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Re: Explaining Religion to a Child -
May 9th 2011, 08:00 PM
"Some people believe X, others believe Y, still more believe Z. I don't believe in any of these for reasons A, B and C, but ultimately there no way to prove one position correct and I'll love you no matter which you choose," is probably the best explanation for a young child. How much detail you give on the religions and their counterarguments will just depend on age; a four-year old probably isn't going to be interested in philosophical arguments.
As for religious relatives, I think that simply asking that they respect your right to raise your child free from indoctrination is really not something that can be argued with, although depending on how religious your relatives are they might try to argue the point.
The atoms that make up you and me were born in the hearts of suns many times greater than ours, and in time our atoms will once again reside amongst the stars. Life is but an idle dalliance of the cosmos, frail, and soon forgotten. We have been set adrift in an ocean whose tides we are only beginning to comprehend and with that maturity has come the realization that we are, at least for now, alone. In that loneliness, it falls to us to shine as brightly as the stars from which we came.
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