"Mummy," 8-year old Linda asked suddenly, "why don't you go to church?"
"Because I don't believe in god, sweetie." There, that wasn't so hard. Why had her friend Susan told her it would be difficult?
"Oh." After a few moments of silence, she spoke up again. "Mummy, why is the sky blue?"
"Uh..something to do with the sea dear. I'm not sure. Better ask your father."
"Then why is the sun so hot?"
"Um..you see, it's a big ball of gas in the sky, and...ask your father."
"Mummy, why is the grass green?"
"What a silly question!"
"Well, why isn't it purple or orange?"
"Well, uh..."
"Mummy, why do birds have wings?"
"I don't think-"
"Mummy, how many stars are in the sky?"
"I have no-"
"Mummy, why do plants grow?"
"It's a complica-"
"Mummy why don't fish have teeth?"
"GOD! HOW SHOULD I KNOW??!!" 'Mummy' was at the end of her tether, but she realised immediately afterwards that she shouldn't have screamed like that. Before she could say something, Linda interuppted.
"Do you think he knows?"
"Who knows, dear?" she said gently, trying to make up for her outburst.
"God..." Mrs. Newman froze, and realised just what she had yelled.
"No, darling, that's just a figure of speech-" she began.
"Then why did you say it?" Linda insisted.
Mrs. Newman sighed. So this is what Susan meant. "A 'figure of speech' means that people say it but don't really mean it. It's- it's-," she struggled to talk, "..it's just a thing people say. There's no meaning behind it."
"But don't you think there once was a meaning behind it, behind the word 'God', before it started getting misused?"
Mrs. Newman looked at her in amazement. Linda sounded very persistent. Suddenly she became a bit uncomfortable.
"Yes...uh...perhaps there was dear."
"So doesn't that mean that the non-God people once believed in God?"
Mrs. Newman now found herself trying to wish herself out of this position. "Well, maybe their 'god' let them down?" she said, trying to make Linda give up this conversation.
"Or maybe they let'God' down."
Now she was stuck for words. What was wrong with Linda, was she turning into a pastor or something?
"Look Linda, " she said as sternly as she could into the little doll face, "there is no God, alright? And that's the end of that. Right," she said, trying to put a lighter spin on things, "let's have lunch. I know I'm starved!"
Linda walked offdisgruntled but soon forgot to be when she turned on the TV. Mrs. Newman just stood there, watching her, wondering what had just happened. She'd be wondering for a long time after that too.
"Because I don't believe in god, sweetie." There, that wasn't so hard. Why had her friend Susan told her it would be difficult?
"Oh." After a few moments of silence, she spoke up again. "Mummy, why is the sky blue?"
"Uh..something to do with the sea dear. I'm not sure. Better ask your father."
"Then why is the sun so hot?"
"Um..you see, it's a big ball of gas in the sky, and...ask your father."
"Mummy, why is the grass green?"
"What a silly question!"
"Well, why isn't it purple or orange?"
"Well, uh..."
"Mummy, why do birds have wings?"
"I don't think-"
"Mummy, how many stars are in the sky?"
"I have no-"
"Mummy, why do plants grow?"
"It's a complica-"
"Mummy why don't fish have teeth?"
"GOD! HOW SHOULD I KNOW??!!" 'Mummy' was at the end of her tether, but she realised immediately afterwards that she shouldn't have screamed like that. Before she could say something, Linda interuppted.
"Do you think he knows?"
"Who knows, dear?" she said gently, trying to make up for her outburst.
"God..." Mrs. Newman froze, and realised just what she had yelled.
"No, darling, that's just a figure of speech-" she began.
"Then why did you say it?" Linda insisted.
Mrs. Newman sighed. So this is what Susan meant. "A 'figure of speech' means that people say it but don't really mean it. It's- it's-," she struggled to talk, "..it's just a thing people say. There's no meaning behind it."
"But don't you think there once was a meaning behind it, behind the word 'God', before it started getting misused?"
Mrs. Newman looked at her in amazement. Linda sounded very persistent. Suddenly she became a bit uncomfortable.
"Yes...uh...perhaps there was dear."
"So doesn't that mean that the non-God people once believed in God?"
Mrs. Newman now found herself trying to wish herself out of this position. "Well, maybe their 'god' let them down?" she said, trying to make Linda give up this conversation.
"Or maybe they let'God' down."
Now she was stuck for words. What was wrong with Linda, was she turning into a pastor or something?
"Look Linda, " she said as sternly as she could into the little doll face, "there is no God, alright? And that's the end of that. Right," she said, trying to put a lighter spin on things, "let's have lunch. I know I'm starved!"
Linda walked offdisgruntled but soon forgot to be when she turned on the TV. Mrs. Newman just stood there, watching her, wondering what had just happened. She'd be wondering for a long time after that too.