Tams and bedtime prayers...

First the easy bit – the tam. Kate asked if it was a hat – well, yes, tams usually are hats (so far as I know – that’s the only other way I’ve heard the word used) and I guess that this is derived from that as the construction is similar, with the mitred increases. I’ve done more:
(and look at me using Magic Loop [that’s the loop of the circular needle you can see sticking out – it means that I can use this needle even though it’s too long really] and everything – just after I’d described my total and utter incompetence with it to Daisy – but when I reached 252 stitches in a round, it was kind of time to take it off the dpns [double pointed needles] before it fell off, especially since it gains 24 stitches every 3 rounds… ). Once it’s about 26 cm across I’ll stop going round and round and start doing cuffs, buttonbands and the suchlike.

Now the tricky bit. Ruth asked what approach is appropriate with small children in Sunday School – especially in the following scenario:

If a child asks me “did Jesus really die and come back to life?” should I reply:
a) yes, or
b) that’s what we believe as Christians, or
c) neither of the above (!)

And now I’m going to totally fail to answer the question while I witter on about the aspects of this that I’m currently working through.
It’s times like this that I feel that being a signed-up evangelical would be a lot easier. I’m not meaning to denigrate evangelicals there, but I know the “right” answers largely from having attended an evangelical church at one point, however I don’t always feel entirely honest using the “right” answers.

I recently referred to not being happy about how bedtime prayers are going with Adam at the moment. I started doing these with him after Greenbelt last year (August bank holiday w/e.) We started by following the ACTS acronym (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) – and for a while it worked really well, but then he started dragging them out, and messing around, so I introduced him the the Lord’s Prayer – not least so he would be able to join in in church (which he now does, and it’s lovely). I explained it to him, a phrase at a time, making up stories to illustrate it, and he would make up stories for me. And again, for a while it worked really well – although he much prefers to have his “trespasses” forgiven rather than his “sins”. Most recently we’ve been taking a page a night of a book he was given for his birthday. (I can’t remember the title, but it gives a brief simplified Bible passage followed by a briefer prayer.) And I’m really struggling with this. In large part this is because it goes straight for the aspects of faith that make me want to run away screaming anyway. (I was going to say “struggle with”, but “run away screaming” is more accurate.) For example the other night the passage was on evangelism. It’s written as God/Jesus writing to the reader which is difficult enough when reading it aloud (do I change the voice, do I not?) and of course it takes the line “Go and tell everyone about me – don’t be ashamed to tell everyone about me.” And the prayer that followed was something along the lines of “Please help me to tell everyone about you.” Oh. Ah. Um… I’m not particularly thrilled by the idea of Adam running into nursery and telling Haleema and Abdullah that Jesus is God. I mean, yes, I do believe he is, but I have absolutely no wish to be offensive to those of other faiths. So I told him not to talk to everyone about Jesus, just those who ask him about him.

Back to Ruth’s question. With Adam we did pretty much go for a). He first met the Easter story the Christmas before he turned 3 in Feb. We went to an RC church with friends (we attend the local Anglican parish church these days) as we were staying with my parents who are Quakers, and although I would happily go to Meeting, it’s not a sensible environment for a lively little boy who isn’t used to it. We were sitting quite near to the end of the sequence of stations of the cross, and Adam was fascinated by the soldiers. So after the service we took him round and showed him the whole story (yeah, I know “Happy Christmas – oh, by the way kid, the baby dies” ) In that context he desperately needed the happy ending, so we gave it to him straight. But I’m happier telling him stories than conveying facts.

I hope we will bring them both up with the confidence to question their faith. I’m not entirely sure what I believe – Scott Adams (yes, the Dilbert one) has been asking questions about what people believe – and yes, of course, he’s largely trying to stir people up, but some of the questions have made me think. I know that the way I try to live my life would make little sense if I didn’t believe in God, but the way that I see some people creating God in the image they like scares me, although I’m pretty sure that I do exactly the same, except that the image I like is different to theirs.

And changing the subject completely – scroll down and look at my egg – it’s rocking! Does this mean it’s going to hatch?

three comments:

You could always leave the book (or maybe just some pages of it!) until he’s older so you could have more of a discussion about it

Daisy - 24 April '06 - 10:41

AAAHHHH, it posted my comment before I’d finished! Maybe it would be worth having a browse in the SPCK or somewhere similar to see what other books there are aimed at children’s bedtime prayers?
Oh, and there’s definitely something about the word “trespasses”, I used to love trying to say all the “s”s when I was little!
(and of course the SPCK in Cambridge isn’t THAT far from Sew Creative. )

Daisy () (link) - 24 April '06 - 10:44

I wish I could think of something intelligent to say. I can’t. (But I won;t let that stop me “talking”!!) I have come across a very interesting website (thanks to it being mentioned on a very interesting blog – both of which you may already frequent.

The website: http://www.off-the-map.org/atheist
The blog: http://www.thedeepend.squarespace.com/jo..

Ruth

Big Ruth () (link) - 25 April '06 - 14:32

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