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?

Yabu. The word God is mentioned like once in the whole song, it's hardly a hymn or overly religious song!

Shit like this is why millennials are constantly being called snowflakes 🤦😂

Assuming that you are in the UK, you don't live in a secular society, and two thousand years of Judeo-Christian tradition means that references to God do tend to pop up in all sorts of cultural settings. If it is important to you to raise your child as an atheist then you would be better off planning how you intend to deal with this as your child grows up - remember that even secular schools are still technically required by law to hold a daily act of collective worship.

It’s an opportunity (not with a 6 month old!) to talk about tolerance, acceptance of other people’s belief be a well-adjusted member of society.

I think you would look like a loon if you contacted them, but agree with the overall point about just unquestioningly and unthinkingly accepting Christian stuff.

But it's Christmas coming up - might they not also sing a few carols?

Personally I'd save your battles for school or nursery - when you discover there is no such thing as a non-denominational school in this country and they say their prayers at the end of the day...

So your not celebrating Christmas either ? Or Easter ?

The great thing about being an atheist is that you can join in with whatever celebrations you like. Or not. God isn't going to smite you with a lightning bolt for inconsistency.

Oh dear How will you cope when DC starts school?

My DD wasn't at one of the church schools for her primary school yet they still sang songs that mentioned god and even had a church service at the end of each term.

But lots of songs can have a religious slant - if you listen to some of the old soul singers, their love songs were sometimes re-recorded as gospel songs (when the singer found religion). So love of Him rather than him, etc.

Sorry off point there, but still (goes off to dig out some old LPs).

Wow people are very defensive! I would be annoyed, it's a paid for activity and they should be secular unless they state otherwise. It excludes anyone who isn't Christian

It doesn’t, unless they refuse to sing traditional Jewish/Muslim/Zoroastrian songs as well. Inclusion isn’t about stripping everything bare of any cultural context. If anyone is being defensive it’s the people getting all irate at the mention of someone’s “imaginary friends”.

If your child is interested in the idea of God from hearing songs like this, you're the first person s/he's going to ask about it. As well as questions about other popular religious and spiritual concepts like the departed going to heaven, guardian angels, astrology, etc. Better get your head round a few of those in advance. Superstition and spirituality are all around us!

Yabu if you celebrate Christmas. We live in a nominally Christian country and these songs (especially Christmas carols but also songs like the animals go into the ark etc are part of our culture. Not many vicars literally believe in the bible, but it doesn't stop traditional hymns being sung!

The best complaint I've had was from a baby and toddler music franchise that complained about the posters on the wall being Christian (a parent had complained) - we are a church! We did laugh at their expense, it's just ridiculous

I also don't have a problem with carols at Christmas or Easter celebrations. But they have a context. I will encourage both my children to understand the context when appropriate.

Their context is the religion you are objecting to in this song. If you object to any mention of God but you celebrate Christmas and Easter, that is very inconsistent.

A few good songs that mention god(s), seem sensible to accept as integral to the common culture and language around us.

Christmas carols, for instance, are often very beautiful, simple tunes which are important in our shared history and also are fun to know and to sing, even for an atheist like myself.

Crappy religious songs, or too many religious songs, would really bother me.

I think it is good for kids to learn that compromise and hypocrisy are important and valuable. Save extremism for extreme situations, in my opinion. So, if we lived under the Inquisition, I might feel that I had to stand up for my lack of belief in Christianity. In 21st cent UK, there are other things more worth dying for...

I grew up in the US, there is a Federal ban on school-sponsored prayer in state schools; these schools do not use the word 'Christmas' or have nativity plays and carol services. We still have the worst religious fanatics in the West.
The somewhat lackadaisical, vaguely Christian approach you have in the UK seems to help foster a mild kind of unexciting Christianity, which I can't get very worked up about.

In the kindest possible way, get a life OP

Just don't go if the word 'God' offends you so much

(I am not religious in anyway but you sound mental)

“ Of course I think it's important to learn about other cultures and religions, even if I don't believe in them.”

This is key for me. If you’re okay with that, you should be okay with this.

God put a smile on your face, according to that Christian propaganda group, Coldplay

YANBU but unfortunately this will be your life for the next 18 years. Even the "non denominational" schools sing Christian songs and take the kids to church. You can object certainly, but it's tough to avoid.

I hated it frowning up and I still hate it now. School/baby groups/toddlers etc should not be a religious environment.

If you object to any mention of God but you celebrate Christmas and Easter, that is very inconsistent

Not really. You can celebrate both in a secular way as a UK cultural norm without doing anything that remotely looks like religious observance. Most people in the UK do.

I think it was a knee jerk reaction to the unquestioning lyrics. I would say, 'Yes, it surely can be chance!'

Are you sure about that?

It is a lovely little song and is hardly going to damage the baby. Also it is quite important children learn about the dominant UK religious culture even if they reject it, just so they can fit in with others, understand cultural and religious references etc.

Are you going to ban all wonderful church music by Bach, Faure, Mozart and never let your children sing Away in a Manger?

Not really. You can celebrate both in a secular way as a UK cultural norm without doing anything that remotely looks like religious observance. Most people in the UK do.

But what are you celebrating? This “cultural norm” thing just means picking the bits of religion that involve chocolate and trees, and leaving out the bits about the actual festival. That’s fine as far as it goes, but it’s laughable to then complain about others mentioning God.

Also, singing about God making rainbows is creationist, which is a lot further than a lot of sensible Christians would go in their beliefs. Christmas hymns tend to talk about the birth of Christ. Easter hymns his death and resurrection. Not necessarily who made stuff. There is a difference.

If it's a one off then I don't really think there is a need to complain about it. Should it turn into a weekly occurrence or if you think one of the people running the group is deliberately trying to force religion on the babies, then you would be justified in complaining?

The person picking the song may not even have thought about it properly - just thought what song do I know about rainbows?

I'd let it go this time.
As others have said you are going to have to deal with things all the time. All state schools have to have a daily act of collective worship, broadly Christian in nature.
You'll need to think about what you want to do about things like this. You do have the right to remove your child from this if you so wish.

Also it is quite important children learn about the dominant UK religious culture even if they reject it, just so they can fit in with others, understand cultural and religious references

One can learn about religions without participating.

It is also perfectly possible to do the Christmas story full of carols that don’t contact a single mention of god

That’s fine as far as it goes, but it’s laughable to then complain about others mentioning God.

It really isn't, it depends entirely on the situation. As I said, I would advise the OP to pick her battles on this one and save it for schools.

I don't think having no secular schools in the UK is a laughing matter, tbh.

🙄