This book came in the mail today. It came for my children and it came for myself. I admit to knowing very little about how others think the world was created. Growing up I had only ever been exposed to the Christian/ Jewish/ Muslim idea that God created everything.
As I grew older I learned about the Big Bang Theory and saw specials on National Geographic about how the universe might have been formed. However, I still had no real idea of what other countries/ religions/ groups of people thought happened to create the Earth.
Then around Christmas I got the question I wasn't yet ready to answer in depth from my 4.5 year old. He said to me, "Mama, who is Jesus?" I am guessing he had heard it on television or in passing from someone at a store, but I am not really sure where he heard this name or why he wanted to know who it was, but he asked.
I have answered questions about how he came out of my belly and why girls have different organs than boys, but this was a question I wasn't prepared for quite so young.
Anyone who knows me with my guard down, my closest friends, know that I am an atheist (For anyone that is confused that means LACK of belief in all religions/gods. Nothing more or less. It doesn't mean I worship the devil, since I don't believe in a devil.). Anyone that knows me on facebook has probably had suspicions but it has never really been stated outright. I had planned on a little more time to go over the story of the Bible with him and I hadn't really planned on having to gear it towards a 4.5 year old child, I had planned on maybe 6 or 7 years before this came up.
In any event, I gave him the basic rundown about how some people thought Jesus was the son of God, then of course had to explain who God was and how some people thought he created the Earth etc. I stressed that there were other people that believed other things, because I wanted him to have a rounded view of what is out there, as that is something I never really had. However I realized, when he asked what other people thought, that I only had one thing in my tool belt other than God/Jesus and that was science. I told him about (a 4.5 year olds version) of the Big Bang Theory and told him I would look for more. So I went to Amazon to order this book with other creation myths, and the book came today with beautiful pictures and a great number of stories. Now the book seems to be geared more towards older children, maybe around the age of 10, but if I have learned anything from my kids, it is that curiosity knows no age. One morning early this winter, first thing in the morning, my 2.5 year old asked me how frost was made, so I should know by now that I have kids that want to know everything they can about anything around them.
This of course all brings to light my own thoughts on religion. For some reason, a lot of people seem to think that being an atheist is a bad thing. I am sure it relates to worry that I am going to burn in Hell or something of that nature.
Now, I have had a few conversations with various Christians before and there is one question that seems to be asked the most, what do I think will happen to me when I die?
Now of course, unless I turn into a vampire, I am going to die, as is everyone and everything else on Earth. It is the only real certainty in life, so I can see why this question would come up especially since a great many of the world religions focus on some sort of life after one dies.
The answer to that question, for myself, is that when I die that is it, I die. My wishes are to be cremated etc. but I don't expect to find myself face to face with God to have him banish me to Hell because I didn't believe in him. I expect to return to what I was before I was born. I don't remember anything from before I was born, because I didn't exist. I figure it will be much the same when I die. I know this isn't glamorous or exciting, but with any luck the memories I made with others will live on through those that knew me.
The other thing I see questioned a lot with atheism is morals. Now, I have been lucky enough that no one that knows me has asked me where my morals come from, but it seems to happen a lot in the internet world. If someone that knew me asked this, I would be slightly horrified because that would lead me to believe they thought I had done something morally reprehensible.
I get my morals from the same place others get theirs, from general society. Society is people working together and as a society ages, it learns what does and what doesn't help the society as a whole. Killing someone in cold blood obviously doesn't help society. I don't need a legal system to tell me that, neither do most people. This is where the golden rule, that I learned in grade school, comes into play. Treat other people the way you want to be treated.
It seems pretty simple when you break it down. I don't want someone to steal from me, so I don't steal from other people. I don't want someone raping me, so I don't rape other people. I don't like when other people lie to me, so I don't lie to them and so on down the line. These are the important parts of a functioning and healthy society.
Now, none of this is to say I have any real problem with religion, because in general I don't. I understand (at least to an extent) why different people believe different things. In general it makes these people feel good about themselves, it helps them feel secure, it comforts them, and it offers an answer to both the creation of the universe and to what happens when you die.
I only have three issues with just about all religions, and they really aren't about the religion in question, they are about the person that is supposed to be practicing said religion.
The first is praying to the chosen deity for help with something extremely trivial. Example: "Please God/Allah/Buddha/whomever let me find a parking spot at the mall today." This drives me crazy. Why not tack on "...and please end world suffering" to the end of that? Just about everyone knows there are children starving all over the globe. There are people dying of cancer everyday. If your biggest worry is something trivial like getting a parking spot or what football/baseball/basketball team wins the next game...well, that is extremely disappointing. It also doesn't help the global society.
The second issue I have is a "give credit where credit is due" situation. I had this talk on facebook recently and the example I used was the recent Chilean miner rescue. I saw things all over the news and on facebook and from people on the streets thanking God for rescuing these people. I saw only a handful thanking the rescuers that spent days on end digging these miners out, or the engineers at NASA that built the capsule that got them out, or to the people that sent money to help fund all of this. I see this a lot in weight loss as well, for whatever reason, I see people thanking God for them having lost 50 pounds. Why not thank yourself? *You* did all the work. God may have been what motivated you or what you thought of while exercising but it was still YOU that put in that effort. I also know that people from many religions think that thanking God/ etc. is like thanking the people because he "works through" these people. What about the people that don't believe in whichever deity? Does God still "use" them in these situations? If he does, doesn't that bring up issues of free will? I can promise you that some of those engineers from NASA that helped save the miners didn't believe in God. I am sure some of them believed in the Jewish God or the Muslim God or just in karma.
The third and final issue I have with religion is when people force it upon my children in one form or another. This is where my Mama Bear instincts kick in and I will get fierce. People that know me, know that in general I am a very "go with the flow" sort of person but once in awhile someone will step on toes and I will roar. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. This can happen in the street, from family, from friends, from school, or from my kids' friends parents.
At this point I hope the readers would know that I do plan on teaching my children about religion, about ALL religions, or at least as many as I can get information on. In an ideal world I had wanted this all to wait until my kids were a bit older but as I have learned from the both of them, I need to be ready now for a talk that might come later, or it might come after nap, I will leave that up to them.
Someday there will probably be more on religion from me, but at this point I am running out of typing time.
Wow! Bravo! Nicely written, you made such valid points! Although, I would have liked to be a fly on the wall when you were explaining Jesus to Aaron. It's great that you will educate them about different religions. You's be a good mama!
ReplyDeleteWe've known each other for a while now, and I'm guessing that you know that I'm a Christian. In the past several years my beliefs have changed quite a bit, but in the end, I find myself coming back to a core belief in God.
ReplyDeleteI found your post interesting, and I'm thinking that book looks like something I'd like to have in my house for my kids. Even though I have a particular world view that I hold, I think it's important for them to know that my way of believing is not the only way out there and that there are others who we love and respect that believe differently than we/I do.
I obviously can only speak for myself and can't say that this is what all Christians believe. But, I thought I'd put in my two cents to answer your questions above.
1- Asking for trivial things. My guess is that the people who do this are so used to praying and going to God for the things they are concerned about that it would be a natural response for them to go to God for even their smallest concerns. That's not to say those are the only things they ever pray about/ask for. It's also not to say that those are the most important things in their lives. But, there are definitely people who believe that God cares about every single aspect of their lives from starvation and genocide to whether or not their favorite song is on when they get in the car.
2- Giving credit. Some Christians believe that God created the heavens, earth, people, animals, etc. They believe that humans are created in God's image. God is good. Therefore even if people don't believe in God, they also have good in them and the ability to do good regardless of their beliefs. The free will aspect of it comes into whether or not these people choose to do good when presented with an opportunity. The people who thank God for saving the miners in Chile or other situations like that are likely thanking God for giving the humans the talents, abilities, technology, knowledge, strength, determination, etc. that allowed the outcome to be what it is.
3- I agree with you on this one. No one should have any belief system crammed down their throat. I think that kids are never too young to know that mommy believes this, daddy believes that, and other people believe something else.
@Casey thank you for your post. I always love to hear other views on the subject of religion because it is such a personal thing for each person.
ReplyDeleteI have no doubt that some people that ask for "trivial" things are otherwise praying for things that would help the greater good. It is just hard for me to only see/hear that end of it because even in my little small corner of the world I can see there are people that need a great deal of help.
As to the thanking God thing, I can see it from that standpoint. I hadn't thought about it in that way before. I can't say that I fully support it, but it at least makes sense. I would be perfectly happy to see "Thank God and those people at NASA for helping the miners." Like I said though, explained that way it isn't as irritating for me.
Shannon- I totally agree with you that there is far more in this world to be concerned about than a good parking spot or a sports event. It drives me nuts, too.
ReplyDeleteI do think that there is a very good chance that you won't get the whole story regarding someone's beliefs if you only take a snapshot of them or if you try to figure them out without having a detailed talk with that person about their beliefs. If you were to look at my lifestyle right now and overhear several of my recent conversations about religion, I would probably look like a non-practicing Christian. However, at this point, much (if not most) of my spiritual practice occurs in places that are not church related. Giving to charity, volunteering in the community, prayer, etc. So, even though seeing someone use Christianity and the process of prayer for something that you and I both consider trivial seems selfish, that's not necessarily saying that that's the only interaction someone has with God in a spiritual manner.
I know you've been doing a lot of reading on different religions and beliefs lately. Right now, I'm reading "The Hole in Our Gospel" by Richard Stearns. There are things in it with which I disagree, but as a whole the premise of the book is resonating with me.
As a Christian, here are my two cents. Christianity is about a relationship with God, through Jesus. We are taught to pray without ceasing. This could explain the parking spot issue. Additionally, this relationship with God is supposed to be a close relationship. You can talk to God about everything (parking spots, world peace, a bad hair day, whatever). God wants us to openly include him in our lives. He is our dad and wants to be part of everything we do. The flip side of giving credit where credit is due, is thanking God. I thank God for the food on my table. I could thank the farmers that grew it and the grocery clerk that stocked it but I thank God because I believe he provides. As Casey said, God created the people and the earth and gave us the ability to learn and use our resources. Of course I am also thankful for farms, and grocery stores.
ReplyDeleteI agree that I don't think that people should shove religion down anyones throats. The God I believe in hates religion. I don't consider my self a religious person. Here is a clip that kind of explains my thinking on this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXKT8IPdvzA
God just wants us to accept him and believe in him. For me, God is love. Sharing my beliefs are natural because I want others to be able to experience that love. I don't think everyone forcing their beliefs approaches it so delicately.
Lastly I wanted to add, I'm reading Simplicity Parenting. This books talks about filtering for kids. It addresses how even though kids ask a lot of questions we don't need to overwhelm them with information. We can keep our answers simple and concise, or flip the question to them. Who do you think Jesus is? How do you think frost is made? etc. Just an idea I thought was good. And you can save the big talks until you are ready to have them. :)