Teaching My Daugher to Explain the Existance of God

[CatholicMedic]

The other evening at dinner my daughter (9 year old) shared with my wife and me that her friend from next store told her he did not believe in God. He included in his discussion the question, “How do you even know that God exists?”

She said she was a little frustrated because she could not explain why she believed in God. My wife and I tried to explained to her why we believed but I’m embarrassed to admit we didn’t really know how to put it on a level a 9 year old would understand. I have read various articles and blogs on answering challenges to the existence of God, but these are written by adults for adults.

So, I am looking for Catholic resources geared for kids to help give her tools to answer these types of questions or at least give me and my wife tools to explain this to our kids.

 

[JurisPrudens]

The other evening at dinner my daughter (9 year old) shared with my wife and me that her friend from next store told her he did not believe in God. He included in his discussion the question, “How do you even know that God exists?”

She said she was a little frustrated because she could not explain why she believed in God. My wife and I tried to explained to her why we believed but I’m embarrassed to admit we didn’t really know how to put it on a level a 9 year old would understand. I have read various articles and blogs on answering challenges to the existence of God, but these are written by adults for adults.

So, I am looking for Catholic resources geared for kids to help give her tools to answer these types of questions or at least give me and my wife tools to explain this to our kids.

I’m not a child expert, but how about saying: “God told our ancestors about himself, our ancestors told us, we are telling You, my darling”, - or: “Because it is good and logical that He exists”. I think, this might work for a kid.

And then, if the arguments become more mature, than You might refer to the order in the Universe and society, cosmological arguments, and so on…

 

[LethalMouse]

With my 7yr old I explained the something can’t come from nothing and the concept of space/time being things so that God transcends these things. Also, delved (he asks many questions) into how God can be everywhere. I explained how electrons can be in 2 places at once and how this is a visible concept to prove the possibility of God not conforming to our usual understanding of “things” and how they work. And used the non destruction of energy of which our minds are to explain the soul in essence.

 

[FractalFire]

I would try explaining William Lane Craig’s version of the Kalam Cosmological Argument, which is fairly straightforward.

1. Everything that begins to exist has a cause.

(Explain why this is and what we mean when Christians say God exists by his own nature and thus without a cause.)

1. The universe began to exist.

(Briefly explain why scientists think this.)

1. Therefore, the universe had a cause.

(Then you can just follow up with a quick summary of what this cause must have been like; i.e. timeless, spaceless, immensely powerful. I would also explain why Christians think this cause must have been a mind as opposed to say, a platonic mathematical object.)

This is a very simple argument in its early stages (at least, without considering any counterarguments and their rebuttals, which your child can learn at a later age) and even a very young child should be able to grasp most of it intuitively (whether they remember it is another story, but at least you will be setting a foundation for their later exploration of this important topic).

If you are interested in teaching your child more, William Lane Craig also has some picture kids books explaining what Christians mean when they talk about various properties of God (you can buy them at his website Reasonable Faith) that give a very simple and straightforward explanation that should satisfy a child of that age. The topics covered include omnipresence, aseity (self existence), the trinity, and many other concepts. Please note that the resources are not specifically Catholic (or Protestant or Orthodox), but appeal more to a “Mere Christianity” view of God that all churches can agree on.

On another note, I would like to applaud you for desiring to give your child reasons for the faith that they have. Too many Christian parents tell their children to believe, but fail to tell them why, resulting in a faith that is grounded on shifting sand rather than the solid foundation of God’s intellectual truth.

 

[Lily_Bernans]

The name of God is written on every human heart. We have a conscience. We know when we do right and we know when we do wrong. Even people who have never heard of God know these things. Why? Because it is an affront to God to kill, to main, to lie, to slander, to disobey, etc. Conversely, it is good to honor one’s parents and other superior, to treat all with loving kindness, to feed the poor, to clothe the naked, to take a stranger into our homes.

From where does this inherent pull toward goodness come? From God, of course, who is Goodness and Love himself.