a midway bikelog

a localized cross-section of faiths

I wasn’t raised all that religiously myself, and am not a regular church-goer, though i have some very good friends who are. Thus far, religion has not been a big topic of conversation around the house, though it has come up in interesting ways lately.

Ella, the 6 11/12-year-old takes after me a bit in being a major bookworm. More like a book sandworm, of the sort in Dune. Or book Worm, like Smaug the giant worm. But i digress. One of Ella’s favorite books around the house has been the Gods and Goddesses of Olympus, and it meshes well with the sort of mythology and fairy tales that she likes in other books. But it’s obviously more than just stories to her too. When she plays with friends whose families are more religious, they have sometimes had discussions about God. Her friends will talk about the usual one god, a male, and that’s what it is. To Ella, however, this is bunk and unfair to have only a boy god, and she believes in the Greek gods, all of them.

We’ve discussed this a fair amount over the past couple of weeks, mostly me trying to explain how the most common view IS for just one god, and God is thought of as a male figure. It’s hard for her to understand because her version makes so much sense to her. It’s hard to not be swayed by the logic of a very intelligent almost-7-year-old. I don’t push her views one way or the other, and i enjoy the debate, taking sides purely for the sake of argument. It’s fascinating to have her thinking about all of this so deeply and defining her beliefs.

Fiona, being 4 1/2 is a different creature aside from just the age difference. She likes books, but would usually rather play, and just isn’t to the point of having debates of faith yet. But she does go to the YMCA child care/preschool, and recently has helped remind us of the C part by singing their school grace songs before mealtimes. She’s an enthusiastic singer, and i encourage her to sing them, and we talk a little about what they mean. It’s also nice to have a little moment together before the meal begins, a helpful part of trying to have some sort of civilized dinner together at the table.

So far the songs haven’t brought any protest from her sister, but i’ll bet it does eventually. For now i’m just enjoying our little microcosm of religions and a bit of philosophy. If it keeps up, i might even dig out my old college text on Zoroastrianism for a little historical perspective. I’d also better hurry up and finish Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, because at the rate Ella’s going, i’m going to need it.