Lissa has a reading list she has to complete for school. We have to read ten books together this month, which is no problem. This weekend we were busy and I didn't get to her book until last night. I went to her backpack and pulled this thing out. I was like wtf? But, the illustration was beautiful and there is nothing wrong with christian stories. I would hope her christian classmate's parents would find nothing wrong in a good pagan legend either.But, this book was mean. MEAN, for real. The littlest angel was only 4 years old when he died and went to heaven. He was a little scared and when he got nervous his nose ran and he made a snuffling noise. It irritated the other angels. He also chewed his wing tips and fell off clouds a lot. The other angels were all adults. An angelic choir of big adult angels scowled at him and laughed at his pain. Then a big black man angel got right in his face and decided the littlest angel must be punished. The other adult angels decided this was true, the little angel needed to be disiplined. He looked really scared. Hell, it scared me.
That's when I got mad. And I said, who the hell are these nasty bastards pickin' on a baby? Liss replied that I owed her her two pennies since I have to pay to cuss. I gave her a buck because I like to pre-pay when it comes to religious crap. After questioning her I learned that they used to have Harry Potter, The Three Little Witches and other cool magical books, but, they disappeared. Now she and her classmates have been "introduced" to the new improved pink section of the school library. The pink shelves contain many many lovely books about god, angels, christian legends, going to heaven and the ten comandments.
I was so hot under the collar it felt like satan was giving me a hickey. I got on my first grade level soap box and told her about the seperation of church and state. I told her about her freedoms and mine and I told her I was NOT reading that mean book. She told me the librarian tells them they are all gods lambs. ~Raises eyebrows~
I am too old and in too precarious of a situation to start a war. I told her to return the book and tell her librarian to offer her another section because her grandma does not care for the pink section and we will not be reading those in our home. If she's not offered another section, what will I do? I'll do something, that's for sure. Sigh. All I want to do is raise an open minded child. Why is that so hard in this small narrow minded town? How does anyone think this stuff is okay and why are they allowed to get away with this? They may shit on me, I am old enough to find my own truth, but, they will not brainwash my grandchild. That is not gonna happen.
27 comments:
I don't know what she's going to be when she grows up, but, I know what she's NOT going to be...a narrow minded biggoted lazy ass. Not if I have anything to do with it.
is she enrolled in a christian school?
Oh, hell no. Public school. I asked her if she meant the public library? I asked her twice. Nope. The grade school library just down the hall from her classroom.
gawd, there is no place for this kind of propaganda in schools. My son's school is CoE as most schools in UK are but apart from the odd hymn & some religious studies classes (where they learn about the big 4) it is kept to a minimum. Exposure to all kinds of beliefs is to be encouraged but a nasty sounding book like this, not good.
So is it the librarian pushing her ideas on the kids or has she been told to only hand this stuff over to the kids by the school? That would be the first thing to find out if I were you. If it is just her then you can complain but if it's the school then you have a fight on your hands. Minefield!!
Yeah, I know. I'm upset to think about it, but, this has to be nipped. You know what else she told me? She was talking to her buddies on the playground and she'd told them her gran was a Pagan and they said there was no such thing. Dear load!
...I told her to respond by saying "It's your choice to believe that." and smile.
it takes extra work to raise an open minded child in a small small town, pretty sure though that if anyone is up for the job, it's you. :)
just take your time & do it smart.
maybe print up some pagan fact sheets & ask the school if they can be added to the required reading list. that should put a rocket up their asses.
LOL. Umm, wow.
What a pain in the ass. Wonder if you could go to the public library to fill the the reading list. I would raise hell if it were me but in your situation might not be the fight to pick right now. There is a nice Lutheran school in that town that's the place for that crap. Scary indoctrination!
You know how it is here. They ignore the law because they're right. Flippity flappity douchery doo.
Lissa is a smart kid, I don't think you'll have any problems instilling your open minded beliefs in her. She's a thinker & always will be. Honesty, ethics and morals are more important in life.
When The Kid was 5.5 y.o. I was talked into letting her attend bible school with a neighbor's kids. Didn't do my homework, it was an Evangelical church. Kid came home on day 2 saying "Mom, they're really strange there. The kids are trying to climb the walls & climb the trees to get closer to jesus. They can't do that!" Her father wanted to get her out of there. I said, No, let her stay, she knows they are wrong & it will give her a chance to see there are wackos out there. They didn't convert my little heathen! (in later years she's said I should have been turned in for child abuse.)
"So hot under the collar, it felt like Satan was giving me a hickey"
That was pure gold. I'm using that one as soon as possible.
This is the bible belt. Many ordinary seeming people are just shocked when you don't believe in god or jesus. They just assume I do and go on and on about god stuff not even dreaming in their wildest dreams that anyone could think differently. They are struck speechless with shock when I mention that I am a Pagan. These are not bad people, they're just ignorant. They run this town.
Wow, the differences in some school systems. My daughter brought home books in grade school about fairies and ghosts, the history of witches in jr. high and is reading the History of Martyrs right now that she got from the High School library.She is facinated by different beliefs and debates with her strictly Christian brother all the time.
the situation is not appropriate for a public school. talk to the principal.
Man this pisses me off so much. When my oldest was playing Pee Wee football, one year we had a coach who was a super christian and he'd lead the kids in prayer before every game, always amen'ing "in jesus' name". Never occurred to him that someone on the team may not be christian. I regret not making a stink, but that was years ago. I'd raise hell now.
Dear DD,
I have to agree with ANNA, although I think you've handled it fabulously, so far.
I gotta tell ya; the cover of this book creeps me out. I remember in grade school, my fave books were Alfred Hitchcock's "Tales of the Supernatural" and "Ghost Gallery."
And MY MOM was the librarian at our school!
I have read your summary of the book and I feel sick, especially seeing it is the 4th anniversary of Christopher's passing.
Sorry Vanessa.
She brought home a cat book today. Yay!
Oh, thank the tiki gods; books on cats are great, although I am surprised the library would allow such books about familiars and witch's companions to be stocked in their pink shelves.(Tongue is firmly in cheek right now.)
"I like to pre-pay when it comes to religious crap"
ahahahaha!!!!
Good for you, as always, trying to raise an open minded child.
i saw on a tv doco the other night that american religious fundmentalists wont let their kids read harry potter... WTF!???? we are lucky here right now our prime minister is childless, lives with her boyfriens and says she is athiest. but everyone hates her and she is prob going to be voted out and replaced by a relifious fundamentalist who thinks women should focus more on ioning shirts... it never seems to end. at least lissa came back with a book about cats and you wernt burnt at the stake. it could be worse.
Damn, damn, and fucking GOD damn but I'm pissed about this. Separation of church and state. WHY is this so hard to understand??? The school takes federal money and that means no fucking religion.
FUCK, I'm seething. I wish a mother fucker WOULD send that shit home with my kid. And you know they couch that shit with "It's all harmless" and if you disagree then you're a fucking asshole and they look at you like they pity you for living an unsaved life by not worshiping the Lord.
Call the ACLU. Fuck, tell me the name of the school and I will call the ACLU. This is why I gave those fuckers my money... so they can stop shit like this from happening. This is their specialty. Don't even try to take on city hall yourself.
FUCK I AM PISSED ABOUT THIS!
Oh, and I forced my son to read banned books when he lived with me. That shit was a lot more important than the Littlest Angel Racist Storytime.
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