Christian comments/opinion - DS nursery has put up a dreamcatcher - should I freak out?

[saffymum]

HI, I am a Christian and I am very careful about new age and spiritual things that could affect me and my family. I have just seen a massive new dreamcatcher in the children's nursery window of the sleeping room. I don't want to seem over the top or narrow minded but I don't think I want something that 'catches' or 'attracts' anything near my child. I have read up on them being Native American and for the purposes of attracting good dreams and deflecting bad ones. But really in my book the only power I want near my child is the power of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit to interferre with my son. Should I ask for it to be removed and how do I do it without coming across as a crazy narrow minded christian? Advice appreciated and please from a christian perspective, I really don't want an argument between other faiths/non believers about whether or not this is something to be concerned about.

i am catholic.

i reckon if you think dream catchers are not real and their power not real and the power of god only to be real then the dream catcher matters not.

i think WWJD? i think jesus would prolly say - well if it helps other children to remain calm, and have a nice day. then thats all good things.

its all good things becuase as a christian god has to to promote his good work, and through you the good nature of christianity and humanity.

hence i wouldnt cause a stink personally as i think that jesus prolly wouldnt of done actually.

how old is your child? does he/she even know what it is?

I confess I'd seen them a lot in other children's bedrooms but just thought they were some decorative sort of thing. I can't see how it could interfere with your beliefs especially if your child has no idea what it is.

If you ask for it to be removed for the reasons you state, you will undoubtedly come across as narrow minded. Dream catchers only have "power" if you believe they do, otherwise they are harmless and benign decorations. They have no connection with faith or false gods in the context of your child's nursery.

I am a Christian, and I really don't believe that dream catchers are a force for harm. I also don't believe that having one in the nursery deflects from the power of Christ, nterferes with his power over your baby, or exerts power from any other source over the children.

Many children are comforted by the idea of dream catchers catching their bad dreams, and really in our society they have no other purpose than that. I wouldn't feel that having one near my child compromised my faith and if it offers a child the comfort that my faith brings me, I couldn't complain about it at all. I don't think that Jesus would begrudge a child that comfort.

you will come across as a crazy narrow minded christian. leave it be.

I am christian and have 1 in each of my childrens rooms. They are to me only a decoration.

Message withdrawn

"I don't think I want something that 'catches'
or 'attracts' anything near my child." If you don't believe in its power then it has no influence over your life. And if you create a fuss then you will come across as narrow-minded.

We live in a society where our children are exposed to/made aware of many different beliefs. Our children have the power to learn about those beliefs and to take on board those which are signifficant to them.

As an aside, how would you feel if instead of a dreamcatcher there was a crucifix and a parent asked it to be removed because they didn't want god near their children?

I don't think it will do your child any harm, Christianity itself is full of borrowed symbolism from other faiths/beliefs. It's not as if they are presenting the dream catcher as an alternative to your beliefs, it can quite happily co-exist with a belief in God/Jesus just as idea of eggs at Easter or holly and misletoe at Christmas does.

There are two ways of considering it, either Christianity is strong enough to shine through, or all faith/religion is not true, in either case the dream catcher is not important enough to cause concern.

And perhaps, if any Native American parents shpow up at the nursery, don't tell them you consider their beliefs to be based in the devil....

As far as I know, dreamcatchers were never used by native Americans for sinister or evil purposes anyway. They were used for protection, and in some tribes were used to help the people live a peaceful life as well as to have peaceful dreams.

Doesn't sound too bad to me.

Saffy if you believe (and clearly you do) in Christ then surely you believe it is all bunkum?

At the same time, you believe if loving thy nieighbour and that involves respecting other poeples choices.

It is good you have a strong faith, but that doesn't mean that you should be able to dicatte to the Nursery what they hang- for a start because they usually have to be representative of all belief systems, and cultures.
Or are they a Church nursery, like the one my DS3 attends? Even then, they did Chinese New Year etc.

My boys are Christian and very devout in fact, I have no problem with them learning about other Faiths- indeeed, ds1 adores his boks on the subject- and I akm doing a degree in World Religions myself. Exposure and understanding are the two keys to religious tolerance imo.

I can understand how you feel. I took my son out of nursery on Halloween because I did not want him celebrating that particular festival.

As far as the dreamcatcher goes, I think it depends whether the children are taught it catches their bad dreams or is just treated as decoration. There are lots of things that are used as decoration that have pagan orgins. Ie. how would you feel about the nursery putting up misotoe or a christmas tree at christmas?

I am a Christian and brought in a family that would advocate same rules as you would. My mum would not have anything that is un-Christianly to enter our house. However, I disagree with her style.
I agree with some posters that if you object openly about it, then you will come across as narrow-minded. I would simply educate my child about the use and beliefs of dreamcatchers and that as a Christian, we do not believe in its powers but only God's. I think that has more power than taking it away and avoiding exposure to all things un-Godly. Afterall, will it be possible to suppress all these exposure in the future when your DCs are older, more aware and curious?

this is an interesti9ng threasd. My dm has a dream cathcer - and tells my DSs about it. I have yet to tell them it is all a load of tosh. (they are only 4 and 2) but it doesnt bother me that she has one. It is a decoraration.

Would you be better off looking for a Christian childminder? You obviously can't vet the spiritual beliefs of every member of staff working at the nursery, and it is far more likely that influences could come directly from the staff rather than via the dreamcatcher. In other words I don't think that even by asking for the dream catcher to be removed you are necessarily protecting your ds from influences that you would rather avoid. And if your ds is being looked after in a Christian home, then you know that there is prayer going on etc.

If you stay with the nursery setting then I would suggest that your best bet would to to pray for protection - after all Christ is stronger.

my DSs have been in a nursery - and I liked the fact that they were learnign aboout fesxtivals for those of other beliefs. Becuease it gave tehm a wide view of the world. And I know that they get their Christian influence from other sources./ I dont see dream cathcers in teh same light tho tbh, maybe I should

I agree with most on this thread - I really wouldn't complain. I am confident enough in our faith to be very happy for the dc to learn about other faiths in today's multicultural society, including how to respect the beliefs of others.

how will you feel if your ds befriends children who are not of the same faith? budists for instance? you cannot stop your child from being exposed to things that are not of his religion, surely if you are secure in your faith, it won't matter what other external things he is exposed to because faith will be stronger?

How will you feel if your children do take an interest in other faiths or choose to have no faith?

Children at an preschool type nursery have to learn about other faiths and cultures as part of the "Knowledge and Understanding of the World" section of the foundation curriculum. It sounds like your child is not at that age yet, but it will not be long before he will be being taught about other beliefs. Is this something that you're going to be able to cope with?

If you ask for it to be removed, I'm afraid you will definitely be perceived as a narrow-minded fanatic, or just a bit strange. But it depends on how much that matters to you? If you are planning to be this hardline throughout his childhood, you might as well get used to encountering some shocked/derisive reactions.

saffymum, I think this thread has moved away from your original concern about the dreamcatcher! I feel there is a difference between LEARNING about other faiths (good) and using objects of other beliefs (bad if you are a Christian).

Yes Cazee, but whats to say the staff are Christian? We can't dictate our beliefs to toher people can we?

I would view it for what it is, a source of comfort and protection and very decorative. My boys both have one and love the fact that it catches the bad dreams and stops them from entering. As someone else commented, surely as a source of comfort there can be nothing wrong with it.