Growing up in ND, my exposures to religions other than the basics (Catholisism, Lutheran, etc.) was limited. I knew of the Jewish religion and of course others that are more common in the middle east, which I learned about in History classes. I also remember my parents and aunts/uncles talking about Mormonism and the amazing Temples when we traveled to Arizona. I simply never knew any Mormons. Well it seems that since we moved overseas, Chris and I have developed a magnet of sorts. In Korea, our wonderful neighbors were Mormons. We spent Thanksgiving with a large group of their friends on a trip to southern South Korea. I have stayed in touch with many of these lovely people. Arriving in Germany, again, we discovered a large population of Mormons in our military community. Interestingly, Claire's best friend since kindergarten is Mormon. Obviously, the goal of religion is to spread the word, encourage others to join you in your beliefs and show others why what you believe is superior. However, in our 3+ years of experience and friendships with some of the most kind, loving and sweetest people ever, Chris and I have never felt pressured by any of them. This is where our story begins...
I drop Claire off in the gymnasium every morning with the other 1st graders in our school. There they sit according to their class and wait for their teachers to come get them. Claire always sits by her BFF Emma. One morning last week, I dropped her off and watched Emma gift Claire with a book. A blue book. I could vaguely make out the words--"The Book of Mormon." My heart dropped and I could feel it begin to beat more quickly. Thankfully, I'd already said my "I love you, have a great day," so I could mentally prepare myself before Claire showed me her gift. My mind was racing as to how to handle the situation. Chris and I have been very open with Claire about what we believe. We've read stories from the Children's Bible, focused on the reasons of why we celebrate Christmas, why we are kind to everyone, honesty, prayer, doing what is right, etc. We've incorporated it into our daily life. We don't beat them over the heads with Bibical verses, but encourage them to lead a Godly life by following our lead. I called Chris and shared with him the news of the gift. His immediate response was to blow it off and simply appease Claire's curiosity by reading it with her. I didn't agree. Knowing how confusing the text in the Bible actually was, I wasn't about to embark on a journey like that sifting through words that were not in my heart. I certainly didn't want my 6 year old absorbing those words as her own either. Chris and I talked it over and finally agreed on how to proceed.
Mya and I picked up Claire and like I imagined, she immediately shared her excitement over the gift she had received from Emma. I began my explanation of how there are many different kinds of religions or things that people believe. We talked about how we are Christians. We believe in God and the words in the Bible. Emma is a Mormon. She believes much of what we believe, but she also believes in the Book of Mormon. We don't share this belief. We only believe what is written in the Bible. I went on to explain how we are very much alike Emma's family. We believe in being kind to others, helping others, loving all, praying, etc. I acknowledged Emma's kindness in sharing her book with Claire. I didn't take the book away and in fact, told Claire that she could read it if she wanted. I also suggested she try to read one of the other Children's Bibles that we have if she wanted to learn more about our faith. It was most important to me that I did not portray one religion or belief system as being better than another. It isn't my place to judge and I certainly do not want to encourage judgement in my children. It is God's place to judge, whereas ours is simply to love thy neighbor as ourselves. That is the lesson I want Claire to walk away with.
Since that day, Claire has faithfully read her Children's Bible each night. She and I discuss the story on the way to school the next morning. She shares what she read and I drive home the lesson that is to be learned. All in all, this "gift" has been a gift to our entire family. It has sparked a desire in Claire and in turn, fostered deeper conversations in our family. It truly is amazing all the wonderful friendships that we have developed with our Mormon friends, but none have been as powerful as the 6 year old who is truly doing God's work.
I drop Claire off in the gymnasium every morning with the other 1st graders in our school. There they sit according to their class and wait for their teachers to come get them. Claire always sits by her BFF Emma. One morning last week, I dropped her off and watched Emma gift Claire with a book. A blue book. I could vaguely make out the words--"The Book of Mormon." My heart dropped and I could feel it begin to beat more quickly. Thankfully, I'd already said my "I love you, have a great day," so I could mentally prepare myself before Claire showed me her gift. My mind was racing as to how to handle the situation. Chris and I have been very open with Claire about what we believe. We've read stories from the Children's Bible, focused on the reasons of why we celebrate Christmas, why we are kind to everyone, honesty, prayer, doing what is right, etc. We've incorporated it into our daily life. We don't beat them over the heads with Bibical verses, but encourage them to lead a Godly life by following our lead. I called Chris and shared with him the news of the gift. His immediate response was to blow it off and simply appease Claire's curiosity by reading it with her. I didn't agree. Knowing how confusing the text in the Bible actually was, I wasn't about to embark on a journey like that sifting through words that were not in my heart. I certainly didn't want my 6 year old absorbing those words as her own either. Chris and I talked it over and finally agreed on how to proceed.
Mya and I picked up Claire and like I imagined, she immediately shared her excitement over the gift she had received from Emma. I began my explanation of how there are many different kinds of religions or things that people believe. We talked about how we are Christians. We believe in God and the words in the Bible. Emma is a Mormon. She believes much of what we believe, but she also believes in the Book of Mormon. We don't share this belief. We only believe what is written in the Bible. I went on to explain how we are very much alike Emma's family. We believe in being kind to others, helping others, loving all, praying, etc. I acknowledged Emma's kindness in sharing her book with Claire. I didn't take the book away and in fact, told Claire that she could read it if she wanted. I also suggested she try to read one of the other Children's Bibles that we have if she wanted to learn more about our faith. It was most important to me that I did not portray one religion or belief system as being better than another. It isn't my place to judge and I certainly do not want to encourage judgement in my children. It is God's place to judge, whereas ours is simply to love thy neighbor as ourselves. That is the lesson I want Claire to walk away with.
Since that day, Claire has faithfully read her Children's Bible each night. She and I discuss the story on the way to school the next morning. She shares what she read and I drive home the lesson that is to be learned. All in all, this "gift" has been a gift to our entire family. It has sparked a desire in Claire and in turn, fostered deeper conversations in our family. It truly is amazing all the wonderful friendships that we have developed with our Mormon friends, but none have been as powerful as the 6 year old who is truly doing God's work.
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