DS came home from a school trip to a mosque today . . .

[bran]

and said "Mummy, did you know that Muslims have to wash before they pray to their false God?"

I did the softly-softly approach about people having different names for essentially the same god, and that there was no single "right" god only what was the right god for each individual person. But he was adamant that only God, Jesus' father, is God and everything else is false and wrong. So then got very stern and gave him a bollocking about all religions being equally valid and how wrong and rude it is to call something false when someone who believes in it might hear you and be upset.

I know that he didn't get this from his teachers, and he says that a particular boy was teaching everyone to say this. It is a Christian school, but they are very open and welcoming towards other religions. Do you think I should send a note to his teacher to let her know what he's been saying so that she can keep an eye on him (and the others) or just let it go? He's in yr 1 (someone is bound to ask).

Well, the only person that was publicly denigrating another faith was a 6 year old boy. I'm not going to lose sleep over that.

I was just responding to the notion that all faiths were equally valid. They simply are not, according to their adherants.

Well, I'm an atheist and think all religions are equally valid - still wouldn't want a child of mine to be offensive about other people's beliefs. Even if you think he's right, it's not an argument he really understands.

thing is, it's such a strange phrase, isn't it 'their false god' - I'd be wondering where he got it from. I'd be less surprised to hear a non muslim say, 'isn't it funny Mummy, they call god a funny name' altho' obviously that isn't quite what you'd be hoping to hear. But 'false god' smacks of propaganda to me. I would want to know if I was the teacher for sure.

Yes, but it's about something being valid to them

Recognising people of other faiths and its importance to them is a good, inclusive thing, no?

A six-year old doesn't speak for the whole of Christianity any more than a liberal vicar.

"false god" definitely sounds like something the other kid has heard from an adult. A Not Very Nice adult IMO.

If you are a Christian, you are going to believe that Christianity is more valid that anything else. If you are Muslim, you are going to believe that that is more valid than anything else. It's not rocket science.

Fortunately the human brain is capable of more subtlety than that, Five.

I like the Quaker approach that there are many paths to God. (And that there is a little bit of God in everyone so no-one is ultimately irredeemable.)

fivesets,

"As a Christian minister, justabout, do you really believe that other faiths are equally valid?"

All religions are valid to their own adherents, so they are equally valid, aren't they???

(Tempted to add a "durrr!" here )

"If you are a Christian, you are going to believe that Christianity is more valid that anything else."

But surely you can still believe simultaneously that another's faith is equally valid to them?

I would mention it to the teacher. I am a Muslim and I am teaching my children that people are free to believe different things and that we must respect their right to do that and not insult, make fun of or be rude about other peoples' and their beliefs.

I'm hoping that their generation might have a better understanding of how to be tolerant and fair.

no-one else found it funny then? I'd have had to stop a snigger. obv I'd then have gently explained that it isn't polite to talk about someone's beliefs that way.

on a broader note, how does it work that everyone has has the same god but with a different name? what religion believes that??

sanfairyann i find it faintly funny too, although i would probably have had a Serious Talk to ds if he had come out with this so am in bran's camp there.

John 14:6

Bran
I think that you are right in challenging your DS on his comments and that a word with the teacher is definitely in order.

No matter if Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu or even a believer of the Church of Jedi, the followers of all religions should be treated with respect and tolerance. It is not too much to expect a 6yo to understand this.

I'm just thinking about the first and second commandments which say,

"You shall have no other gods before me." and
"You shall not make for yourself an idol ...and bow down and worship them."

Doesn't that imply that some people do worship false gods?

It might already have come up in the thread but Muslim and Christian indeed pray to the same God, as do Jewish people.

Muslims & Christians

(not good to write a poste whilst getting the children ready for school)

There are some nasty displays of intolerance here.

I think it is worth flagging with the teacher, but not in a "keep an eye on DS" kind of way, just to flag that some lessons on accepting others beliefs may be needed.