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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU for not wanting my MIL to discuss Jesus and heaven with my 5 year old?

999 replies

Spearshake · 04/08/2015 13:29

I was just having breakfast with my 5 year old son and he asked me, 'do only people who love Jesus go to heaven?; I asked him who told you that.
Unfortunately, my tone must have been a bit sharp (hey, first thing in the morning) so he said, 'I don't know'

(I know it's his grandma though (my MIL) because she has been staying with us for the last week and we haven't been in contact with anyone else who is likely to make such comments) Unless he has been on the evangelical channels again

The problem is that I am an atheist, so I have a tough time with such discussions. He asked me what God is the other day, and I asked him to wait until his father gets home and he can answer (he was brought up more religiously than me)

Any ideas from fellow mumsnetters of a similar religious (or non-) bent on how to deal with such ideas would be most welcome.

Thank you!

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 06/08/2015 10:14

king it looks like a transcendent cause. Whatever that looks like. It must exist, because apparently we need one.

Mermaidhair · 06/08/2015 10:17

It amuses me to see how passionate people get about not believing in God. I don't give any of my time to anything I don't believe to be true. If God or Jesus are mentioned in a thread there are always so many people interested. For the people asking to explain the ways of the universe, seriously? Whoever could answer and prove God would be the most important person in the world. Do you know that you can have an actual real relationship with God? One where you can talk to him, and he will answer you back? Mostly, if you are willing to give him the time. God is very very real, and it is arrogant to think that you can have God and heaven on your own terms, it does not work like that. I am very sure there will be many posts after mine, but I can tell you I am very, very secure in my own knowing and I do not feel the need to try to prove or justify God to anyone. The only one who will judge me is my father himself. And for anyone reading there was a thread a while ago about gay marriage and I wrote that I do not agree with it. God had a little talk to me about it and set me straight, my job is to love everyone as Jesus did and not to judge. So my apologies for that. The reason I have written this post is to stand up for God. Smile

Mermaidhair · 06/08/2015 10:18

I forgot to mention, just ask God yourself these questions.

noblegiraffe · 06/08/2015 10:22

One where you can talk to him, and he will answer you back?

Tried that. It's an empty room.

When I've told religious people that I've been told I need to try again, or harder, or in a different way. Like an omnipotent deity needs a specific ritual before he can talk to you,

Mermaidhair · 06/08/2015 10:28

The first time God spoke to me was about 3 months after inviting him into my life. Some hear an audible voice, I hear him inside my head, sort of like my voice. I know it's God as he talks differently to me. There is no specific ritual, just love and an actual desire to hear him.

DocHollywood · 06/08/2015 10:33

I was enjoying this thread up until now. Hmm

Mermaidhair · 06/08/2015 10:33

Giraffe, I've read back only a few pages and saw you were bought up in the Catholic Church. I understand your views of God now. Keep well away from the Catholic Church.

Jo4040 · 06/08/2015 10:35

Mermaid. Are you for fucking real?

noeffingidea · 06/08/2015 10:43

mermaidhair I'm not passionate at all, apart from when it impinges on my life, especially how I bring up my children which is what this thread was about. I think most of us have reached the stage of thinking that religion should be a private matter, something that you are free to do in your own home or place of worship as long as it doesn't adversely affect other people.
No one is running into churches (or other places of worship) shouting 'God sucks' at the top of our voices. We're just discussing it on a forum which is open to religious and non religious people equally.

BertrandRussell · 06/08/2015 10:44

I've reported Jo's post. Mermaid- I hope you have lots of lovely people around you in real life.

Jo4040 · 06/08/2015 10:46

Any have you reported my post? Because you don't agree with it? Well I don't agree with what was said about the catholic church.

chaiselounger · 06/08/2015 11:15

Why does it need reporting?

BertrandRussell · 06/08/2015 11:16

Because it was unnecessarily aggressive to someone who sounds (no idea whether they are or not) vulnerable.

chaiselounger · 06/08/2015 11:19

I don't see her as vulnerable.
She believes in God. She is allowed.

keepitsimple0 · 06/08/2015 11:22

The irony is that my views are closer to many athiests than to many believers, but it is 'militant athiests' (not all atheists I hasten to add - many have made balanced comments) over-weaning confidence in the complete obviousness of their position that riles me. It makes most fundamentalist of Christians look positively agnostic!

I am curious. What is the "militant atheist" view?

Someone above said an atheist wouldn't believe if Jesus appeared before her and told her that the bible was true. That's just wrong. I'll tell you if a guy appeared before me in a puff, turned water into wine and started walking on water, I'd start listening in an instant because that would be decent evidence for the Christian view.

All "militant atheists" want is evidence. Any would be good, a lot would be great. The atheist position is that there is little to no evidence of a god.

nobodyknowsimhere · 06/08/2015 11:23

takeinyourhen I know I'm a bit late in asking this, but when your son goes through 'spats of not being Christian' do you not wonder if he's trying to tell you then Christianity just isn't for him? What kind of school does he attend that there are children whose parents don't want them to know that not being Christian is an option?

DocHollywood · 06/08/2015 11:37

I wouldn't believe it was Jesus. I would assume it was Derren Brown using his amazing trickery or it was someone from an advanced civilisation using science/technology as yet unknown to us. Nothing would make me believe it was the bible come true.

Flashbangandgone · 06/08/2015 11:41

"why then, call it an argument for the existence of God, and label the transcendent cause 'God' when the word 'God' is so value laden

That's a good point... the term 'God' is so value laden, and understood by different people in different ways. It's the cause of many a disagreement!

keepitsimple0 · 06/08/2015 11:44

I wouldn't believe it was Jesus. I would assume it was Derren Brown using his amazing trickery or it was someone from an advanced civilisation using science/technology as yet unknown to us. Nothing would make me believe it was the bible come true.

I of course would probe quite a bit. But I hear Jesus is a nice chap and willing to oblige.

But isn't someone coming from an advanced civilisation just as unlikely?

Flashbangandgone · 06/08/2015 11:44

Mermaid. Are you for fucking real?

Unnecessarily condescending and nasty... By militant atheists I'm talking of people who act in this way, not the majority on this thread.

KingOfTheBongo · 06/08/2015 11:45

I don't know if we need a transcendental cause, noble. I don't know how something could come from nothing in another way, though. (Nothing = not anything, not the Lawrence Krauss "nothing").

keepitsimple0 · 06/08/2015 11:45

Unnecessarily condescending and nasty... By militant atheists I'm talking of people who act in this way, not the majority on this thread.

I am actually mystified by this. Someone is taking the position catholicism is clearly wrong and whatever they are from is not. It's a tall order to defend that position.

KingOfTheBongo · 06/08/2015 11:48

Alan, while I certainly don't agree with WLC on everything, i think I can safely say his arguments helped me on my way back to Christianity.

DocHollywood · 06/08/2015 11:48

Just as unlikely but more funGrin

drudgetrudy · 06/08/2015 11:49

"Are you for fucking real?" was an unnecessarily rude response to Mermaid. She described her experience. I have not experienced the same thing but see no reason to be rude.
I do wonder why the atheists protest so loudly, although I can understand that they would not want their children to be taught as truth something which they believe is untrue and irrational.
There seem to be two extremes on this thread-quite literal Christians and militant atheists. No-one is saying that there may be some spiritual context to the Universe which we don't fully understand. Also subjective feelings are important.