Is a Bible ok?

[DogCalledRudis]

We were invited to neighbours' 3 & 6 grandchildrens' birthday.
We're Christian, the grandparents are as well, so i think.... a nice edition of childrens' Bible should be nice?

Or should i just buy a big Lego?

Imalphuras. I got rid because some of the stories would have given DS nightmares, as they did for me as a child, although I read the adults bible every night then. The children's version DS got was pretty bad as well

My aunt is Catholic and her granddaughter is muslim, and I know quite a lot of people who are atheist and are raising their children atheist despite having religious parents. You can't tell what religion someone is by what one set of grandparents believe. A bible is a strange birthday present to buy, I'm glad you've decided to get the child a toy instead.

Lego definitely sounds a better idea - even if you'd been invited to their christening you'd expect the godparents to give them a bible - or where my dn got christened the church gave it to them.

If you don't want to give Lego then there are lots of lively books around you could give, even classics like Winnie the pooh, Beatrix potter or wind in the willows etc would all be nice.

And yes to the suggestion of separate Lego sets for each child - the 6 yr old will want to do much more intricate stuff than the 3 yr old.

My DCs' grandparents are Christian, as are many of the extended family, but we certainly aren't, and I would find a bible to be a very odd present for a child's birthday.

Someone did give us a child's book of bible stories when DS was little, but I don't think we ever read it (boringly written, garish illustrations…) and I think it eventually found its way to a charity shop. Despite being an atheist I do think it is good for children brought up in Europe to know biblical stories, as they are referenced in so much art, literature etc, but there is plenty of time for that later on.

Just get a toy, Lego is good.

Lego always good.

I wouldn't be thrilled if anyone bought my children bibles Nor would they!

Not for a birthday no but I accidentally became a god parent (I was a stand in as the original was in hospital) and have just realised that I didn't buy my GD a bible oops.

Lego.
Bibles make good Christening gifts.

Personally, I had a children's bible when I was young and absolutely loved looking at the pictures in it. Ive still got it somewhere. Im not especially religious but valued that book because it was so beautifully illustrated. However, I do think this might have been a christening present from a godparent.

But for the sake of not being seen to be forcing religion onto children, I would probably vote for giving some toys or something like that.

Lego.

Everyone likes lego. You can't go wrong. If they haven't got it, it is something new, if they have it already, it is more.

(you can have too many Harry Potters though - general sets of bricks are probably better.)

if they are being brought up as christians they will already have bibles, my DD has at least 4 childrens bibles she does not need more, she prefers toys for presents, I buy her age appropriate christian books; the choice is not as great as in general books and i know what she already has and would enjoy

lego is better with gift receipt incase they already have that set

Lego all the way, dc love toys!

We're not Christian so if DD got given a Bible it would have gone in a draw up in the loft and not touched till our garage sale five years later.

I'd go with lego too. DD has 5 children's bibles and 5 rosaries, one for every birthday she's had because my grandmothers friends keep buying them for her, they are beautiful bibles but I really have no need for 5.

Just out of interest OP - if somebody gave you a bible for a birthday or christmas present because they knew you were a christian would you think 'how lovely, another bible, I've already got 4 copies, 2 of which are identical to this version, but I'll keep them all on my shelf' or would you think 'it's lovely of them to give me a present but as I'm a christian I've already got several bibles and you only really need one as they don't change or wear out. If only they'd asked, I'd have loved a new shopping bag/bottle of wine/box of chocolates/plant for the garden/[insert what you would have liked that cost the same sort of amount as the bible]...'

I'm sure obviously if you were given one you'd have been very polite and accepted it graciously - however, in your heart of hearts, wouldn't you think that it was one of those times where the giver has tried to be thoughtful but failed because they didn't think it through properly?

My Parents were very active Christians, very involved with the church (without being holier than thou). So if you only knew them then a Bible might seem like a lovely present for my DC. Except that my DC are Muslim like DH. If someone gave us a Children's Bible we would smile, accept with thanks and then probably donate it to the DC's school for use in RS classes.

having said all that, I sometimes used to babysit for my nephews at my parents house, they used to love me to get the bible out and tell them stories such as Jonah and the whale and the Daniel one when he is saved from the lions!! Lego is safer option I quess.

I am a dyed in the wool atheist and would not object to my child being bought an illustrated book of bible stories. In fact I do own such a thing, the illustrations are beyond beautiful (it's quite old fashioned the pictures are very Walter Crane) It has all the good stories from the Old Testament and a few of the parables from the New.

I think part of giving a gift it that it's from you - Lego could be from anyone.

My evangelical aunt was always buying us bibles and books with titles such as "Arguments for creation and arguments against evolution" (that was a real title!) We didn't read them and it is just annoying to have people preaching at you.

I'm afraid all our bibles end up in the bin... We don't have enough space to keep clutter. (Everybody who knows me would know this...)

Don't children have too many toys these days? I would opt for a day trip or something else that's used up like tickets to a circus or something. Not a bottle of wine, obviously.

People who would just get rid, would you do the same with a book of Greek mythology or fairytales? No, mainly because no one is trying to convince my child those are true. In the UK there is compulsory worship of a Christian nature in schools rather than 'belief in Goldilocks' or 'Zeus is awesome' classes. I know they are neither fairy tales nor Greek before the pedants come a knocking.

Either the parents are practising Christians themselves, in which case I can guarantee they have their own edition of the Bible, and at least two children's Bibles, if not more, from the children's Christenings, or... they are not Christian at all.

If they are not Christian and have Christian parents themselves, and they do not have any Bibles despite that, it will be a deliberate choice. We are atheists- no church wedding, no christenings, no Christian anything, with atheist parents ourselves, and we still seem to have accumulated a couple, including a children's one.

In which case, the utter weirdness of giving a six-year-old and a three-year-old a Bible as an unsolicited birthday present will push them to conclude that the grandparents have been whinging to you about the lack of Bibles in the house.

Bible for christenings only. Buy Lego or something like that.

I am not religious but love the beautiful children's bible we were given.

Personally I would live any beautiful book given as a gift. If not a bible then look for another. The children will get plenty of plastic tat.

Try a Copy of Mein Kamph as well it gives an opposing point of view