Me: Many years ago, our government made a law that says that babies inside their mom's bellies are not human. Many people in our country believe that you are not really a person until after you are born. This means that many people do not love babies inside their moms as much as they should. But God has taught us through the Church that the moment a baby starts being inside its mother, that baby is a human life that is loved by God and should be loved by us.
Student: Why is it so bad that some people don't believe it?
Me: It's bad because it isn't the truth.
Student: But why can't a person just believe whatever he wants to? Nobody else has to believe it, just him.
Me: It's a problem because it teaches other people that it's okay to believe what is wrong. It's never just about one person believing something. Plus, it's the government's responsibility to take care of everyone in the country. When they teach people that it's okay to believe things that aren't true, they aren't doing a very good job of taking care of people, are they?
Student: No. They aren't. I wish that governor would listen to all those people telling him he is wrong.
*** Just to clarify, we were not talking about one SPECIFIC governor. My students are second graders, fine distinctions are still difficult.***
"But why can't a person just believe whatever he wants to?" Smart kid!
ReplyDeleteIt's a good question, but I'll really know that he is smart when he understands that true freedom is not about being able to choose/think whatever we want. Rather, it is our ability to choose/think what is objectively true, good, and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHow free are we really if we value being able to make a wrong choice because want to over being lead to always choose what is good?