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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Aunt sends me religious cards

147 replies

Iamnotreligious · 15/04/2022 18:45

My aunt knows I am not in the slightest bit religious and I won't disrespect her faith she's devout catholic.

Every Christmas, Easter, Birthday she sends me a very religious card with a passage from the bible and a well meaning message about how much God loves me. I can't not reply I'm not rude but how can I politely ask her to not send me religious cards or as it's just a few times a year and she feels feels she's doing something nice just suck it up and keep being polite?

OP posts:
Original poster
Iamnotreligious · 15/04/2022 19:30

@RosesAndHellebores

Here's a straw op. Sucky slurp. She obviously cares.

Yes she does, she's lovely if not slightly overbearing at times Grin I shall take the straw melt my eggs and suck them up through it.

OP posts:
me4real · 15/04/2022 19:33

I would just roll your eyes to yourself/laugh or whatever.

I'm into Catholicism BTW PP's, and not a paedo or paedo sympathizer or particularly judgemental in myself.

Philisophigal · 15/04/2022 19:33

This reply has been deleted

This has been withdrawn at the user's request.

Seraphinesupport · 15/04/2022 19:33

im not religious but this wouldnt bother me :S Just a thank you for the card will suffice. Its literally... just a card, bet you celebrate xmas right? Why? its a religious holiday and yet we celebrate all the religious holidays

Cosmos123 · 15/04/2022 19:34

Why do you want to upset her?
It is a card. Maybe religion gives her hope and happiness ans she wants to share that.

I would just respect it.

MaudieandMe · 15/04/2022 19:34

YANBU.

I honestly think it’s very disrespectful to send someone a religious card when you know they don’t support your religion.

In the same vein, would you say it’s ok to send a Jehovah’s Witness a Christmas card and they’d be unreasonable to be annoyed by it?

My sil likes to think she practices Kindness and used to email all sorts of rubbish on a weekly basis and initially, I just deleted them without reading them, but then it started to annoy me that she obviously didn’t care about my opinion on such matters. One day I replied to tell her that I didn’t appreciate her bombarding me with stuff that she knew I had no interest in and in some instances, actively disagreed with the content.

She got a bit huffy and dropped the emails for a while but seems to have added me to her bloody forwarding list again. Hmm

saraclara · 15/04/2022 19:35

My lovely extended in-law family are religious, and I'm not. They have never once questioned that or tried to involve me in their religion. Some of them are even pastors/vicars.

Some of them send me normal cards, some send religious ones. The round robin letters I get from the ones on the other side of the world at Christmas talk about all sorts of Godly stuff. I don't mind. They're lovely and their faith is important to them. I wouldn't dream of asking them not to send religious cards.

MurmuratingStarling · 15/04/2022 19:35

Hmm Is this a wind up? YABVVVVU and bloody ridiculous!

inappropriateraspberry · 15/04/2022 19:37

Don't say anything. It must make her happy to send them, it's up to you what you do with them.

limitedperiodonly · 15/04/2022 19:37

It's Easter. It's quite a big deal for Christians. If you recognise her handwriting chuck it in the bin unopened. But be careful. There might be money in it.

ZenNudist · 15/04/2022 19:39

Well I'm Catholic, just git back from a fine afternoon of child molestation and control of women. [Hmm] I saw your aunt, she said hi. [Grin]

She is praying for you, so she tells you that. Shock horror she cares for you. She sounds lonely. I pray for friends, family, strangers, colleagues and random mumsnetters for all sorts of reasons. There is nothing sinister in it and if you don't believe the worst crime is wasted effort.

DoggoInMyTesla · 15/04/2022 19:39

Straight in the recycling with the other rubbish. 😬 I put all card straight in there.

CeeceeBloomingdale · 15/04/2022 19:39

It’s no different to being sent twee teddy bear cards. Not my choice, but up to the person buying to pick the picture. I wouldn’t dream of telling them tatty teddy is shite, why would you?

pigsDOfly · 15/04/2022 19:41

Why on earth would you say anything?

Christmas and Easter are Christian festival, she is religious so she sends you cards in celebration of those Christian festivals and her faith.

Can't you just accept them in the spirit in which they are sent: she's a Christian, it's what she does.

I'm an atheist, I don't send cards out at Christmas or Easter, that's what I do.

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 15/04/2022 19:41

What a ridiculous thing to complain about.

JoyLurking9to5 · 15/04/2022 19:42

When i buy a card i buy one i like.. im church of ireland so not even catholic but lately when older neighbours have given me cards that signify s9mething to them, i see it as me being a person who matters to them and i like it a lot.

notacooldad · 15/04/2022 19:43

I'm not religious but used to get cards from my nan and aunty Phyl.

Absolutely nothing to get offended by and I used to pit them up on the window ledge.

It made them happy and me happy that someone went out of their way to incude me witg something that was important to them without any strings attached
I wasnt upset or offended.

MWNA · 15/04/2022 19:46

@Iamnotreligious

I'm not annoyed, I love my aunt however she knows I don't subscribe to religion, fine send a religious card but at least leave out the bible quotes and telling me how she prays that gods love and redemption embrace me during the holy season Confused

Have you got a job? Hobbies? Anything?
Maybe fill your life with things and stop being so bloody mean about someone's attempts to reach out to you.

Member869894 · 15/04/2022 19:48

Are you always so uptight??

Bellie710 · 15/04/2022 19:49

They are cards just bin them!

stimpyyouidiot · 15/04/2022 19:51

I'm an atheist, and totally against religion, but with a card I'd probably just Chuck it and not think about it anymore. Does she expect a response?

Chely · 15/04/2022 19:51

You can't is the simple answer.
It's just a card, accept it and send thanks to her. Hardly going to harm you reading a bible passage.

Solow19 · 15/04/2022 19:54

It's a card and probably a thoughtful one on your aunts behalf. I have a religious family who send things like this but in no way would expect me to reciprocate, take it for what it is, a kind gesture

Onthelowdown · 15/04/2022 19:55

@XDownwiththissortofthingX

If she knows you are not religious, then why are you afraid of being 'rude' or 'disrespecting' her faith? She clearly doesn't give a shit about being rude to you or disrespecting your non-belief, so tell her firmly and unequivocally to stop, and if it continues, send the stuff back to her so she gets the hint.
Blimey Confused

I would just be polite.

Jinglebin1 · 15/04/2022 19:56

I am much like you, not religious in any way. I have had bad experiences related to religion so I don't react too well to religious things being imposed upon me. I wouldn't say anything though, I would just pop the cards in the bin and say thank you.