AIBU to really hate religion?

[speakout]

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.

[LoniceraJaponica]

There are several poster on here who live outside the UK and may be able to give some helpful suggestions. That is why we are all nosy about which country you are in. The more secretive you are the nosier we become

Also, the reason that many posters are questioning your OP is that schools can't teach creationism in science lessons in the UK, plus we don't have baptist schools here. Is it Australia?

[Weedsnseeds1]

Australia and Canada have Baptist schools

[MongerTruffle]

Christianity doesn't teach people to be mean to each other.

[LoniceraJaponica]

Exactly Monger. This woman isn't a Christian is she. Just a control freak with mental health issues.

[thegreenheartofmanyroundabouts]

You are not being unreasonable to hate your sister's fundamentalism which is the most extreme I've ever heard of. You are unreasonable to treat all religion as if it were fundamentalist.

You are more likely to come across very conservative and fundamentalist Christians in the US and Australia than in the U.K.

[coconuttella]

I understand why you may dislike religion, but to claim to hate all religion based on such extreme and bizarre behaviour is a bit like saying that you hate all men because you know a rapist, or to hate all Americans because some of them a Trump supporters.

[smashyourglasses]

Poor kid. What a stupid woman.

[BertrandRussell]

There are many religious people who think the way this woman does. It is disingenuous for people to say that her behaviour is nothing to do with religion.

[DioneTheDiabolist]

OP, please, please contact whatever child protection services exist in your niece's country. It sounds like she and her DD need outside help for dealing with your sister.

I agree with the poster up thread, if your sister told you what happened, then I would worry about what she isn't telling you. If it was your niece, then it could be that she wanted your help in this. Either way, if you do nothing this poor child will be exposed to more of this damaging behaviour from your sister for her whole childhood.

[JKR123]

YANBU at all. Organised religion has driven people to murder, caused suppression of women and been the driving factor for many conflicts and wars. The world would be a far more peaceful place without religion and all the misery it brings. My mil is a so-called Christian. She cheated on my fil three times, drove him to try and take his own life and has been a total cow to me for the last twenty years. I would hardly describe her behaviour as Christian and yet every Sunday she goes to church and likes to think of herself as a pillar of the community.

[ChuckysLoveChild]

So grandma has ripped her granddaughters gift that someone else bought her to pieces?

Someone needs to have a not so quiet word with not so darling grandma and tell her to fuck off to the far side of Fuck and when she gets there, she can fuck of a little bit more. What kind of religion thinks that’s ok?

[LoniceraJaponica]

"There are many religious people who think the way this woman does"

And many, many more who don't

"It is disingenuous for people to say that her behaviour is nothing to do with religion."

I'm kind of on the fence with this because some religious cults will attract this kind of person.

[steff13]

would force her own kids to wear black on Easter weekend and have them mourn.

I'd like more information about this. Good Friday is the day Christ died for our sins, and Easter is the day he rose again. Why mourn that? If you believe, those are good things.

[BertrandRussell]

"And many, many more who don't"

Of course. But there are plenty of people on this thread who are suggesting that either the OP is making it all up or the woman's behaviour is nothing to do with her religion.

[FilledSoda]

I really don't know what the point of this thread was

[Knusper]

OP there is no need to be respectful of someone being mean to a child.

It does sound like a very unusual denomination. The extreme preoccupation with Satan is something I've also come across in African expat Baptist churches in Europe. And they also used holy water to e.g. bless a house when moving in. But Easter would be a happy time in those churches, not a time to wear black. How odd.

[Wornoutbear]

looking at some other threads by this user, it would seem as if she - or at least her mother - has been involved with the Mormans. However as far as I can see they don't appear to teach creationism, and their magazine doesn't seem to have a problem with fairies.

[coconuttella]

I'd like more information about this. Good Friday is the day Christ died for our sins, and Easter is the day he rose again.

Guessing it’s mourning on Friday and Saturday, and rejoicing on Sunday.

[headinhands]

The problem with some religious people is that they feel a duty to hold sway with other beliefs lest they ‘piss on their own cornflakes’.

[Whereisthegin1978]

That's extreme. We are committed Christians and have fairy doors scattered around the house! The kids love fairies and we make fairy gardens every summer. We also read Harry Potter. Sometimes people take things too far but then they probably think we're too liberal!

[Iwanttobe8stoneagain]

Eh! Life long cofe here. No one at my (high) church would react like that! She sounds deranged thinking a little bit of wood is more evil than scaring a 5year old. That’s not an interpretation of Christianity that I’ve seen outside the 1500:1600s ( except in a few cult like churches)

[BertrandRussell]

My fil was a perfectly ordinary Irish Catholic and he wore a black tie and armband on Good Friday......

[Tapandgo]

No idea what odd ball sect of a 'religion' the OP's family claim to be members of - not mainstream Baptist, that's for sure. (I'm not one, but know a few who have not got bonkers responses to childhood joys like fairies and Santa etc.
These family members obviously reinforce their collective insanity. Religion isn't the problem - they are. Take 'religion' out of the picture and I imagine they'd still be bonkers.

[LoniceraJaponica]

"Take 'religion' out of the picture and I imagine they'd still be bonkers."

I agree. I don't think you can blame religion for their ridiculous behaviour.

[BertrandRussell]

"I agree. I don't think you can blame religion for their ridiculous behaviour."

The problem is nothing bad ever seems to be religion's fault. All the good stuff yes- but the bad? No- that 's all down to frail old humanity.