ignore this if you are religious
3 Aug 2011 08:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jennickelsMy kids have been going to this puppet show thing at the park every Wednesday since the beginning of July. They get free snow cones, a candy of some kind and dinner (nachos or pizza or mac & cheese). They have games and then the puppet show which I'm told continues from one week to the next. The kids have been having a blast and all the kids in the neighborhood go. I never really thought much about the people putting it on. They seemed like a nice group and really enjoy entertaining the kids dressed as pirates, lol.
Well today is the 2nd to last day and the kids just got home. My 5yo comes up and shows me a little flyer they gave her for a special "pirate day" on Saturday at the local 7th Day Adventist Church. Not going.
Anyway, she runs off to use the bathroom and comes back to finish telling me about the candy she got and the "tattoos" (like face art but on her hands). Then I look at her shirt and she has a big sticker that says, "Jesus is my best friend." I about died.
...and this is probably where the really religious will want to just go about their day...
See, we're atheist. We've been raising our kids without religion and god talk as much as possible (minus the three year stint at Catholic school while living in Chicago because the public schools had no room). I have no problem with religion and religious people as long as they don't try to push it on to me and my kids.
I had heard that the group hosting the park days was from this church but up until today the kids have never mentioned any religious aspect of the show. (And, no, I've never gone... it's the kids' time to enjoy and I don't hover over them.) But now I'm concerned. My 5yo was all excited to tell me how Jesus is her best friend and loves her and I wanted to gag. I told her to throw away the sticker which was a bit excessive but... blah.
I mean no offense to my religious friends. I won't try to convince your kids to be atheist and I'd appreciate religious people not trying to convince my kids that Jesus is real and loves them.
Since this is the first mention (and the 5yo missed out on the Catholic schooling) of Jesus since July started and there is only one Wednesday left I'll let it slide. Most likely she'll forget about it after a few weeks but it bugs me that people (churches) think it's okay to preach to unsuspecting kids while hiding behind being an inclusive neighborhood performing group.
And no where on their flyers they taped up all over and hand out door to door every week say that they are from the church. It just says that they are this performing group, will be at the park on Wednesday at 5pm and there will be free food and games.
I think it's kind of sneaky and underhanded to then slip Jesus and religion into the performance and games and act like it's no big deal. Sigh. And here I thought we lucked out on a nice liberal, care free neighborhood. There's always got to be that one church/group/person to ruin it for us.
Well today is the 2nd to last day and the kids just got home. My 5yo comes up and shows me a little flyer they gave her for a special "pirate day" on Saturday at the local 7th Day Adventist Church. Not going.
Anyway, she runs off to use the bathroom and comes back to finish telling me about the candy she got and the "tattoos" (like face art but on her hands). Then I look at her shirt and she has a big sticker that says, "Jesus is my best friend." I about died.
...and this is probably where the really religious will want to just go about their day...
See, we're atheist. We've been raising our kids without religion and god talk as much as possible (minus the three year stint at Catholic school while living in Chicago because the public schools had no room). I have no problem with religion and religious people as long as they don't try to push it on to me and my kids.
I had heard that the group hosting the park days was from this church but up until today the kids have never mentioned any religious aspect of the show. (And, no, I've never gone... it's the kids' time to enjoy and I don't hover over them.) But now I'm concerned. My 5yo was all excited to tell me how Jesus is her best friend and loves her and I wanted to gag. I told her to throw away the sticker which was a bit excessive but... blah.
I mean no offense to my religious friends. I won't try to convince your kids to be atheist and I'd appreciate religious people not trying to convince my kids that Jesus is real and loves them.
Since this is the first mention (and the 5yo missed out on the Catholic schooling) of Jesus since July started and there is only one Wednesday left I'll let it slide. Most likely she'll forget about it after a few weeks but it bugs me that people (churches) think it's okay to preach to unsuspecting kids while hiding behind being an inclusive neighborhood performing group.
And no where on their flyers they taped up all over and hand out door to door every week say that they are from the church. It just says that they are this performing group, will be at the park on Wednesday at 5pm and there will be free food and games.
I think it's kind of sneaky and underhanded to then slip Jesus and religion into the performance and games and act like it's no big deal. Sigh. And here I thought we lucked out on a nice liberal, care free neighborhood. There's always got to be that one church/group/person to ruin it for us.
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no subject
Date: 4 Aug 2011 06:07 pm (UTC)I have no idea what my brother believes but religion isn't a big part of his life. I know my kids will figure it out on their own (whatever it is they choose to believe in). I just get irritated with people trying to force their beliefs onto them. Especially the 5yo because she just doesn't understand. She doesn't even know who Jesus is but now fully believes he's her "best friend" because some people she looks up to told her so. Sigh.
I'm just letting it go. She'll forget about it once the park thing is over (next week is the last day). The sticker just kind of threw me. I think normally I would have just rolled my eyes at it and went about my day but it was like a physical slap in the face.
Just an FYI: not all of us from south of the Mason-Dixon line are bible toting religious freaks. ;)
I try to remind myself of that. I spend too much time on this parenting site and there are a lot of crazy religious people. Before that site I was oblivious to the nuttery of this country. Growing up in the north it's just not a big issue. People just mind their own business. Then I get on the site and they are arguing over Bible History being taught in public school and a majority of people are FOR it. Ugh.
I even had a nice "Christian" woman PM and tell me I deserved to have my children raped and murdered in front of me because I didn't agree with her on some topic (I believe it was the non-stop coverage of the Caylee Anthony disappearance which I was tired of hearing about every second of the day). Apparently I was an uncaring bitch and deserved to be punished with the death of my children. It's what god would would want.
Holy fuck these people are insane. People like that scare me.