5 yo asking huge questions at school. I think we need to calm him down!

[MyTeapot]

My 5 yo DS attends a school that has a different religious character than our family. It's a nice school; both DC are happy and thriving there.

Recently he's been constantly asking very demanding Big Questions. I'm partially responsible; I can often be heard saying "never stop asking questions" but he literally won't let it drop.

I do all the "some people believe..." lines, but I'm ill-equipped to answer all the questions. As a result he spends all day at school grilling people. I don't want to curb his enthusiasm but it's tricky trying to encourage a bit of balance.

Any similar stories out there?

If the church will lay off my kids with their greasy tendrils then I would not feel so inclined to ridicule their views.

I'm very sorry that your local church has grown tendrils which are going after your children.

“I'm very sorry that your local church has grown tendrils which are going after your children”

Touch of ridicule there?

I do find it’s quite a common response when Christian privilege is mentioned.

No ridicule. Genuine sympathy. I would be interested to discuss what people find harmful about their children being taught about God.

“Genuine sympathy”

You might want to re read,

While you’re doing it, see if you can find anyone who is objecting to their children being taught “about God”. Then you can ask them what harm they think it causes.

I would be interested to discuss what people find harmful about their children being taught about God

Shall we start with it all being completely made up?

Tendrils, my new favourite word.

I have no objection to my children being taught objectively about all religious beliefs.

I object to them being taught a particular belief as fact. Eg, "we are a CA School therefore we believe in the Christian God, God exists, Jesus existed, God will save us from our sins and we will all go to Heaven, etc etc." huge stereo typical generalisation here,

I would also object to the same principle of "this is fact" being applied by any religion.

Why do I object? Because I do not hold those beliefs.

If my children grow up to follow a religious belief then I want that to be because they have considered all of the options available to them and not just have been force fed one as a small easily influenced child.

Why is being atheist or agnostic a problem?

And why is raising a child atheist or agnostic such a problem to members of organised religions. Where's the mutual respect that is preached about?

Why should Atheists/Agnostics have to suck it up and respect religious beliefs, when those religions do not respect our right to be Atheist/Agnostic?

I don't know what the poster would mean about being upset that the church has got it's greasy tendrils into her children if not literal tendrils growing from the church and not her children being taught about God.

You can't have it both ways

So... even if you think religion is all made up nonsense can you not see there being any use in children learning about it, given what a large part various religion play in the lives of people across the world? I am not Jewish but it is helpful to know things aboit Judaism, etc.

So... even if you think religion is all made up nonsense can you not see there being any use in children learning about it, given what a large part various religion play in the lives of people across the world?
Learning about all of them in a objective non-biased way - nope, no problem with that.

Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Catholicism, Sikhism, Druidry, Hinduism, Agonistic, Atheist, all taught in a non-biased way, not a problem.

Trouble is, that's not how many primary schools work, and that's not how religions work.

And again why should Atheists accept religion?

What to you mean accept religion? What about it are you being forced to accept? I know that sounds quite argumentative... Its not supposed to, I just can't word it any better.

I don't want my children to be subject to religious indoctrination at school.

Is that hard to understand?

“I don't know what the poster would mean about being upset that the church has got it's greasy tendrils into her children if not literal tendrils growing from the church and not her children being taught about God”

Just checking. Are you one of the people who can’t/won’t see a difference between being taught about God, and being taught about a particular God as fact, and being expected to worship him?

Also, do you know what “Christian privilege” is?

I would be interested to discuss what people find harmful about their children being taught about God.

Why your god?

Do you not think it's a useful thing for them to know about though? And a useful tool for you to discuss your own family's thoughts (without ridicule!) On the subject?

I suppose my experience of faith schools may be against the norm but I've never seen any indoctrination.

We'd get non uniform days for major saints days (like today!), mass on ash Wednesday (optional), mass for epiphany (optional), sacrament of reconciliation once per term (optional).

Assemblies were not religious, we'd sometimes sing a hymn if the music teacher was available.

RE lessons were about all religions and later an opportunity to debate moral issues and the churches view on them. This was a very open debate with no issues in opposing religious teaching.

I'm trying to think of wherr religion was pushed on us but I honestly can't remember anything. My best friend from school comes from an atheist background and wasn't converted

Bertrand, my experience on faith school isn't what you think it is. This is my biggest issue about religious discussions on MN. There's so much ignorance around.

Jassy, not just MY God. Faith schools teach about all major religions. Its useful knowledge to have.

Faith schools teach about all major religions. Its useful knowledge to have.

That is true. But prioritising one and teaching/presenting it as the ‘right’ one does not advance that knowledge. My experience is that children experience the teaching of Christianity as being ‘fact’ (otherwise why would they be told to pray to that god every day?) whereas the teaching of other religions is ‘some people believe’.

I am not talking about RE. I am talking about religious indoctrination.

Speakout.... i did reference many examples other than RE lessons and explained i hadnt exoerienced any indoctrination.

Jassy.... we weren't taught one religion being right and another wrong. We were taught what Catholics believed and what other faiths believed.

“Bertrand, my experience on faith school isn't what you think it is. This is my biggest issue about religious discussions on MN. There's so much ignorance around.”

Ironic that Nobody, as far as I know, is objecting to RE.

Your response makes no sense in relation to what you've quoted so calm down with the grinning faces.

You do know that Christian assemblies are a statutory requirement in all state schools, don’t you?

Yes but what is presented as a Christian assembly often has very little religious element. Most of what Christianity teaches is just overall decent behaviour. Something can be very loosely based on a bible story but the overall message be very relevant to everyone. As I said above, this was my experience of assemblies at school and indeed what im.seeing for my child now.

That’s Christian privilege speaking.

I see your one of those people has pops the word 'privilege' onto the end of anything they're not a part of.

Maybe I do have Christian privilege but then we do live in a Christian country.