Article May 16, 1988 Issue

Theology: just for grown-ups?

The Christian Science Monitor

Children are natural theologians. They seem to have an almost intuitive sense that there is a God and that He is loving and good. They also have a natural curiosity about life that often leads to their asking the "big" questions, such as where did everything come from, and why are we here? The answers we give will largely be shaped by our concept of ultimate causes, and for many, this means by their concept of God.

How important, then, that our answers about God reflect His true nature and not human conceptions of Him. It's tragic when a child's often clear, innocent sense of God is adulterated with dogma —with man-made creeds that portray a wrathful, inscrutable God who is less good, less lovable, and less approachable than any good human parent.

Where can we look to get the clearest picture of our creator? To the Christian, Jesus presents the clearest idea of God. When the Master talked of God, he wasn't just theorizing; he knew God as intimately as he knew his own being. As the Son of God, he was Godlike —not physically but in the Godly qualities he embodied.

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