Super Giant Killer and I have been reading this eleven volume set of American history at bedtime for the last few weeks. We're almost finished with volume 2 which is about the establishment of the English colonies. To be honest I'm surprised she's stuck with it because she tends to be more science-oriented and will read about astronomy, geology, or geography before anything else. This is the only thing she could think of when asked what she wanted for her birthday:
Anyway, we got to the section on New England and she was really interested in that. As we read she kept making these deep sighs and saying, "Again with the religion!" Of course, you never can tell what exactly kids will make of something (Bill Cosby and Art Linkletter built careers on this, and I guess Linklater, too). So a few days ago, she gets on her mom's email account at work and fires this off to our pastor:"Hey,Preacher! My Dad and I were reading about the Puritans and Quakers. Do you know anything about them? Well, a man had been away for 6 yearsand he kissed his wife in church- AND THEY THREW HIM OUT IN THE STOCKYARDS!!!!!!!! Whoa,they were REALLY religous! Also, a babysitter namedTituba made three girls be witches! Really true!!!!!! That's em'Puritans for 'ya!!!"
Ah, how little has changed since then... or as Ségolène would say, "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose."
3 comments:
I can hardly wait to see the pastor's response. I'm sure it will be cool and all.
Unlike the time our son told his SS class that Adam and Eve probably weren't, you know, real people, and those streets of gold just meant a really cool place. We got the call asking if we'd like to come talk to the entire class about those concepts.
We declined.
Tex, your son was in the Schutzstaffel? Man, how old are you? (Okay, bad joke time is over.) Having none of my own, I have found it easier over the years not to get into conversations re other people's religious beliefs. (Once, in grad school, one of my profs asked me if I was an Existentialist and I answered, "I wish I were that optimistic." That's where I come from.)
Lego is going through his agnostic phase right now and I'm not sure of his theology, but it seems to be based on the Philip Pullman novels he's been reading. God, what happens when he moves on to Ayn Rand?
Thankfully, my parents aren't involved enough to know what's going on. If they were healthier, they'd probably take me to court and sue for custody.
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