Children and religion

Speed reading eh? Or cherry picking?

 

It is said that there have been two ongoing space programs; the one NASA runs to keep the public stupid, and another one that takes people to Mars in hours and uses technology from aliens that are actually
fallen angels. Keep in mind that fallen angels are the ones the Book of Enoch told us taught men
the secrets of the universe.

 

You have all the answers, Dickie. Why aren't you working for the President? You cheat the world with your abundant knowledge by limiting it to a damn board of mostly like-minded thinkers.

 

Deisim by definition ackowledges a creator that is a capital-G God.
If it intended to set things in motion, all resultant outcomes = intelligent design.

It's not possible to believe in God and not believe in intelligent design.
Within any God construct, the laws of physics, quantum mechanics, evolution, etc., were put in motion intentionally at some level.

That's intelligent design.

 

Hmmm ... you're right and you're wrong IMHO. It's not her job to work against you, but then again she's not really working against you. And it's really not your job to define exactly how (within reasonable limits) your mother's relationship with your son evolves. Allowing the two of them to develop a bond independent of you is a gift that you can (and, in my eye, should) give. She's certainly not harming him by introducing him to an important part of your family. And there's no way on God's green earth that you're going to spare your son that terrifying moment when he realizes that he's as mortal as anyone.

 

She's defying a direct request in this case. It would be one thing if he were 14 and seeking out her opinion on some theological questions. He's 3. We asked her to respect our wishes to address this precise matter a particular way, for particular reasons, and in a manner that would not be inconsistent with her beliefs. It was not unreasonable to expect that she respect that.

 

What was the request? (I don't recall that) ...

I understand it's a dicey situation. I think it's actually part of the deal ... finding that line at which you're the parent and your parent isn't. It gets harder when your parent is alone. I've been there with you (still am, in a way). But there's no harm in erring a little in favor of family harmony here (assuming we're talking reasonable stuff). And, seriously, you have to keep in mind that your son is 3. The Jesuits might have said, "Give us the child and the man is ours for life," but they were just playing the odds. Your mother can do whatever the heck she wants and your son is going to find his way. In your heart of hearts, you have to know that is right. That's the way baseball go.

 

the bolded paragraph above might be the smartest thing i've read concerning this topic. nicely done.

 

I wouldn't stress too much about this.

In fact, I would be more concerned -- not less -- if your mother were having such conversations with your child, against your wishes, when he is 14 than I would be that she is doing it now.

Because you are concerned, however, you should also remember this: People's thoughts and beliefs, as well as their certainty about them, all tend to vary and wax and wane, throughout life.

What your son knows, thinks or believes about religion now is highly unlikely to be unchanged when he turns 10, or 14, or 18, or 21 or beyond.

And age is far from the only thing that may influence his perspective at any given time, often right up to and including the moments before death. Indeed, age might be the least influential factor.

Remember, too, that your son's reaction to talk of death may end up being very different from his reaction to an actual, real death itself.

It's a highly esoteric concept to grasp, for 3-year-olds and for 40-year-olds alike. When your kid says, "and then he died," he probably doesn't even know what he/it really means.

 

Life is 100 percent lethal.
Always been.

Our ability to and need to grapple with the idea of finite existence is one of the things that sets us apart from the other great apes.

Your child will navigate the terrain one way or another. You're intentionally over-thinking it.
And I think your concern about religion having a chilling effect on the child's interest in math and science is specious.

 

I agree. The greater issue here is your mother's habitual overbearingness.