Jesus held on the cross with nails in his hands

[TaFox]

DD5 is in year 1 and has been learning about Jesus at school. Great stuff in the spirit of Easter.

The RE teacher told the class how Jesus was NAILED to the cross.

This is quite graphic for a little girl who believes that the Easter bunny will leave eggs in our garden.

Should I tell school that this is too much info for little ears?

So what does 'quite traumatised' mean then?

You went 'eww' <shudder> then went back to scrolling your phone?

You were not traumatised, don't be stupid.

I also find it really interesting that there were actually lots of gospels written, in the first couple of centuries, and that a conference was held in the 7th century to actually decide which ones should be kept and form the New Testament - those that all told a similar story were kept, those that had different versions were omitted (I think they are in the apocrypha - I think the one about Bel and the Dragon is very intriguing!). It is really interesting as a very early PR exercise. (apologies if I have any of the finer details wrong, esp dates, this is all back in the hazy mists of time for me (I read about it maybe 30 years ago.. But I do still have a copy of the apochrypha).

I agree with the idea of secular schools teaching stuff about religion(s). But not all religions. That would take far too long. Below, just a random few - a few - of the gods, "gods of the highest standing and dignity – gods of civilized peoples – worshiped and believed in by millions", as H.L. Mencken (from whose 'Chrestomathy' I extracted the list) put it.

Of course Jehova and - yes - Christ, and Allah - get just the same number of places on the list as the rest: one. Think about that, RE teachers and others who talk of teaching children about all religions.

A few gods from here and there:

Resheph
Anath
Ashtoreth
El
Nergal
Nebo
Ninib
Melek
Ahijah
Isis
Ptah
Anubis
Baal
Astarte
Hadad
Addu
Shalem
Dagon
Sharrab
Yau
Amon-Re
Osiris
Sebek
Molech
Bilé
Ler
Arianrod
Morrigu
Govannon
Gunfled
Sokk-mimi
Memetona
Dagda
Robigus
Pluto
Ops
Meditrina
Vesta
Tilmun
Ogyrvan
Dea Dia
Ceros
Vaticanus
Edulia
Adeona
Iuno Lucina
Saturn
Furrina
Vediovis
Consus
Cronos
Enki
Engurra
Belus
Dimmer
Mu-ul-lil
Ubargisi
Ubilulu
Gasan lil
U-dimmer-an-kia
Enurestu
U-sab-sib
Kerridwen
Pwyll
Tammuz
Venus
Bau
Mulu-hursang
Anu
Beltis
Nusku
U-Mersi
Beltu
Dumu-zi-abzu
Kuski-banda
Sin
Abil Addu
Apsu
Dagan
Elali
Isum
Mami
Nin-man
Zaraqu
Suqamunu
Zagaga
Gwydion
Manawyddan
Nuada
Argetlam
Tagd
Goibniu
Odin
Llaw Gyffes
Lleu
Ogma
Mider
Rigantona
Marzin
Mars
Kaawanu Ni-zu
Sahi
Aa
Allatu
Jupiter
Cunina
Potina
Statilinus
Diana of Ephesus
Nin-azu
Lugal-Amarada
Zer-panitu
Merodach
U-ki
Dauke
Gasan-abzu
Elum
U-Tin-dir-ki
Marduk
Nin-lil-la
Nin
Persephone
Istar
Lagas
U-urugal
Sirtumu
Ea
Nirig
Nebo
Samas
Ma-banba-anna
En-Mersi
Amurru
Assur
Aku
Qarradu
Ura-gala
Ueras

At that age I was far more traumatised at the thought of a six foot rabbit breaking in and sneaking around the house hiding eggs

I do not think the issue here is the verity of the gospels, or the history of Easter celebrations.

It is quite simply about what is appropriate to teach young chidlren.

When I was small the chapel at school had the stations of the cross painted around the walls life-size (to a 4 years old). It terrified me and I hated going in there.

If we get a bank holiday for all of those I’m in 😀

There's not a lot of credit going to the teacher here is there?

There's a big difference between simply telling the 'facts' of the story and a long discussion about the pain and the gore and the process. Which I'm pretty sure she wouldn't contemplate in a class of 5 year olds.

It’s very much a testament to mankind’s predilection for S&M that the image of divinity in the west is a man being tortured. Of all the things that could have been chosen to symbolise Christianity and sacrifice - it’s graphic crufiction.

Why did it happen? Given your answer I don't think I have truly understood the why.

Well, that’s the demented gymnastic ‘logic’ of Christianity — that of a supposedly omnipotent, omniscient, benevolent deity who stands by in the face of human suffering, but (in an act you really have to tie yourself in knots to view as in any way compensatory) sends his son/other self to earth to be horribly executed which is somehow redemptive. The gruesome execution is the whole point, rather than the social justice messages of Jesus’ preaching, or the wow factor of multiplying food, rising from the dead, or walking on water.

I think you’d be unreasonable to complain, yes. And I would be very careful to not give your DD the impression that this is something she should be upset about.

Children’s brains tend to process words and stories in a manner they can handle.

That’s one of the differences between “simply” hearing about something and the combination of the visual and auditory (aka films).

Or as a pp put it: she will not properly understand how gory that actually is or what it would truly mean to be nailed to a cross. She’ll “understand” this story in a manner that is based on her current understanding and capabilities.

the fairytales most / many of us grew up with aren’t less gruesome either, tbh.

Or formed from a different belief system.

Being born of a virgin is not unique to this story. Or being born on Dec 25th.

Generations of children have been taught this in infants schools. Never traumatised any that I heard of. Certainly not in my family.

Please, millions of children were told this story when they were 5 and lived to tell the tale. Your child isn't having a fit of the vapours about it but you are, you need to get a grip.

Absolutely, I will happily celebrate anything that involves food and no work.
I am regularly enjoying presents of curry and sweets from my Muslim friends at the moment.
DS told me once that the RE teacher at his primary told him that Easter Eggs represent the stone that was placed across Jesus tomb - I suggested that if the stone had been egg shaped it wouldnt ever have been rolled back .

Well, he would've slid off the cross if the nails were through his hands - I think the nails were supposed to have gone through his wrists. That aside, YABU. It's an RE lesson about one of the most important festivals in the Christian calendar. What do you want them to tell her?

Traumatised, no. A lot of people put crucifixes in the cupboard though when they sleep in the room with one though. Creepy.

Oh get a fucking grip!

Baptised protestant but went to Catholic school, atheist now. But I wasn't traumatised or even horrified at the time by Jesus on the cross, it was just there. Used to go to church once a minth with school and stare fascinated at the iconography, including a larger than life statue of Jesus on the cross complete with nails, blood and the stab wound in his side. The PE teachers words weren't graphic by comparison, and it is a fact/belief within the Christian religion that Jesus was nailed to the cross 🤷‍♀️

This happened at my very first teaching post almost 40 years ago. A nursery nurse was put in charge of teaching RE to my Reception class on the basis her dad was a vicar. I went off to teach another subject to an older class, last lesson Friday.
Monday morning I had a stream of parents complaining about crying children, kids who couldn’t sleep, nightmares. She’d described VERY graphically nails, dripping blood , stigmata (?) to five year olds.
Afterwards my version of Easter was always bunnies, chicks, lambs, flowers and blossom.

If you think the crucifixion story is bad, don’t read the Book of Revelations.

Afterwards my version of Easter was always bunnies, chicks, lambs, flowers and blossom.

Nothing to do with Easter, in other words.

My very religious Year 6 teacher did go into grisly detail about how crucifixion is the most painful death EVER and about JC being stabbed in the ribs with a spear too, and how it must have felt to have nails rammed into your hands and your whole weight put on them. TBH I wasn't bothered but it was a bit much for 10 and 11 year olds in hindsight 😂

Tell me you don't understand Christianity without telling me you don't understand Christianity 🙄

Do they cover the actual origin of Easter in schools, the pagan festival of Ostara?