Does your school hold mock marriages and christenings?

[Ormirian]

Ours does. DS2 is attending a christening today. They are christening a baby doll with extravagantly long eyelashes in a rather hideous shiny christening robe. They are calling her Ebony after a poll in the 2 year groups. DS didn't vote because as she has skin and not fur or scales and only 2 legs he really couldn't give a stuff.

Last term Child A 'married' Child B in a moving ceremony in the church. After which child A pushed child B in a puddle (actually she didn't but it would have been funny)

On both occasions a party followed with food supplied by parents.

Is this a new phenomenon. is it because not enough people get wed or christen their babies for it to be a commonly witnessed occurence and children might grow up never seeing it?

Yes, I have seen it in lots of schools Very un P.C. My friend (who is in a same sex relationship) complained , to no avail.

DD had a mock wedding in her class - timed around the Royal Wedding.

I remember in primary school doing work on baptisms and going through the service (we went to both Anglican and Baptist churches and I remember someone wearing the robe used in the Baptist church although the pool for baptism wasn't filled).

This happens in my dcs school. I don't think they go as far as doing it in the church but they run through the whole wedding ceremony. Both my dcs have been "married" at school, although not, fortunately, to each other!

DS class (KS1) did a mock wedding last term. In school hall. Think they got the 'pastor' in from local churchy-thing to 'officiate'.

Not sure why.

oh yeah...it was around the royal wedding time...

That sounds really weird. Are any of these church schools? I'd be pretty cross if it happened at ours.

The christening seems to be more problematic than the wedding in this household. Neither of my dcs are christened and it led to lots of discussion about why not.

I have no problem with it if they run through lots of other ceremonies from lots of other cultures as well.

I do have a problem with it if it is presented as the only way things can be done, especially as the area we live in presents very few examples of the alternatives in daily life.

creeparama

How odd. Are they church schools?

NOT a church school. But they definitely have leanings.
Did find wedding mildly creepy. Less fussed by wedding than would be by christening though.
Agree... no prob at all if they also did a hindu wedding etc

No, not church schools. They do investigate other faiths and ceremonies but as there are only christian churches in the town I guess they can't do as much.

Quite bizarre. I wouldn't be happy about it. Crosses too many boundaries between home/personal/cultural life and school education.

Too much potential for teachers inflicting their own beliefs in an inappropriate way as well.

Very common here (Devon). Deeply creepy IMHO but nobody else seems to think so. I have a good few teacher friends, most not local originally, ( I work in schools sometimes) who think it's great and I am odd for finding it unsettling.

Kind of makes you wonder what they'll be doing next term, mock divorces and funerals maybe?

Well the kids spend a lot of time learning about other religions and their traditions and rituals why not christian traditions and rituals

It is just a way of teaching children about religious ceremonies. Not all schools choose to use role play to do this, but some do.

There's nothing wrong with learning about traditions and rituals; it's the idea of enacting them that seems odd. If they're also going to enact Jewish/Moslem/Hindu weddings, as well as registry office weddings and same sex civil partnerships, fine. If they're just going to enact Christian church weddings, deeply wrong if not a church school.

Learning ABOUT religions and the differences between them is fine with me. I'd say that this is only appropriate for children who are old enough to have a meaningful concept of what religion is though (ie not 5 or 6 years old).

Having children take part in mock ceremonies in actual churches / temples / mosques seems to be taking it to a whole other level though.

Singersgirl - yes that is a point, are these schools teaching about 'marriage ceremonies' per se? In which case I wonder whether they cover non-religious and civil partnership marriage ceremonies too?

frasersmummy Maybe if they discussing all marriage and baby welcoming rituals, I wouldn't find it so odd, but acting one out - particularly the marriage which is a very adult choice and putting kids in the roles - crosses the line for me. There are other ways to teach about christian traditions and rituals without putting the children in those roles.

When I was in school, we did do a marriage - of Q and U - in a civil marriage ceremony (but I grew up in the States, so no religious parts). We were all guests and drew the other letters in fancy outfits. I think this would go down far easy (with further conversations about different types of marriage ceremonies and civil partnerships) than having two kids play bride and groom.

Good grief no! What a very strange thing to do . I can understand discussing such ceremonies but that's another level.

The school my dd's go to had a mock wedding ceremony and did a project about it. The school is a CofE school and has close links with the church so I think it was more about this is a service which happens in the village church rather than about heterosexual relationships iyswim?

My dd did this earlier this year, as part of the general rituals project.They had the vicar in, reception after, and everything, but they sort of rewrote it as a friendship ceremony, so all the class signed a friendship register and they all got given a friendship bracelet.