MIL trying to send MY Jewish kids to Bible camp!

[Anonymous]

My in laws agreed months ago to take our 6 and 8 year old for the next week while my husband get a week of vacation to celebrate our 10th anniversary. Long-standing issue that I am Jewish and we are raising our children Jewish, husband is totally onboard and has made that clear to his folks many times. So we call about dropping them off tonight and MIL casually mentions she signed them up for half day Bible camp at her church all week! I was speechless, literally handed the phone to DH and walked away. I think we need to cancel the trip tonight, I can't imagine how she thought this was ok. Where do I even go from here?

[Anonymous]

What's wrong with your kids going to bible camp? Even if you're raising your kids Jewish it doesn't mean they can't set foot in a church. If anything the bible camp is mostly fun and games. They will sing some songs. Why isolate your kids when they are visiting inlaws and not let them attend?

[Anonymous]

I would be totally fine with my Christian kids doing a week at a Jewish religious camp. We have a Jewish Community Alliance Center near us. My kids did several camps there a few years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's wrong with your kids going to bible camp? Even if you're raising your kids Jewish it doesn't mean they can't set foot in a church. If anything the bible camp is mostly fun and games. They will sing some songs. Why isolate your kids when they are visiting inlaws and not let them attend?

This. Attending Bible camp won't make them no longer Jewish.

Was it shitty of her to plan this in the context of long-standing issues and spring it on you at the last minute? Absolutely. But they're also taking your two kids for a full week--for free? Nothing is free. There's only so much you can get upset about.

[Anonymous]

I would cancel just because F HER for doing that.

[Anonymous]

I would ask why it would be upsetting to you...would you have been ok with it if she asked? Or you just don't want your children exposed to Christian camp period?

[Anonymous]

Or, I would tell her, "we would love for the kids to come visit you for the week but we are not comfortable with them attending bible camp. If that's a problem we will make alternate arrangements."

[Anonymous]

We just had our non-Christian DD attend a week of sleepaway "Jesus camp" (her words). It was so she could attend with her sports team friends. She LOVED it.

[Anonymous]

Curious how many of you MIL supporting posters would be cool with Muslim inlaws surprise signing up their Jewish grandkids for a week of Koran camp at a time when it will hugely impact their parents to find other arrangements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Or, I would tell her, "we would love for the kids to come visit you for the week but we are not comfortable with them attending bible camp. If that's a problem we will make alternate arrangements."

+1

Completely inappropriate, but I guess the reactions on this thread illustrate that some people don't get it-- just like most people don't understand what's annoying about the term "old testament" (or even "judeo-christian values"). (and fwiwi, I actually sent my kid to a pre-school run by a church but it was a younger age and they weren't there to learn religion).

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Curious how many of you MIL supporting posters would be cool with Muslim inlaws surprise signing up their Jewish grandkids for a week of Koran camp at a time when it will hugely impact their parents to find other arrangements.

Well, if I married into a Muslim family I would have assumed this comes with the territory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would be totally fine with my Christian kids doing a week at a Jewish religious camp. We have a Jewish Community Alliance Center near us. My kids did several camps there a few years ago.

I would too. I have sent my Christian child to camp and other activities at the JCC. But that's because Judaism is. Not an Evangelical religion. The purpose of a Vacation Bible School is evangelism. To convince children that Christianity is the one true faith. Not appropriate for kids whose parents don't believe that.

[Anonymous]

I joke that I would send my kid up for the Devil worship camp if it was the $25 that many of these bible camps are but, though I am Catholic/Christian you MIL is totally and completely out of line to have signed them up. Your husband needs to deal with this and short-term, she either agrees to not send them (hand on her bible) or you just don't go/leave them with her. The camp will be that $25/week so there is no financial hit. These camps usually don't do a hard church sell and are often/like one I send my DD to themed on a social justice issue - like food or water for the poor but the unethical message that your MIL is sending that she is willing to come between you and your husband, you and your children, you and your faith. She has right to do this.

[Anonymous]

(16:34 here!!!)
NO right I meant to say!! MIL has NO right to have signed them up for bible camp