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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To get annoyed when dd(6) learns about Christianity?

587 replies

MooPointCowsOpinion · 20/03/2017 18:00

She is at a non-religious, normal state primary. She is the type of kid who remembers everything she's told and parrots it back, so I hear about her entire day every day at school. Almost every day she tells me they sang this song about Jesus, learnt that story about Jesus, learnt this lesson about Christianity. Every assembly they sing a Christian song.

I am an atheist. I don't want her to learn just about Christianity, all religions are important in a 'this is what some people believe' kind of way but I feel like they're indoctrinating her into Christianity by pushing it so much. I try to counter it by teaching her other religious beliefs and telling her my beliefs, but I know the steady drip drip of information could plant a seed that could lead to what I would consider radicalisation.

I've brought it up with her teacher, she's sympathetic and has given us the option to opt-out but I'd hate for her to feel singled out and to miss important things in assemblies.

Does/did it bother you? AIBU to be annoyed?

OP posts:

egosumquisum1 · 21/03/2017 11:10

Seriously do you even know what atheism is? It is not a belief system, there is no collective body of atheist teachings or laws. There is nothing to sing about

You bit - if you had read my comments, you'll know my views on this.

However - atheism is a 'belief' that there is no God. If you are an atheist, you believe that God does not exist.

So it would be possible to have a school where the Headteacher channels Dawkins and states that God does not exist. An atheist viewpoint.

I am an atheist. I am also a teacher. I manage to keep my views on the lack of God private and don't tell my pupils that I think God does not exist.

egosumquisum1 · 21/03/2017 11:12

Atheist songs

All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small,
All things live and natural, evolution made them all.

Each little flower that opens, each little bird that sings,
DNA made their glowing colours, genes made their tiny wings.

FairytalesAreBullshit · 21/03/2017 11:13

Another example, my youngest came home around the time of the inauguration saying that her friends big sister said we were all going to die. To that's something we had to address.

With faith education, they're not forcing children into church, just teaching about it being Lent and Easter, what it means. For the amount of people who posted on here saying oh I'm giving this up for Lent, for me knowing the scriptures, firstly it's not something if you're doing it for God, that you should advertise. A bit like fish on Fridays when we were kids, it has significance as some Christians fast on a Friday and abstain from meat. I hope this explains it more.

It's not till I delved in further I understood the context of thinking about those who don't have for example. It's a good lesson to remind children how lucky they are.

Eolian · 21/03/2017 11:16

Well yes but an atheist school would not need to talk about god not existing. It could just not mention god at all. That would be simply be displaying an absence of belief, not displaying a belief in the non-existence of god.
I also don't think unicorns exist. Does that count as a belief too? I don't think it does.

fortheloveofcheese · 21/03/2017 11:16

oh ffs OP. chill out. i am not religious either but i never had a problem with dd being taught about any religions. sick of the christian bashing i see on MN and no, i am not christian by birth.

egosumquisum1 · 21/03/2017 11:17

am not religious either but i never had a problem with dd being taught about any religions. sick of the christian bashing

You seem to be confusing Daily Worship with being taught about religion.

It's easily done.

Anon1234567890 · 21/03/2017 11:18

If you are an atheist, you believe that God does not exist

No you don't, as a teacher you should know better. If your an atheist it means you are not convinced there is a god. Can you not understand the difference?

If a head teacher where to teach that Dawkins believes there is no god then he would be wrong. And as an atheist I would be appalled at a school teaching such nonsense.

egosumquisum1 · 21/03/2017 11:18

Well yes but an atheist school would not need to talk about god not existing. It could just not mention god at all

That would be a secular school.

egosumquisum1 · 21/03/2017 11:19

If your an atheist it means you are not convinced there is a god. Can you not understand the difference

That's an agnostic.

EdmundCleverClogs · 21/03/2017 11:19

However - atheism is a 'belief' that there is no God. If you are an atheist, you believe that God does not exist.

Actually I accept the fact that there is no higher power due to absolute lack of evidence on the matter. I am quite willing to change my mind if undeniable proof is presented. I do not accept atheism is a belief. It's the same way as saying 'I don't believe in Santa, unicorns, Batman' is accepting the facts that these characters do not exist rather than 'having different beliefs and opinions'.

egosumquisum1 · 21/03/2017 11:20

Atheist
a person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods

An agnostic is one who believes it impossible to know anything about God or about the creation of the universe and refrains from commitment to any religious doctrine.

An atheist is one who denies the existence of a deity or of divine beings.

Anon1234567890 · 21/03/2017 11:21

egosumquisum1 Atheism is NOT evolution, your just making things up now.

egosumquisum1 · 21/03/2017 11:21

Actually I accept the fact that there is no higher power due to absolute lack of evidence on the matter

Which makes you an agnostic

fortheloveofcheese · 21/03/2017 11:22

ego i see what you mean. I still don't mind though be it her sitting in a class being taught something about ie christianity or if she is preying in a mosque. i really don't mind what she does religion wise. when she is older, she can chose to follow a religion if that makes her happy. i have my own beliefs although i wouldn't label them as any ones religion and tend to keep them to myself

fortheloveofcheese · 21/03/2017 11:22

praying

egosumquisum1 · 21/03/2017 11:24

I still don't mind though be it her sitting in a class being taught something about ie christianity or if she is preying in a mosque

This, Children should be taught about religions - and they should also be taught that some people have faith, others don't have faith etc.

They should not be taught what to believe and have an act of worship.

Anon1234567890 · 21/03/2017 11:28

egosumquisum1 Now your confusing agnosticism with atheism.

Actually I accept the fact that there is no higher power due to absolute lack of evidence on the matter which makes you an agnostic atheist because you have no knowledge of the existence of god and so dont accept the belief that a god exists.

Agnosticism is a claim of knowledge, atheism a claim of belief. Most Christians I know would be agnostics because the say they dont know there is a god but still belief (have faith) in its existence.

EdmundCleverClogs · 21/03/2017 11:32

Ok. I'm also agnostic about the existence of unicorns, fairies and the Loch Ness monster as well. I categorically don't believe they exist, though I cannot prove it.

egosumquisum1 · 21/03/2017 11:33

atheism a claim of belief

No you don't, as a teacher you should know better. If your an atheist it means you are not convinced there is a god. Can you not understand the difference

Make your mind up.

I believe God does not exists. My belief is that God does not exist. That makes me an atheist.

If you believe God does not exist, then your belief is God does not exist.

What is your belief about God?

TheOtherSock · 21/03/2017 11:33

Actually I accept the fact that there is no higher power due to absolute lack of evidence on the matter

Which makes you an agnostic

No it doesn't. Agnosticism is a stance on what it is possible to know. It's a statement that it is not possible to know for sure whether or not any god exists. You can be an atheist agnostic (one who doesn't think it's possible to know for sure whether a god exists and who doesn't have a belief in any god) or a religious agnostic (one who doesn't think it is possible to know for sure whether a god exists but does believe in one or more).

Agnosticism is not a weak or mild atheism, nor is it just saying "i don't know if there is a god" or "I'm not sure what to believe". It's a very specific stance on what is knowable.

TheOtherSock · 21/03/2017 11:35

Actually i got that wrong; I should have said "theist agnostic" rather than "religious agnostic" since some religions don't have gods.

TheOtherSock · 21/03/2017 11:36

And actually Anon1234567890 explained it better.

egosumquisum1 · 21/03/2017 11:36

I think the one thing we can all believe is that children at school should not have an act of Collective Worship.

Anon1234567890 · 21/03/2017 11:52

If you believe God does not exist, then your belief is God does not exist
I see, you genuinely don't understand the difference. They are 2 different things. either a) you believe god exists or you dont. b) you believe god does not existence or you don't. If you don't believe point 'a' that does not mean you believe point 'b'.

For example someone might say if you dont believe in the big bang you therefore believe god exists. But one does not follow from the other.

Atheism is the lack of belief in point 'a'. It is not the belief in point 'b'

I have no believe in the existence of a god because no one has presented me with enough evidence to convince me (q.e.d. atheist). On point 'b' I have also not been presented with evidence to be confident there is no god. My level of confidence in both propositions are not the same but never the less I am not completely convinced of either proposition.

Anon1234567890 · 21/03/2017 11:56

Sorry xpost TheOtherSock

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