Precocious 10-Year-Old

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blackforest said:
what if there’s no God and no afterlife?
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I would respond that it would make me sad, and then continue the dialogue. Ask the child how it would make them feel. Ask whether they think there is a God, and if so, what that God is like.

Listen, and before you speak, listen some more. Listen not just to the words but to the whole child.

When you respond, keep it simple, personal, and from the heart.
 
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Unless the 10-year-old is a budding philosopher, I would avoid Thomas and Pascal and just explain, in concepts accessible to a child, why you believe that God exists, loves us, and saves us.

When my kids asked such questions, I’ve told them that I have experienced love and goodness in my life, and seen order and beauty in the world, and it convinced me. My children have expressed doubts and questioned my reasoning, but these are beautiful and honest expressions. Every doubt and question is a teachable moment. I worry more when they don’t want to talk about it.
 
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Do you know why s/he asks ? Would you say it’s because of a general doubt about whether what you tell them is true, or because they’re about that age when one begins to really grasp what death is, and fear it ?

ETA: I’m asking not because I expect an answer, but because I think the way I’d answer “is Mom trustworthy” would be different from the way I’d answer “what happens to me when I die”.
 
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blackforest said:
Parents: How would you respond to a child who continually asks you what if there’s no God and no afterlife?
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How would you respond if there was no God and no afterlife? When you have the answer to that you can tell your boy.
 
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First I’d tell them of course there’s a God and an afterlife.
Then I’d ask them why they’re concerned about this/ why they think there isn’t.
Then we could have a discussion from there, based on what they said.
 
These are good questions. Let your child know that it is safe to ask big questions and that you will find the answers together.

I’d advise you to check out posts and the reading list over at strangenotions.com. depending on your kids reading comprehension level, either read with them or you read and then break it down for your child.
 
Teach the child about Jesus. Teach about how he lived and how he loved. Tell the child about why you love Jesus. Tell him/her about how he made the blind see and the sick well. Tell them the story about how Jesus made time for kids (in the middle of a sermon!). And then show them how you love Jesus by how you live and love. And then get on your knees and pray. Put your hands on them and pray. Pray before meals and bedtime. And then let go.
 
Here’s another thing—did something change in his life? Did you have a death among family or friends?
Did your kiddo have a recent health scare?
Has he been watching news and thinking about Covid19?

In other words, this might not be a theological inquiry.
It might be he’s scared.
 
I didn’t provide enough context in the OP. My apologies - it was late at night.

He’s a very head-over-heart kind of kid. He’d make a fine theologian, (even priest, if I dare cross my fingers!), if his intellect is channeled the right way. He’s really nocturnal, unlike his mama, so these questions come up super late. I think I need to take him out to lunch in an outdoor, COVID-friendly setting, and have some one-on-one time about this when my brain is better functioning. Thanks for the feedback thus far.
 
blackforest said:
I didn’t provide enough context in the OP. My apologies - it was late at night.

He’s a very head-over-heart kind of kid. He’d make a fine theologian, (even priest, if I dare cross my fingers!), if his intellect is channeled the right way. He’s really nocturnal, unlike his mama, so these questions come up super late. I think I need to take him out to lunch in an outdoor, COVID-friendly setting, and have some one-on-one time about this when my brain is better functioning. Thanks for the feedback thus far.
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Lol! The lunch idea is excellent strategy! Talk to ‘em when they can’t just walk away! The older they get, the more important that is, too. Guess how I know that! 😇😂😂

Seriously, though, do that, and be sure that part of your time—maybe in the car—is for a fun word game or “I Spy” type of game. Implant warm fuzzy memories that will never totally disappear with some easy, laid-back conversation occurring during part of the meal, with hearty laughter, even if it’s just dumb knock-knock jokes creating the laughter. He’ll think of those times ❤️ when you croak, or when he visits your grave. And that’s important.
 
I would tell the child: but every heart feels love. That comes from the soul which is immortal. Love will never end.
 
He sounds very intelligent,. Introduce him to Fr. Spitzer, who has some excellent youtube videos (as well as books) on proofs of the existence of God and also the afterlife.
In a nutshell, the cosmological constants and the fine tuning of the universe are irrefutable evidence that intelligence was at work in creation.
 
My children used to ask us as atheist parents “what if there is a God”? We just answered calmly about why we didn’t think there was and encouraged them to look around for evidence one way or another.
 
When European children start being skeptical theologians, they usually have a moral problem - one among many - or reflect the attitudes of their schoolmates.
 
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