Earlier this week 4yo DGD asked me if the Jesus who died on the cross (we were eating hot cross buns) to save her from her sins, was the same baby Jesus who was born at Christmas. Ever practical, she wondered why he had been born, grew up and died, all in a few months. I explained that it was just a fairy tale and so anything could happen and she was happy with that explanation and said that it was the minister who came to nursery school and told them the stories. She had enjoyed the Christmas story but did not like the man hung on the cross one. Later I asked her if she knew what 'sins' were and after some thought she said that No, she had no idea, but did not think she had ever seen one or had one! No great harm done there then.
Yesterday, via a chatty conversation about children going to Granny's after school, when Mummy is working, 5yo DGS (a deep thinker) quizzed me about what happened later to my Granny and his Mummy's Granny - did they die? Next thing he was crying and saying he did not want me to die, nor Mummy, Daddy, Granpa etc. but then he did not want to die 'to save us all'. I could not console him at all. He had a fixed idea that he, as the only son, had to die horribly 'to save us all'. Yes - the school chaplain had been at work in his Nursery School too. These are not Church Schools, just council run local Primary Schools.
I already have serious concerns about allowing these chaplains to tell their usually quite 'nice' stories as facts to very young children. They come in once a month in the same slot as the fire brigade, dental service, traffic police, etc. and are given the same level of respect for their message. IMO they are instilling guilt into innocent children.
