When will we be rid of The Nativity?

[Occam'sRazor]

I remember the newspapers fretting about the disappearance of primary school Nativity plays, but it seems to me that they're still around. Is the teaching of the Nativity part of the curriculum? If it is, I sincerely hope that it isn't still taught as if it were a history lesson.

 

Back when I was a boy, I remember being totally convinced by my primary school teachers that Gabriel really did appear before Mary, and God really did impregnate her with himself (although it wasn't quite expressed in that manner), and Mary and Joseph actually thought it would be a good idea to travel all the way to Bethlehem on a donkey while heavily pregnant, and the rest of it. Also included was Jesus walking on water, making blind people see again, and raising people like Lazarus and Jairus' daughter and himself from the dead. Looking back, I'm absolutely disgusted.

 

When we learned about the Egyptian deities, we were under no illusions that they weren't mythical. I'm not saying that Jesus is mythical; just, well, most of the story. Perhaps in the way that some of us treat the stories of King Arthur - a slight basis in fact, but mostly a motivational fiction for whatever social, moral or political purpose it was intended. At the very least, we know the Nativity is not historically accurate, and no historian worth her salt would consider any of the miracles as historically accurate. I would hope that schools now teach all of RE as systems of unfounded beliefs, e.g. "Some people (though not many nowadays) of the Abrahamic religions believe that a god called Yahweh created the world in 6 days, making humans on the sixth." "Some Christians (though not many nowadays) believe that Gabriel appeared to Mary etc."

 

My friends have two daughters, one of whom is coming back home from school actually believing the Christian tenets she's being taught. I can't help wondering if she's being taught them as if they were the truth or as merely what other people believe. Something tells me it's the former. If I was her parent, I'd be having words with the school.

 

When will schools grow up and stick to teaching our children only facts and skills?

[finoni9]

Schools teach about bits of all different religions - to stop teaching about the Nativity would mean to stop teaching about all religions.

[Occam'sRazor]

Looking at it now, the thread title is slightly misleading. I mean: When will we be rid of teaching The Nativity as truth?

 

I'm not against teaching it as a story that some people believe. It just shouldn't be taught as it was taught to me - as a history lesson. Christianity is on equal par with the rest of them, and should be taught as such. Either teach them all as truth, which would be contradictory and terrible, or teach them all as what they are.

[Jason Bourne]

When will we be rid of The Nativity?

 

Never, hopefully.

 

I loved the nativity play when I was a kid

 

I was the innkeeper, who told Mary and Joseph there was no room at the inn, and I have never forgiven myself

[chimay]

When I was in the infants and juniors we were taught Bible Stories so I thought that they were the same as the stories the teachers read to us every afternoon.

[artisan]

Who are you to say that the birth of Jesus Christ is not as it says?

That is most arrogant in my opinion.

Mohammed was called to appear before god also.

Presumably you deny this.

Hundreds of millions follow these ideas, it is foolish to decry them.

 

Regarding the Nativity, wait until your kids are at school.

You will be the first there if your daughter is chosen as the Virgin Mary. :hihi:

[finoni9]

Looking at it now, the thread title is slightly misleading. I mean: When will we be rid of teaching The Nativity as truth?

 

I'm not against teaching it as a story that some people believe. It just shouldn't be taught as it was taught to me - as a history lesson. Christianity is on equal par with the rest of them, and should be taught as such. Either teach them all as truth, which would be contradictory and terrible, or teach them all as what they are.

 

I think all religion should be taught as "this is what Christians believe", "this is what Muslims believe", "this is what Buddhists believe" "this is what athiests believe"

 

It is then up to the child as they grow up to decide which they think is true or not.

[Bloomdido]

I recall believing the whole lot, the flood, Jesus on a donkey, Judas. It was all told as if it happened. No one balanced it with something like, "Our all-loving god wiped out the entire population of the world less one family, all because of a design error."

 

Perhaps people just carried on the tradition and there was no-one radical enough to make a stand. I tried when I was fifteen by writing to 'the Star' to complain about the legislation demanding a religious assembly in schools every day. I was slated the following week and guess what? We still have to have assemblies nearly 35 years later. At least I didn't get fed the 'fire and brimstone' routine that many children seemed to get from the more religious schools.

 

Now there are dissidents like my 11 year-old son, who I posted about recently. A teacher threatened him with punishment for not singing in assembly after I told him he didin't have to sing.

 

It just seems odd that we are supposed to encourage children to form their own conclusions when it comes to 'safe stuff' but there are religious zealots queing to get into their impressionable minds. I call it abuse.

[finoni9]

I recall believing the whole lot, the flood, Jesus on a donkey, Judas. It was all told as if it happened. No one balanced it with something like, "Our all-loving god wiped out the entire population of the world less one family, all because of a design error."

 

Perhaps people just carried on the tradition and there was no-one radical enough to make a stand. I tried when I was fifteen by writing to 'the Star' to complain about the legislation demanding a religious assembly in schools every day. I was slated the following week and guess what? We still have to have assemblies nearly 35 years later. At least I didn't get fed the 'fire and brimstone' routine that many children seemed to get from the more religious schools.

 

Now there are dissidents like my 11 year-old son, who I posted about recently. A teacher threatened him with punishment for not singing in assembly after I told him he didin't have to sing.

 

It just seems odd that we are supposed to encourage children to form their own conclusions when it comes to 'safe stuff' but there are religious zealots queing to get into their impressionable minds. I call it abuse.

 

But what if your 11 yr old decided later in life to take up a particular religion - would you shun him for his views of be tolerant?

[HeadingNorth]

Schools teach about bits of all different religions - to stop teaching about the Nativity would mean to stop teaching about all religions.

 

I don't know how things are taught today; in my day, as in the OP's day, other religions were taught based on what they believed, and how they came about, whereas the Nativity was presented as a factual history lesson.