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).

nickelbabe, I think you mean "if there is a God, there is only one God"

Some of us believe man created god, not the other way round...

Of course people feel their religion is the only valid one.
There is a difference between recognising the right for people to have different religious beliefs (which I do) and recognising other religious beliefs (which I do not)

Sylvia Garland: "BTW I often think that people are much more rude about Christians than they are about other faiths."

I think this is because in a "Christian Country" like the UK, the majority of atheists have consciously rejected Christianity in the first place, and thence rejected religion, rather than coming from another religion. So it is a case of attacking the devil God you know.

I certainly don't think Christians are any more right or wrong-headed than any other believers, but thanks to singing along through 12 years of "broadly Christian worship" at school, I think I can argue a little more cogently against Christianity than the others.

I live in a multicultural society where we depend on mutual respect. We have various inter-faith groups, such as Telco active in our area.
Young children repeat what is said to them by other children, yes, but mostly by adults in positions of authority - and that includes parents. 'False God' is not a usual infant school phrase, so, most teachers would be grateful for your concern. Most state schools have to teach at least 50% of RE about Christianity with everyone else sharing the rest - they are encouraged to visit monuments, sites and religious buildings as the study and behave in a dignified and respectful manner where ever they are on school trips.

Yup, not unreasonable to give the teacher a heads-up that someone's parents are teaching him intolerance ('false god' is not a phrase a 6 year old would spontaneously use). Nothing wrong with believeing that everyone else's imaginary friends are, well, imaginary, of course - just impolite to harass them about it.

False gods too much: I would ask the teacher if she used the phrase as it looks a bit pathetic to "snitch" on a child. It's a bit irritating to a teacher. She just needs a heads up.

But what do you mean by bollocking? sounds really weird to me, bollocking a five year old for repeating something someone said.

and (fairyann and gor) even some Hindus think that if you believe in a god you are a Hindu, because it means you are engaged in the search after the one supreme truth. There is a lot of cross dissolve.