So, my 11-year-old is into paganism

[LuckyTheDog]

We're not talking some Earth-centered neo-Druid, drumming-in-the-woods kind of thing. Nope, my son has been studying the pantheon of ancient Greek and Roman gods. And, he thinks it makes more sense than any other kind of religion he has been exposed to so far.

I look at this as a kind of adorable phase. I am just glad he is exploring his spiritual side, wherever it takes him. But... I think I should keep this information from my very Baptist mom. I also think I'll draw a line if he wants to do any animal sacrifices.

Thoughts?

[rurallib]

1. I could barely tie my shoes at 11

and I thought the Cubs were some kind of gods.

[olddots]

2. Our grandson entroduced himself as Darth Vader for two years

It's frightening ay first then you figure why not .

[LuckyTheDog]

3. I only wish we could afford a trip to Greece

I'd love to visit Athens with him.

[LadyHawkAZ]

4. I did the same thing around the same age

The stories are fun, the relationships and encounters between the gods and humans make for intricate and fascinating reading. Lots of magic flying around and smiting going on, which is great when you're a kid; it's church meets Saturday morning cartoons. He'll likely grow out of it eventually and have an extra bit of education for the experience.

[jakeXT]

20. I always thought it was about Zeus/Jupiter having sex with everybody /nt

[Yooperman]

5. Good for YOU!

It's good to see a parent allow their children to search and decide on their own.

I had two daughters and we raised them to have an open mind and although my wife and I weren't affiliated with any single religion we raised them to understand there is more to everyone than what we really can understand.

With that said... when my oldest daughter was in 4th grade she told me she wanted to go to church. Since most of her friends did, I figured this was normal. We lived in Utah at the time so I told her that it was great that she wanted to learn about religions and that come Sunday I would take her to church and each Sunday afterward I would take her to a different church or religion so she could learn about all of them.

We chose the Methodists first.... after sitting through one sermon she didn't want to go back.

That same daughter in 11th grade from the back seat of the car one day announced to me "Dad, I am Christian!" My response "Great, I am happy for you." She was a bit shocked that I accepted her feelings so easily since I know she understood my feelings that religious "beliefs" are not necessary for your evolution of your soul. You see her boyfriend at the time was from a very Baptist family. So she started to attend and they(pastor and members) made her feel very wanted and treated her very well. But she started having 2nd thoughts once a speaker came and condemned gays to hell. Many of her best friends were gay. So in the end she saw the "light" and evolved past the judging and fear and now is very spiritual but non-religious.

So allow your child to make his own choices and if you have set a great example and it looks like you are.... when he is an adult he will look back and thank you for allowing him to have freedom of mind and your trust that he will choose the right path for himself.

Peace,

YM

PS..... whenever I take the "Beliefomatic" I am catagorized as a neo-pagan.

http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/Quizzes/BeliefOMatic.aspx

[truegrit44]

25. I took that test and I thought I would be considered a

heathen but I am most close to Secular Humanism.

I also agree that there is nothing to worry about with the OP's son and it shows he has a good grip on the world around him and I bet he grows up to be wonderful!

[Kali]

27. I must be some kind of evil

I think I just broke the site at your link.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

28. interesting because on a lot of those questions there were one, two or more answers that

would have been equally OK with me

Today I am:

Your beliefs match closest with Unitarian Universalism!

[hunter]

6. Has he discovered Tolkein yet?

All my childhood friends who got into ancient Greek and Roman gods soon moved on to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings...

One of my own kids, reader at the youth Mass, kid celebrity of the parish, was a Tolkein fan. Attending Mass now away at college? I don't ask. It is a time of discovery. None of my business.

I was more of a hard science fiction sort, Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact

The time is ripe for a gift of books and magazines.

[Smarmie Doofus]

7. Ye gods.

There's a pretty good Discovery Channel video that kind of connects the dots: A History of God. ( 90% sure that's the title.) Connects polytheism to monotheism in a fairly even-handed fashion.

Available at netflix.

He'll be learning a lot of incidental knowledge about the origins of western civilization as he pursues the paganism. An added benefit.

Keep the church lady in the dark. Tell junior to do so also.

[Betsy Ross]

8. When other girls were playing house or tea party,

my friends and I played Greek gods and goddesses running around in draped fabric in my backyard.

[Arugula Latte]

9. Pantheism makes a heck of a lot more sense than monotheism, IMO.

I don't actually believe in any gods, but it seems much more sensible to believe in gods of different temperaments and actions rather than One Giant Omnipotent Asshole God who, by the way, is loving and benevolent (when he's not causing or allowing famine, sending tornadoes and inflicting cancer on children, but SHHHH about all that ... it's all in the plan and ours is not to question ... ).

[eShirl]

10. awesome, he'll get literary references that will fly over the other students' heads

[Chan790]

11. He's behind the curve...

I declared myself a disciple of Bacchus at age 8. My very Catholic parents and grandparents were not pleased.

Get that boy a copy of Edith Hamilton's Mythology. I remember loving those stories as a kid...it motivated me to learn Classical Greek and Latin by 9th grade.

[Incitatus]

12. I went through a short phase like that between my Christian upbrining and my atheism. nt

[kentauros]

13. I just have some sites he might want to look at:

http://www.hellenicgods.org/

http://www.greek-gods.info/

http://www.ancientsites.com/

http://www.theoi.com/

http://www.indigenouspeople.net/index2.htm

http://www.interfaith.org/
http://www.sacred-texts.com/
http://www.esotericarchives.com/

http://www.godfinder.org/

[LuckyTheDog]

24. Thanks! (nt)

[Demo_Chris]

14. My thoughts? Tell him his interest is fantastic but none of it is real.

NONE of it.

[GoneOffShore]

21. I'll second that suggestion.

And show him this -

[dimbear]

15. Be a good parent and recommend Dionysus.

The coolest one. (Not for addictive types, tho.)

[cyberswede]

16. My son got all into the Greek gods when he read Percy Jackson books

He absolutely loved the books, starting in 3rd grade - and still likes them now (in 6th).

I got him this book for x-mas when he was 10 - he ate it up

[LWolf]

22. Rick Riordan

has made Greek and Roman mythology the hot thing in middle school.

His Egyptian mythology series, not so much. They like them, but not with the same enthusiasm.

[LuckyTheDog]

23. My son reads those, too!

His grandma (on my wife's side) bought him a set because of his interest in pagan gods.

[Baitball Blogger]

17. IF he starts growing wings on his ankles,

He could either be Mercury. If not, call Charles Xavier

[LiberalEsto]

18. Zeus is not a good moral example

In the stories he's always raping this woman and that one. Then Hera comes along and punishes the victims by turning them into animals or objects.

[NightWatcher]

19. could be worse, he could be into Pentacostal Snake Dancing

Maybe he'll settle on Pastafarianism

[nolabear]

26. I'd say let him handle it. They can work out the relationship.

If your mom doesn't get that an 11 year old boy is an 11 year old boy, she'll figure it out when he's 12 and wants to be an altar boy. I'm not dismissing his beliefs or seriousness, but if he ends up being really a pagan then she'll have to deal with that too. And it'll be an important lesson for him in managing his feelings when an old lady freaks out on him.

[In_The_Wind]

29. IMO: Grandmothers don't need to know everything. She will be happier in the dark on this.

The best thing to remember ~ Do No Harm ~ is part of the pagan way of life.

[sarge43]

30. Just steer him away from Dionysus worship. That can be pretty rowdy. (Saturday morning snark)

Recommend Bulfinch's Mythology and Edith Hamilton's Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes Both easy reads and standards in the field.

[Still Blue in PDX]

31. I went through that phase at about that age, too.

My parents were totally cool with it as I journeyed through lots of religions, although my dad did roll his eyes a bit when several years later I made a mezuzzah out of one of those little plastic containers that rolls of film came in. Little did I know that most kids my age used them for storing weed.