Ashby,
We had an interesting conversation a few weeks ago and I'm thinking I need to write this one down. You asked, 'Mommy you know everything, don't you?' To which I wanted to reply 'yes,' but instead decided to be honest. The conversation continued:
Me: No buddy, I know some things, but nobody knows everthing.
You: But you're smarter than most people, right?
Me: Well, you could say that I'm smarter than some.
You: Yes, you're very smart.
Me: Thank you.
You: So, do you believe in God?
You are quite something, little man! I told you that God can be defined in different ways and I think of God as the energy and spirit of pure love. And sometimes people disagree, but no matter what someone believes no one's belief is bad if it enables them to find peace and be kind to others.
Nana and Uncle Matt are very strong believers in Jesus. Nana believes that there is only way way to get to Heaven and that is to accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior. Matt has just begun his spiritual journey with Jesus so I'm not positive that he feels the same way but I think he may. Your dad is somewhere between Agnostic and Athiest and I am just like an everything bagel at this point. My belief system is a little of everthing. It's hard to talk to people about it when you have questions. I am curious and my passion for learning and short attention span can outweigh my tact when I'm trying to flush out a complex concept in my head, my co-workers are also painfully aware of this. Sometimes a question about religion can be misconstrued as questioning one's faith...and most people are pretty passionate about their faith!
2 friends of mine who don't know eachother and are polar opposites recently made mention of the same concept that pretty much God is infinite and it is very possible that we couldn't comprehend the answers to our questions even if they were given. Essentially, the concept revealed would not make sense to us because we only have knowledge of life in the context of our being here and now. I have subscribed to this philosophy for a while, in that there can be more than one right answer and that we may not understand it fully in our lifetime.
However, there's a new part I hadn't considered until my friend brought it up. It's that this belief didn't rule out the validity of Christianity, but it could be a part of that 'infinite' concept. This philosphy doesn't have to be at odds with Christianity but could serve instead as a clue to a more complex answer that we'll understand later.
My only concern about learning more is I don't want to subscribe to something that makes me mad or hate people that feel differently. It surprises me again and again how Religion can morph from love into hate so stealthily. I wonder what path you will have followed by the time you read this. Your father and I agreed that we would allow you to make your own decision and not force feed you something that you'd grow to resent. I wanted your spirituality to grow naturally as you allow it and feel it. Nana's taking you to church when you're here on Sundays and you seem to enjoy it, I don't make you go (unless you say you want to, then I make you honor your committment, that's a entirely different letter). I also wonder where I'll be when you read this, I hope it's somewhere good.
Me: No buddy, I know some things, but nobody knows everthing.
You: But you're smarter than most people, right?
Me: Well, you could say that I'm smarter than some.
You: Yes, you're very smart.
Me: Thank you.
You: So, do you believe in God?
You are quite something, little man! I told you that God can be defined in different ways and I think of God as the energy and spirit of pure love. And sometimes people disagree, but no matter what someone believes no one's belief is bad if it enables them to find peace and be kind to others.
Nana and Uncle Matt are very strong believers in Jesus. Nana believes that there is only way way to get to Heaven and that is to accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior. Matt has just begun his spiritual journey with Jesus so I'm not positive that he feels the same way but I think he may. Your dad is somewhere between Agnostic and Athiest and I am just like an everything bagel at this point. My belief system is a little of everthing. It's hard to talk to people about it when you have questions. I am curious and my passion for learning and short attention span can outweigh my tact when I'm trying to flush out a complex concept in my head, my co-workers are also painfully aware of this. Sometimes a question about religion can be misconstrued as questioning one's faith...and most people are pretty passionate about their faith!
2 friends of mine who don't know eachother and are polar opposites recently made mention of the same concept that pretty much God is infinite and it is very possible that we couldn't comprehend the answers to our questions even if they were given. Essentially, the concept revealed would not make sense to us because we only have knowledge of life in the context of our being here and now. I have subscribed to this philosophy for a while, in that there can be more than one right answer and that we may not understand it fully in our lifetime.
However, there's a new part I hadn't considered until my friend brought it up. It's that this belief didn't rule out the validity of Christianity, but it could be a part of that 'infinite' concept. This philosphy doesn't have to be at odds with Christianity but could serve instead as a clue to a more complex answer that we'll understand later.
My only concern about learning more is I don't want to subscribe to something that makes me mad or hate people that feel differently. It surprises me again and again how Religion can morph from love into hate so stealthily. I wonder what path you will have followed by the time you read this. Your father and I agreed that we would allow you to make your own decision and not force feed you something that you'd grow to resent. I wanted your spirituality to grow naturally as you allow it and feel it. Nana's taking you to church when you're here on Sundays and you seem to enjoy it, I don't make you go (unless you say you want to, then I make you honor your committment, that's a entirely different letter). I also wonder where I'll be when you read this, I hope it's somewhere good.
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