school)

Snobear4000 · 10/09/2010 22:07

YANBU.

Imagine, Christian posters, if your child came back from a non-faith school saying "Allah Akbar!", "Allah made that rainbow". Not your God, but the child has been made to believe in the chap. I reckon you'd be spittin' chips.

That school needs a spanking.

DuelingFanjo · 10/09/2010 22:08

just don't teach her. I managed to get all the way to secondary school without knowing the lord's prayer.

curryfreak · 10/09/2010 22:12

Is this really all you have to worry about? Wait till she gets older, and is in secondary school, and has real issues and concerns. . Why do you feel so threathened by a few prayers fFS?

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