Too much religion in Reception?

[Trifle]

I am not religious and don't particularly believe in anything. To discuss Jesus/God or any such subject matter was not something I ever envisaged having to do age age 4. However, since Ds1 started Reception in September he is increasingly coming home with questions about Jesus. I think this stems from him having a particularly religious teacher who told Ds1 at Christmas that he had to say thank you to God. I'm not sure exactly what he was supposed to be thanking him for or what his understanding of God is. Since then he has talked about going to Heaven when you die, that Jesus was nailed to a cross and bled to death and who/what/why did this happen. As it is just a regular state school I cant see the point in them having any religious instruction and would far rather they concentrate on reading and writing. Exactly how much are schools obliged to tell them about religion at age 4 and are they going overboard. The father of one child in his class is a Vicar so came in one day to give a great talk about Jesus which will obviously be biased due to his own beliefs. It surely has to be confusing to a young mind to be seemingly bombarded with so much information. I've managed to brush most things off and dismiss it all as a fairy story but am getting annoyed that I am put in an awkward position by the school who are drip feeding him bits and pieces which he then wants me to explain.
Is he getting more than his fair share?

[hercules]

It would be unacceptable for any teacher to teach any religion as the "truth" unless you are at a denominational school.

[motherinferior]

I'm sure it is, Caligula, and I think I just got unlucky.

I don't have a problem with my kids being tod, from people with different faiths, that 'we believe this' and 'we believe that'. It's the overarching 'this is the truth and you're being told this in school as the truth that pisses me off.

[hercules]

But mi, unless you're refering to church schools, that just doesnt happen anymore.

[hercules]

I dont believe it myself.

[Gwenick]

There's already enough 'suspicion' about other religions in this country as it is. If you stopped RE being taught in schools surely that's only going to make the problem worse - IMO it's better that people learn as children that there are different religions in the world, a believes this, b believes that, and c believes the other, BUT that we're all perfectly capable of living together peacefully. Religious hatred and wars start quite often because of a lack of understanding.

[CrazyandConfused]

Sorry to disagree but it happens too regularly up here(west coast of scotland)

[Gwenick]

MI - go to back to a point already mentioined lets not forget that children (of all ages) often fudge together 'people believe' and 'this is fact' so unless you're actually sat in on a lesson and heard them then being told 'this is fact' I think it's treading on thin ice.......IMO

[hercules]

I dont know about Scotland but in England, no faith is allowed to be taught as being true and I would complain. Church schools excepted of course.

[hercules]

Nor do we say "all" people of any faith believe the same thing. It's some believe this, some believe that, others believe this.

[crunchie]

hercules, it does still happen I am afraid. It shouldn't but it does. Also not everyone hads a choice about sending their child to a non-denominational school. I certainly didn't.

Bundle - IMHO Father Christmas nothing to do with religiuos beliefs he is a fat man in a red suit created by coca cola BTW this year FC came down the chimney and filled my kids stockings and left a present for them (smaller than ours) and that all the FC's you see around are fakes pretending to be FC and helping the REAL FC by collating the information on presents. The REAL FC is magic and they will never see him.

[crunchie]

Although the truth thing happens, it doesn't in our school, but dd still came home and announced ut as the truth

[CrazyandConfused]

I wish I could find a school like that for my child Hercules, the sad fact is that parents in my area have to fight for teachers to teach children withoout using their personal beliefs,sad but true I'm afraid. though I must say all the mums from ds class petitioned to stop the teacher saying a class prayer and we got together to make a Mantra type poem on being good and kind!
Are you a teacher Hercules? Just wondering

[hercules]

That's not right crunchie I dont mean you're wrong but it's not morally right.

[hercules]

Yes, an RE teacher!!!

[Gwenick]

so crunchie how do you explain when they they learn in school the Father Christmas is a 'throw back' to st. nicholas Father Christmas


PS I bet lou33

[Gwenick]

oops forget to finish the sentence - I bet Lou is getting worried - Gwenick's on the 'debate' again

[CrazyandConfused]

Can smell dinner burning, so I will go have to tell you I love RE and I am trying to bring up my kids with understanding of all faiths and religions. Looking forward to talking soon, have a good debate X

[Snugs]

crunchie - coca cola/Father Christmas in red is an urban myth. He was in red before that.

But anyway ... back to the debate

[Gwenick]

snugs - have a read of that link - the Father Christmas your're right he was 'red' before the cocacola - but used to be an elf

[crunchie]

I'll wait till that happens Gwenick By then they won't believe in magic anyway

[crunchie]

I was being flippant about teh Red Coca Cola thing BTW

[morningpaper]

I have been on multi-faith courses which included atheism (Secular Humanism). Taught the same way as other religions.

[Caligula]

Um, it's not a religion.

How can they teach it the same way as other religions? What's to teach?

No such thing as God. End of lesson.

Am I being simplistic?

[eemie]

I agree in principle with my daughter being taught about Christianity along with other religions/belief systems. I fall over backwards to avoid setting myself up in opposition to her teachers. I let a lot of things go by ('it's not a story mummy, it's true - angels are real').

But she came home from one RE lesson saying 'with Jesus on our side, we can do anything we like, even if it's dangerous, because he will always protect us'.

I snapped and said 'that's rubbish' which obviously didn't help.

What should I have said?

[Snugs]

In a word - yes