How to explain bible stories to kids

Wanna be a philosopher? Just stick around with toddlers and young kids, and in no time will you become one. By the time they’re teenagers, they think they know everything. Believe me, I’ve been there and even the intellectually correct can be humbled.

Why do you think that shows like, “are you smarter than a 5th grade” has a high rating. Most adults think they know everything, but we have been outsmarted by these know-it-all midgets who are our very own sons and daughters. There were times when young minds would ask the experienced , matters of concern, but nowadays, they don’t trust our judgments. They’d rather ‘google’ it. And today’s term, googling is the generic term for ‘you want answers, get it from google!”

Children nowadays, would rather pound on the keys of a computer rather than ask an older person, lest they be given a fantasy of a story. In my previous blog, I joined a group that was asked to explain racial differences to kids. There were 50 entries and mine was number 11. Not bad for a newbie. So I decided now to venture on ’how to explain bible stories to kids.”

Yup, every question a child asks is always a “Why?….Why?…Why?”…and every ultimate answer, after everything else, always ends up with a Creator. So when you start telling them biblical stories, it will surely be followed up by more questions. Therefore, here are some suggestions you can give your toddlers and young kids, straight and logical answers .(and I mean logical)

ADAM AND EVE
:

In today’s world, there is so much talk on creationism, intelligent design, evolution and the big bang theory that even the most intelligent people in our society are still debating over such issues. So regardless, when we start introducing our children about the ‘first parents’ of this world, and then having boys as children there is always a follow up question: “
Where did they get their wives?” or “How were the girls made”

Trust any toddler to ask that question and you’ll catch yourself making up stories. One such story would be that after God made Adam and Eve, he then created other humans…Why didn’t he make them all at the same time?
(big bang theory etc…)…and so on and so forth which will make you say “BECAUSE GOD IS GOD AND HE CAN DO WHAT HE WANT!” and then making you upset and the kid more confused .

So I suggest, that until your kids learn about incest and homosexuality, stick to the premise of your story.

Eve was created from Adam’s ribs. So Cain and Abel asked God to take a rib from them to be their wives, and so did their children---until that line of affinity is not close enough for relatives to intermarry lest they produce abnormal kids. After which, everyone can start cohabiting with one another. Thus the human race was born. Logical enough?

So girls, when your husband comes home tonight, make sure to check on the number of ribs he has. There are a total of 24 ribs in the body, which is 12 on each side. So if there’s any rib bone missing, hmmmm…you’ll probably need counseling or maybe a divorce lawyer?…



NOAH’S ARK

Remember that bearded man who made a huge boat on dry land and everyone thought he was crazy? His name was Noah and after the boat was built, he got a pair of every animal conceivable and housed him on his boat until the big flood arrived. (too bad they didn’t have a Noah in New Orleans, when the tsunami came). Anyway, this is a good story for kids, not until they ask
“WERE THERE DINOSAURS TOO?”

Let’s face it, we teach our kids about of T-Rex, Spinosaurus, Gigantausaurus and all the outher ‘sauruses’ in the guise of learning about science. Let me remind you that there is a false war betwee science and religion. Some contend that science teaches “how” and that religion teaches “why”….so before we go in the discussion of how the dinosaurs came to be, and why they were created are two different spectrums.

In answer to the kids question, we should ask him/her another question. How big do you think is a dinosaur? If he’s concept is smaller than the boat, then yes, there were dinosaurs. (no other explanation necessary after that).. If the dinosaur , was bigger than the boat, then, he was the bad dinousaur and would be washed away like all the bad men, which of course was the reason why the boat was built. The dinosaur became big because he ate all the good people, so Noah didn’t invite him in his boat.

So then, the next time he asks more about dinosaurs, and unless you know the true answer, shut him up by saying, “when you grow up, just be a paleontologist”. or better still, “just google it!”. end of story



DANIEL AND THE LIONS

We all heard about Daniel being placed in the lions den and had not a scratch on him after his ordeal. In this story, we emphasize on God’s invisible power and that is the lesson we impart on kids. Yet more often than not, kids would ask, “
WHY DIDN’T THE LIONS EAT DANIEL”.

Simple questions often require simple answers like, “Because the lions weren’t really hungry.”

Then followed by a simple explanation, “The lions were many, and Daniel was only one, so they decided it wasn’t smart to fight over small stuff. It’s just like many kids fighting over dinner, and finding out they’re not even hungry, right?”

The best way to move away from a possible argument is to focus on another issue. So instead of getting caught up with more explanation, try to take the easy way out before it gets you deeper into the muddle.

JONAH AND THE FISH

Jonah was a person who disobeyed God because he didn’t want to go where he was suppose to go. The story goes to say that because of his disobedience, Jonah was gobbled by a huge fish and stayed in its belly for 3 days. The question most kids ask, would be, “
HOW DID JONAH GET TO EAT IN THE FISH’S BELLY?” or “DID HE HAVE A BED TO SLEEP IN” or “IS IT DARK INSIDE?”

Try answering that one without sounding fairy tallish. You can’t be closer to the truth if you concoct up another story, therefore, I suggest be flat and open about it…Tell the kid that this is just a story and there’s no such fish that could eat a human being and survive. The truth is Jonah ate a fish he wasn’t suppose to. (at least that’s the whole concept about disobedience). And because he did, he had diahrea. (consequence of disobedience). And after having diahrea, he told his friends about it. (which gives the kid an idea of evangelizing about obedience.) it’s as simple as that!

Be truthful about saying that most stories in the bible are not to be taken literally . It only says so, because it wants to convey a lesson. In this age, unless there is physical evidence to support a claim, it will always ends up as hearsay and fantasy. Why do you think CSI, Law and Order and, Dr. House gets all these T.V. awards-- I think it’s because they’re closer to reality and to the point.

And finally……THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST

When I told my grandchildren that their daddy was my baby, they never accepted it. That’s because they believed their daddy was never a child like them. Just like many children, they think that Papa Jesus was a lanky man with long hair, a beard and wearing sandals. (someone that looked like a hippie from Woodstock) . Nevertheless, we always tell the story of the first Christmas, and how it came to be.

About Joseph and Mary looking for an inn, and ended up in a stable. Then three wise men coming in to give Jesus gifts predicting that the baby will help save the world. And although this is a nice way to convey the origin of Christianity, it was a great surprise to me when a young mind emphatically said,

“I think Jesus was bad when he was a kid?

“Why?”

“Because if he was good, then Santa would give him a nice home and better toys than what those old men gave him?”

So how can you reconcile Santa and Jesus Christ? We make up stories to filter information for the child’s benefit, not realizing that we are initially responsible for the input of those bits and pieces of data. And when we mess up, we try to cover up by a larger lie and thus end up worst than when we started.

The best way to explain biblical stories to kids is to understand their minds and how they process information. If our goal is to teach values, then stick to the simplest explanation without sounding too spiritually religious. The stories are man made but the lessons learned are valuable. And it is our responsibility, as parents and members of society, to relay it with utmost clarity and meaning.

Children will not remain as such for long….they will turn to grown ups and then do their own searching…..

Different Not Alien

I have been writing this weekend and I really enjoyed it. I am posting my essay on how to explain to children racial differences and I hope you will enjoy reading as well. Here it is:

Different Not Alien by S.J.C (me)

“Brown is best!” my grandfather used to say , when as a child, I asked him why we had such skin color. The inquiry stemmed when a U.S. navy boat landed in our home port, Cebu, Philippines during the 60’s and many Caucasian sailors roamed our city.

With a pointed finger upward, my grandfather reiterated of God having a huge oven in heaven and making three batches of people. The first batch , he took out too soon and was white as snow. The second batch, he took out longer than should be, so it became the dark race. But with us, He just made a perfect batch. With a sigh, Grandpa would shake his balding head and then interject his favored reply on our race

I adhered to that belief, because in my growing years, many beach resorts were being built for tourists. I would would often see many pale skinned people basking under the sun for hours in their skimpy swimsuits. Grandfather must be right, and that these white people wanted to finish God’s baking

However, as I expanded my knowledge through school and travels, I knew better than believing my grandfather’s folklore. And respecting differences in culture, tradition and race was part of it.

Fast forward many years later and having migrated to America, I am faced with a similar situation yet under different circumstance. Baby sitting a 4 year old, blue eyed, blond hair boy who became curious of my skin, he placed his small arm alongside mine. While comparing , he asked, “Why am I white and you’re brown?”

My best explanation about melanin cells without sounding scientific led me to a story about me having more tiny dots in our body which I inherited from my grandparents. Adding to the fact, that my ancestors lived in a place where it was warm all year round. I further explained the difference that his daddy’s daddy came from a different climate as well and so needed less cells, which made him fairer.

The political aspect I injected was again another story about us having the same color of blood and same emotions which my little ward perfectly understood with a language he was very familiar with.

My grandfather is not a bigot but explained my toddler question the best way he knew how . Several of his best friends were Caucasians who stayed months in our country. But my grandfather treated every one of them with utmost care, humility and respect, which I emulated as well.

If I gave my grandfather’s explanation, my little ward would probably think I was silly as he did some of my fantasy stories. Children today learn more and faster with technology and exposure to different races and culture. Along the way, they will learn so much without having to ask us. But if they do, it is our responsibility to explain within the capacity of their understanding and our ability to set a good example which should portray the epitome of a human being that is just, unprejudiced, unbiased and compassionate.

After all, they will be our future!