to be pissed off at school for telling DD (5) about Baby Jesus?

[Kalemu]

We don't want religion anywhere near our house, one of the main reasons we chose to send our DD to state school instead of a CoFE school. Imagine my surprise when she came home with a Baby Jesus picture book and singing about the Baby King. This makes me very mad - it's not like we want to keep her in a bubble, but I wanted to have told her the different religion when she was a bit older.

Thinking of writing to the headteacher to let him know our thoughts, and to demand that we're informed next time they plan to talk about religious stuff in class. Do you think AIBU?

PS talking about atheists knowing about religion, recently Mr K and I (atheists) were the only ones able to recognise and source a biblical reference, in a room full of Christians. Where's the smug smiley?

DD2 got the R E prize at school last year we are athiests she was really proud to get her award it didn't turn her to god she still doesn't believe ,

Here is some more general knowledge about mid-winter festivals (since my first link was broken ) some with merriment, gifts, and family, many that don't...

seetobe.tumblr.com/post/38226983188/11-winter-holidays-you-might-not-know-about

What a nice page, Grrr Thanks!

Blimy, surely you should educate her about all religions do she can understand things going on in the world and different festivals. I don't think there are any schools which won't teach about Easter and Christmas etc. as well as all the other. Religions.

If they are jst teaching her about christmas yabu, i they are teaching her it is true you are not being unreasonable.

(haven't read all 15 pages)

I'm an athiest and am horrified by friends who want to be ultra athiest by not giving their children and education about religion whatsoever. Especially Christianity.

So much for the child understanding Western literature, music, and any kind of pop culture references. It's a recipe for a stupid kid

Grr: what an excellent link, thank you.

A child ought to be gathering general knowledge. It is one of the best things about reading-freedom of information and not just having to rely on what your parents tell you or don't tell you. I would be shocked at the ignorance of a DC not knowing the Christmas story-it has nothing whatever to do with what they believe-they should know the story.

In my experience, infant teachers preface with "this is what Christians believe", likewise when teaching about eg Hanukkah, " this is what Jewish believe" etc

If you keep religion secret would that mean each child would grow up and decide whether they wanted to have faith for themselves?

An extreme atheist forces their ideas on those of religion

What ideas are they that atheists have?

They are the ideas that you censor what your DC hears so they get only what is sanctioned by the parent.

Yes YABVU and daft.

Home educate if you want so much control over what your child learns.

Good luck with the 'mummy, what happend when you die. Teacher says you go to heaven?' (No, your dead and buried and that's it) conversation then.

Wow. How depressing to think you might need religion just so you can fob off kids when asking about death.

Anyway, we come from the stars and we will return to the stars eventually, screw heaven with its rules of entry.

And good luck with the 'will Rover go to heaven?' conversation. Or 'will daddy be with us or his new family in heaven?'

"Good luck with the 'mummy, what happend when you die. Teacher says you go to heaven?' (No, your dead and buried and that's it) conversation then."

No problem. Why would I tell my children lies?

Actually, I didn't have to. My mother talked to my children about the circle of life from when they were tiny. She knew she wouldn't live to see them grow up, so she took it on herself to prepare them for her death.

exotic: An extreme atheist forces their ideas on those of religion ... that you censor what your DC hears so they get only what is sanctioned by the parent.

Huh?? Have any atheists forced you to censor what your DC hear?

I love this thread.

RavingPaganCelebratingSolsticeTiggaxx

I'm just remembering with my dear ex SIL in a drunken rant told her small child that when you were dead that's all there is. Grandpa wasn't in heaven, he was in a hole in the earth and religion was all lies. Poor kid was terrified. That was a really fun christmas.

I love your sign-offs, Tigga Happy winterfest!

Oh dear at your SIL, Change. Most of us, obviously, teach children about death the usual way - pet burials and gentle explanations about deceased relatives. Where your religious adult does the 'gone to a better place' thing, atheists do an 'it was a good life' thing. As long as children aren't subjected to frantic disputes about the eventual outcome, it's fine either way. Children have no real comprehension of death anyway - for them, it's mainly about assuring them the pet/person hasn't abandoned them deliberately.

It's just a story & quite a sweet one too.

Some religious people can say awful things to DC about death as well eg suggesting that [someone] who has died will go to hell because they were bad, or that animals don't have 'souls'.

My father died last year and I explained to DS that when we die the atoms that were us become transformed into other things; grass, flowers, other creatures, stardust etc.

ii have this image in my head of a teacher telling all the year one class that god is a figment of everyone's imagination jesus was a biker from wandsworth and the 12 blokes he hung round with ended up in prison.

I would imagine then there would be complaints to the head for extreme views pointing out to there children and the call for censorship...

My ex sil was a delight. Pissed at dads funeral and shoved me out of the way at graveside to get a ringside view.

I know I'm a bit late but no YANBU - am fed up with "we give each other presents at Christmas to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus"...errr, CHRISTIANS do this - or SOME PEOPLE do this not "we". Because WE don't. As I told my now very confused 5yr old yesterday we give each other presents because a long time ago people used to hold mid-winter parties to cheer themselves up and then the christians came along and high-jacked it to celebrate the birth of some made up chap called Jesus.
Yup makes me mad too OP, but you will get used to it!!

Ivy - had my exsil been head, thats probably how it would have gone!

Ive had one smug little 3 year old going 'of course, mummy says it's all superstution for babies and silly people. When you're dead, you're DEEEEEEED foreverrrrrr!!!'. To a class of three year olds. At a church nursery. Not a happy scene. And she believed in Santa.