Do you believe the science version?

I'd continue the conversation with him, for the sake of easing what seven years of indoctrination did to him. I'd tell him this argument has gone on between science and religion forever, that he will learn more as he grows, that it's not imperative to decide at this young age, and that before he learns more, it's a decision he can only make after he's learned as much about scientific origin as he's heard about religious origin.

Science and belief in a creator do not negate one another. If people learn and understand it is easy to know both are so. The stories we are taught from the bible are told in a way the writers thought would best teach the people. They really left out the meaning of God's time!

I certainly hope One Berry is not serious! Shame on her for her words, I don't think God would appreciate a human making judgments.

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

He has remarked he wants to believe God made the Earth. That is enough to know he still has an interest. Allow him to go. When he is an adult, he can make his own choices then. Since he has been attending church there should be no reason for him to stop, just because he came to live with you.

You gave the right answer. You see in America children until they reach junior high have almost no exposure to science, nor much of anything else that is factual. Having many years of religion forced upon you is more like torture. Parents should never subject child to any kind of brain washing.

Science is not something you believe. You do not believe the sun rises in the east. It does, that's all. Science is either accepted or denied. If you deny science, then you need to qualify and quantify your denial. Just try to deny that gravity exist.

There is NO such thing a religious theory. Only science has theory. Only science has fact. That is why science has never tried to prove that God exist.

People love to quote Einstein. Think he was a genius. Of course he was not. Here are a few other of his quotes a great deal more worthy:

"Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind."

"When the solution is simple, God is answering."

Einstein did make many errors. After all he was only human.

http://www.mega-genius.com/editorial_no_20.htm

The kid has been brainwashed. He wants to believe God made the Earth because that's what's been pounded into his head for the past 7 years. He's a child. Children soak up whatever they're taught by their Elders.

Let me give you another example that hopefully helps you to put this in perspective:

If your grandchild had been brought up going to a church where they taught that the world was made by the Flying Spaghetti monster and asked you which version was correct, the science version or the Flying Spaghetti Monster version, what would you have said? No doubt you would have QUICKLY told him that the science version was correct.

What if he'd been raised to believe that Odin and Ymir were the creators of the world? How about Taiowa? Rangi and Papa? Real people believed in these deities, and yet you'd have no problem telling him that Science is correct in those cases.

My point is that you have grown up in a society where Christianity has been pounded into your head so much that you are unable to separate it easily from other religions. Christianity is a special "case" to you, and so you feel a need to be sensitive to Christians and respectful of Christian nonsense, when you are unable to do the same for other religions.

I'm glad you told him he needs to come up with his own conclusion, that puts you head and shoulders above most Christians. But remember, the kid is 10 years old. Everything he knows at this point is the result of BRAINWASHING. He's too young to have done his own research, he's never lived on his own and he's never read real academic books or taken college courses on philosophy or logic. I doubt he knows the full history of Christianity. Ask him if he's even read the full Bible cover-to-cover (children's Bibles do NOT count). The answer is likely no. So to help him choose which path to take, I suggest you expose him to a LOT of different faith traditions. Share with him different creation stories from all world religions. See the link in my source. Have him read these stories to expand his mind a little.

I don't mean to sound mean or angry in my answer, and I'm aware that I'm making many generalizations, but I am sick and tired of people walking on eggshells around Christians. Christianity is just one of many. That's it. Nothing special, nothing remarkable.

You gave a fine answer. Just tell him now that his question led you to keep thinking about it some more, as philosophical questions often do for us. In saying that, you set a further example of how he might keep thinking about it.

Personally, I'll vote for Patti's explanation of what Einstein said about the subject. As your grandson continues to study many subjects (including both science & statements made in church) & to think about these things for himself, he may come to decide that there is no conflict between science & religion, & both continue to be important parts of our thinking about the subject.

You may want to print out this whole discussion from your question to give him to keep for further thinking, noting that none of us have the complete answer, but many of us consider it to be a worthy topic. Therefore, please thank him for giving us a great question.

I believe in quantum physics and that we don't know how exactly the earth was created, however I do believe that there is an intelligent God who designed and allowed it to happen. Einstein said later in life that he believed that there was an intelligent force behind the creation of the world.

Bravo! You did the right thing!

It could be either, both or neither. Let him decide what he feels about it. Kind of like asking which came first - the chicken or the egg. Each person has to decide this kind of thing for him/herself, not have it shoved down their throat one way or another.

I find the scientific version harder to believe than the biblical one. The theory of evolution, one cell at a time - we havent been here long enough for that to happen -- the evolution of man makes sense, but prior to that? IMO it doesnt.

Science unless god made tiny little atoms to create so many things before us which means adam and eve aren't real unless they were cave man and woman which is hard to believe with the way the bible depicts them. Also if there is a heaven and hell where is the proof besides ghost demons and all that bs you see on t.v.