theology
didnt do much on thursday.. had a meeting at shul in the evening.
it was 1 hour of Amit talking... and then debs's mum came in...
to lecture us about prayer.
we have 4weeks scheduled in the term, in which we have to (in JS) teach the kids about prayer... whether the kids be 5, or 12years old.
so basicaly she came to tell us about prayer, and lecture us.
but i just wanted to scream throughout the whole thing.
i cant deal with people who want to influence you. i mean.. im sure she's lovely.. she was just trying too much to exert an influence. she wants us to explain to the kids that prayer and god are uncomprehensible. and that prayer can be meditation, contemplation, or a physical thing. well.. sure.. we can do that with 5 year olds.
i'm seriously of the belief that children should be allowed to make their own choices.
i dont think we should try and convey prayer to them.. maybe the older ones, but DEFINATLEY not the young ones.
we'd have to put forward a few certain senarios. we'd have to TELL them, because young children are all about physical actions. they cant understand mental and contemplative things. their brains simply arent developped enough, at such a young age. (this is a proven fact, and working with young kids just enforces this belief with me.. you can actually see it, and the movement of their minds from physical, to mental.)
and anyway, who are we to tell the children what prayer is? we mustnt. it is up to them.
when they get old enough, if they are interested, they will think about it themselves. they will express themselves how they feel fit. not through methods we tell them they can.
and if they have no desire to learn about prayer, when they have the time, and the mental maturity, well.. their loss really.
We were told that EVERYONE should pray. That ALL the children must learn what prayer is, and how to do it.
no they shoudlnt. they should feel free to choose.
the funniest thing was that before she started the lecture, she asked us to raise our hands if we believed in god. bear in mind that this was a room full of jews... less than half the people in the room raised their hands.
and yet, she went on to tell us how we had to teach the children about god. how they MUST KNOW about god.
well.. yes.. i agree.. to an extent. i feel that we should teach them that there is PROBABLY a god, until an age when, if we chose to put forward the debate of 'does god exist', they would be able to argue it, and so, come to their own conclusions.
i, for one, have chosen to believe in god.
purely because we have no proof of his existance, or his non-existance. i take the more optimistic route of there being someone over looking us, partly for convenience, and partly for comfort, but this is a decision i have come to. i would never think of telling someone that THERE IS A GOD. because there is just no proof. (thats the scientist in me). i just cant deal with people not being able to control their own thoughts.
maybe im a megalomaniac? i like control over my own life, my thoughts. i need control. but.. to me, it just seems so wrong.
we live in a culture, where people of other beliefs are welcomed. so why are we being told to enforce our beliefs upon others? thats not welcoming. thats pretending to be.
i mean really. at least the french didnt pretent to be welcoming of others rights anf beliefs, when they banned head scarves and such. i think it was wrong, but at least they had a point of view, and stuck to it... they didnt pretend to be anything they werent. (like accepting of other cultures.)
i know its just something minor, but its still infringement of our civil rights.
children are much more susceptible to brainwashing.. much more reasdy to believe whatever they're told, than the more cynical of us (dare i call us adults?). therefore, we shouldnt tell them what to believe. we shouldnt enforce views upon them. we should wait until they're ready, because i'm sure when the time comes that a child asks me 'what is prayer', or 'what is god', they wil be ready to think about it to a deeper level than 'mummy told me god is a man who watches us, and makes sure we are alright', and form their own decisions.
how different a place, the world would be if we were allowed to make our own decisions. our own conclusions. no bias, no manipulation, no influence.
funnily enough, the second queston she asked was 'who has had a moment or event which hints to them that there is a god, or similar'. nearly everyone put up their hand.
even i did.
but i dont believe that any of them could proove a god exists, infact, the fact that so many people have had 'godly' experiences, but still doubt the existance of said 'god' shows just how 'un-godly' these events were.
im being cynical, its true, but i believe in coincidence more than fate.. again, the scientist in me..
i personally do not know what the god i have decided to worship is, what form it takes, or if it even exists. i chose to believe it does, but i do not assume anything. one cannot. i dont even spend my time contemplating the form or the power of said god. because it is worthless. it is wasted time. there are no answers, and until a child is old enough to be able to understand the uncomprehensibility of the situation.. the total lack of knowledge... until the child is mature enough to be able to reflect upon themselves and work out what they feel is right, i do not believe that the subject should be broached. FULL STOP.
and anyway... i believe that prayer, rather than a connection with an unknown entity (god), is more of a chance to connect to yourself, and work out your true feelings, or beliefs, whether they be able mortal, materialistic things, or about spiritual things.
i spend alot of the time contemplating matters of the world, macrocosmic, or microcosmic (mainly the latter), and so i can truely see its benifits, but each for their own. i wont push it on anyone. i wouldnt have wanted the idea forced on me.
please let me know your point of view. this kind of thing fascinates me, while also infuriating me.. hence i can ramble for ages about it. anyway. comments please. (it sounds like deviant art. crazy cats.) love.
it was 1 hour of Amit talking... and then debs's mum came in...
to lecture us about prayer.
we have 4weeks scheduled in the term, in which we have to (in JS) teach the kids about prayer... whether the kids be 5, or 12years old.
so basicaly she came to tell us about prayer, and lecture us.
but i just wanted to scream throughout the whole thing.
i cant deal with people who want to influence you. i mean.. im sure she's lovely.. she was just trying too much to exert an influence. she wants us to explain to the kids that prayer and god are uncomprehensible. and that prayer can be meditation, contemplation, or a physical thing. well.. sure.. we can do that with 5 year olds.
i'm seriously of the belief that children should be allowed to make their own choices.
i dont think we should try and convey prayer to them.. maybe the older ones, but DEFINATLEY not the young ones.
we'd have to put forward a few certain senarios. we'd have to TELL them, because young children are all about physical actions. they cant understand mental and contemplative things. their brains simply arent developped enough, at such a young age. (this is a proven fact, and working with young kids just enforces this belief with me.. you can actually see it, and the movement of their minds from physical, to mental.)
and anyway, who are we to tell the children what prayer is? we mustnt. it is up to them.
when they get old enough, if they are interested, they will think about it themselves. they will express themselves how they feel fit. not through methods we tell them they can.
and if they have no desire to learn about prayer, when they have the time, and the mental maturity, well.. their loss really.
We were told that EVERYONE should pray. That ALL the children must learn what prayer is, and how to do it.
no they shoudlnt. they should feel free to choose.
the funniest thing was that before she started the lecture, she asked us to raise our hands if we believed in god. bear in mind that this was a room full of jews... less than half the people in the room raised their hands.
and yet, she went on to tell us how we had to teach the children about god. how they MUST KNOW about god.
well.. yes.. i agree.. to an extent. i feel that we should teach them that there is PROBABLY a god, until an age when, if we chose to put forward the debate of 'does god exist', they would be able to argue it, and so, come to their own conclusions.
i, for one, have chosen to believe in god.
purely because we have no proof of his existance, or his non-existance. i take the more optimistic route of there being someone over looking us, partly for convenience, and partly for comfort, but this is a decision i have come to. i would never think of telling someone that THERE IS A GOD. because there is just no proof. (thats the scientist in me). i just cant deal with people not being able to control their own thoughts.
maybe im a megalomaniac? i like control over my own life, my thoughts. i need control. but.. to me, it just seems so wrong.
we live in a culture, where people of other beliefs are welcomed. so why are we being told to enforce our beliefs upon others? thats not welcoming. thats pretending to be.
i mean really. at least the french didnt pretent to be welcoming of others rights anf beliefs, when they banned head scarves and such. i think it was wrong, but at least they had a point of view, and stuck to it... they didnt pretend to be anything they werent. (like accepting of other cultures.)
i know its just something minor, but its still infringement of our civil rights.
children are much more susceptible to brainwashing.. much more reasdy to believe whatever they're told, than the more cynical of us (dare i call us adults?). therefore, we shouldnt tell them what to believe. we shouldnt enforce views upon them. we should wait until they're ready, because i'm sure when the time comes that a child asks me 'what is prayer', or 'what is god', they wil be ready to think about it to a deeper level than 'mummy told me god is a man who watches us, and makes sure we are alright', and form their own decisions.
how different a place, the world would be if we were allowed to make our own decisions. our own conclusions. no bias, no manipulation, no influence.
funnily enough, the second queston she asked was 'who has had a moment or event which hints to them that there is a god, or similar'. nearly everyone put up their hand.
even i did.
but i dont believe that any of them could proove a god exists, infact, the fact that so many people have had 'godly' experiences, but still doubt the existance of said 'god' shows just how 'un-godly' these events were.
im being cynical, its true, but i believe in coincidence more than fate.. again, the scientist in me..
i personally do not know what the god i have decided to worship is, what form it takes, or if it even exists. i chose to believe it does, but i do not assume anything. one cannot. i dont even spend my time contemplating the form or the power of said god. because it is worthless. it is wasted time. there are no answers, and until a child is old enough to be able to understand the uncomprehensibility of the situation.. the total lack of knowledge... until the child is mature enough to be able to reflect upon themselves and work out what they feel is right, i do not believe that the subject should be broached. FULL STOP.
and anyway... i believe that prayer, rather than a connection with an unknown entity (god), is more of a chance to connect to yourself, and work out your true feelings, or beliefs, whether they be able mortal, materialistic things, or about spiritual things.
i spend alot of the time contemplating matters of the world, macrocosmic, or microcosmic (mainly the latter), and so i can truely see its benifits, but each for their own. i wont push it on anyone. i wouldnt have wanted the idea forced on me.
please let me know your point of view. this kind of thing fascinates me, while also infuriating me.. hence i can ramble for ages about it. anyway. comments please. (it sounds like deviant art. crazy cats.) love.