Philosophical thinking in children.

[CHBitchy]

ds (6) is a pure scientist. Analytic and questioning. He not been brought up to believe anything specific. I am not religious but my parents are. he has had exposure the christian way through his GPs. i don't make a deal of the situation just that GPs chose to believe and I chose not to. We are all entitled to believe want we want. I respect their right to believe and they respect mine to not believe.

However, tonight there has been the weirdest conversation at bedtime. Basically ds like evidence for things and will question and rationalise it until he feels like there is enough proof for him to make his mind up about something.

Tonight he felt he had the evidence to prove that God didn't exist.

Ds: I know why we can prove god doesn't exist
Me: how?
Ds: well he doesn't exist because how could he have been born if ther was no planet for him to be born on. And how can he have made the universe if there was nothing for him to be born on.
Me: So what makes you say that God exist in a form such as us. Perhaps he exists in a partical or elemental state.
Ds: god could exist as a partical state but how could he die? Do particals die? Me: Not in the way that we would but particals are not alive according to the way that we categorise life. They do not have the 7 characteristics of life.
Ds: Hmm.
Me: perhaps you need to think this through a bit more.

Apart from the fact that I am slightly weirded out by the fact that he is only 6 and I had hope to escape this kind of conversation for a few more years.

How do I deal with similar situations. I stopped believing as a child as I questioned what i was readin and felt I could believe something that I couldn't rationalise. Why say thou shalt not kill when it glorified the slaying of goliath etc.

I am trying to bring him up to respect the religous views of others, whilst letting his own mind up about whether or not he wants to believe. I feel terribly out of my depth right now. the scientific thinking has been going on for years but the appication to philosophical thoughts is new. This is a normal phase right?

oh and do I encourage, diswade, direct or what this new thought train?

Why are you arguing against what he has concluded, if you're not bothered what he believes? You could just say "Oh, right then. Sleep well", and leave him to it.

As he gets older there will be more and more things where he thinks about things you haven't considered, or knows about things you haven't studied. You don't need to keep ahead of him, or even keep up with him.

I have a very enquiring son also. He sometimes asks me questions I haven't got an answer to. I go away and think about it then "get back" to him, once I am satisfied what I think. There may come a point where I can't answer him, but the answer then is I tell him quite simply, I don't know. But while I can, I answer him to the best of my ability, and I think its important for both of us that we do so.