A couple of days ago I had an interesting discussion with a friend about what we tell our kids about Santa Claus. Coming from a Christian background, my friend was quite surprised to find out that I have not told my daughter that Santa is not real, and that Christmas is all about Jesus, etc.
As a parent, I believe my most important responsibility in my child’s “faith development” is to encourage and help her to develop the ability to “believe”: To believe in something beyond what her eyes can see. To believe in the inherent goodness in people. To believe she can make this world a better place. To believe there is a God who is good, who loves her and watches over everyone. As she grows up, whether she choose to express that ability to believe by identifying with a religious tradition, whether it is Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, etc is of secondary importance to me. In short, as a parent my responsibility is to encourage my child to “believe” and show her “how” to believe. As far as “what” she believes, in terms of religion, is a choice she needs to make for herself in time.
Being a part of the social services sector for the last few years have taught me a great deal. On one hand I have seen and learned first hand the complexity of the issues that plague our world: poverty, economic injustice and oppression, racial discrimination and violence, just to name a few. On the other hand, I have seen incredibly innovative approaches that are making a real difference in attacking some of those issues. Without exception, I have seen such innovation happens best in an environment of diversity: When people from different sectors, cultures, races, religious backgrounds come together united by a common “belief”: If we work together, we can find solutions. We can make a difference. We can change the world.
Some of the problems the world faces today may seem like mountains. I believe in the Bible when it says faith CAN move mountains. The question is what kind of faith does that. The kind of faith, the kind of “believing” the world needs today is one that unites rather than separates. It makes us humble rather than arrogant. It teaches us to embrace those who are different rather than pushing them away. It reminds us to listen rather than shout. It teaches us to see how we are the same rather than how we are different. It inspires us to lift our eyes with hope rather than throw our hands up in despair. In short, the kind of faith that can move mountains and change the world is one that is generous, bold, embracing, gracious, humble, brave and outrageous. No religious label can claim monopoly on such faith. This kind of faith is available to anyone with the ability to believe. For me, that ability, rather than a religious label, is the single most important “legacy of faith” that I can pass on to my child.
I know this “journey of faith” will not be easy for her. As she grows up, there will be those that tell her it’s fruitless to believe in anything. There will be those who will tell her there is only one “true” faith and they happened to have it figured out. No matter what happens, my one prayer is for her to NEVER lose the ability to believe. Like anything, that ability develops slowly. It needs to be nurtured and protected. It needs to be encouraged and tested. In time, she will figure out what is worth believing in, and what she needs to leave behind.
That’s why I don’t think it’s such a bad thing for her to still believe in Santa, who happens to be very good to her this year :-)
