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AIBU?

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Original poster

To be a little disappointed that Jesus is being taught as fact in Y1?

366 replies

PoxAlert · 18/09/2018 12:36

We're atheists, so therefore didn't consider any faith schools for our DD.

We want her to learn about all cultures and religions and be tolerant of them all. We have friends of many faiths and beliefs and just want to be kind and happy.

Of course I expect (and welcome) Christianity to be taught in school, but we just got a copy of this term's curriculum (DD just started Y1) and for a non-faith school it seems a bit much.

Or am I being unrealistic and the school and church will always be linked?

Some of the RE points are:

"To learn who Jesus was" "who were his friends" "what did he do?"

I guess I was expecting a "what do Christians believe?" "why do they celebrate Christmas" etc etc than what seems to be a fact based history lesson....

Either way I'm not going to kick up a fuss with school, it's not a big deal really, she's free to make her own decisions in life. Just surprised me a little.

OP posts:
BertrandRussell · 19/09/2018 07:16

"Yet you’re very keen, with no evidence from the school at all, to believe that it will be taught as fact"

The point is that in many schools it is. And in many schools children are expected to pray to the Christian God daily-the school is in breach of its statutory duty if it they don't. Which certainly means that may schools have an assumption that god is real and Christian is what people are.

JamieVardysHavingAParty · 19/09/2018 07:31

I had a similar problem to OP at our ordinary state primary. Christianity was taught as fact, and other religions were taught as traditional myths, on a par with tales of King Arthur and the Round Table.

Walkingdeadfangirl · 19/09/2018 08:53

Aside from the truth or not of a two thousand year old 'story'. I think is is very disgusting that any child is brainwashed into loving and obeying without question a powerful religious figure whom they have never met. And we wonder why so many priests get away with abusing children.

Celestia26 · 19/09/2018 09:06

I'm with you OP, and I say this as someone who was brought up in a strict Christian household.

I am now an atheist, as I looked at all the 'evidence' as an adult and decided it wasn't compelling enough to base my life around it.

The fact that Jesus lived isn't the actual issue, I find. He may or may not have. It makes no difference. It's more the interpretation of the Bible. A book written by men who lived after Jesus actually died. Their biased, probably embellished, and in some instances fictionalised version of events. These are simply stories that many people take as fact without question.

They aren't fact.

Things which can be proven are facts. The existence of dinosaurs are fact. The Big Bang is a fact. Evolution is a fact.

Christianity, the Bible and Jesus should be taught in schools, as well as the theology of other religions, so people can make up their own mind as they get older what to believe.

But Christianity is NOT fact. It's a theory, and should be taught as such.

CardinalSin · 19/09/2018 09:19

"Cardinalsin I don’t think people were killed for questioning the existence of Jesus (correct me if I’m wrong) but for questioning various aspects of the church and its authority."

So that's OK then Hmm...

CardinalSin · 19/09/2018 09:21

"The records from those times are so so poor that it's impossible to conclude too much."

Actually, there are quite a lot of records surviving from that time and region. That's why it's all the more remarkable that not a single one of them mentions this Jesus character who was supposed to be causing all kinds of rumpus!

InTheNavy · 19/09/2018 09:34

Jesus features in religions other than Christianity. He is considered an important prophet in Islam and is also revered in Sikhism. In Judaism he is not considered so highly.
Teaching about Jesus isn't necessarily forcing the Christian interpretation- it is a great way to introduce the idea that different people/ religions believe in different things.

fairshare · 19/09/2018 10:08

I had a similar problem to OP at our ordinary state primary. Christianity was taught as fact, and other religions were taught as traditional myths
That’s exactly what all religions do isn’t it. I can’t see any religion doing otherwise.

Mushroomsarehorrible · 19/09/2018 10:18

Lindalee3

Jesus WAS real OMG how rude!

Some bloke called Jesus may have existed, but he was just a man, with no special powers, he wasn't 'divine' and couldn't walk on water, he wasn't born of a virgin, his didn't 'die for our sins', etc. etc. ad nauseam

Would you go onto a public message forum and suggest that ALLAH is fictional?

Yes, like God and Jesus and I'm happy to state that in my opinion, Allah is a fictional character. Father Christmas and the Flying Spaghetti Monster are too, hope that's not too 'rude' for you

fairshare · 19/09/2018 10:20

The fastest growing religion in the world is Islam, it will probably overtake Christianity in the next 50 years or so, there’ll definitely be an increase in sharia law, maybe it’ll stop the moans about Christian privilege?

BertrandRussell · 19/09/2018 10:41

Ooh-aren't you feart- saying something negIce about Islam? Because literally nobody dares do that, surely?

BertrandRussell · 19/09/2018 10:41

*negative

JamieVardysHavingAParty · 19/09/2018 10:44

That’s exactly what all religions do isn’t it. I can’t see any religion doing otherwise.

Not sure what point you're trying to make. This was RE at a state primary school, not an "other faiths" lesson at a church sunday school. Although thinking of it, I went to Sunday School once and we mostly made things out of pipe-cleaners.

Lindalee3 · 19/09/2018 10:51

How lovely to see this Christian bashing thread is still here!

If this was any other religion, it would have been deleted.

This is as bad as the thread bashing white people currently running.

White people and Christians, always the perfect target for attacking and no-one does fuck all about it.

I am hiding this thread too.

Enjoy your bashing.

CardinalSin · 19/09/2018 10:59

This reply has been deleted

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

fairshare · 19/09/2018 11:15

I’m hiding this thread too, as people have said, no other religion would get this kind of hate and be allowed to stay up. Before i go i’ll just say this... long may Christianity continue to flourish in our country and schools. Everything we are has been founded on it, without it we wouldn’t have the freedoms we enjoy today....but it’s slowly and deliberately being eroded. The evidence for that is what we have now in our schools. Failing schools, out of control violent children, shortage of teachers, a general lack of respect for authority in our kids etc etc.

What a truly depressing and sad world we are turning into. Careful what you wish for folks.

CardinalSin · 19/09/2018 11:19

Oh, of course! Atheists are the ones making things go wrong.

Everything was perfect when the church was in charge.

How silly of me...

Patroclus · 19/09/2018 11:24

There is as much evidence that 'Jesus existed' as there is that King Arthur did. Its been latched upon so that Christians can teach their stories and fiction as fact in schools for a bit longer.

nornironrock · 19/09/2018 11:26

Haven't read all of the replies. It's a long one!
Most would agree that a guy called Jesus did exist. However other facets of any religion being taught as simple fact is outrageous.

Freedom to choose is the greatest freedom any of us has.

My opinion is that the indoctrination of children into a religion against their will (an infant cannot consent) is one of the great crimes of our time. Any person given a blank slate from birth, and encouraged to take information freely from many sources would conclude that the idea of deity is nonsense. As for the question above regarding whether one would assert Allah to be fictitious; of course. Why wouldn't I?

SunflowerSally · 19/09/2018 11:29

I wouldn't worry. My youngest got sent home from his (state, allegedly non-faith) primary school with a leaflet informing him of the "fact" that the earth was created 6 thousand years ago by God in seven days.
For context, we're in Northern Ireland.
And yes, I did kick up a fuss. Most of the other stuff I just let pass.

Jamjarmama · 19/09/2018 11:33

I told both of mine that Jesus is a character in a book (the Bible being a book) , and it is just stories

MNHQ
HebeMumsnet · 19/09/2018 11:35

Morning, everyone. Just popping by with an appeal for a bit of peace and love.

We think everyone should be allowed to air their view on religion (and that includes all religions), but we will delete any posts that become attacks on people of certain religions - or, indeed, just on other posters - so please try to keep your posts polite, even if you disagree heartily with someone.

Thanks!

FordPrefect42 · 19/09/2018 11:59

Interesting - I supposedly went to a non-religious school but I was told off at the age of five because upon being asked to draw what I thought God looked like, I drew a ghost (to show that he was imaginary or invisible). I was sent out of the class and was called “disrespectful” by the teacher!

A few years later at the age of ten I was asked to draw “my own religious symbol” - I drew the Big Bang. I was made to stay in at break time to explain myself!

Also remember getting told off for not praying/not closing my eyes when praying/putting my hands together in a class instead of just putting my hands flat together in prayer/not saying Amen...

That’s just what I remember! It is no surprise I declared to everyone that I was an atheist at 10! My family aren’t religious either.

I don’t think Christianity or any religion should be taught as fact. Let children think for themselves!

FordPrefect42 · 19/09/2018 11:59

Clasp* not class! Third paragraph. As in my fingers were intertwined not flat.

myusernameisnotmyusername · 19/09/2018 12:02

I'm not religious but I believe Jesus existed as a person. I think people saw him as some kind of amazing figure and it got taken out of context via the Bible.