To say something about religious nativity play?

[JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff]

The DC go to a private day nursery. It doesn't have a religious affiliation. It was their Christmas play today. They did a loose version of the nativity and then at the end, there was a bit of recitation - "and that baby Jesus grew up to do amazing miracles. He died to save all the people in the world. Christians believe he came back from the dead and everyone who finds Jesus will be happy."

Dd who is under 4 is now asking "what does it mean, Jesus died?" And "should we go and look for Jesus?"

Aibu to mention to nursery management that this has resulted in some awkward conversations and maybe next year, they could choose something non-religious, bearing in mind lots of the families that use the nursery aren't believing Christians?

I think it's hilarious some people think Christmas is inherently religious. 'It's in the name'.
Literally millions of people celebrate without the slightest religious element, or consideration of Jesus or the nativity or anything. It's all sparkly lights, and plastic trees and overeating and hating on their families and getting 2 day s off work and returning unwanted gifts and so on.
I guess you could count the deep and zombie like worship of capitalism.

What other kind of Nativity can there be other than a religious one?
The normal kind
The normal kind is religious.
You can't have a non Christian nativity.

You could have a winter themed Santa play but it wouldn't be a nativity.

I think it's hilarious some people think Christmas is inherently religious. 'It's in the name'.
Because it is.
It's a religious festival.

It's a religious festival that has become as much a cultural celebration as wrll as religious and there are non religious elements of celebrating, but Christmas is a religious festival.

Next we'll have that Easter isn't a Christian festival and someone will be offended that school or nursery acknowledged the religious nature of it because after all it's about bunnies and chocolate eggs.

Don't spoil it for all the other parents who are probably excited to see their children as Mary/ teatowel wearing shepherds.

What other kind of Nativity can there be other than a religious one?
The normal kind without preachy asides to audience taking a stand about the truth value of what they've been watching. 6/7 of the ones my kids were involved in were preach-free so it's not exactly radical.

Yes, I agree with this, and think perhaps OP is coming in for a lot of criticism because she worded her original question badly. Obviously, the nativity is a Christian celebration and therefore religious. By I am sure most finish with the gifts of the wisemen, or the holy family fleeing to Egypt. I don't think there is usually anything more about what Christians believe. And a 3 year old will have no sense of time or context so its a bit of a shock to find the baby Jesus is already dead.

You could try reading what I said Maisy. 6/7 of the nativities my children have attended have not had asides to audience implying that the story being presented is a true story. That is the part that is not standard. It's been presented as a traditional tale, with no more suggestion that it's true than the year they did Snow White or talking snowmen. There's a difference between telling a traditional Christian story and turning it into a Christian act of worship by going on about miracles and finding Jesus while out of character. OP said herself she was fine with the nativity thing until it got to the preachy bit at the end.

Christianity at its inception took over festivals that were already traditional. Nobody actually thinks Christ was born in December do they? It's become traditional to refer to the midwinter festival as Christmas, Christianity having been compulsory in this country for some centuries. Easter on the other hand has a name as far as I know unrelated to Christianity and some suggest related to older religions. If non Christians are not allowed to celebrate Christmas in a non religious way because of the name, perhaps Christians shouldn't be allowed to celebrate Easter in a Christian way because of its name? Or we could just get on with celebrating in whatever way suits us at whatever time the country we live in has a school holiday and bank holiday and tradition of celebration.

If people actually don't want non Christians celebrating Christmas then how about campaigning for religion to be removed from schools. Currently it's join in "religious" celebrations or have your kids very very left out for the second half of the autumn term. So saying we have to accept as much religious content as you like because we "choose" to join in something that's utterly foisted on us seems weak logic to me.

whatwouldyoubelikeat28 Indeed people do. What are they actually celebrating though? It’s interesting to think that people might think that plastic tat and mince pies are in themselves a reason to celebrate as opposed to a way to demonstrate celebrating a specific event.

I'm afraid that you're going to thrown a lot of difficult questions in the course of your children's' lives. Believe it or not, questions about death aren't the hardest. And this one about Jesus rising won't be the ambiguous one either. Yiu can not control their environments.

Everyone knows Christian festivals fall over earlier festivals. Nowhere in the bible does it day Jesus was born in December. If I remember correctly he was more likely to have been born late summer or early autumn.
The nativity isn't a traditional tale like Snow White. The nativity is a religious story. Whether someone believes or doesn't believe, it is a religious story. It's part of the whole element of the Christian faith. The nativity, according to Christians, is the fulfilment of old testament prophesies. What Jesus went on to do matters for the nativity. It's not like they've plonked random details in and done a prayer for those seeking to repent and seek a relationship with God.

Many places may not refer to the wider references, but it doesn't make the nursery wrong for having a Christian nativity with Christian ideas. I'm with posters up the thread who said the only people who waste time being offended about Christmas are white middle class busy-bodies.

Almost everyone I know who is not religious has the common sense view that they are religious festivals that are part of our culture and can be celebrated in different ways. They dont get offended about the existence of religion in a religious festival. (Of course there's the odd few middle class, militant atheists who'll argue against religion whilst celebrating christmas/Easter and denying any religious element but they are far and few between).

When my DT’s were in nursery/prep school they had a variety of roles from Mary, an angel, shepherd, king. They enjoyed dressing up and playing their part. To them the nativity is a story that someone made up as this isn’t something we believe in. This didn’t detract from their enjoyment so I wouldn’trever object to their school holding these events. Believe or not believe, christmas fun.

I think it's hilarious some people think Christmas is inherently religious. 'It's in the name'.
Literally millions of people celebrate without the slightest religious element, or consideration of Jesus or the nativity or anything*

It is in the name though - mass of christ! Christ's mass, of course its religious. Saying its not religious is like saying ramadan, easter, or pass over is not religious.

Yes you are right many non religious people celebrate it and yes it has become over run with captialism and commercialism but that doesnt stop it being a religious festival

Wether people celebrate it as a non religious or not its still inherital a relgious festival

So is Easter still inherently a pagan or whatever it was festival then naught? If it's all in the name?

NaughtToThreeSadOnions
Exactly. It's a religious festival.

Someone may choose not to celebrate religious elements of it but it's bonkers to argue it's not really religious or to take issue with said religion featuring in the festivities.

Diwali isnt Hindu anymore. It's just about having lots of candles. How dare anyone talk about Hinduism over that time.
Eid isn't a Muslim festival either. How awful for people to shove religion into a family festival.
Easter isn't Christian either. It's about eating chocolate.

cat Elements of Easter traditions have pagan origins. The fairly major Christian celebration is regarding the death & resurrection of Jesus.
Anyone trying to tell me that they're so offended that their child had to hear a Christian story at a Christian holiday (which is nationally recognised by bank holidays) would get a monumental eye roll from me for being a silly professionally offended type.

So is Easter still inherently a pagan or whatever it was festival then naught? If it's all in the name?

Pagan religions are religions, too.

The only non-religious explanation for Christmas is: "On Christmas, we celebrate the fact that the days will get longer again from then on, which was very important when we didn't have electricity or airplanes and didn't get to eat any fresh vegetables in winter".

Cultures tend to attach some bit more meaning than that.

The only valid point the OP has is that perhaps they shouldn't have discussed Jesus' death in that context. (That's more for Easter )

Though I don't think you can't expect a nursery to shelter children from the fact that people die.

... I don't expect you CAN expect ... I went a bit overboard there.

Just answer the questions. I’m not religious but my children have had questions over the years about many different religions. It’s good for them to know lots of different things about the world and the people in it, regardless if you believe or not

Don’t take part in Christmas full stop then! Christmas is a religious celebration for Christians - or perhaps you forgot that! The Nativity is a Christian story! Christmas doesn’t actually exist without Jesus!
You wouldn’t ask Muslim’s to change their religious festival celebrations.

So is Easter still inherently a pagan or whatever it was festival thennaught? If it's all in the name?

Your twisting my words, and sure if you like bit oh by the way you should insist christmas is inheritally pagan festival as well.

But i was pointing out what christmas literally meant and how the person who thought people pointing out that the orgin of christmas is inheritally christian/religious because of the na me were hiliarious. No their not hiliarious, THEY ARE CORRECT. Christmas literally means christ's mas or mass of christ, it be definition is religous it relates to christ.

Both Easter and christmas were placed on pagan festivals of yule a nd the speing equinox to convert people to christanity by over taking the festivals that were already there.

People chosing not to observe the religious aspects of chritmas, doesnt make it a none religious festival, it still is a relgioys festival, as is yule, diwali, and hanokah festivals of light/year ending/longer dark hours/new beginings which is essentially what christmas is to the christians, jesus the light of the world was born in to the dark and christans celebrate the coming of that light. Their all still religious festivals wether you celebrate the religious aspect of it or not.

There really aren't many more reliable stupidity indicators than 'Waaah, Christmas is for Christians'. It doesn't take more than a couple of minutes Googling to demonstrate conclusively that the Christmas festival was bolted on to older midwinter festivals in what you might call a hostile takeover.
But that's just another aspect of the social-control part of all these myth systems and supersitions. Broadly speaking, the Christian brand of fairy stories survived this long because the Romans took it up, and part of the reason the Romans took it up was because it was already quite an adaptable superstition that was well suited to a colonialising army (believe in OUR imaginary friend, who has told us that we are your superiors and have the right to do what we like to you...)