What Is God?

Our daughter is of the age to wonder why. And because the God Question is about the thorniest we expect to face, we have been looking for a Good Explanation. I started by relying on personal knowledge. Since I was old enough to question, I've been reading about religion and spirituality. You name it, I've probably read the basic texts. And, by profession, I sort of know how to tell a story. So on Easter Sunday, when the little one asked about the egg roll, I saw an opportunity to explain about a more significant roll --- the rolling of the rock from Jesus' tomb. Two sentences in, she walked away. And I got it. Talking about God is like teaching a kid to swim. It's not a job for every parent; it's surely not advised for those parents who are, like us, still searching. So we started looking for a book. And now we have one. When the time comes, "What is God?" will be our First Responder. It is short (32 pages), with a lovely water-color on the left hand page of each spread and three or four short paragraphs on the right. It could not be more straightforward. On Page 1: Maybe we can't really talk about God Because maybe we can't see God Or maybe we can't hear God Or even taste or smell or touch God Maybe we can only feel God Like we can feel love Or like we feel happy or sad. From there, Etan Boritzer takes us back, to a brief history of belief, focusing on the image of God as "an old man, with a long white beard." Next time you're on an airplane, he suggests, look at the clouds: "You won't see that God there/Because no one has ever seen that God!" Maybe, he proposes next, God is an "eternal mystery." Then again, "some people think that there are teachers/Who have been able to solve the puzzle." And now, for those who have a strong personal belief, we're on dangerous ground. Organized religion can be like organized sports; people tend to root for their home team. Which makes them hyper-sensitive about anything that looks like "criticism". After Boritzer takes children through the great religions, he jumps right into the hot zone. He notes that sometimes, "people of one religion want everyone/To know `What is God?' in the same way/That they understand God." What these people don't understand, he says, is that "Most religions are almost the same!" That is, they tell you to be good to others, not to lie and cheat and steal. And if more people thought about that, maybe we wouldn't have so many "fights" about God. The book closes on a high note: the forms of prayer and the good fortune of living in a country where there's no official religion. And then, perhaps the highest note of all: So when we pray to God, When people of all religions pray to God, We are really praying for that feeling, The feeling that connects all of us. When we pray to God, We are praying for that feeling of love To come to us and to everyone we know, Maybe even to all those people we don't know, So that we can be happy together, or apart. Lovely stuff. H

Over the years, people have asked me what books I recommend for children on the subject of God and religion, even requesting that I myself write children's books. Although I have read several good books on the subject over the years, other than "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" I have not been able to come up with any at the spur of the moment. That inspiring book, however, is not specifically about God and religion, and is also geared for an older audience. For younger children, even as young as those who can understand full sentences, "What is God?" by Etan Boritzer is without a doubt the best children's book on the subject of God and religion that I have read to date. As is appropriate for young children, "What is God?" contains marvelously attractive illustrations by Robbie Marantz that may hold the attention of the wandering mind which is still too young to understand some of the heady but accessible concepts provided by Boritzer's fabulously inclusive text. The book is simply appealing from cover to cover, and the best surprise is that it is not at all preachy and would be useful for even the most ardent unbeliever to teach his or her children about what other people believe about God. This book is so great, in fact, that I believe reading it to all the world's children would have an enormous impact on ending religious strife globally. "What is God?" does not teach children what to believe. It is not threatening to any parents, except for those who think that informing their children about other people's beliefs will somehow "poison" their minds. This book simply and matter-of-factly recites a wide variety of beliefs from around the world, including the simplistic and childish concept that God is an old man with a long white beard who lives in the sky. "Next time you fly in an airplane," says Boritzer, "look out the window at the clouds. But you won't see that God there, because no one has ever seen that God!" "What is God?" continues in this vein, relating that religions are sets of beliefs shared by groups of people, generally revolving around a shared holy book and a teacher believed to be divinely inspired or to understand the question "What is God?" Boritzer explains that there have been many teachers and books, listing the most famous such as Jesus, Moses, Mohammed and Buddha, and the Bible, Koran, Torah, Vedas and Sutras. He also imparts the knowledge that these beliefs have caused people to fight among themselves over whose concept of God was right and whose was wrong. The author further delves into what is prayer, in a highly satisfying manner. My favorite part is where God is described as everything: "Yes! God is everything great and small! God is everything far away and near! God is everything bright and dark! And God is everything in between!... "If everything is God, Then I am God, You are God, All of us are God!" In a sense, this last part IS teaching us and our children what to think about God, but is it in fact harm

My spouse and I are from two different religions; and while we have decided to raise our kids from my religion, we both wish our children to be open-minded. I don't claim to be a philosopher, nor do I play one on TV. I also don't claim that this book definitely goes into depth as to why some people take religions and use them for malevolent purposes. But I DO think that this book is a great starting point for mature kids of 5 and older to discuss the burning question about G-d and how people all over the world view G-d. G-d's role in different religions, and how people are sometimes not allowed to worship G-d for political reasons - this book runs the gamut. The first time I read it, it actually made me cry.Put yourself in the shoes of the child that is consuming this book, not in your own, adult shoes, which are more mature and understand that there are many shades of grey surrounding the issue of religion. When you look at this book from a thoughtful child's perspective, it truly works. And that is the level that matters.

For those of you who, like me, are struggling with this issue, or just like to have a book for discussion... I stumbled across this book and found that it really filled a niche for us. The book covers the perspectives of several religions, and discusses it all at an appropriate level for my 5.5yo daughter. I know that my daughter has run across references to various deities in her reading and has asked about it. This book made it easier for me to help her figure out something like an answer for herself.

Don't know how to start talking with your young children about God? Don't know how to answer their questions in a non-judgemental and open way? Here is the book to get things started. This book is for all families who embrace open-mindedness and reject the idea that any religion has a monopoly on truth. Touching on the great teachers and holy texts of such religions as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism and, finally, showing the similarities between them, this book opens the door to many meaningful discussions and reflections.