My wife is cometely pissed off at me. My 7 y/o asked questions that I answered in a way displeasing to her.

He asked how the Adam and eve story could ever be true with dinosaurs being around before people.

He asked about Moses and parting the sea, and about jospeh smith.

I answered (what I believe). I asked him about the boy who cried wolf and the three little pigs. He said they never happened but they taught a lesson.

I said that the one thing that's true is that you are here, and that stories don't matter except for their lesson. They teach an idea, but that doesn't mean they happened.

He asked if god is true. I said that one thing I believe is that god is true (right now I'm pantheist, but don't know anything for sure).

He asked "so I can never know if anything is true unless I study plants and animals and dig up history?"

I replied "a lesson can teach truth, and god can speak to you but always look and see because people misunderstand god."

He asked "is Mormonism true?"

I said "no, but some lessons are"

He said "so god is an invisible target circled by religions?"

I said "yes".

He said "I'm not mormon or catholic"

I replied "I can't tell you what to believe kiddo...I just have one belief that god is true, and everything that happens is god speaking to you. Ignore the details of the stories but hold on to the lessons."

He replied "I get it dad. I'll find my own way."

My wife threw a fit that I'm teaching him "adult concepts" despite him "getting it".

I'm in the doghouse but feel strangely comfortable.

Do you think I'm wrong? Why bullshit him until he is older than say "work it out"?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/2011 09:48PM by Lost Mystic.

I assume your wife tells him what she believes. You have the same right, As far as you teaching adult concepts, kids are smarter than we think.I don't think you were out of line or teaching him concepts he is too young to understand. DW can always give him her side too.

Damn you! You missed a perfect chance to poison and cripple his young mind! How much tithing income is LDS inc going to get from some kid who develops critical thinking? LDS Inc hates you!

Haha!

Stories that teach lessons vs. literal fact. But I think literalist brains are wired to want the stories to be literal. They crave certainty -- sometimes for mentally healthy reasons, sometimes so they can use their certainty as a weapon.

that your answers were right on the money.

That was a neat conversation. You were respectful of your child's intelligence and his level of understanding. You were also respectful of tradition of moral tales and legends. You weren't dogmatic or mocking of others' beliefs.

I disagree with your wife's disapproval. You have the right, it seems to me, to encourage your child to look at things with intelligence and questions rather than reinforce literalist thinking.

Smart kid you've got there. Congratulations.

Smart kid. He'll make you proud.

I like that little boy.