MIL trying to send MY Jewish kids to Bible camp!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here - we cancelled our trip and DH had a long discussion with his parents about how angry we are. They go to a huge Bible church in Virginia, not that it matters much, but I get the sense that this is just the latest attempt to push Christianity on us. We have had the same conversation for many years, DH and I agreed 12 years ago that we would be a Jewish family and we haven't wavered. He's not religious and I am, both spiritually and culturally. Our last major blowup with them was years ago when they tried to arrange to baptize our kids and we had a very frank conversation about why we were not at all ok with this.

We've had this trip planned for months, they offered to take the kids and we had arranged for afternoon swim dates with a babysitter to give them breaks, and have had several conversations about activities and things we could do to make it a great trip. To spring Bible camp as a done deal on us a few hours before we left is inexcusable. I am furious. After a 12 year relationship with them I cannot believe they have such little respect for the choices we've made for our kids. I agree my kids can learn about other religions but not at surprise Bible camp.

Good team work with your DH, OP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was little I got taken to Sunday school for the first time. Around 6. The teacher talked about how people who did not believe in Jesus were going to hell and I started crying because I was going to hell. She then took me out and made me pray to accept Jesus and then told me I was no longer going to hell. It was very traumatizing for a little kid.

All the posters here criticizing you do not understand this is a deliberate attempt to undermine you and your husband's decisions to raise your child Jewish and could potentially expose them to a very denigrating and traumatizing environment for someone who is not ready and very young. Also incredibly insensitive to the history of Judaism. Sorry OP, you have to scrap your plans and not send your children to their grandparents. I would be enraged if my MIL did that.

I had a similar experience being creeped out at vacation bible school at my grandparents' church. Thankfully, I thought, "Eh, we have our own church and didn't partake of accepting Jesus into my heart. :/

I grew up going to church , sunday school , and vbs. Never once were we told we were going to hell.

Errrr yes, because you were already part of the community. Duh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's going to be good times in the house when one of the kids decides to convert to Christianity.

And that will be the kid's choice when they are older. Not when grandma decides to send them to brainwashing camp without context and guidance from their parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem is that there is a good chance the children will be told they are going to hell because they don't believe in Jesus. That is not cultural education, that is coercion.

Yep. I have witnessed Christian children tell other children that Jews are going to hell because they don't believe in Jesus.

I have witnessed Christian kids in my own family tell other Christian children in my family that they are going to hell because they didn't say XYZ about Jesus. There are some nuts out there pushing this crap onto kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was little I got taken to Sunday school for the first time. Around 6. The teacher talked about how people who did not believe in Jesus were going to hell and I started crying because I was going to hell. She then took me out and made me pray to accept Jesus and then told me I was no longer going to hell. It was very traumatizing for a little kid.

All the posters here criticizing you do not understand this is a deliberate attempt to undermine you and your husband's decisions to raise your child Jewish and could potentially expose them to a very denigrating and traumatizing environment for someone who is not ready and very young. Also incredibly insensitive to the history of Judaism. Sorry OP, you have to scrap your plans and not send your children to their grandparents. I would be enraged if my MIL did that.

I had a similar experience being creeped out at vacation bible school at my grandparents' church. Thankfully, I thought, "Eh, we have our own church and didn't partake of accepting Jesus into my heart. :/

I grew up going to church , sunday school , and vbs. Never once were we told we were going to hell.

Are you Jewish?

[Anonymous]

You did the right thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here - we cancelled our trip and DH had a long discussion with his parents about how angry we are. They go to a huge Bible church in Virginia, not that it matters much, but I get the sense that this is just the latest attempt to push Christianity on us. We have had the same conversation for many years, DH and I agreed 12 years ago that we would be a Jewish family and we haven't wavered. He's not religious and I am, both spiritually and culturally. Our last major blowup with them was years ago when they tried to arrange to baptize our kids and we had a very frank conversation about why we were not at all ok with this.

We've had this trip planned for months, they offered to take the kids and we had arranged for afternoon swim dates with a babysitter to give them breaks, and have had several conversations about activities and things we could do to make it a great trip. To spring Bible camp as a done deal on us a few hours before we left is inexcusable. I am furious. After a 12 year relationship with them I cannot believe they have such little respect for the choices we've made for our kids. I agree my kids can learn about other religions but not at surprise Bible camp.

Sorry about your trip, OP, but I do think it's the right call. Your ILs completely overstepped their boundaries - so disrespectful.

Take the kids with you on a last minute vacation? Somewhere around here?

[Anonymous]

Good teamwork between you and DH, OP. I'm so sorry that you're having these boundary troubles with the in laws. I'd take your kids if you were my friend!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's one thing to provide some cultural education, but these half-day bible schools are usually offered free of charge to drum up business for the church. And it is a business. The kids are going to come home with bags of novelties that feature a cross and words of scripture. The only purpose of that is to teach them how to be Christian, not to teach them about Christianity. You will find a few Christian kids at a Jewish camp but you will never find Jewish kids at a Christian camp. It doesn't work in that direction.

+1. This is how it works. I am a Christian who grew up going to VBC (didn't send my kids, tho).

[Anonymous]

I'm episcopalian and I would not let my kids go to some bible thumper summer camp. This is not like sending your agnostic kids to some genteel Northern Virginia or Bethesda summer program sponsored by the local UU or a UMC church with a rainbow flag outside.

[Anonymous]

Good for you guys OP! I'm so glad you and DH stood up for yourselves and your children. Sorry about the trip. Hopefully you can have a fun staycation with your children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I get it (DH and I are Jewish FWIW with non-Jewish relatives). Out of all the camps they could be enrolled in, your MIL purposely chose bible camp. I would not ever be ok with that, because she went behind your back. However, if it was presented to me prior, and I got the chance to know exactly what would be going on at the camp, I might be ok with it. I would chalk it up to a learning experience for my kids.

You do realize most vacation bible schools are free & don't require much paperwork or advanced reservations. They are very easy to sign up for, and often offered at a time of year when most camps are finished. The idea of a half day (free) break might be appealing to your in laws.

[Anonymous]

OP, I really do understand why you are angry, but for purposes of perspective, I cannot imagine that my extremely evangelical Christian in laws would ever offer to watch my kids while DH and I went on a vacation, Bible school or no Bible school. They're just not all that interested in the kids.

[Anonymous]

You seem very controlling. I feel sorry for your husband.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I really do understand why you are angry, but for purposes of perspective, I cannot imagine that my extremely evangelical Christian in laws would ever offer to watch my kids while DH and I went on a vacation, Bible school or no Bible school. They're just not all that interested in the kids.

Yes, you should have suspected their ulterior motives from the start!