(November 13, 2022 at 8:43 pm)Objectivist Wrote:(November 13, 2022 at 4:40 pm)Jehanne Wrote: The reason that people believe is that religious faith serves their psychological, social, emotional, familial, economic, political and (yes) sexual needs.That would be a hard situation but I know what I wouldn't do. I wouldn't lie to them either to make them feel better. I'd break it to them as gently as possible. I remember being very young when both of my grandfathers died and my parents told me that they died and I wouldn't see them. They took me to see the coffins and I went to the funerals. I wouldn't tell them that they'd see them in heaven and that they're in a better place.
Ask yourself this, "What would you say to a toddler whose mother suddenly and unexpectedly died, say, in a car accident?" and was wondering where "Mommy went?" I would not lie to that little one but would do my best to meet them where they were at this very fragile stage in life. Maybe a bit of agnosticism would be appropriate in such circumstances?
And, that's fine. When my children were young, we filled their little heads with stories of Santa Claus, the Easter Benny, fairies, unicorns, etc., but, we also taught them to think critically. While in elementary school, my youngest son ended-up going to school telling his teachers quite innocently that Santa was real but that God was not, with no "prompting" from me whatsoever. His public school teachers threatened him with "hell fire" and were, supposedly, quite offended by his statements.
