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Earlier in the week, I took my son to his Cub Scout den meeting. One of the achievements to cover that night was entitled "Duty to God". I was wondering how the den mother was going to handle it, to be honest. She's very good (a teacher by profession) and our pack is very considerate of differing beliefs and doesn't assume that everyone is Christian.
It turned out that, after a short chat about what the word "faith" means, the den mother turned it over to the parents, to take a few minutes to talk quietly with our sons about what we believe, covering the other parts of the achievement. So I did that.
I decided to stay neutral (I've told MG Jr. often that he doesn't have to believe what I believe--he can choose when he's older), so we concentrated on the Golden Rule, and I explained that that's how we "serve God"--by helping others, being kind, and not worrying about how we'll "get our stuff back" if we give it to someone who needs it more. He understood that. The time was too short to really cover much more, but I could tell that he was going to bring it up again to try to understand stuff better.
Sure enough, that night, just before he went to sleep, he wanted to talk about it more. I figured that a little lost sleep was worth taking the time to answer his questions. First he tussled with the concept of what God is, as his friends insist that it's an old guy up in the clouds. (Which, as I think I've mentioned here before, he can't wrap his mind around, "because then airplane pilots would be able to see him!") Then we talked about death and the Other Side. I explained about spirit guides and angels and how even relatives he never met, who are on the Other Side now, are watching over him and protecting him all the time.
Then he brought up reincarnation, which we've discussed before. (He told me that even though I have said he doesn't have to believe what I do, he does believe it; I told him he can change his mind when he gets older if he wishes.) I explained how the physical body is a vehicle for the spirit, and conversely also told him that some people believe we are only our physical bodies, and we cease to exist entirely when our bodies die. We talked about how some people believe we have only one life, while others believe that we have as many as we want.
THEN, out of the blue, he said, "I think that sometimes, if a person gets tired of being here, they can leave, and another spirit can go into their body." Huh?
Yeah, my kid knows about walk-ins! I have NEVER told him about that. :wow:
He went on to explain how it works--how it can be temporary or permanent, and how sometimes two souls can live in one body for a while when it's necessary. He talked about everything I've read on the subject, and all of it was exactly correct according to what I've learned (and I told him so, and filled in a few of the gaps in the information that he wasn't quite sure about).
So yeah. That was pretty cool. :)
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