for not wanting my 5yo DS to be subjected to the horrors of the bible?

[mostlyhappywithsomelowpressure]

We ummed and ahhed about sending our DS to a C of E school as we aren't avid christians (as it were) but it is the best school in the area and academically it was good, also i do like the ethos of C of E schools.

Since he started last year the headteacher has been replaced by the wife and daughter of vicars and the religious aspects of school life seem to have increased.

The crucifixion story went into all the gory details and my (bit sensitive) then 4yo was fixated on the fact he was stabbed in the stomach while he was on the cross.

At the time i thought that a little extreme as primary age children don't really need to know so much detail (i didnt know jesus wore a crown of thorns till i was in high school!!)

We had a very interesting conversation one bed time about the devil recently too! Not something i wanted to have to discuss with him till later.

This evening he has told us about how in assembly today they were taught about the plagues God sent and how jews were made to put lambs blood on their doors and finally how all the boys were killed.

Being 5 he obviously doesn't know the ins and outs but he has remembered all the gory details.

AIBU for feeling that just because it is a story from the bible doesn't mean it's suitable for children. They wouldn't read exerpts from a stephen king novel or let them watch 'The Passion of the Christ' in golden time!!

I think it's way too much for an infant. I work in a C of E school and our assemblies are about being good friends, or overcoming adversity or keeping calm in a crisis. Nice positive life affirming stuff.

OP - the school sounds spookily similar to one near us - its name doesn't start with H does it?!

mostlyhappywithsomelowpressure Yes you can still take them out of assembly and collective worship. They may "frown" on it but they can't insist on it or discriminate because of it.

We have had a few JW children at our school over the years and they were withdrawn. We currently have a family of confirmed atheists who withdraw their children.
All schools faith or not hope that parents will be supportive of their school's ethos and teaching practices - but in the real world ...

Not that I mean that I think you are not being supportive, far from it, but you do need to discuss the effect this is having on your son and you should be questioning the suitability of this content.

As it's a VA school perhaps a chat with the education authority at the diocese might be a gentler route if you fear the school governor clique.
Do update on how you get one won't you - I'd be interested to hear what transpires.

YANBU - there are many lovely stories in the bible but there are some awful ones. Just because it's in the bible doesn't mean it's child appropriate. Try explaining the rape of Tamar by her half-brother Amnon followed by her full brother Avshalom avenging the rape by murdering him

blimp - Noah's ark a lovely story? I beg your pardon, but mankind and all animals being eradicated apart from a couple of specimen for each species, lovely?

it is a bit harsh widow but you can generally distract the children by singing 'the animals went in two by two' :)

YANBU.

My children are at a jewish school so clearly the plagues are spoken about, but they don't generally mention the last plague (ie death of firstborns) to younger children, more they draw pictures of frogs etc. And they have never mentioned blood on doors, they would just be told a mark on the door - because thats age appropriate.

Some of us have no choice but to send our dc to a C of E school. Our school is the huge local community school where all the children go. It's C of E.

Our school isn't too bad and I think they're mindful that the vast majority of pupils aren't religious. Ie I haven't had the dc relaying inappropriate gory details-yet, but I keep an eye on things.

Sorry but I think all schools that are funded by tax payers have no right to push any one religion. Pick your book be it the Koran,Bible ....and fund your own school.

No schools should be subjecting 5 year olds to stories of torture period so op YANBU.

If you don't like it why not send you child to a school that isn't based upon religious beliefs. Or to the school you work at?

I'm also a Christian but for goodness sake!!!! My DD is nearly 7 and has no concept yet of any of the horrors of the crucifixion. They are not being age appropriate and need a serious talking to! All the best:-)

Milamae
So religious peoples' taxes don't count? Why should they fund the secular humanism endemic in school curricular today in that case? Why is there not room for a small number of religious schools to reflect the small number of tax paying religious people in our population?

DS is going to a C of E school (DD will start Nursery there in Sept) and he's really enjoying it. We haven't had any issues with inappropriate content, but if that does happen I will not hesitate to go to the school and find out what is going on.

Incidentally DH and I are both Agnostic and up until now DS didn't even know what a church was (we never went and the subject never came up). We do want our DC to be able to make their own informed decision about religion (just hope they steer clear of Scientology and LDS).

YANBU - we are practicing christians, our dc went to c of e primary (we did 10 years there in total) and the dd goes to a c of e secondary and is also a chorister at a significant church. I have never ever heard mention of the devil at school or church for that matter. I think a discussion with the chair of governors might be in order. This sounds entirely inappropriate.

First find out what has actually been 'taught'! When we were reading 'The Three Little Pigs' in reception, the ending was something like the wolf ran away and was never seen again. At playtime the children were reenacting a more gory version where the wolf was slit open, chopped up into little bits and put through peoples' letterboxes! Hope the parents didn't think that was our version

(Sorry if I sounded ranty Milamae, but the whole taxes for faith schools things a bit of a pet peeve of mine, as you can see, I do believe in the choice as we all pay taxes)

nacmacfeelge,just wondering if you also remove your children from lessons about islam and judaism? If they have India week,do u keep them away? If not surely it is important that they learn about all religions so they can be tolerant and informed small people

Interesting subject, I dont know if RE is usually compulsory or not? "Gabby"

My 6yr old did a special assembly on Noah and the flood. I happen to think this is a particularly gruesome story (let's drown everyone and everything because they're naughty) but I don't think others see it the same way (they focus on the animals and the rainbow). It does sound however as if your school is going a bit further than is the norm (at lesat for our CoE school).

Scattermummy, in NI, children are subjected to special lessons all about Christianity. It's in all schools, the curriculum calls for 2.5 hrs of CHRISTIAN education per week. The assemblies and plays are full of it. I would actually prefer my children knew about no religion at all, other than that they exist and that some people believe them. AFAIK, Judaism is not mentioned at all in the school, one teacher does Diwali, DD has not yet heard of Islam. It's a different world over here.

I would not withdraw them from RE if it was in fact religious EDUCATION, it isn't. It's religious instruction, the children are divided into RC/ Protestant for those lessons. I want no part in that.

For the record, my children are exceptionally tolerant. Religion doesn't have a moral monopoly, you know. As to well informed - well, they know a lot about the world, thanks. Less about the various imaginary friends, but I'm fine with a lack of indoctrination information, thanks.

nacmacfeegle,thanks for answering.Where we live there are kids from so many different countries our schools seem to have a lot of "themed weeks" on Diwali,Islam,Chinese week where the lucky blighters even get to go to china town for chinese food.I can see why splitting up kids in your school is not great.I thought it was normal in all schools so humble apologies to you .I do object however when over here people grumble about christian teaching but don't complain about other faith teaching .

Excellent point scattermummy!

Wow two Christians that are home schooling? is that right? i'm a Christian and plan to home school...but in Taiwan.
Nice to see more Christians here. I noticed there is no forum for Christians ...or is there?

Curious children will ask questions anyway.

Mine find the story of Noah terrible, we were discussing it the other day and my dd2 (5)finds it awful that everyone died and wanted to know what happened to the 'good people' and why were the 'bad' people bad...This is not, by the way, due to the school, but seeing the Disney Noah story on the Dumbo video.

Lots of Disney videos are really upsetting for little ones, lots of losing mum/orphans, probably more traumatic for children than hearing Jesus died on the cross. Even the Queen of Hearts in Alice shouts 'off with their heads'.

About the crucifixion, the teacher didn't tell them about the nails at school, she gave some rather bland message (I guess dd1 was 6) but the other children discussed it. You can go into any church and see a graphic depiction of this, including the blood and the crown of thorns. They don't make adult only churches.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that although I personally winced when my six year old came home and told me about Jesus dying, she doesn't seem more traumatised than about other 'stories' in our culture (and I didn't dwell on it). And by 6/7, they are starting to be exposed to lots of horrid things, including little children in the playground playing killing/beheading/stuff out of Dr Who/guns.

Thruaglassdarkly

I've said it before and I'll say it again;

Less than 10% of British population attend church regularly.
But 1 in 3 state schools are faith schools.

Not so much a 'small number'.

Bit of a mismatch in fact...?

Kissy Kissy