Toddler theology

[drdoug]

**FIMXE is starting to reveal something of his view of theology. While we're keen for him to have a good grounding in the Christian tradition, we're both atheists. We want him to know the stories, but are not remotely seeking to instill belief. Which is a bit of a fine line to walk with a toddler, but **FIXME seems to be making something of it.

Comments

[vinaigrettegirl]

We're a bit like [info]oldbloke and Linz. Children tend to assume there is some kind of God anyway and they tend to want to believe; we've reckoned that as long as we are clear that some people do believe and some people don't, but these {various sets of types of stories attributed to God, whom we define as the source, energy, and stuff of goodness itself} are what some people believe, we're OK.

So in this house, God started evolution (this draws on Pierre Teilhard de Chardin) which happened millions and millions of years after the Big Bang, which he also started. There are a huge lot of things about physics and biology we don't understand at all, yet, but we're working on it. In the mean time, forgiving and making up after a quarrel and being patient and valuing others as well as ourselves adds to the quantum of good in the universe. At the moment, he's very devout, and gets a kick out of either flirting with, or actively rejecting, the Serious Bad Destructive Guy.

We have no hesitation about using the example of Daniel in the lion's den, or the Sermon on the Mount. Frankly, when he is older and in the testonerone-filled haze of adolescence, I shall be using the story of Tamar to hit him up with How To Recognise Sexist Jerkery and Not Do Any Of That. But without him being conversant with the whole thing it won't have any impact. We're also helped by having a fantastically good vicar, two women priests, and a kindly, sensible congregation, and we get to church at least one Sunday in three.