Q and God
For her story tonight, Q chose a book of bible stories (re-)told for small children. My stepmother gave her this book for her birthday last year, but Q has just recently discovered it and really likes it. (I’ll save for another time my other, more complex thoughts/struggles/joys about spirituality and religion and how to relate that to my child.) Suffice it to say that the book doesn’t quite cover my own personal beliefs[i].)
Recently we’ve had some discussions about God, and mostly I try to get across to her that God is another word for Love, and it’s all that is good and creative and holds us all together (when, of course, any of us actually *are* together). Inadequate as it may be, that’s the simplest and closest I can come to explaining my version to my preschooler. Oh, and that God lives in our hearts, which is my version of, “God is not an old man in the sky…”
I asked her why she picked that one, just because I was curious what her response would be. She said, “Because I LOVE God!”
I responded, “What do you love about God?”
Q: Because He made the night and the day and all the food and the people we love, and, and, and….”
We went on to read very sanitized (to my relief) versions of Moses, Noah, David & Goliath, and Jesus stories. She went back to the David & Goliath page, where an illustration of Goliath (who “liked to fight” and was “taken down” by David in this version) showed him lying down, his face inexplicably hidden behind David and some other shepherd-like guys.
Q: Why did Goliath like to fight, Mommy?
Me: I don’t really know, honey. I guess he was angry and scared and didn’t know a better way to handle it.
Q: God doesn’t like fighting.
Me: No, I don’t guess He probably likes it very much.
Q: Why did Goliath like to fight?
Me: I think he maybe just didn’t know another way to handle how he felt.
Q: Like me.
Me: Well, maybe, but like all of us, I think. I think we are all learning and trying, and I think that’s something God likes the best.
Q: You know what else God does?
Me: What?
Q: God makes you toot.
Me: What?
Q: God makes you toot. I just tooted, Mommy.
Me: Oh. OK.
[i] An interesting quiz is Belief-O-Matic at Beliefnet.com:
“Even if YOU don’t know what faith you are, Belief-O-Matic™ knows. Answer 20 questions about your concept of God, the afterlife, human nature, and more, and Belief-O-Matic™ will tell you what religion (if any) you practice…or ought to consider practicing.”
My results are as follows, though they seem different than they were a few years ago when I took this (generally, more Eastern at the top). Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism (even though *I* couldn’t tell you the difference between the two!) were 1 & 2 then, and it seems Taoism and Baha’i were higher then, too. I might know why it’s different, but it doesn’t matter here:
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