When we write, we synthesize so many things: our childhood lessons, the values parents attempt to instill, the small town or mega city that we were raised in, and the larger culture that dictated our interactions with others. We take all those things, and we tell our narrative through the power of words.
The Bible is no different. One of the most widely-read books ever (largely because it was forced on millions under pain of death), The Bible offers a glimpse into the world of 2000 years ago: what did humans think about how life on earth began? Which parts of their thoughts and ideas proved to be true? Children must read the literature of the past to learn about not only the people of millenia ago, but also how far we’ve come as a species since then–and, the endless possibilities should we continue on our present quest for knowledge and understanding.
When looking at Gen. 1 and 2, it is important for young people to realize that the people of 2000 ago knew less about the world than the average 3 year old does today. For example, most three year-old’s know that germs, infinitesimal ‘bugs,’ live on the surface of almost everything. One way to keep from getting infected with these miniature creatures is simply to wash your hands after, say, using the bathroom; the people who wrote what would later be called The Bible didn’t know that. According to them, illness was a punishment from God. They also believed that thunderstorms meant God was mad at you, famine meant your people didn’t pray enough, and host of other illogical beliefs about why things happened to people.
Now, back to Adam and Eve. For the younger children, I would begin a conversation about creation myths by playing a good ‘ol fashioned game of pretend. Ask your child, “If you could create a world, how would you do it? What would do first? What kinds of rules would you have?”
————> This works well as a writing assignment; kids love to tell stories and read them aloud!
With older youth and teenagers, you can jump straight into the reading.
After the two of you (yes, you do it too!) have created your worlds, it is a good time to pull out The Bible. I would encourage you to discuss a few things before you begin reading/summarizing how God created the earth according to the Christian Mythology:
1. Let children know that there are many, many creation myths; The Bible only presents ONE.
2. Children should be aware that while you consider the story of Adam and Eve (snake in tow) to be mythology, many people consider it literal fact. Children should be taught to understand that this viewpoint is theirs, and that many people will disagree, but that our country allows all the freedom to think what we want.
3. Finally, you must reinforce an individual’s right to their opinion. Your child has a right to not believe in talking snakes and women being created from magical ribs, even if millions think different!—-> make sure children know how to stand up for their ideas, to adults and children alike.
After discussing Genesis and God’s process, YOU MUST DISCUSS HOW GOD’S PROCESS DIFFERS FROM WHAT WE KNOW TO BE TRUE TODAY!
Whether you are a person of faith or not, there are facts that we know to be true about how life evolved on this planet. Children need to know both these facts and the thoughts of past peoples if they are to decide how to proceed with their own thoughts on the subject. They need the cultural references to Adam and Eve. Also, it’s important for young people to know that even though ancient people didn’t have the facts that we have today, they did the best they could; they took what they knew to be true, and they interpreted what was going on around them.
That’s what we want our young people to do when they are not in our line of sight. Take a sixteen year old: at a party (ergo drugs, sex, and rock and roll are there too). Given what teens know about sex and how drugs inhibit rational choices (and if they don’t know this by now, run to the Sex, Drugs and Other Elephants section of my blog and READ!), you want your child to be able to make a logical conclusion about what to do in their surroundings. It would also help if they had a plan of action going in–again, your job as parent to discuss.
Wanna throw a curve ball and get your child’s mind thinking: show them some images of Adam and Eve. Talk about the big elephant: skin color. If Adam and Eve were real, would they be white? What do we know about the oldest human skeleton? Where was it found, and what does it tell us about the probable color of the ‘first’ humans?
Ultimately, children can learn much from the Christian creation myth: they learn that ancient peoples understood life evolved from a process, they learn that man and woman have a unique relationship with one another as counterparts in a species, even though no ribs were exchanged 
Discussing the relationship between Adam and Eve, for more mature kids, can also explain why the current cultural practices of misogyny exist–despite the magnificent gains made my women throughout the decades. The subjugation of women is directly related to what happens in Gen. 2-4, which we’ll discuss next week! So, do your homework: skim Genesis 2-4 and ask yourself, how does this relate to society today, and how can children learn about this in a way that makes them religiously literate without the religious dogma? We have to educate our children so that they do not grow up to be the bigoted people that inhabit our world today.
This little conversation can take as long as it needs to. Remember, children have short attention-spans: when they’re ready to stop, stop. You can always pick the conversation up later when they’re interested.
Did I forget anything?
See you next Sunday!
The post Adam, Eve, and the Creation of the Universe. Why secular kids need to know it too! appeared first on The Secular Parent.