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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

About Bibles being given out at school.

203 replies

BlingBang · 03/12/2013 22:12

Son has just told me that they have to line up and take a bible and say thank you - seems like some group is coming to the school to distribute them. AIBU to be surprised and think this is strange? My son doesn't believe in God and doesn't particularly want a bible or have to thank someone for it. Is this common practice then?

OP posts:
redshifter · 04/12/2013 11:20

OP, I think you should encourage your son to read the bible, all of it, not just the few nice bits they usually teach to children. And the Koran.
I feel there is nothing like seeing some of the nonsense and nastiness in these books to make someone a committed atheist.

curlew · 04/12/2013 11:21

"Does he even know what it is he doesn't believe in"

Atheist does not equal barbarian.

NigellasLeftNostril · 04/12/2013 11:23

oh my kids got these and it was NOT a faith school although probably only a handful of 'other' faiths - i was a bit Hmm but used it as a chance to discuss with them why i was Hmm

redshifter · 04/12/2013 11:25

Atheist does not equal barbarian

Exactly.

In my personal experience, atheists know far more about religions than most religious people do.

SomethingkindaOod · 04/12/2013 11:26

curlew no it doesn't at all equal barbarian but having a more in depth understanding can give him a more mature point of view and give him more legs to stand on if he ever chooses to defend his decision.

BackOnlyBriefly · 04/12/2013 11:31

I liked the idea of giving out books for other religions at the local church to see if they would say "No harm in that. People need to know about other religions"

I think we can hazard a guess at the reaction.

As for it being legal because we don't have separation of church and state that doesn't mean we can't dislike the practice and work towards a true separation of church and state.

And to everyone who say it will make no difference whatsoever I would ask what then is the motive in giving them out? If the churches thought you were right they wouldn't do it.

Theas18 · 04/12/2013 11:33

I think everyone should read the bible, and as many of the other texts that faiths are built on. Believer or not if you don't know at least some of your bible stories as well as you know , say Tolkein, your life will be less rich ( especially living in a broadly Christian country).

Bible stories underpin literature , fils, crosswords etc etc

And y'know what, being given a gift and saying than you is actually great skill to learn, eveb if it's not really " for you". My lot learn it from their gran and the interesting tat she gets from the charity shop. It's chosen with care but my 14+yr old no longer wears Alice bands for instance!

BackOnlyBriefly · 04/12/2013 11:36

Oh and I used to own a number of bibles and books for other religions too even though I am an atheist. I mostly use online ones now since it means I can have them all easily available and searchable. I think knowing about religion is a good thing.

Sadly most of these attempts to get kids into religion are not about learning, but about believing and worshipping.

Interesting about some giving out New Testaments. Is that because the OT has become such an embarrassment to Christianity?

eightandthreequarters · 04/12/2013 11:40

If everyone's okay with free copies of The God Delusion being handed out in schools, and children lining up to say thank you for them, then I'm cool with the Gideons handing out the NT.

Otherwise I assume they are exposed to the literary and cultural importance religion via RE, assemblies, their friends, the media and the annual Nativity play. I don't teach them about religion at home any more than I teach them about fairies.

SomethingkindaOod · 04/12/2013 11:43

The vicar at our church was the one who gave me an interest in other faiths. He had a huge bookcase with all sort of books on every belief system going and was happy to answer any questions thrown at him. Sadly I don't think that's the norm..
The OT is a mind numbing ramble from what I remember of it...
I must find my copy of the Gideon bible, just to see what they do with Revelations, iirc it read like the plot of a horror story!

Caitlin17 · 04/12/2013 11:48

Shiloh I was absolutely sure from around 9 I did not believe in a god. It simply didn't feel right, what I was being told didn't ring true. No one was imposing atheist views on me, far from it. ,
Over 40 years on, I still don't.

Original poster
BlingBang · 04/12/2013 12:11

"OP. You say you went to a Catholic school and were given a Gideon Bible while attending it. Your recollection must be faulty. I can assure you that no Catholic school would give out Gideon bibles.

In your case, it might have served you better if someone had given you a book about basic manners and then you would now know that it is polite to say 'thank you for a gift whether you want it or not. Please do not pass on this lack of grace to a child."

Missmarples - I think you sound like you need a lesson in manners yourself and not to state your thouts as fact when several old catholic pupils have said they recieved Gideon bibles at school unless you think we are lying. Anyway my issue here is that I was surprised this till happened and that the school seems to expect the children to take one whether they want be or not. I would not expect my son to be impolite about it or to destroy any book.

OP posts:
Original poster
BlingBang · 04/12/2013 12:14

Shilo " I'm not convinced that a child of 10 / 11 is not simply parroting his parent's beliefs when he says he doesn't believe in God. Does he even know what it is he doesn't believe in - I'm guessing not if there are no religious books in your house.

I'm uncomfortable with parents imposing their religion / atheism on their children. He'll now be starting religious studies classes at school, why not encourage him to take the Bible for now and allow him to make an informed decision when he's old enough?"

You are making a lot of assumptions there. You have no idea what I have taught or discussed or imposed with my children regarding religion or if we have any religious books in the house.

OP posts:
ABitterPIL · 04/12/2013 12:15

I would be happy with the God delusion being handed out. I think that too is intolerant preachy bollocks so ironically fits in well with most organised religion....

specialsubject · 04/12/2013 12:59

tell him to smile and say 'no thank you'. If it is HIS opinion, he can even say 'I don't believe in fairies'.

if they get offended, that's because their fairy belief isn't strong enough. No one worth worrying about should get offended because other people don't believe in what they believe in.

curlew · 04/12/2013 13:03

"I'm guessing not if there are no religious books in your house."

Why are you assuming there are no religious books in the house?

Atheist does not equal barbarian.

curlew · 04/12/2013 13:04

Can somebody tell me how to do the "does not equal" sign on a Mac?

Sunnymeg · 04/12/2013 13:07

The Gideons recently visited DS's school to hand out Bibles to Y7. We had an email a week before, from the head of year, to let us know it was happening. If we weren't happy we could let them know and they would make sure that our child wasn't included.

MackerelOfFact · 04/12/2013 13:16

I'm staunchly against enforced praise in schools and think that education should be completely secular... but I don't think that being given a Bible at school is actually a problem. It's a book. Provided it doesn't come with some BS message that it is 'the word of God' or 'a guide for life' or some other religious sell-up, it's a handy reference if nothing else.

I think most children would just likely discard it, but if my DCs took an interest and read it, and subsequently decided to follow Christianity - even as a confirmed athiest - I would be pleased that they had come to their own decision from reading the original texts and not being brainwashed by preachers at school or elsewhere.

LifeofPo · 04/12/2013 13:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FairPhyllis · 04/12/2013 13:23

We do celebrate Christmas as a cultural festival rather than a religious one.

Why don't you look at the Bible as a cultural book rather than a religious one then?

Lesshastemorespeed · 04/12/2013 13:29

Ultimately, it's just a free story book.

curlew · 04/12/2013 13:39

What are all these amazing stories contained within the New Testament? Somebody downthread referred to it as a rollocking good read- really?

Lesshastemorespeed · 04/12/2013 13:44

Jesus walking on the water, the loaves n fishes one. Pretty good stories from a child's point of view I think.

fifi669 · 04/12/2013 13:47

Saying 'I don't believe in fairies' is disrespectful. The person would get offended because of that and not because you didn't believe the same.

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