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Regression into Christanity

Started by Siz, October 23, 2015, 03:41:08 PM

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Siz

OK, so here's the scoop. As many of you know, around 7 years ago Mrs Siz had entered the church community to get the little Sizes into a good primary school... which worked a treat. MiniSiz has now left that school and moved on to a pretty decent local, single-sex comprehensive, taking with him great academic prospects. Meanwhile, MicroSiz has another couple of years before she moves up. Sadly, there're no decent local comprehensives that she's likely to get in to. So MrsSiz has embarked once again on a long-term strategy to get MicroSiz into one of the very decent CofE schools. This time though, she not only attends church, but has also enrolled on a weekly course - something about helping to bring your children closer to God.  :-\

So, I'm now no longer allowed to enjoy my little anti-religion rants at the dinner table. :-X And I've got an increasingly millitant Christian in the house (OK, equal and opposite to the opinionated, and outspoken atheist that has attempted to rule the philosophical roost for most of their lives).

I suspect that the kids - both now self-identifying atheists - may come to resent the stance that Mum has now adopted. :-\

Well, I shall take a step back and try not to rock the boat (cos I'd love for her to get in to the school). But it's going to be quite a feat for us all to negotiate our way through this rather messy quagmire.

Whaddya think?


When one sleeps on the floor one need not worry about falling out of bed - Anton LaVey

The universe is a cold, uncaring void. The key to happiness isn't a search for meaning, it's to just keep yourself busy with unimportant nonsense, and eventually you'll be dead!

xSilverPhinx

Tough situation you're in, Siz, especially since it involves your children but interacting with an increasingly militant Christian can be done. My mother and I simply don't bring it up any more, and when she was going through the initial stages of her regression into Christianity (what I call her OMG I found god phase) the Bible was all that she would read, all her new friends were from the church community and she liked to talk about her new found religion a LOT, but eventually the enthusiasm died down, she left the church and became 'spiritual', whatever that is. She doesn't feel the need to be so opinionated and zealous anymore. Hopefully Mrs. Siz will follow a similar route. My fingers are crossed for ya.

I'm not familiar with Church of England schools, do they actively try to indoctrinate students or take the live and let live stance?   
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


Siz

Oh, it's very much a live-and-let-live approach here in England. They're pretty harmless really. In fact, I know several atheists who go to local churches just for the community.

I think we'll be fine. I just need to reign myself in a bit - and she knows better than to engage me on the subject of religion. I recon the kids will be more vocal than I (for which I'll get the blame, of course). My work is done!

When one sleeps on the floor one need not worry about falling out of bed - Anton LaVey

The universe is a cold, uncaring void. The key to happiness isn't a search for meaning, it's to just keep yourself busy with unimportant nonsense, and eventually you'll be dead!

Tank

You'll have to try being subtle....












...You're fucked.

Seriously, good luck!
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Essie Mae

It's all to do with our twisted, inconsistent education system.  As good parents, that's how you have to behave.  But I'm sure it will be OK in the end.  Even the bible seems to suggest there's no regression into religion:

"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet."
Hell is empty and all the devils are here. Wm Shakespeare


OldGit

I dunno, Siz, but I wish you the very best.

Crow

As somebody who isn't a parent and has little experience with children who pretty much does whatever they want I don't know how relevant or worthwhile my opinion would be. But to combat it I would attempt to introduce them to other religions in an effort to open their eyes to different concept and ideologies so they can view things from a larger vantage point that nobody would be able to argue against as it is under the guise of education. Though there is always the risk of them falling for another religion but at least they will have made their own mind up rather than being force fed the opinions of parents.
Retired member.

Crow

Quote from: xSilverPhinx on October 23, 2015, 04:20:35 PM
I'm not familiar with Church of England schools, do they actively try to indoctrinate students or take the live and let live stance?

I learned more about other religions from my teachers at my CofE primary school than I did about Christianity. The three stand outs was a Jewish teacher who always harped on about her religion it probably also helped that she use to be obsessed with Orwell and would play audio cassettes of his books twice a week when we should have been doing religious studies, a teacher who had spent the last ten years travelling and teaching around Africa and he use to tell stories about all the different religions all the time, and a Hindu teacher that use to always tell us about the different stories in Hinduism that correlated to what we had heard in Friday assembly. The head teacher use to make us all meditate every assembly she took. One of my closest friends dad was also the vicar who gave the Friday assemblies, he was more interested in collecting weapons for the walls of his study than preaching and I had heard him say that he is a priest because he likes the ideals but didn't believe most of it.

Apart from a Friday assembly which was essentially the vicar doing warm up for Sunday in a more light hearted way usually with a projector he use to draw cartoons on and read a few passages from the bible and tell some stories of his own you would also get choir practice, the rest would be events for christingle, easter, harvest festival,the nativity play and I think that was it. So you can see it was very relaxed in my primary school, it may be stricter in other areas but overall CofE is very relaxed and doesn't infringe on the everyday workings of communities it is just a spoke for people to engage with if they want it.
Retired member.

Siz

^
Yep, that's about the size of it at MicroSiz' CofE primary. They all prey at assemblies and do several functions (Easter/Xmas etc...) alongside the local church, and there is an optional bible study club, but otherwise it's very low key.

When one sleeps on the floor one need not worry about falling out of bed - Anton LaVey

The universe is a cold, uncaring void. The key to happiness isn't a search for meaning, it's to just keep yourself busy with unimportant nonsense, and eventually you'll be dead!

Siz

Quote from: Crow on October 24, 2015, 01:26:06 PM
As somebody who isn't a parent and has little experience with children who pretty much does whatever they want I don't know how relevant or worthwhile my opinion would be. But to combat it I would attempt to introduce them to other religions in an effort to open their eyes to different concept and ideologies so they can view things from a larger vantage point that nobody would be able to argue against as it is under the guise of education. Though there is always the risk of them falling for another religion but at least they will have made their own mind up rather than being force fed the opinions of parents.

I'm not particularly worried about them being brainwashed - I think I have given them enough logic and reason to keep them safe (and if not, so be it). What I'm more concerned about is them being dragged into situations that they are not comfortable with or that makes them miserable. While attending a CofE school (or, indeed, going to church on a Sunday morning) remains positive for MicroSiz (and she does, for the time being, seem to enjoy her little church club) I have no problem.

When one sleeps on the floor one need not worry about falling out of bed - Anton LaVey

The universe is a cold, uncaring void. The key to happiness isn't a search for meaning, it's to just keep yourself busy with unimportant nonsense, and eventually you'll be dead!

Claireliontamer

Scamp goes to a CofE primary school too, as did I when I was younger.  There is some religious aspect to what she does.  Last year in Y1 they were supposed to draw/write about the things God made.  She left her page blank.......that didn't go down too well at the school.
Then there was the nativity episode, which I'm sure I posted about on here; she was playing Mary and so supposed to hold the baby Jesus, in the middle of the performance she turned to the watching crowd and declared Jesus wasn't real.  I don't think I have any worries about her! 

In terms of secondary school in a few years time, around here there is only the Catholic option in terms of religion.  It is a good school but I won't send her there as I know they can be quite extreme in the ways they teach the religious aspect. 

Crow

Quote from: Siz on October 24, 2015, 05:00:03 PM
I'm not particularly worried about them being brainwashed - I think I have given them enough logic and reason to keep them safe (and if not, so be it). What I'm more concerned about is them being dragged into situations that they are not comfortable with or that makes them miserable. While attending a CofE school (or, indeed, going to church on a Sunday morning) remains positive for MicroSiz (and she does, for the time being, seem to enjoy her little church club) I have no problem.

Looks like your mind is made up. Children generally don't like school, I hated secondary school and wanted to go to a private school with some of my friends but my mum is a big on left politics so that was never going to happen even though she later said she regretted the decision. Even though I despised school and it made me very miserable at the time it was a learning experience, unhappiness isn't always a negative. Plus if things don't work you can always put your foot down and move him.

But where would CofE be without the schools.
Retired member.

Claireliontamer

Quote from: Crow on October 24, 2015, 05:40:39 PM

Looks like your mind is made up. Children generally don't like school.


Having been around a variety of schools (from a range of socioeconomic areas too) in some kind of capacity on and off for the past ten years I don't actually think this is true.  I don't think kids like the education system (nor do I and I work in it!) but for lots of kids school provides stability and friendship in their lives. 

It is always interesting on GCSE results day when students come in for results and then realise that for some it's the last time they'll be in the school.  The vast majority are sad about leaving when it actually comes to it. 

Of course there are some who genuinely hate the whole experience but from what I've seen they're in the minority. 

Siz

Quote from: Crow
Looks like your mind is made up. Children generally don't like school...

Generally? Really?

My kids LOVE school!.

When one sleeps on the floor one need not worry about falling out of bed - Anton LaVey

The universe is a cold, uncaring void. The key to happiness isn't a search for meaning, it's to just keep yourself busy with unimportant nonsense, and eventually you'll be dead!

Crow

Quote from: Siz on October 24, 2015, 08:23:14 PM
Quote from: Crow
Looks like your mind is made up. Children generally don't like school...

Generally? Really?

My kids LOVE school!.

Damn. Apart from friends and easy ways to make money there was nothing good about it (well primary school was great and so was college and uni). Take the teachers away, the 5 days a week, 3 hours worth of homework everyday, crappy uniforms, people making something out to be far more important than it was ever going to be, pest gym teachers trying to get you to join their joke of a team, awful food, then it would have been fine. Actually just take away the teachers.
Retired member.