Skip to main content
Skip to main navigation
Skip to talk navigation

Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Saved Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 ··· 9 10

AIBU?

AIBU to really hate religion?

247 replies

speakout · 30/10/2017 07:41

My 5 year old great niece is very upset right now,
She was given a fairy door- small wooden one that sticks on the bottom of a skirting board.
My sister- very religious has seen it in her room, ripped it off and broken it telling the child that Satan will come through and it is an evil trap.
I am trying to be respectful of my sister's religion but it is hard.

OP posts:

Report

speakout · 30/10/2017 08:18

BadCarrot sounds like my family.

They won''t have christmas tree (too pagan). No Santa or Easter eggs ( ditto) No pop music, won't buy newspapers with horoscopes.
My 5 year old grand nephew has had a class in school explaining how Santa and Satan are the same person, including showing the anagram.

OP posts:

Warhammerwidow89 · 30/10/2017 08:24

Religion is evil. People justify their shitty actions because they think it makes them superior. I'd like to see all religion banned! Or at least taught as fiction.

Tell the child fairies live at the bottom of the garden, and they are great!

Lime19 · 30/10/2017 08:25

I always say, if you need to do all these crappy things to get to heaven (no Christmas trees, fairies, Harry Potter, anti abortion, constantly judging others, homophobia, no Halloween, pop music etc) then I don't want to go there If it really does exist!!!

magpiemischief · 30/10/2017 08:25

The problem here is not religion per se, it is how your sister handles her beliefs and treats others.

If sounds like she really believes and is scared of ‘fairies’. Incidentally, traditionally, they are frightening, according to the folklore of most cultures. Not entirely or even mostly benevolent. So a fairy door could trigger fears associated with knowledge if the folklore,

On a Christian level the fear is misplaced though. Her actions do nothing to conquer fear, (which according to Christianity is not from God) do they?

If she removed the folklore associations from the door and treated it as a toy, any power her fear held over her would dissipate. She could even openly discuss traditional folklore, compare and draw connections with her own beliefs. What are fairies etc? Sad she has blown this up when it probably would have been forgotten and discarded with the other toys eventually,

SimoneOfHouseDavies · 30/10/2017 08:26

A science teacher? And she thinks Satan can enter homes through little pretty doors in skirting boards?

I once had an English teacher that described witnessing the "ball lightening" phenomenon as a child in school in Africa, and the teachers told all the children it was caused by witches flying through the sky. And even as an adult, presumably well educated woman she still believed that was true and went on to warn us about witches.

I'm not a fan of organised religion for bigger reasons than this but it is troubling to have educated adults brainwashed in such a way. And then in a position to educate others! Obviously the witch thing in Africa is terrible and is causing people to horrifically abuse children... It wouldn't be a bad thing for religion to die out over time which I do believe is slowly happening.

speakout · 30/10/2017 08:29

A science teacher?

Yes. She teaches creationism in science class.

OP posts:

LaurieFairyCake · 30/10/2017 08:31

It’s not ‘Christianity’ - it’s an extreme version of fundamentalism

Just like you don’t call ‘Isis’ a representative of how Islam is practised.

Frankly if it’s that extreme I’d be calling Social Services or the Nspcc for advice. It sounds abusive.

Lime19 · 30/10/2017 08:31

I too hope that religion dies out. I don't have an issue with it as such. But unfortunately so many people blame religion for their actions. There are too many extremists in all religions.

I can't take my mil seriously with all this anti-Harry potter crap when leaders of her religion are abusing young boys. Who's the evil one now?!

speakout · 30/10/2017 08:33

It’s not ‘Christianity’ -

How are you judging that though. To my sister it is very much being a christian.

Are some flavours of christianity more "christian" than others? And who gets to decide that?

OP posts:

SleepOhHowIMissYou · 30/10/2017 08:33

No, you're not unreasonable op.

Religion is a form of control that in an enlightened age should not exist. It may be that we never know life's answers, but to keep rolling out the same centuries old nonsense in lieu of an explanation is just bonkers.

This situation sounds like abuse. Jesus is famed for his mildness (and martyrdom), ask your sister what Jesus would have done in this situation and encourage her to emulate his example. WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) is a common phrase she'll be familiar with and it may make a huge difference to this little girl's childhood, poor thing. I'm glad you're looking out for her.

nadaMail · 30/10/2017 08:34

I almost prefer those Christians who believe the whole of the 'Good book' (as much as you can with all it's contradictions) as opposed to those who pick and choose between parts which are more or less palatable.

I don't hate religion. I tend to pity people who are sucked in or need it as a crutch or are lacking the intelligence to comprehend science, its answers and its limitations.

LaurieFairyCake · 30/10/2017 08:35

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Notreallyarsed · 30/10/2017 08:35

How are you judging that though. To my sister it is very much being a christian.

Because in the Bible children are to be treasured, protected, loved and nurtured. Not terrified by someone with a twisted agenda.

speakout · 30/10/2017 08:38

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

magpiemischief · 30/10/2017 08:39

How are you judging that though. To my sister it is very much being a christian.

Are some flavours of christianity more "christian" than others? And who gets to decide that?

Really, how do you judge any beliefs? The fairy door is ‘ok’ with all the associated folklore and sometimes fairly disturbing traditional folk beliefs and resulting actions of people who believe/d it but Christianity is not because of some of the disturbing behaviour of believers? Are some flavours of Pagan beliefs more ‘Pagan’ than others?

Lethaldrizzle · 30/10/2017 08:39

I hope she's praying to the fairies for forgiveness!

Caulk · 30/10/2017 08:42

Exactly what Laurie says.
Step back from the situation OP and you will see that, like everyone else has said, this isn’t religion.

People don’t talk about the very normal people of faith going back daily life pretty normally. They talk about the fundamentalists - ISIS, Westboro Baptist, and then further down the line people like those in your opening post. You could just as easily said you hated religion because of what people do in the name of it, which comes down to people making a personal choice to act in a certain way and not follow what their Holy book says.

SleepOhHowIMissYou · 30/10/2017 08:42

Really Notreallyarsed?

I kinda remember children being offered for sacrifice and a suggestion a child be split in half?

Which bit are you reading?

Are you perhaps cherry picking? Perhaps I am too? Which poses the question which bits of the Bible are wrong, and who decides this?

ReanimatedSGB · 30/10/2017 08:42

You've clearly managed to escape this poisonous nonsense, OP. I think all you can really do for the moment is be there for your niece, show her that there is a better, wider world out there and help her stand up to the superstitious idiots in the rest of the family.

pinteresterest · 30/10/2017 08:42

@Notreallyarsed

Yes. I love Jesus. I think that's an important message.

speakout · 30/10/2017 08:42

I don't really care if people choose to call themselves Pagan.
I'm just suggesting that my sister is as much a christian as any other.
Yes she is right wing, racist, homophobic, but there is much in the bible to support her views.

OP posts:

averylongtimeago · 30/10/2017 08:43

Where abouts are you op? Somewhere in the bible belt of the USA?
Personally I think that a scientist creationist is an oxymoron.

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Email address

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

SimoneOfHouseDavies · 30/10/2017 08:45

This is the problem. It's all so open to interpretation you have all kinds of contradicting beliefs and practices springing up out of one religion but they'll all tell you that they are absolutely doing it the right way and everyone else is wrong.

The sooner people stop basing their spiritual beliefs in heavily edited ancient tomes written by random men with questionable agendas thousands of years ago, the better I say.

How about we just treat each other well and practice gratitude, compassion and humility without doing it for the reward of heaven or paradise?

speakout · 30/10/2017 08:46

ReanimatedSGB yes, but how can a 5 year old "stand up" to her mother, father, grandmother and teachers?

She has no chance really.
She has been forced to pray for an hour yesterday afternoon for forgiveness.

OP posts:

Rebeccaslicker · 30/10/2017 08:48

How many world problems can be blamed on religion or people using it as an excuse?

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 ··· 9 10

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.