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Dear God,
Dear God,
Dear Lord.
Dear God,
God,
Dear God,
Dear Saint Augustine,
Dear God,
God,
Attention: God
Dear God,
Dear Mr. God,
God,
Dear God,
God/Jesus.
This is a bouquet of children's letters to God. They are a selection from Dear God What Religion Were the Dinosaurs, David Heller, Bantam Books, New York, 1991. They are from relatively free and innocent minds. They contain serious criticism blended with humor and satire. Little Yahya's Questions "God created everything. He created you and me. He created your mommy. He made all the houses, all the mountains, and all the stars. All the toys, all the trees and all the cars. He created this fruit and that food. God created everything and He is very Good." After listening to this theological indoctrination, Yahya, my 3.8 year-old son asked a simple question in a very serious tone: "Why God created bad guys?" In fact this question was one of the most difficult philosophical arguments which theologians have been wrestling with for centuries. "I don't know, I replied helplessly, when you grow up you will find out yourself." His thinking process was clear. I had underestimated him. I never have told him that it was God who created bad guys. Apparently, he used the following deductive reasoning. P-1. God created everythingHis question was an expression of confusion generated by the contradiction between his two conclusions, i.e., C-1 and C-2. Let me share two more experiences with Yahya My wife and I were encouraging him to join us while we pray. One day he wanted to pray with his shoes on. My wife told him to take them off. But, he blatantly rejected this. Then, my wife appealed to "God." "God says you cannot pray with your shoes on." Yahya was not moved by this sacrimonious decree. He insisted on keeping his shoes on by supporting his action by a factual reason. "I did not hear God saying that." My wife could not continue. I was amused and delighted. Yahya joined us with his shoes on. By this statement he was questioning authority (his mother) and demanding a kind of empirical evidence to be convinced. One night, after I put him in his bed, he told me that he is scared of ghosts. "Here comes the trouble," I said to myself. He seemed partially serious, partially acting. First, I denied the existence of ghosts. It did not work. Then, I told him that his daddy is so strong all ghosts were scared of coming close to our home. In order to give him visual assurance I showed him my muscles like body builders. But, soon I realized the problematic nature of this assurance. It could require me to sleep in his bedroom forever. Finally, I had to bring God in. "Don't worry! God will take care you. He is great. He will kick all the ghosts out from your room." He said "No (meaning that he did not buy my argument), God is great." While shaking his head horizontally, he continued, "He cannot fit my room." I did not try to fit God in his room. His very simple reasoning was a linguistic lesson. Our language was ambiguous and open for misunderstanding and abuse. He was right! Why Not Ask "Why"? Critical thinking starts with questions and develops in a free environment. The quality of questions define the quality of answers, and vice versa. We can encourage our children to think for themselves and develop critical thinking skills. We can discourage them by not showing our appreciation or by punishing them for their questions. "You ask too many questions."
Similar negative remarks can be detrimental for a healthy growth of independent brains. Children who are raised in authoritarian environments and received negative feedback for their inquiry, may force themselves to become "normal," "traditional," "conventional" and may tend to repeat the cycle. I'm curious about the statistical relation between the "childhood in an authoritative environment" and NRA members or Limbaugh's ditto heads or inventors. How many of us asked ourselves why do I iron my pants? Why waste money, energy and time? Why always press one vertical line, but not two or three parallel lines? A series of integrated questions may reveal the embarrassing reason: "Because everyone does that!" Adults can easily become the slaves of routine or popular trend. Irony of Human Mind To be a critical thinker in one area does not necessarily mean to be a critical thinker in other areas. For instance, a biochemist who is conducting research on hormones selects the relevant data, observes, develops hypotheses, conducts experiments, questions, analyzes, casts doubts on his assumptions, tests, examines the predictions, modifies his theories or dismisses them entirely. The same scientist, on the other hand, may believe in astrology, or UFO's, or numerology! Religion is one area that contains forests of red lights and sacred mines for critical thinkers. You are, generally, expected to bury your questions if you are a member of a religious community. Gullibility is praised as faith and virtue. Critical thinking, on the other hand, is labeled as disbelief and hypocrisy. The valid statement "You should not question God" is twisted to "Do not question clergymen, or human authors." Therefore, a mathematician who has no doubt that 1+1+1=3, can have a special room in his brain to put the Athenasian Creed suggesting 1+1+1=1. His faith in Trinity is sealed in that special room protected from questioning and reasoning. It is not fair to blame religion as the only dark tunnel or intellectual prison. In fact, we have created numerous dark tunnels and prisons. Furthermore, we have institutionalized them. For instance, politics, culture, economy. . . . You may proudly declare that you are pro-choice (not pro-abortion!) while unable to define the limits of our choices in general. You may passionately participate in anti-abortion (not anti-choice!) movement while unable to define what "human" or "person" is. You may claim that capitalism is the best system by justifying it with the failure of communism while you are unaware of the problems with your "either/or" dilemma. You may think that you are an atheist while you cannot avoid ascribing the essential attributes of God to matter. If we keep the child in us alive and let him/her speak up or whisper to our ears, I believe, we will have better choices and better understanding of universe around us. Initially, you may experience some negative reaction from adults who have long time ago killed and buried their children in the frozen part of their brains. But, with patience, you may save many children from that fate. Keep in mind that only a child's free spirit can expose and eliminate some of your prejudices and taboos which are black curtains depriving you from the light. Remember the lessons of the the story "The Emperor is Naked" where a child's fearless statement tears down the mask of mass hypocricy. Let's show a happy face to the child in each of us and shower them with candies every time they raise questions. Each person is born with the questioning and playful spirit of young Abraham. But, with time, many stone him to death and bury him in their hearts. They become Azars without Abraham. . . "You shall not accept any information, unless you verify it for yourself. The hearing, the eyesight, and the brain, all are responsible." (17:36) |