To email school AGAIN re religious assemblies

[pineapplepenthouse]

I have twins in year 4 both in different classes. I have expressed my feelings about not letting them be involved in religious assemblies or having anything to do with religion. My children are in different classes. Today for the third time my DDs has come home saying he has been included in the religious assembly.
I have strong feelings on this but other mums just say 'it's not a big deal' and 'it didn't do us any harm'.

AIBU?

That's why your comparison of the Bible to 50 shades was so silly. Pick a book that has been around for at least 50 years and if it has sold more that a billion AND had a comparable impact on Western culture, we can talk....

In terms of value of the Bible, much of our language and everyday phrases comes from the Bible (writing on the wall, forbidden fruit, a bird in the hand) and had an massive influence of the development of our language. But it's still worthless?

I do think assistance would be needed for children due to a need for an awareness of context and literary genres/devices.

@Burratorchildhood - someone mentioned above that Billy's iPad was his favourite thing, he found Jesus and now Jesus is his favourite thing
... nonsense like this should be stamped out - it's covert indoctrination, religious preachers get an audience and honing in on children really is a way to catch them young

The community in the church are referred to as a flock ... so a bunch of sheep that follow each other .... developing minds should be allowed to mature before that type of nonsense is unquestionably forced upon them

@TheLostTargaryen

We don't follow the civil and ceremonial laws. Civil laws were set up to help Israel to thrive. The ceremonial laws were to understand God's holiness and sacrifice. Jesus's sacrifice fulfilled the need for the ceremonial laws of slaughtering animals to God. To go back to sacrificing animals would be to ignore Jesus's ultimate sacrifice.

However, we follow the moral laws as God's nature doesn't ever change and these laws are not time-bound.

I suppose you could say that we read the Old Testement through the light of the New Testement.

@piggletJohn

I can speak for anyone on the thread saying the children should attend despite it being against Op wishes.

I believe Ops wishes should be respected as I have said in my original post!!

I do believe however the statements of it has not place in society, happy clappy, airy fairy etc.... this seems very intolerant to me.

We’re in a so called age of equality where people can identify as any gender they wish, be straight, gay, bi sexual. Where companies actively have recruitment policy’s for diversity. Society as deemed certain language now as unacceptable and quite rightly so but it’s seems acceptable to class anyone who has a religious beliefs of happy clappy for believing in a made up god!

No this is not tolerance! And it’s certainly not respectful!!

Christ on a bike some of you replying on here are dense. Is it intentional ignorance of the bits you don't want to hear or can you not help it?

LEARNING ABOUT RELIGION IS NOT THE SAME AS BEING MADE TO PRACTICE IT.

And for the love of Zeus will just ONE of you please answer me that if forced practice of religion is acceptable so that your children can be knowledgeable about religion, would you take the same stance if it were forced Muslim prayer? Or Jewish? Buddhist?

It's some first rate gaslighting bullshit, isn't it Targaryen ?

It really is.

I think vast majority (religious and non-religious - myself included) have said that the school should follow the parent and child's wishes in religious worship. However, most people (including OP) have also insisted that RE of all religions is important. I think what has confused the issue are people who don't understand why it is a significant issue and people who have mixed collective worship with RE.

Honestly, if my child was in a historically Islamic country where brief worship happened in assemblies, I would ask for them not to participate but I wouldn't insist that the collective worship should stop. If my child wanted to attend, they would have my blessing. I would ensure my child understood our family's beliefs and attends RE lessons.

I just wondered what do you do when it is Easter, and Particularly Christmas? Do you tell your Children they cannot celebrate these occasions?
It also sounds like your gripe is with the teacher and not so much on the issue of attendance at assembly.
Kids like to feel the same as their peers. Don't make them feel different, let them join in and have as many life experiences as possible and it is fun to learn of other cultures.

Hi, Atheist here, but I feel like your missing an opportunity for inclusion. Teaching respect for all belief's and none is surely best. Okay its frustrating that the school won't respect yours, but has your son had the opportunity to learn about religion? Understanding religion socially and respecting it is important, and this can include taking part in its rituals.

How do we celebrate Easter? The giving of chocolate eggs? Which of course are a symbol of fertility and it is a Pagan celebration. Christmas (or Yule) is also not strictly Christian but again, comes from the pagan celebration. My question is, why do Christians allow their children to have Pagan Chocolate eggs every year? Are you not doing the same as non-Christians by cherry picking parts to celebrate and having your own reasons?

Christ on a bike some of you replying on here are dense. Is it intentional ignorance of the bits you don't want to hear or can you not help it? Amen to that! Again and again but it will never be often enough, there seems to be some kind of mental block
@Burratorchildhood I can say with absolute understanding of the curriculum that there is no ‘indoctrination’ going on if that is the case your school is breaking the law (many do according to Ofsted) - they by law, should taking part in Christian worship.

I just wondered what do you do when it is Easter, and Particularly Christmas? Do you tell your Children they cannot celebrate these occasions? We put up lights, we eat and drink too much, we eat chocolate and slouch around a lot - where is the religion in that. If I believed in the bible - I'd be making a bit more of an effort to adhere to its message...I'll never understand half-arsed Christians

Have you considered that children are entitled to learn about everything on offer if they are to live as adults in a world where understanding one another is the key to living in society? We always hope our children will choose for themselves what faith they want to follow, but how can they do that if they are not allowed to learn about other faiths?

@llizzie, why ask this when OP has made it clear more than once that she is happy for her children to go to RE lessons?

How do your children feel about being separated from their friends?

@susantrubey, OP has said they are fine with this. What's the big deal about being with your friends in an assembly once a term anyway?

I just wondered what do you do when it is Easter, and Particularly Christmas? Do you tell your Children they cannot celebrate these occasions?

This point has already been made and answered several times, @Lizziejane63. It's perfectly possible to celebrate Christmas and Easter without being Christian, given that both events are rooted in pagan/Roman origins.

If it's so great to learn of other cultures by attending church assemblies, the school should be putting on assemblies run by ministers of all religions, not just the Christian one. And, yet again, OP's children go to RE lessons, therefore they have plenty of opportunities to learn about the religious practices of all cultures.

Okay its frustrating that the school won't respect yours, but has your son had the opportunity to learn about religion? Understanding religion socially and respecting it is important, and this can include taking part in its rituals.

FFS, YES HE HAS! Sorry to shout, @Ax01otl, but it's been pointed out so many times throughout this thread that OP's children go to RE lessons.

I'm not religious at all and don't believe in any sort of God. I do let my children make up their own minds to reach their own beliefs by taking part in RE lessons ect though. If they did a school nativity play based on the story of Jesus would you let your children take part in it? I just tell my children my thoughts on it all and that they can decide for themselves what to believe in.

Isn't it interesting that posters suggesting tolerance are advocating we teach and practise Christianity in schools (with a sprinkling of other religions) and everyone should acquiesce and tolerate that.

How about supposedly tolerant christians tolerate not practising religion in schools, leaving it for churches to push. What a radical idea in a hopefully more progressive 21st century.

Come on Christians, where is your tolerance?

This is an anecdote from my local rural Scottish community. A local village school had a man come in to do an assembly. He sounds like the happy clappy man you described OP. Having heard the assembly, the head told him not to come again. This is a real village school in Borders Scotland. Three form entry, OP? Pull the other one.

I think what has confused the issue are people who don't understand why it is a significant issue and people who have mixed collective worship with RE.

I think the biggest confusion stems from people who haven't read the thread (not you!). The most critical posters are those who insist that the OP's child is never going to any assemblies, and is being removed from PE lessons. There's also a handful who insist that there can't possibly be anyone available to look after him. All of this has been addressed repeatedly, but still they come.

walkingdeadfangirl: Why do you think the Bible has nothing to teach children. Have you actually read it? Anything that has ever been written by anyone in the past 4,000 years is already in the Bible. It contains the 'plots' for every novel written. It also has some interesting details of the first account of genetic engineering; describes diseases and how to deal with them; gives spiritual understanding and so much more. It is also the history of the Israelites and their battles with life as well as overcoming so much. Without the Bible I would not know of the wonderful life of Jesus. I challenge you to read it and then say there is nothing interesting in it. You may even start writing a novel using some of the plots contained therein. I think if the theologians had not kept it to themselves for so long we might have learned more science and medicine sooner.

????

Really? The plots of 'Gone With The Wind', 'Catch 22', 'Animal Farm', 'Nineteen Eighty-Four', 'Fifty Shades of Grey', and 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' are all in the Bible???? - ok, Fifty Shades of Grey I'll grant you - but I'd love to know where the rest of them are.

What does three form entry mean @derxa?

You said there were 3 P4 classes.

@Walkingdeadfangirl
Come on some Christians, where is your tolerance?

Please don't stereotype that all Christians feel the same way about this issue and/or aren't tolerant of other faiths/no faith.

Also, you could add to your post:

Come on atheists, why are you tolerant/complacent of Christian praticises in schools ?

Come on (insert another faith), why are you tolerant/complacent of Christian values in schools ?

There is. Not sure why you think I'd lie about that? One is a 4/5 but the majority in that one are P4s.

Flumpybear - don't you have flocks of birds too. 'Free as a bird?