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Philosophy/religion

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Original poster

Teacher told DS "God made the snow" I am horrified.

23 replies

containher · 07/01/2011 18:15

As it was snowing today someone in DS class said "How is snow made?" and the teacher replied God made the snow. To which my 6yr old informed the teacher about the workings of precipitaion.At least someone in the school has a sound scientific knowledge of the world -albiet it at the age of 6 !
I am absolutley horrified that a teacher at a so -called 'non religious' school has spewed out such utter nonsense. As an Athiest, it is my wish for my children to come to their own conclusion about religion and therefore we let him attend RE lessons/make diwali/candles/x mas nativity etc etc, I think children should be taught about the beliefs other people have as unfortunatley religion is a fact of life for some and my children are likely to be adversley affected by it in their lives.( threats of hellfire, security alerts,general dischord in society in the name of religion) It is not my intention to tell my children what they want to think or believe. I want them to think for themselves and ask questions and make up their own mind when they are informed adults. However I do object to my child being brainwashed - and telling my child as a matter of fact that God made the snow is criminal in my mind. Should I talk to the school about this ? - much as it pains me, I do let my children attend the religious education part of their schooling, but if it is being spouted out as if it is a fact and true, then that is not educating, that is brainwashing. Anyone else had a similar issue?

OP posts:

MakemineaGandT · 07/01/2011 18:19

good grief. I would be complaining to the head about that. Are you sure it was quite like that?

MakemineaGandT · 07/01/2011 18:20

and to be honest I'd be complaining even if I did believe in God - what nonsense.

shitmonster · 07/01/2011 18:22

One of my class of 6 year olds told her mother I said that Satan came up through the floor and grabbed your ankles.

Guess what? The conversation never took place.

Kids don't always tell the truth.

StartingAfresh · 07/01/2011 18:24

'To which my 6yr old informed the teacher about the workings of precipitaion.'

Wow! Have you had him tested for giftedness?

StartingAfresh · 07/01/2011 18:25

Would you also mind asking your 6 yr old who made the science of precipitation? Thanks.

MaryMungo · 07/01/2011 18:26

As a Christian, I'd be appalled with that answer. "God made the snow" isn't even good theology, it's just lazy teaching. I wouldn't take it over the teacher's head, but I'd talk directly to her about it. Tell her you don't think religion is a flippant subject, and if she doesn't have time to properly answer a question, to tell the child that instead of brushing them off with piffle.

Original poster

containher · 07/01/2011 18:39

STARTING AFRESH. I most certainly won't ask my 6 year old who made the science. How silly, science isn't made, science is knowledge covering truths of the operation of general laws, as obtained and tested through scientific method concerned with the physical world. And SHITMONSTER I know children make up all sorts of rubbish, part truths part facts part fiction ( my son included) but to elaborate, he came storming out of school having been told off ( I imagine rightly , but not in his mind) " Mrs (X) doesn't know a thing, because she said I was annoying James on purpose, but she doesn't know that, she isn't in my mind and anyway she said God made the snow and doesn't know that it actually comes from the sea etc etc etc" So I asked how the converstion came about and he told me. I imagine she was being hounded by lots of children all at once and didn't have the time to give a proper answer, which I understand, and the last thing she needed was a precocious child being a smart arse ( my son) But it just annoyed me. As some children would just accept this 'God made the snow' as fact.

OP posts:

StartingAfresh · 07/01/2011 18:40

So who made the general laws?

whomovedmychocolate · 07/01/2011 18:42

Not who, what.

StartingAfresh · 07/01/2011 18:44

Sure, fine, what made the general laws?

And who made the answer to that?

LynetteScavo · 07/01/2011 18:49

God made the snow is an easy (and lazy) answer. Yes it would be nice if the teacher could go into the workings of precipitation, but she probably had other things to do which she had already planned for.

DS1 had a lot of "God made the snow/rain/wind" answers form his reception teacher in a non faith school....funnily enough the Catholic school he moved to only ever said "some people think god makes....."

Such answers from school kept me on my toes explaining why it snows/rains etc.

He's now an atheist, he tells me.

whomovedmychocolate · 07/01/2011 19:04

That is a tautological argument StartingAfresh.

General laws are non entities, they are principles of behaviour of matter, not acts of faith.

In any case, isn't it rather arrogant of you to think that it's your God rather than for example, a Hindu God. Surely if you are willing to ascribe all of the world's scientific knowledge to one person, one could at least pick one I can talk to.

Hence I vote the universe, all that was in it and all that will ever be in it, including the sum total of scientific knowledge was created by my cat. And he created himself. One a Tuesday.

StartingAfresh · 07/01/2011 19:07

What makes you think that my God isn't a Hindu God?

I suppose I am just trying to point out that the teacher wasn't necessarily wrong, although I agree it wasn't the best answer.

What got to me I think, is the precociousness of the 6yr old and the parent who advocates it.

FranSanDisco · 07/01/2011 19:08

Great thread . Science makes my head hurt.

whomovedmychocolate · 07/01/2011 19:13

Hindu's tend to be modest IME.

Original poster

containher · 07/01/2011 19:16

WhomovedmyChocolate. Tee hee I hope someone writes about the life of your cat in a few hundred years time and then some more people can jump on the bandwagon and write some more, so that people in a few hundred years to come they can all can beleive verbatim every single Meow he every meowed. And then go and do all sorts of insane and crazy things in his name, and talk to him in their heads and think he can hear them. What is the name of this new messiah? Twinkles? sooty?

OP posts:

whomovedmychocolate · 07/01/2011 19:19

Mostly he just kills things TBH.

And he's called Welly.

BluTac · 07/01/2011 19:20

Why is it precocious to know how snow is formed. What should the parent advocate? Total ignorance?

ilovemydogandMrObama · 07/01/2011 19:21

Oooh, I do love a monotheistic vs polytheistic debate

There are problems with the 'God made everything' explanations. If one believes that God is the interfering type who manages to create absolutely everything from snow flakes to rain, then presumably he/she is also responsible for natural disasters.

If one is truly a creationist, and fair enough if one believes in the literal translation of the world being created in 7 days, then one also needs to take literally the other more basis tenets in Leviticus, Exodus and Genesis.

In any case, it was a lazy answer from the teacher and along the lines of, 'because I say so' reasoning.

Original poster

containher · 07/01/2011 19:23

Sounds like Welly and God could be bossom buddies- all that killing they have in common!

OP posts:

GrimmaTheNome · 07/01/2011 19:36

Good for your DS, OP!

TBH if he's got a sound grip on facts at an early age, I doubt he'll be brainwashed by this sort of idiocy - however it may lead to an unfortunate (though understandable) questioning of the teacher's reliability in general.

whomovedmychocolate · 07/01/2011 22:09

Come, come now OP. We have already established that Welly is God, to such a level as s/he exists. Ergo he not only created but destroyed everything that is and ever will be. Although oddly he won't eat his Whiskas, which is made of some of his fellow creatures, but that may just be because he's a git.

madamh · 12/01/2011 13:14

I sympathise with your horror!

While on a teaching block in Year 2 as part of my Primary B.Ed, I sat writing my notes at the back of a class while the teacher had an RE lesson.

The teacher talked about JC walking on the water. One of the children said, "I don't believe it - people can't walk on water. That's impossible." To which the teacher replied, "Yes, it is impossible - that's how we know it's true."

I nearly hit her. Science education? Who needs it?

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