![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Jonah and I had our first theological discussion last night. It came a lot earlier than I thought it would. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised how it came about since he goes to preschool at a Baptist church.
We were driving to the post office when we passed a yard that had a nearly life sized nativity in it. He was chowing down on a piece of granola bar that I had shared with him and I thought he was saying "that's good". As it turns out, he was saying, "God, that's God." When I asked him to clarify, he said, "in the manger, that's God." I asked him if he learned that in school and he said, "yes."
Most of you know I don't identify myself as Christian, but I wouldn't be upset if Jonah winds up doing so for himself. I really don't care what religion or belief system he adopts and I'll be happy to objectively help him in his search for something that makes sense to him. So, I took the most objective and informative stance as possible and it was probably more than a three-year-old needed to hear.
I told him, "yes, Jonah, Christians believe that Jesus was the son of God and they celebrate his birth on Christmas Eve. But there are lots of religions and each one has their own god or sets of gods." Then I poorly attempted to explain pagan Yule to him since yesterday was indeed the solstice. I don't think he understood it all, but my main point was to make sure he knew there were other beliefs out there and not to limit his scope to what they teach in school. It's not so much that I want to drive him into the same search I've been in since I decided to turn away from Christianity. More so, I want to teach him that other religions are just as valid and I want him to respect all beliefs, no matter what one(s) he chooses for himself.
I kind of hope this is the first of many open discussions he and I can have on the subject.
We were driving to the post office when we passed a yard that had a nearly life sized nativity in it. He was chowing down on a piece of granola bar that I had shared with him and I thought he was saying "that's good". As it turns out, he was saying, "God, that's God." When I asked him to clarify, he said, "in the manger, that's God." I asked him if he learned that in school and he said, "yes."
Most of you know I don't identify myself as Christian, but I wouldn't be upset if Jonah winds up doing so for himself. I really don't care what religion or belief system he adopts and I'll be happy to objectively help him in his search for something that makes sense to him. So, I took the most objective and informative stance as possible and it was probably more than a three-year-old needed to hear.
I told him, "yes, Jonah, Christians believe that Jesus was the son of God and they celebrate his birth on Christmas Eve. But there are lots of religions and each one has their own god or sets of gods." Then I poorly attempted to explain pagan Yule to him since yesterday was indeed the solstice. I don't think he understood it all, but my main point was to make sure he knew there were other beliefs out there and not to limit his scope to what they teach in school. It's not so much that I want to drive him into the same search I've been in since I decided to turn away from Christianity. More so, I want to teach him that other religions are just as valid and I want him to respect all beliefs, no matter what one(s) he chooses for himself.
I kind of hope this is the first of many open discussions he and I can have on the subject.
