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

[Spearshake]

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!

If there is a God I really don't understand where this expectation is that they will constantly interfere.

it comes from the description of god being all power, knowing and good.

the romans killed jesus. crucifixion was a roman punishment, not jewish. bloody pagans, can never trust them.

why does it matter if there's a purpose? I've never understood that particular religious argument. So, make one up. mine is: try and help make the world I live in a kinder place. there, i did it all on my own without a 'divine' being making me

It doesn't matter if there isn't a purpose, it is just that people who don't believe in God assume they know God's purpose and always know what should be done! Generally it amounts to what they would do.

It doesn't matter if there isn't a purpose, it is just that people who don't believe in God assume they know God's purpose and always know what should be done!

I am just taking my cues from the religious. I obviously don't think god has any purpose.

last the Romans killed Jesus, yes. John's Gospel has it that the Jews asked the Romans to execute him for them because they had no right to execute anyone themselves. This says that they would have done it themselves if they could.

The gospel writers worked really hard to shift the blame from the Romans!

Incidentally, the Jews were perfectly allowed to execute people themselves so this passage is a definite lie and pure propaganda.

oh I agree it's a lie. I believe he would have gone before the jewish religious court and been put to death in the appropriate way (if death had been decided) if the "jews" had really wanted him killed. But they didn't. And bearing in mind at the time Israel was under Roman rule, so i'm sure if they needed to the Romans could have brought a great deal of pressure on the jewish leaders to get the answers they wanted. THe romans were absolutely ruthless when they felt necessary.

and the problem is because the jews have been a marginalized persecuted minority for so long, this reading of what happened has been stamped down. Almost like it was deliberate...

We use the phrase 'some people believe" a lot to explain religion.

jo4040 I noticed I had a message from you last night my time, I haven't opened it yet as I was expecting something awful. For clarification about the Catholic Church: I meant that for somebody who has been hurt by religion or for somebody starting out it may not be the most gentle way to go about discovering God. There seems to be to many rules and regulations to being "good enough" to receive God. I also don't like the idea that God performs miracles through people, yet the person becomes a saint, and then people pray to that saint instead of to God. God can perform miracles through anybody, you don't need to be a saint. I feel that priests are put up on a pedestal, and have way to much power. Many more I don't feel the need to go into. I think with the huge issue of child abuse in the Catholic Church means something isn't quite working. I did not mean to offend anyone. Maybe I need to start clarifying more in my posts. A few years ago I was very much like a lot of people posting on here. I could not understand God, I blamed him, hated him, didn't believe he existed. I also heard people speaking in tongues and laughed hysterically and thought they were absolutely crazy. This all changed, 4 years ago my gorgeous, handsome husband was diagnosed with bowel cancer. After 3 years of operations, chemo, the works he passed away at 43 riddled with Cancer. I saw him turn to God. It freaked me out, I obviously thought the cancer had gone to his brain:-) I saw the comfort he received from knowing God, and I saw the relief he got when a priest performed the last rites on him. He was mostly unconscious and delirious by this stage, but he was coherent when this was happening. 5 days later I walked into a Pentecostal church with our two younger children ds12, and dd10. God slowly healed my soul, and our children's. I was desperately suicidal and God saved my life. God gave my children their mother, and he gave them healing and comfort. My children know their daddy is in heaven and that we will all be together again. I know I come across strange when I say I can talk to God. But when it happens to you it is amazing. God explained to me why my dh wasn't healed, why he got cancer. He was very gentle with me. I received the Holy Ghost, as have my children. Each in our own timing. Yes, I now speak in tongues. I don't know what on earth I'm saying, and I'm not the best at contrking it, but I know I am talking in a spiritual language. I have seen miracles performed through people with my very own eyes. But it is sad to know that even if an unbeliever saw it, they still wouldn't believe. But that is free will. God will never force himself upon you, but he is there waiting. I have been in a bad financial situation, where God told me not to worry, he would provide and to just trust. The very next day I had $2000 which cannot be explained. My beautiful dd, layer her hands on me when I was very sick, and I was healed after 10 minutes. Please don't try to explain away any of my experiences. I am becoming a better person because of him, I am still not perfect and I say the wrong thing, but he will always be there to correct me where I have gone wrong. I still feel awful about the comment about being against gay marriage, but I am happy to have been shown my wrongs. There are some people on this thread, who do not believe in God, and may never. I think there are some on this thread, who believe in God, but have been hurt through religion. There are some that have their own idea of God. But there is absolutely no need for nastiness. We are all in life together, we need more kindness. Thank you Jo, I read further along that in your message you apologised, it is appreciated. Thank you also to the posters, who came to my defence, it means more than you know. God bless(for who would like it!)

I forgot, for the very original op, yanbu. It isn't for your mil to talk to your son about at this age. When he is older and want to know for himself is time. From your mil view, it is because she loves your son, she wants him to have what she has.

I have been mulling over how the world would work if we had the sort of God that some atheists are assuming we should have to give them the 'proof' they need.
It appears that God is 'he' - something I am avoiding because it is not 'he'. Not only that but an authoritarian,all powerful one who can and should stop all terrible things - and a magician.
It would mean that everyone would need to be born equal, no one could have a handicap at all, no one could get a disease that could kill them- or if they did it must be cured. Everyone would have to be sweetness and light at all times - no bullying from name calling to invading someone's country. There would be no natural disasters - no accidents - no planes would have defects - they would all land safely. All car drivers would never have a moment of inattention where they made an error of judgement. No one would cheat on their partner, no one would take anything that didn't belong to them. Everyone would die peacefully in bed when they reached an age deemed to be the end of life. Anyone who wanted a challenge like climbing a sheer cliff face would have to get to the top safely.
In addition anyone praying would have that prayer granted- otherwise God is unfair and not listening- and doesn't exist.

I prefer the fact that we have a wonderful world and we have free choice- without this 'all powerful,force for good, being' interfering at every turn.

Unfortunately you get the bad with the good - and some of it is diabolically bad. I think it is for humanity to sort out and learn to treat this wonderful world and other people with respect.

Otherwise I can't see where you draw the line. Does God allow rocks to weather and archways of rock to break off as long as there is no one underneath? Does he allow strong winds as long as no trees blow down on cars and houses? Should Earth have been constructed so that an earthquake can't happen? Is it OK for someone climbing a cliff face without ropes, or someone extreme skiing to die because they chose it but not for the person who merely wanted to get to Birmingham to London by train?
Should doctors since the year dot have had the technology and knowledge to cure any cancer - or is this a case of bodies should never go wrong or a magic wand us waved? Does it make a difference if the person has always treated their body in a healthy way to someone who abuses their body?
Should God step in to keep the ban on pesticides that will kill bees. Should God stop man tinkering - e.g GM crops or are GM crops a good thing?

People have this simplistic black and white- whereas life is generally shades of grey.

I have to prefer free choice - proper free choice - and think it is up to humanity to solve their own problems.

Mehitabel6

But isn't this utopian world- the one you suggest wouldn't be so great after all- the very one you are all striving for? To get a ticket to heaven through jesus?

Why doesn't god just take the short cut and beam everyone- well the christians at least- straight to heaven?

It depends on your idea of heaven. If you assume you are going to be above the clouds reunited with auntie Maud etc then I expect that you are right.

It is not my idea of heaven.

So in your heaven you still have free will, disease and car accidents?

No.
Your view of heaven seems as simplistic as your view of God. It isn't a place. You don't have a body. You certainly don't have cars! I expect we still speak English and are happy to talk through mediums about list jewellery!
No wonder the church told me specifically not mention heaven to a 2 yr old!

People seem to think they know everything, and everything has to be within their experience. I see life after death as something outside human experience or imaginings.

Lost jewellery. Funny how those communicating through mediums never manage to chat about anything important.

I wasn't serious about speaking Engish in case all you literal thinkers take it that way!

I haven't read all of this thread, but there appears to be a lot of crazy in it.

It has made me see that if I thought God was an authoritarian magician and heaven was a place then I would be an atheist.

And what kind of world would we have if God didn't exist? Pretty much the same as this one, don't you think?

Mehitabel6

I was being rather tongue in cheek. However your idea of heaven is no more valid than mine- it's an imaginary state for you. One that no other christian may even share.

I expect so- except the world might not exist. ( and before we start in that one I don't think he made in 6 days and had a rest on the 7th!)
Anyway- I am off out. I really will have to stop going on MN first thing- it delays me terribly from getting on!

It isn't an imaginary state- I specifically said that it was beyond human imagination!