Atheist mother stops child from going on school religious

It's a funny one.... I am wholly atheist, with no remaining religious belief whatsoever, so I struggle with our two girls (aged 7) coming home from school talking about Jesus and God and singing hymns; the school is a normal secular school, albeit in an area with very few minority religions represented, so I feel it should not be including any religious (especially specific Christian) teaching in its day-to-day activities. I don't want my kids to miss any part of their schooling - it can be hard enough to fit in without making yourself stand out by not going to assembly - but I also don't want my kids indoctrinated with religious nonsense. So I haven't yet had the nerve to bring this up with the teaching staff, as I guess they will simply offer to leave our girls out of this... I do my best to give them some balance - I don't criticise any religions, and in fact highlight that a vast majority of people in the world are a religion other than Christian, but I do make sure I explain to them why I do not believe in any God and why religion is not necessary. Going back to the original comment, I would encourage our girls to visit religious sites, as I think they can be very moving and "spiritual"/calming, even if I don't actually believe the religion behind them, and their historical significance is often important. But I would be quite irritated if such trips were arranged specifically to push one religion's made-up story over another's!
 
"Spiritual" - is it just me, or is this a word with no meaning whatsoever? It strikes me as nothing more than a word for people to use when describing themselves to imply that they are somehow special.
 
Elbow beards said:
Re: Atheist mother stops child from going on school religiou

I'm an atheist with a five year old and there's no way I would stop her from going to a church or cathedral, that's forcing my non belief on her and is as bad as indoctrination of a religion.
I want her to have a rounded view on all aspects of religion and hope in the end she makes an informed decision.
Plus there are some amazing sites to see, some cathedrals are so beautiful, why won't I want her to experience them.
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But would you be equally as happy if your daughter was being taken to a Scientology church or to a visit with the Moonies? Would you be happy to let your daughter believe in Father Christmas into here adulthood? If she did, surely at some point you'd intervene! I find it very hard to believe that you'd be so against forcing non belief on your daughter with many other belief systems, so what separates the Christianity from other belief systems?
 
Damocles said:
Re: Atheist mother stops child from going on school religiou



Pretty much this. She can do what she likes but it's daft really of her to deprive her child of the culture and fun social experiences of school trips because she is frightened about "spooky religious brainwashing".

Let the kid go. A visit to a nice Church isn't going to warp it for life.
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Depends. If it's a Catholic church and they don't supervise the kids properly it might.
 
bluemiester said:
But would you be equally as happy if your daughter was being taken to a Scientology church or to a visit with the Moonies? Would you be happy to let your daughter believe in Father Christmas into here adulthood? If she did, surely at some point you'd intervene! I find it very hard to believe that you'd be so against forcing non belief on your daughter with many other belief systems, so what separates the Christianity from other belief systems?
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It all depends how far the school went, sure I don't want her to be indoctrinated or brain washed by a religion and I would draw the line there, but to stop her from visiting York minster, or being in a nativity play would be too far Imo.
As for father christmas, I don't think many parents tell their kids he doesn't exist, they just grow out of it, as I hope she would any story about talking snakes.
 
lazza said:
It's a funny one.... I am wholly atheist, with no remaining religious belief whatsoever, so I struggle with our two girls (aged 7) coming home from school talking about Jesus and God and singing hymns; the school is a normal secular school, albeit in an area with very few minority religions represented, so I feel it should not be including any religious (especially specific Christian) teaching in its day-to-day activities. I don't want my kids to miss any part of their schooling - it can be hard enough to fit in without making yourself stand out by not going to assembly - but I also don't want my kids indoctrinated with religious nonsense. So I haven't yet had the nerve to bring this up with the teaching staff, as I guess they will simply offer to leave our girls out of this... I do my best to give them some balance - I don't criticise any religions, and in fact highlight that a vast majority of people in the world are a religion other than Christian, but I do make sure I explain to them why I do not believe in any God and why religion is not necessary. Going back to the original comment, I would encourage our girls to visit religious sites, as I think they can be very moving and "spiritual"/calming, even if I don't actually believe the religion behind them, and their historical significance is often important. But I would be quite irritated if such trips were arranged specifically to push one religion's made-up story over another's!
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In the UK there are no secular schools. All state schools have to acknowledge all religions but provide daily worship of a broadly Christian denomination. This was enshrined in law in 1945, and has never changed.
 
marco said:
Re: Atheist mother stops child from going on school religiou



ermmm my son is a man city fan
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Haha being a City fan is the only pressure I had as a child (obviously excluding hard work, being polite and nice etc).
 
Being religious isn't like catching a disease. Well, not in that sense I mean. The mother must be atheist for reasons and she should explain to her child the facts all humans currently have and let the kid make it's own mind up.

Ideally, any credibility to existence of God that kids learn in RE should be blasted out of their minds as soon as they get to Science class.
 
I never did RE, my dad sorted it with school that instead of RE i would do PE with one of the dumb groups instead haha
 
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