Or is teaching 6 Yr old about crucixation out of order?

[Whostoblame]

I might be over reacting but after multiple nights on the trot sleeping no more than 45-60 mins at a time I'm at the end of my tether. 6 year old goes to a non dom school and we are agnostic/atheist at home. School have been teaching them about Jesus and Easter etc including how Jesus was crucified. I now have a sobbing child every night who can't get the pictures out if her mind (and I'm not surprised!!)and subsequently cant sleep from about midnight, crying. Aibu to complain to school that 6 is way too young to be taught this?!

I would be furious. But we are atheists and have opted out of all religious activities/teachings at our school. I don't want my children learning about such nonsense. There is no need for it in this day and age.

Not at all angry about religion, I grew up a northern Irish Catholic so I was mired in religion and saw the destruction from the inside.

There are many adults who have recovered from organised religion who will tell you how damaging religious rhetoric like the crucifixion etc is to children. There's an incredible amount of violence in the bible and the history of organised religions.

When you're inside a religion it's easy to say, ach it's just a crucifix. But really think about that, can you imagine a massive effigy of someone with their brain blown out by a gun? Or strapped to an electric chair? Is it ok to teach a 6 year old about capital punishment in any context or just religious context?

Th story of jesus involves him being on the brink of death, dying of thirst and being forced to drink vinegar. That imagery haunted me as an 11 yr old let alone learning it at 6. All the abominations suffered in the station's of the cross, really think about those pictures with a man covered in blood and slowly dying while taunted.

Why do you think it's appropriate to teach that to a 6 yr old? Is it appropriate to talk them through death by electrocution?

This day and age?!

Your tone when speaking to someone about their dead parent isn't desparately respectful either since Apparently everyone is very big on respect just now

I honestly think this is another form of Indoctrination.

Sorry if you found my post disrespectful? It wasn't intended to be. I feel yours are fairly ludicrous, though.

In what way is presenting facts as facts and belief systems as belief systems indoctrination?

In what way? Because I think if you're willing to teach a 6 yr old about crucifixion it should follow that you think capital punishment in general is a reasonable topic?

Honestly my point is just that religious people rarely think too deeply about the equavalences because they've been taught not to. Knowledge is the enemy of faith and all that.

I was absolutely not a sensitive child. But I was utterly traumatised by the story of the crucifixion. I also went to a non religious school and we were sent to a big assemberly Hall to watch a video of the Easter story, I must have only been 7ish at the time- it terrified me, i had no concept of time and that this didnt happen to people anymore. It stuck in my brain so vividly.

Yes, it is 2023. We don't have to believe in sky fairies anymore. It is ridiculous. The recent census shows that religion is on the decline. If people want to believe such nonsense then that is fine, but there is no place for such fantasy to be taught as fact in school. In the future we will laugh at religion and we won't be able to believe how people could have been so dim to have believed such tall tales.

@Forgooodnesssakenow

That's not what I'm saying.

Removing children from lessons that teach them different beliefs and how people around the world live their lives is incredibly limited for the children and their understanding of the world.

I don’t think that going through the ins and outs of a medical breakdown of what happens during a crucifixion would be appropriate or an electrocution would be good but that’s not how it’s taught, esp to 6 year olds. The whole point of Christianity hinges on the crucifixion story and if you are to teach kids about Christianity (and I’ve set out elsewhere why I think this is extremely important) then you have to tell them the story of the crucifixion

I know a lot of people with cross phobias, atheists of all kinds but I’ve never ever heard anyone be traumatised by the crucifixion, this thread is the first, whilst everyone’s experience of trauma is valid, I would think this is extraordinarily rare. But I’m sorry you’ve had that experience.

Maybe you've never heard it because you don't accept it.

How is it not common sense that if you teach children, in depth about a person who was wonderful suffering through torture and murder and not only that but it's THEIR FAULT and expect to not cause trauma?

TBH I hadn't given it a thought. It was the only graphically brutal film about Jesus' death that I could think of.

I don't think anyone is suggesting they remove their children from lessons ABOUT religion, just from religious events where religions are taught as fact rather than just 1 of many belief systems.

This.

And the misconception of a 'sky fairy" - we don't believe that. Or that there is an old man on a cloud who watches us trying to catch us out.

What we (or ay least I) do believe is that there is a greater being -one that can't be described using human words because it is so very different from us. A being more different from ourselves that trying to understand it is like - I dunno - a woodlouse trying to understand and describe the complexities of the human psyche.

This being is benevolent and created all universes and the life in them through an outpouring of sheer love, and that everything is in a delicate balance, but that humanity is very flawed and upset the balance. The great creative force (God) works in us and through us to bring everything back into balance, but does not force the divine influence on us, but works to open our hearts to the injustices around us - injustices affecting all of creation, not just humanity, but every living thing - and wants us to work to put them right.

This divine spirit took on physical form as Jesus Christ - both setting us an example and showing us that the Godself was also prepared to suffer as necessary in solidarity, and wasn't just saying 'Ah - it's not that bad. Just get on with it."

It IS all about love, and community and hope. and fellowship not only with all of humanity, but with all of creation - beautiful, delicately balanced creation which we have knocked out of kilter with our selfishness and greed.

But that doesn’t make sense as I am very open minded, I come into contact with lots of people from all over the world of many different religions, people who have different views on Christianity from mainstream to esoteric. I know Lucifarians, Satanists, agnostics gnostics, neo Platotonists etc etc. I know people with serious issues with mainstream religion. I have heard lots of claims, accusations but never anyone who has been traumatised by stories of the crucifixion. As I said, this is not to undermine your experience but it must be very rare. As a point of interest I will ask those I know with the strongest aversion to Christianity what they think.

But it doesn’t matter whether anyone has the same experience as you or not, that is yours.

tbh I have never heard the crucifixion framed in the way you describe though )and I’ve heard many explanations of it)

@Forgooodnesssakenow

My reading of what @Saniflo said was that they has withdrawn their children from all religious activities and teachings.

99.9999% of the time children aren't at all traumatised by hearing the story of Easter, so something else is going on with that has made it a very intense experience.

I was thinking this too, children have been taught about the crucifixion for as long as I can remember, why are today's children so very ueber-sensitive? It seems to be the ostentatiously over sensitive mothers who are transmitting this onto their children as though having 'sensitive' children makes you a better mother. Many years ago I was teaching in a Primary school and we covered Holy Week, the lead up to the crucifixion, in tabloid newspaper form, one group called their paper New of the Jews, odd the things that stay with you!

I'm not today's children, I was born in 1983

It's being discussed here as it is the subject of the thread, ask some of your previously religious atheist friends if they think crucifixion as a story si suitable for a 6 year old, because it's discussed among other recovering Catholics and Christians in my circle and we all agree that it's pretty horrific.

I was brought up in Catholic schools so probably learnt it at a similar age. Never occurred to me that it was an issue until I read this post.

So you'll also believe in equality of love regardless of sexuality and marriage as an expression of that love?

And if you think about it, think back to your reaction when taught about the crown of thorns being pressed into Jesus head, about the vinegar being used to burn his oarcehd lips, bout his bleeding knees as he fell on a dry path? Suitable for 6 yr olds?