Religion and a 10 year old

Edward is invited to a birthday party this weekend. It is being held at a local church. I have no problem with this, but I don’t want him to have a problem being there. We have raised a very liberal child. We have introduced him to many many religions. My hope is one day he will pick the path that sings to his soul.

His cousin asked him if he believed in God. He said he did not. Duane was aghast and told him he was going to H – E – Double Hockey Sticks. Edward replied, “How can I go to hell, when I don’t believe such a place exists?” My heart swelled. What a kid.

Now he is a self proclaimed Buddist/Driud. I’m not sure why he has labeled himself such, but hey. The issue is he is going to this party at a Christian church with children who are Christians. I don’t want him to have to defend himself, or get made fun of. We talked about respecting other’s beliefs. We asked him what he would say if someone asked if he believed in God. His response… “Which one?” ::SMIRK:: That’s my kid.

He mentions Loki, Thor, Zeus, Bumba (the vomiting god, one of his favorites). So, while not wanting him to disrespect his beliefs, I want him to be comfortable around his friends and respectful of their beliefs. It is sad that I feel they would not respect his. But I want to arm him with the tools necessary to survive in a largely Christian society. Am I wrong to encourage him to “go with the flow?” I did tell him I am not discounting his beliefs, nor do I want him to feel he needs to be ashamed of who he is, but that I also don’t want to see him hurt. Sheesh, how come they don’t go over this stuff in the parent handbook. Oh wait, that’s right, there is no parent handbook. I just hope I do ok by him. I am proud of him being unique. And he is comfortable in that uniqueness. When we call him weird (come on, what 10 year old doesn’t deserve to be called weird once and awhile) he says “Thank you” with a smile and wanders off. He considers it a compliment. What a kid!