Mommy the Heathen

My son just started first grade. This means CCD has officially begun.

And I gotta admit--I'm a little worried about it. Here's the problem: I'm not religious. Like at all. I'm not Catholic and I don't believe in many of the church's stances or teachings. Don't get me wrong. I like the idea of providing our kids with religious education. I got very little of that when I was young, and though I don't exactly regret it, there were definitely times in my life when I wondered if maybe I'd missed out on something. I like the idea of introducing our kids to religion and allowing them to make their own decisions about what to believe.

If it was up to me, my kids probably wouldn't attend church. But it's important to my Catholic husband, so every Sunday, he packs up the crayons, coloring books, and emergency snacks and walks them over. And I go for a run or hit the gym. It's a pretty good deal, and I'm not complaining.

I admire my husband's dedication. He's been taking the kids to church ever since they were babies. Because of him, our kids view going as a given--it's just something they do every Sunday, no arguments.

But now that CCD has begun, I'm starting to fear the dogma a little. After the first day, my son showed me the worksheets he completed in his shiny, new, full-color workbooks. One of the sheets asked kids to circle the things they could do to help take care of God's world. "I can turn off the water," I can plant trees and flowers," stuff like that. Sweet.

But then there was the worksheet about The Creation:

Which of these are you most thankful that God created? Circle your choices: 

People               Plants              Animals  

Um...none of the above? My son, of course, circled all three.

Uh-oh. See, I don't believe in that. At all. I mean, the case for evolution is pretty slam dunk.

So what do I do if/when my son starts asking questions? He's a smart kid with an inquisitive mind, who happens to love science. It might not happen in first grade, but it will happen. And then what? I can only tell him what I believe to be true...which just happens to not be what the Catholic church teaches. Or do I say, "Ask your father when he gets home"? Not my style.

People I've spoken to about this have told me that they had no problem believing both things--evolution and the creation story--when they were little. Okay, fine. But if my son starts talking about how God created the bunny rabbits, the birds, and the stars in the sky, there's no way I'm gonna just sit there and listen.

When my son mentions the sun going down, I make sure to remind him that the sun doesn't actually go down, but rather it's the earth spinning that makes it look that way. If necessary, I draw pictures to illustrate. I am a rationalist. That's just how I roll, people.

So I'm not going to react differently just because the situation involves religion. But nor do I want to completely contradict what he's being taught in CCD. It's going to be a really difficult balancing act, and I'm not looking forward to it.

Has anyone had a similar experience? If so, how have you handled it?