To object to a religious song at a baby class?

[SecondTimer2019]

I take my baby (6mo) to a baby sensory class and this week the theme was 'rainbows'. At the end one of the songs played was 'Who put the colours in the rainbow?', which I remember from my childhood.

It asks who created all the amazing things in the world and ends by saying things like 'It can't be chance' and 'God made all of these'.

I'm not religious and think this environment should be secular. Obviously my baby can't understand the lyrics yet but I still feel it is inappropriate.

I'm thinking of contacting the organisers to let them know my feelings.

AIBU?

Why is it a different issue ?

Because choosing to take part in a religious celebration is entirely different from discovering that an entirely unrelated event has religious elements. If you go to a Christmas service you’d have to be pretty dim not to expect some religious stuff. A Baby Sensory group- not so much. A Church organised lunch- you’d expect to say Grace. A football club lunch? Not.

If my child goes to nursery and makes Diwali decorations, I have not signed up for that. If my children go out for dinner I do not check if they are going to say grace so I am unaware of that. If they go to the house of a family of a different culture, I don't make sure they won't be exposed to different beliefs.

There are plenty of examples, I do not wander through life expecting my sensibilities to matched in every instance and other people to announce theirs. We can co-exist, we do not need to take offense. We do not need to partake.

Although am sure the person picking the song, gave it no more thought than most of the world does when talking about Christ - mas.

“ . We can co-exist, we do not need to take offense. We do not need to partake.”
Nobody is taking offence.
Do you think it’s OK for people of non Christian faiths to be potentially excluded from a local Baby Sensory group?

No ofcourse not.

Are people excluded because they may inadvertently hear a reference to God ? That is not exclusion.

I am an athiest married to a non-Christian from a very large non-Christian family and very confidently recognise exclusion.

Well, the OP was made uncomfortable by it. Some people of other faiths would also be made uncomfortable. And it’s just not the place for it. I find the idea of religion being normalised for children unacceptable- it should always be a matter of choice. I feel the same about songs for small children that reinforce sex stereotypes too- it’s the drip drip drip little and often into developing brains that I have a problem with. And as I said- at a carol service you know what you’re there for. At a Baby Sensory group- not so much.

And the point is that it is really easy not to include religious elements into things like this!

Baby Sensory is NOT run by volunteers 😂 it's a national franchise and their material (content) is from head office. The classes are expensive and supposed to be inclusive.

I run baby classes too. I run in church halls, community centres, a theatre. Just because I am hosting in a church building doesn't mean my classes are religious. My families are Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Jewish and Atheist and none of my typical content has any religious references.

I do run Christmas events as a separately bookable activity. People know they're going to get Christmas and sometimes the traditional songs etc mention Jesus, God etc... I focus on "traditional festive" but I also won't worry when we sing away in a manger because it fits the event.
I don't run anything for Hanukkah, Diwali, Eid, Easter etc etc etc because I am not well informed enough to offer something like that for other religions and I don't know how I'd fit it in!

I am religious but I don't sing about it to my clients (literally 😂).

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We used to get a bit of this in toddler group days. At the very beginning I used to find it confusing and annoying that the helpful list of groups the baby clinic gave me didn't state whether any particular group was a church group or they just hired the church hall. (In case you think I am being really precious, we live in one of the most diverse parts of London so I think it would have been useful for everyone to be able to know in advance whether there was going to be excessive Jeebus-jumping along with The Wheels On The Bus and the fingerpainting.) There were a couple of groups I stopped taking DS to because there were just too many clammy-hand-on-the-arm invite to fucking Bible Study. And one that I used to call the Waco Compound because of the frankly terrifying bad religious paintings all over the walls.

There were some groups that were officially run by churches but were genuinely open to the whole community and didn't push their own mythology on people. I know some people will claim that it's 'only' Christian churches which run open playgroups and that this is some sort of proof of the virtues of Christianity - but can you imagine how the tabloids would treat a toddler group run by Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs etc where everyone was welcome but there might be a mention of Diwali or Eid...

I wouldn't complain to the organisers about one song, though, OP. If I liked the group otherwise I'd be more inclined to 'watchful waiting' and if it got too evangelical I would just stop going.

If we wanted we could let ourselves be offended by practically everything.

I am offended by that statement @rainbowvalley17 🤣

Sorry SpaceDinosaur didn’t mean to offend.

Baby Sensory also use another religious song in one of their classes. I think it's about a wise man building a house on a rock (not one I knew). I was a bit surprised it was included but it was one little song and but enough to mention.

It’s not about being offended......

@ReanimatedSGB

Quite right, I suspect half the posters in here who don't see an issue would lose their shit if a non-religious class started getting kids to sing praises to Mohammed.

You should change your name SpaceDinosaur as creationists, agoraphobics, claustrophics and people living in cramped accommodation could be offended.
😂😂😂

Our local toddler group is run by church volunteers who give up their free time.

They also run a Free holiday club and most parents are very grateful and the dc love it. It does have a Christian theme

@ReanimatedSGB

"There were some groups that were officially run by churches but were genuinely open to the whole community and didn't push their own mythology on people. I know some people will claim that it's 'only' Christian churches which run open playgroups and that this is some sort of proof of the virtues of Christianity - but can you imagine how the tabloids would treat a toddler group run by Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs etc where everyone was welcome but there might be a mention of Diwali or Eid..."

So are there any such groups in your area run by other faiths?

Exactly @BertrandRussell - absolutely eff all to do with being offended. Massively missing the points being made.
And a great point too @ButterTarts - one mention of Mohammed or Allah and they'd be straight to their local rags

Quite right, I suspect half the posters in here who don't see an issue would lose their shit if a non-religious class started getting kids to sing praises to Mohammed

I should imagine the same would apply if in a Muslim country and a non religion class started singing praises to Jesus.

You're right it's not about being offended, it's about feeling a bit uneasy. I'm not sure that's any better.