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?

When my son was in reception he had a reading book from the school where the boy 'was so unhappy he threw himself in the river as he wanted to kill himself'.
Your child is going to learn about death sooner or later, and to be honest sooner is probably better.

It is important he learns about teh UK's heritage. Even if you are not religious all those things we learn in the bible, hymns, the vocabularly references etc will stand him in really good stead.

, if anyone is genuinely interested in the religious identify of UK residents.

Sorry, fucked the link up there:

www.stmarys.ac.uk/research/centres/benedict-xvi/docs/2017-may-no-religion-report.pdf

Hold the front page. "School holds a religious nativity play." Sad face Mary and Joseph in the Daily Mail perhaps?

Yes, please go and complain that the nativity was too religious and then report back

This is quite unbelievable - OP are you hiding all the Christmas cards that feature any scenes from the nativity. Sounds like you should bypass Christmas all together if you are that anti the thing that it's actually celebrating and pa don't let your kids watch Bambi - there's a death in it

OP!! You can’t be serious??? No warning?? Talk of Christmas starts in July...well certainly by November.
It happens every year, how much warning do you want?
Please please pick your primary school based on their nativity options.

Oh you, OP! You almost had me fooled.

Then I thought “surely no one is that daft”.

Good one. Merry Christmas.

Ignore the religious aspect and just be factual about death. My youngest had to deal with the death of my MiL and Fil within a year of each other before she started school. They were not expected. I would have loved the opportunity you have had to talk about death in general terms before it happened, even the religious aspect, then perhaps she would have understood why MiL (religious) had a different funeral to FiL (atheist).

Jesus and the ninja!

my advice to the OP can be summed up in one word:

UNCLENCH

Seriously. You'll feel better for it. I did nativity plays at school and still grew up to be a fully functioning member of society AND an atheist

At this age though it’s just a story for most 4 yo. It’s a bit like tinkerbell dying in Peter Pan and everyone clapping and saying I believe in fairies to bring her back. It only has deeper meaning if you let it.

I think you are focussing on the wrong thing tbh. Having a nativity play is fine. Learning about what Christians believe is fine. Not covering any other religion at all is not fine.

Now if they were serving steamed badger for lunch you might have something to complain about

@ steamed badger

I bet the OP, who doesn't celebrate Christmas at all apparently, would be the first one to complain if the school had decided not to put on a show this year.

I think maybe the OP should have a word with the nursery. I mean, if spoiling everyone else's pleasure for evermore because you have over-intellectualised hangups about something minor isn't the spirit of Christmas, then what is

I just question whether the sort of evangelical approach is best for very young children many of whom come from nonreligious families.

If a shirt summary at the end of a nativity feels evangelical to you, you’re in for a shock if you ever come across an actual evangelical approach to faith - having been raised in an evangelical family, this would be considered light touch in the extreme. I’m assuming you don’t celebrate Christmas given your objection to any mention of, you know, Christ.

Wow a nativity play at Christmas Yabvvvu. A nativity play is religious!

It's ridiculous, Christianity being mentioned at Christmas. Ridiculous I tell ya!

Short summary

Diversity includes Christianity too. You're over reacting. It's Christmas. If you strongly object to Jesus being mentioned on his birthday, take your tree down and don't celebrate it. It's wonderful to have children learning the stories behind different faith celebrations. If it were advertised as a Nativity, it would clearly be about the birth of Christ. Get a bloody grip.

For good or ill, Christianity in its various forms has played a huge part in the history of Europe and the elsewhere (the Pilgrim Fathers, for a start) and its buildings form part of the physical land- and city-scape.

So learning about it, including the Nativity story, is just another strand of general knowledge, whether you are remotely religious or not.