Does anyone remove their children from the religious bits at school?

[WigWamBam]

I am Pagan (for want of a better description), and although I would like to bring dd up to have an understanding of world religions, I don't really intend to bring her up with any sort of God in our lives. When she is old enough to make up her own mind then that's fine, but she's only 4 at the moment.

I'm getting a bit concerned about the amount of overtly religious stuff that she's getting at school. It's not a faith school, just a bog standard ordinary state primary. As well as the daily prayer and so on, she's now telling me about other things that have been happening and it seems that twice a week they have visitors from local churches, and the indoctrination has started. Yesterday they were being taught about the promises that God makes to us, and at one point she was asked to make a promise to God. I have no problem with her learning about what some people believe God is and what they believe he does, but from what she tells me this is being presented as undisputed truth, and it makes me uneasy.

I've talked to her before about God and about what certain other religions believe, but from an angle that this is what some people believe, but Mummy and Daddy don't believe that. Now she's being told (by people she believes only teach things that are true) that God is categorically real, and that she has to make promises to him.

I considered taking her out of the religious aspects right from the start, but was assured that it was only a daily prayer ... which is obviously not the case. I'm now considering it again, but I'm not sure whether it would single her out as being different if she wasn't taking part.

I'm not interested in getting into a debate about religion, or whether I'm wrong to feel the way I feel; I just wondered if there's anyone out there who removes their child from the religious aspects, and what the upshot from it has been. I don't want my child taught that things we don't believe in are the truth, but then again I don't want her bullied if I take her away from it.

People don't hats off in our church anymore .

I thought muslims took their shoes off to pray?? A colleague in Zim was a muslim and used to pray during the day at school, and always took his shoes off.

Is it really your reason though? The removal of shoes?

They do,but then again they take their shoes of loads. Everyone in Van has ground down the backs of their shoes lol.

oh and they don't actually say the lords prayer they just sit there and listen, and hardly any of them (including those that I know for a fact are devout Christians) put there hands together (even my DS doesn't )

Oh let them go to the mosque you old misery qoq!

Going into a building with their shoes off...?

oh I know it's terrible isn't it - I have my own reasons for not wanting my children to participate in anything relating to other religions, but because I'm coming from it as a Christian it's the worst thing in the world - if a Pagan or Atheist doesn't want their child to 'take part' in religious 'stuff' (sorry brain turned to mush LOL) particularly Christian - (just out of interest how do they feel if their children are being asked to take part in things relating to other religions?) then it's ok.....

Moondog, I reckon you are really Ricky Gervais pretending to be a woman

so have I been told wrongly (by Muslims) and from searches on Google that they wash and remove their shoes before praying for cleanliness??

No,I am a reasonably pleasant 38 year old middle class Welsh housewife with tooooooooooo much time on her hands.

no QoQ it's not terrible
I understand exactly how you feel about it actually
if it against your instincts to let your child visit a place of worship because they might do something that is preliminary to prayer
imagine how difficult it is to have no choice but to send your child to a school where s/he is expected to actually pray
and to be told, when we object, that it doesn't matter
it matters to me like it does to you

QoQ - I'm honestly NOT wanting to have a go at you - I'm genuinely interested in this, partly because you do seem to understand that it does matter to parents that thier kids are not actively invilved in observance / worship of things they don't believe in (whether they be Christian or not, presumably) but also because you have admiration ofr the muslim family - or make the point, through them, that bit is what happens at home which counts in the formation of belief. So i wondered...

QofQ,it's part of the ritual of praying but also done in many situations.
In Van,I often see people praying as they walk down the road.

Shoes on,natch.

OH I love Aloha on these threads- especially in an irksome mood.

I am pretty much atheist (done the happy clappy churches, know the alternative). DH pretty much loathes religion full stop. DS2 is suddenly very interested. I took him to church once (a happy clappy seen the light one) and he loved it. He keeps saying to me "oh mummy I do hope we can go to church again soon". Dh was pretty horrified but I think I was right in pointing out that if he wants to become religious he will, and that there are worse things that could happen (by far).

Back to the OP. When ds1 was at mainstream he didn't attend any acts of worship (he would have destroyed any comteplation or quiet moments of prayer I think ) and he was not the only child who didn't go. About 5 infants missed every assembly so I doubt your dd would be alone if you did decide to remove her.

actually I always take my hat off in church
I think it is a sng of respect
and I try not to swear or blaspheme
and I am always in church
though I often have my norks out

Even I am speechless now qofq.

sign of respect

And yes, I think you are right - muslims do go through a cleanliness ritual to pray, and also take their shoes off. I think you take your shoes off to enter a mosque - as you would to enter an asian - not just muslim - home, but wouldn't do the whole washing ritual (face, bits, etc..) unless you were going to PRAY. But don't quote me on that. So shoe removal isn't necessarily relligious.

and people often remove their shoes in those countries (which are often Muslim countries) because the house is often used for praying?? Hindu's and Buddists also remove their shoes before worship - I as a Christian do not - as I don't believe that 'outer' cleaniless is important - I believe that you could just have finished digging the vegetable patch and be as dirty as a elephant that's been rolling in the mud and still pray 'effectively' 'properly' whatever word you want to use.

And.....vulva?!?!

MOM have you been following me??
no, I only get my norks out in church for the purposes of nourishment
there is no excuse for getting my vulva out and the VERY NOTION is possibly blasphemous
shame on you

"and I try not to swear or blaspheme "

so do I - but 2 weeks ago at Choir Practice (which didn't happen as only 2 turned up) we were having a good natter and a bit of a b*tchy gossip and we both said swore/blasphemed - realise we were standing in the choir stalls right near the alter, turned round and faced the other way and then continued

It is considered a completely awful thing to enter a Japanese house without removing your shoes (my colleagues gasped when I entered my own house wearing shoes), and as a county they are about the most a-religious (is that word?) non -religious? I have ever come across. Religion in Japan is bound up in superstition and doesn't exist in the same way as it does here (except for the Christians of course) - not taking the country as a whole anyway.

er, no, they remove their shoes because they think it is more hygenic not to tread outdoor dirt indoors. it's simply a different approach to what is 'normal' in household cleanliness. Nothig at all to do with religion.

tut tut QoQ
may god forgive you