Jaden's Theology

I was driving the boys to soccer practice the other day and I overheard a most interesting conversation between Jaden and Nicholas!  It went like this:

Jaden:  maybe in the next part, we'll all be superheros
Nicholas:  What do you mean the next part?? (thank you Nicholas, I was wondering the same thing)
Jaden:  You know how the Bible is divided into different parts?  There's the Old Testament and then there's the New Testament.  Maybe in the next part, we'll all be superheros!

I guess he thinks after Jesus' second coming, we will all have superhero powers.  I don't know, maybe he's right ... what do you think?  :-)

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I was volunteering in Jaden's class the other week and his teacher told me he is quite vocal and knowledgeable in sharing his religious beliefs.  They were singing a rhyming song where you have to come up with something that rhymes with one, then two and so on and so on.  When they got to seven, Jaden shouts out, "I know something that rhymes with seven ... heaven!"  To which his mostly Muslim class (in an American school) asks, "what's heaven?"  Jaden begins to explain about heaven and God and one of his friends asks, "what's God?"  Apparently it opened up quite a lengthy discussion in the classroom.

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One more story ...

This week is EID.  The annual pilgrimage to Mecca is this week.  Not sure if EID always falls in the middle of Hajji (the pilgrimage), but it does this year.  For EID, Muslims sacrifice a lamb for the forgiveness of their sins.  The meat is then divided between their family and friends and to the poor. Jaden's class had an EID party today and then they have 6 days off school. 

Yesterday, Jaden asked me what is EID?  I explained that I don't know very much about it and encouraged him to ask his friends at school.  As many of them are Muslim, they would be able to explain it better.  I told him that the only thing I know is that Muslims sacrifice a lamb for the forgiveness of their sins.  To which he responded, "EEEEE-UUUUUU!"  I asked him if we do that as Christians?  To which he said, "No, not any more."  I asked if he knows why and a bit to my surprise, he said, "because of Jesus."  I wonder if he really grasps the truth in his answer or if he just gave me the church answer to every unknown question ... "Jesus"  I told him that he is right and after talking to him for a bit, he asked me if it was okay to tell his friends at school that they don't have to kill a lamb anymore, they just have to believe in Jesus. 

My sweet little missionary.  I didn't want to squash his enthusiasm, but I'm anxious to find out if he said anything to his friends today.  We might have to start explaining how missionary activity is highly illegal here.  Families are lashed and deported for trying to convert people to Christianity.  How to explain all of this to my little 5 year old?