I drove Olle and Tilly to and from a birthday party on the weekend and enjoyed eavesdropping on (and occasionally participating in) their conversation.
They somehow got around to discussing World Youth Day, which happens in our neck of the city soon. "Not everyone in Sydney has Christian beliefs and I don't think they should close down roads just for Christians" said Tilly. "For example, [someone she knows] is a Buddhist and doesn't want to have anything to do with the Pope. And my family doesn't have any beliefs".
"I was brought up as a Catholic but I don't have any religious beliefs now either," I said.
"I have two beliefs" said Olle. "First, I believe God is everything - everything living and non-living. Secondly, I believe that there is eternal life for everyone, because when you have a birthday, it's another birth day, isn't it, so you get another life with each birth day, so your life goes on and on..."
[The Freudian part of me wishes to point out that religious belief in eternal life - whether in the form of heaven or reincarnation - comes from humanity's inner child which hates the idea of an end to life.]
Deepest sympathy for World Youth Day.
Posted by: Laura | Monday, June 30, 2008 at 12:57 PM
It will be interesting to see if we notice any difference...
Posted by: susoz | Monday, June 30, 2008 at 05:31 PM
What a profound child!
Posted by: elsewhere | Monday, June 30, 2008 at 09:21 PM