to not allow my child to do a reading in church?

[GooseyLoosey]

Dh and I are atheists. The dcs attend the local school which is C of E (although wholly state funded). There are no alternative non-C of E schools locally.

The school tends towards being very religious and there is a special Easter service in church for the school this week. Ds (5) has been given a reading to do at this service. It includes many "Praise God" and "God is good" type statements.

I don't wish to over react but getting ds to actively participate in an act of worship may be a step too far for me. AIBU to object and to consider telling them to get someone else to do this?

goosey I am in a similar position to you, and would have same dilemma should ds be asked to read. Will be interested to hear what you decide.

UQD, I believe (haha) that it is a belief system to believe that everything requires evidence or proof.

You may worship at the Altar of Science but there are a great deal of people in this world who have spiritual lives and, when it comes to religion, I am not so arrogant that I am able to say to a young child that MY VIEW IS FACT and I have all the answers.

Ninah, it's easy. Than talk to the school in advance and agree the way forward - bingo no dilemma

As an Athiest, I "celebrate" christmas only in so far as DH gets a free few days off work and it's nice to spend time together and use it as an opportunity to see family.

We have "christmas" dinner in the same way we always have dinner together when we see each other and give presents because we like to give gifts to our loved ones...gave my nephew something last weekend cause I saw it and thought he might like it...

Also opened our "Easter" eggs last night cause we fancied some chocolate. Only bought them cause I don't know of another way to get 3 bars plus an egg's worth of chocolate for £2.30!

I wish someone had said to me, as a child, that they did have all the answers and the answer simply was that there was no God. It would have saved me a lot of time that I could have devoted to more productive areas of understanding my own life and the world around me.

I wonder whether some atheists are so determined to be persistently offensive about other people's beliefs because they're afraid there might be something in it after all.

It's a funny world. There's lot to wonder about.

(sorry - delete the "than")

Message withdrawn

"Gah! Some atheists drive me mental. Why celebrate christmas if you don't believe in it? My SIL and DB claim to be card-carrying atheists, repeatedly denigrate anyone with religious beliefs, go on about the fairy story malarky (there are times when it's like they're quoting the gospel of Dawkins word for word) but: still celebrate xmas, expect everyone else to celebrate it along with them (I don't celebrate xmas, as I'm not Christian) and are making plans to celebrate easter!"

Easter and Christmas are not Christian festivals! They were already celebrated and simply co-opted by that religion!

Agreed, MillyR - life would be very simple if someone had all the answers. Very boring too.

I think the view that religion in schools at the very least does no harm, is disingenous.

There are all sorts of unpalatable suggestions behind even every day concepts such as prayer- why are some prayers answered and some not, who is more deserving who is not, who prayed hardest, who belongs to a different faith or no faith and therefore didnt pray to the 'right' god or in the 'right' way. At its heart religion is divisive and insular and excludes 'other' and that is a poor message to be giving young children.

A very lovely child aged 5 of an agnostic friend came back from her Catholic school saying 'sometimes I wish I was a little less blessed and african children a little more blessed'. She was expressing her empathy and a desire to help, but underlying that sentiment what is the message from the school? That african children are not blessed, and why not for goodness sake? What have they done? What is that saying to a 5 year old?

georgimama No. Agnostics are unsure as to whether God exists or not.

Athiests are sure.

Sorry about spelling, rushing, should be parenting...

bleh, you say that some atheists drive you mental because they celebrate christmas. As I explained to someone in another thread this morning christmas is not a christian celebration. Christmas was celebrated before the church decided to move christ's birthday over to it.

If they couldn't get people interested in going to their celebration they could rename the one everyone went to and pretend they had lots of devout followers.

It had more than one name, but you may heve heard of the Saturnalia. It has always been a time of feasting and drinking and exchanging gifts. Mostly about having fun rather then religion, but it includes bits of many religions. All the symbols of christmas which you probably think of as holy are pagan ones. Mistletoe and holly, Yule logs and trees. Fairies on the tree. Sacrificing an animal and eating it.
If anything it should be christians who are embarrassed about celebrating christmas. For a christian to do the whole tree/holly/turkey thing is as inappropriate as though they had wondered into a mosque, prostrated themselves before Allah and declared him the one god.
It's probably a mortal sin (thou shalt not worship other gods)

So they're just rude then? Thanks for clearing that up.

I don't know about anyone else, but I don't worship the turkey. I eat it.

Stillstanding, it would not be boring if there were many areas of growth you could be exploring, and instead you were just following a dead end (for me personally).

You seem to be implying that life would be boring if the concept of God did not exist. I fail to see how that is the case.

Some turkey is bloody good though Georgie, you have to say that much...

Christmas is only on the 25th December because of some pagan festival that was celebrated on or around that date (pre-dating the Romans). Easter happens to coincide with spring and all the symbols of easter - eggs, cute bunnies have to do with fertility and new life. Nothing to do with the Christ-myth. So atheists celebrate away - the Christians, however should be looking to find some genuine Christian festivals.

Why was that rude?

Of course they're Christian festivals!!! Christ's Mass - it couldn't be more obviously Christian! Just because they fall at similar times to other festivals does not make them any less Christian.

Anyone can celebrate Yule, Beltane, Hannukah, Purim, Diwali or any other such festival if they want to. These all fall around similar times to Christian festivals. Christians have the same right to celebrate their own festivals.

I do not understand why these things have to be so polarised. Yes, Christianity is based on other religions. That is the same for all religions. Ideas don't come from nowhere. Each religion builds on, and takes on festivals and ideas from, the ones before. Why should Christianity be any different?

We can now take from Christmas what we want; it doesn't have to be about religion, pagan or otherwise.

Can you imagine the voice-over:

"This is not just turkey, this is not just an M&S hand reared Norfolk Black turkey, this is God the Turkey."

Plymouth Brethren anyone? They don't 'do' Christmas for precisely the reasons given above - try reading Edmund Gosse's 'Father and Son' for info. ( I have PB family; no Christmas in their household, but lots of 'Christianity'.)

Why is it rude for atheists to be persistently offensive about other people's beliefs? Er, because it is?