…to an almost five year old and a seven year old.
H: Mama, why does God let bad things happen?
Me: [hoping that I can answer at least somewhat adequately] Well, Hannah, God created us with free will. Which would be better, if someone was forced to give you a present, or if someone decided that they really wanted to give you a present?
H&N: If someone really wanted to.
Me: Well, God wanted people to love Him, and He could have made us so that we have to love Him, but would that be a really good present from us, to love Him because we have to?
H: No.
Me: God wanted us to be able to choose to give the gift of our love to Him, because it’s a better gift that way.
H: But that means that we can choose not to give Him the gift of our love.
Me: That’s true, and when that happens, bad things happen. God gave us free will so that we could choose to love Him, but we can also choose not to love Him, just like Adam and Eve did in the garden when they disobeyed Him, and then bad things happened.
H: Oh.
I think I started to have a good answer there, but where are the philosophy and theology courses for preschool and early grammar school?
1 comment:
At least she gave you the right answers, not one like, "But I don't want to go to heaven!"
Post a Comment