to feel very uncomfortable around these people?

[ItsGrimUpNorth]

Had some friends - two couples - over for dinner on Sunday night.

Conversation was lively and entertaining. It moved onto schools and one woman said that she didn't want her girls mixing with anyone of a different religion and that she only wanted her girls to be with children of her faith. Doesn't matter what faith. The other woman agreed but thought that a good education was paramount and she would prioritise that first.

I was taken aback by this. I was trying to think what was different about saying that with the word 'white' or 'black' was used instead of religion. She then went on to talk about Haiti and how charity should begin at home with all the children suffering here, adoption etc.

I began to wonder why I'd let these people into my home, why we were friends........AIBU or can you let this sort of thing slide in a friendship?

She's a bigot and needs educating. If you can overlook her flaw then, over time, her thoughts may change. Then again, they may not. It depends on whether you can just sit and say nothing.

I think only you can answer that to be honest, are you able to tolerate their views? Are you able to challenge their views?

Did you tell them you thought it was inappropriate? If you didn't feel comfortable giving YOUR opinion then they aren't really friends are they?!

the religion thing i imagine some mn would agree with going by the other thread.

YANBU.
They sound extremely intolerant.

I countered by saying I felt education was meant to be a broadening experience and not meant to be limited in the type of people you mix with. They looked at me like I was mad and started discussing dessert.

I think time for a gentle culling....both DH and I felt quite low afters because of mean spiritedness both these women had shown.

It doesn't matter if you are unreasonable to feel uncomftable, the fact is that you do feel this way.

When friends malke you feel depressed during their visits, then you know it is time to stay apart either for a few weeks or forever.

I don't think they were being completely unreasonable, for example in High Schools, when teenagers may start to act out a bit, it can be important to give them a strong holding in their faith rather than having them mix with other faiths or those with no faith. Secondly, all though it is necessary to give to Haiti, again they are correct that charity is needed close by as well as far away... but then again, if you felt they were not giving good arguments/supporting their thoughts with good reasoning then yanbu.

If you only hang out with people with whom you agree on everything, life would be very boring. The important thing is that you feel you can debate these things openly without it becoming "personal" and that heated discussions can easily be forgotten about. I disagree with many of my friends on many issues of politics/ religion/ social policy, but they are great, fun people.

Vive la difference!!