So I had this child from the local Catholic church for a playdate...

[SweetSkull]

We were playing school and they decided it was assembly time.

So Catholic Child (7) stood up and started speaking about catholic faith and Jesus, and how Catholics are wonderful people who help whoever is in need and the elderly, and how Jesus will bless all the Christians when they die and they will all go to heaven, and how it is important to be a Christian and go to Catholic Church and say prayers regularly.

Than Muslin Child (6) followed saying that she is a Muslin and so is her family and lots of her friends and they are also good people who help the ones in need and the elderly too, and it doesn't matter your religion or which church you go to as long and we respect each other and don't do bad things.

Than Catholic child was embarrassed and said that she meant to say everything Muslin child said....

Than my own child (6) stands up and do a comedy piece that got nothing to do with religion.

I was just astounded that these children shows so much religion awareness at this age and the Catholic child would feel the urge to bring religion in the playing, although I understand this is probably what happens all the time at her school.
I am so glad my daughter doesn't go to that school.
I am very proud of the Muslin girl and she just goes to a mixed community school, which seems that is doing a better job about teaching R.E

Oh and I have had the catholic child for a sleep over once and she had trouble falling asleep since I couldn't pray and sing christian songs exactly like her parents do every night. I did my best.

I can't help feeling a bit sorry for this kid.

And I am Christian by the way.

Oh and forgot to say: Catholic girl spent most of half term in her house in order not to be exposed to Halloween stuff going on and in fact on Halloween day they never left the house because apparently this a bad and heavy day when lots of evil things happens.

I am not mad at halloween either and I don't go trick or treating mainly because I am on the shy side but I am solo glad there are Halloween activities going on during the half term.

OP you have been rather rudely treated I think!

Sometimes threads go that way, I don't know why! Just go start another one and forget this one!
Some schools are really religious, I don't know why all of a sudden everyone is pretending otherwise.

Hi Catch I am pretty sure it is because the way I speak write.
After so many years in this country it is still a struggle to communicate and put my ideas across in a way that sounds good in English Language.

Pretty much all of my threads are like this.
It is either this reason or I am bad and clearly stupid or don't belong.

I shall keep trying but perhaps MN is not the best place to it.

Anyone knows a dynamic forum full of immigrants learning English and leaving in Britain?

I am sorry that you feel excluded. I think one of the reasons people have struggled to know how to respond to this thread is that you posted a story, told in isolation, that appeared to make generalisations about groups of people based on one experience. I think the fact that you named the different religions is neither here nor there but I do think your post would have been received better had you opened it up to questions such as 'are these generally held Catholic views?' 'do other posters have similar experiences of children at Catholic or faith schools?'.

I am assuming that you were using the post to explore these issues so have responded as such.

Firstly, although I accept that the Catholic child may have not expressed herself so articulately, the fact that she quickly became embarrassed by what the Muslim child said suggests that perhaps her praise for Catholics didn't mean that she was trying to say only Catholics were good people. Also when she said it was important to be Christian and say prayers if she was repeating what was said to Catholic children in a Catholic school assembly then yes it would be important to them to behave in a Christian way. Unless she said otherwise I cannot see how this means everybody HAS to be Catholic or even Christian but perhaps I am missing something.

I also don't see why it would be strange that children playing school would choose to react an assembly and for children at faith schools in particular that is
likely to include religious aspects.

Most Catholics (including me) have no problem with Halloween. Some Catholics and Christians see it otherwise but most don't in my experience.

Again I am assuming that your comments about the faith school are to explore if faith schools are giving their pupils very narrow definitions of faith, morality and humanity. My own personal experience is not so. I have found Catholic schools to be warm and welcoming and that there is coverage of other faiths in RE. I have to say that my experience of my children's RC school is that it is the most inclusive place I know welcoming children of all faiths and none and many children who other schools have failed to manage who have thrived there.

Finally the issue of bedtime routine. I would question whether any child who cannot function without a particular bedtime routine is old enough to sleep out but can't see anything particularly controversial about a child saying prayers or even singing a hymn at bedtime if being raised in a given faith. Obviously others will not like this as they may see as indoctrination but no more so that the initial choice to raise a child in a faith.

Sorry this is so long but I hope these comments were helpful.

I didn't notice anything particularly different about your way of writing. I simply noticed that you made generalisations about a group based on one encounter with one child, saying 'it probably happens all the time' at her school. Based on what evidence?

Why do you feel sorry for her exactly ????? It sounds like you have a problem not her tbh

Ginger, your comments were very helpful , thanks. But I was there and I guarantee that the catholic girl were articulated enough in saying that only catholic people are worthy. I guess she got embarassed because she probably saw my positive reaction to the other girl speech. And yes I feel sorry for her since she has been brainwashed this way and it will cause her problems in the future. And I suspect this is parents doing but the school is just reinforcing it, I bet that is exactly what is going on in the assemblies. They played house too and no religion were involved. Regarding prayers at bedtime, I have never criticized this practice but I do think if a child needs such particular ritual , than they should sleep at home. Now twist the OP and pretend the Muslim girl is preaching about Islam and how only Muslim people are good and will go to heaven. I bet the response here would be very different. Now just to leave this thread let me say yet again that I am Christian myself and Catholic faith has played a big part in my upbringing and life. My intention was definitely not to generalise or criticize the Catholic community as a whole. I dont even want to crticize the girls parents since they are my friends snd even though they are narrow minded ("against" homosexuals, father's job to earn money and mother's job to stay at home, girls like pink and boys like blue) they are still lovely people and I dont think they reflect much about their faith in the modern world, they seemed brainwashed themselves. My friend wouldn't come with me to visit St Pauls Cathedral in London because it is an anglican church.

Sounds like parents gave problems - why relate it to religion - you say yourself they are not reflective of catholic faith !

I said I don't think they reflect how to carry on their faith in the modern world. I think. But I usually don't discuss religion with them or anybody else, but from their views they seem not very reflective of christian values since not accepting gay people TO ME is against christian values for example. I THINK they swallow what they are told and that is it, but this is just MY understanding of them. Now you asked me why relate it to religion, did you read the OP? Religion is a crucial part of my OP and besides, I can relate it to whatever I want.

MMMMMM - OK OP - mot sure of the point you are trying to make really - you feel sorry for a girl being brought up by a strong catholic teachings because she couldn't sleep at a sleepover at your house ? Is that your point?

So which thread are we using?

My dc go to a catholic school and don't learn anything like this. The school even had a halloween disco

The point of the thread is what you make of it

Utter rubbish with no point then :)

And I dont feel sorry for the girl because she cant sleep whitout her parents rituals. Feel sorry that at the age of 7 and beyond she will feel more and more embarassed and unconfortable when her narrow views about how superior she is for being catholic are challenged.

Aha so it is about 'her' catholic beliefs. Don't worry OP I am sure she will be fine - I have met many people in my life who believe they are superior, whether it be due to class, wealth, education or religion. Put your energies into worrying about other causes, like starving children etc.

I think you can feel sad about a young child parroting religious doctrine during a play date and still feel upset about world famine. They're not mutually exclusive.

I never said they were :)

Wow, when I played school and when my Dcs did, we never bothered having an assembly, we were just quite content to take it in turn to be the bossy one!

Ionn

Ionnika, I am not sure what is your problem, I suspect you don't understand what I am trying to say and you don't accept or believe that I have absolutely not against Catholic faith or catholics in general. You are trying to twist my words and looking for a fight or you just have narrow views yourself, either way I don't care about anything you say.

I know the kids have been playing schools when I find wads of A4, and each and every sheet being rendered useless for 'growned up' purposes by way of a solo felt tip mark. Argh.

Sweet skull - a fight about what? Not looking for a fight. You are sending mixed messages - you say you are not anti catholic - but then say you feel sorry for the girl because of how embarassed she wil be when catholic beliefs are challenged as you gets older - what? Don't understand what your thread is about and would suggest you are being controversial.

I am glad you don't care about what I say - if only you could afford that same non judgemental luxury to your child's 'friend' !!!

I understand the op's concerns, but then again I would, being a full blown baby-eating atheist. I think it was the setting that was the main cause for the op's 'hmm'. It wasn't as if the kids were being asked about their beliefs, from what the op describes it was almost like listening to a tape recording being played. But am aware I'm bringing my own bias into this.

Feel sorry that at the age of 7 and beyond she will feel more and more embarassed and unconfortable when her narrow views about how superior she is for being catholic are challenged.

This makes complete sense to me. Again, coming from my own background and my own experience of a religious school. Although I grew up in a practicing Jewish home, my parents were far less religious than the school we attended. At school we weren't taught that Jews were superior, or had exclusive access to heaven or god (these are categorically not Jewish beliefs) but we were taught in an atmosphere that ignored the concept of other ways of life or belief. Thanks to my parents I met and soicialised with people of other faiths outside school. I was probably a little older than the child mentioned when I first felt embarrassment at my assumption that other children felt or believed the same as me. About Y4, IIRC. But because of my parents' open-mindedness I was able to explore this realisation and widen my knowledge of other faiths. Kids talk about things that matter to them, and if their religion is central to their lives, it comes into their play, role-playing, and conversation.

Ionnika. I believe that the " catholic" views if this particuar chid are wrong because simply catholic people aren't superior and better than anybody else just by attending a church. Not all if them are good, not all of them help the poor and the elderly, not all if them say their prayers and there is a hell lot of non catholic people out there that are amazing. Also a huge percentage of parents in her catholic school attend the church just to get a place there and dont give a F about Jesus and are hypocrates. I know my area well and know lots of people from the schools in my area since when my daughter was a newborn so I know what I am talking about. So yes, I believe this girl's "catholic" views are screwd up and it is sad.