They are living words. They are experiential. And they are
existential. And once they are felt, they become as tangible as solid things:
they stir the emotions, the imagination, which are then reflected upon. We must
not forget that these words are living.
But that’s where the problem starts. We teach our children
about love and compassion, trust and belief about some abstract word like God.
God, as taught as word, comes to children as abstract. But, because of their imagination, God is
‘felt’ because the words like Devil, evil, and pain and suffering seem more
real and make God seem more real. Rather
than talk about these words first, or as we talk about the words such as love,
compassion, trust and belief, the ‘teachers’ must practice them towards the
children. Rather than talk about God, children must be shown love, compassion,
trust and belief.
A good approach is to tell them stories about real people
who practice these values. Children can relate, and believe in them the right
way.
That is, I believe, how stories found in religious texts
should be taught. More importantly, children must see that the story teller is
an embodiment of those values.
If they are to believe in God, or at least recognized a
reality beyond their egos, the story teller, the parents, people whom they
encounter on a regular basis, must live those values themselves. Stories may involve fictional character; but the morale is
real. There must have been a time when upon finishing reading a book of
fiction, you, nonetheless remark, “That is true” What is true is not the
people. What is true is the experience that these ‘people’ went through. It is
true not because they dealt with facts. It is true based on experiences. This
truth is existential truth; not factual truth.
So, when we read religious texts that deal with fantastic
feats, read them like you would read a high quality book of fiction. Yet, be
receptive to the existential truth that they convey.
Approaching religion that way is the best remedy to
indoctrination, and fundamentalism. Science would never have had any reason to pick
up a fight with religion in the first place.
