I am consistently amazed (and and mostly disappointed) at the responses I receive in discussions with other adults regarding the title proposition. A basic tenet of spirituality is enlightenment, and the literal definition of enlighten per dictionary.com is;

1. to give understanding or information to

2. to free from ignorance, prejudice, or superstition

3. to give spiritual or religious revelation to

4. poetic to shed light on

With this said, how is it that the responses to the title question are overwhelmingly negative and defensive? From my experience, it is the prevailing belief (and fear) that by introducing your child to the existence of other faiths, one risks losing their child to another faith. Most often, the reason given for consciously avoiding this practice (of introducing the child to the existence of other faiths) is that it will confuse the child. My answer to this is that it all depends on how this introduction is framed. Let me stress the phrase existence of other faiths; how much does the meaning change if the premise was ‘Introducing your child to other faiths?’ I submit that inserting the word ‘existence’ changes it substantially. I am endorsing a very high level introduction that simply lets the child know of the existence of other faiths. The very fear that is voiced about confusing the child becomes far more prevalent if and when the child comes across a peer of another faith without any orientation or guidance of any kind. This is where confusion and even fear can step into the equation.

At this point, the reader should be shaking their head a bit as they try to rationalize the argument against introducing a child to the existence of other faiths with the very definition of enlightenment. Let me ease your confusion – there is no rational for this. It is a disconnect, plain and simple. While I do recognize the need to keep it simple, it’s really not that difficult to keep it simple. Simply mentioning the names of other faiths with positive connotations is really all that is needed. My early child education lesson with my daughter on the Buddhist faith not only made for an interesting and entertaining discussion, it also provoked more questions about her own faith. This actually had enabled me to enter into a more in depth conversation on her own faith. Children respond well to comparisons and contrasts and these discussions are helping her to solidify her own spiritual identity, which flies in the face of the concerns mentioned at the start of this article.

And at the core of these discussions are life lessons that I hope all children will carry with them through adulthood – Respect, Compassion & Understanding for others who are different than you.