Jingle with Joy for Jesus

You know, Mormons in general are pretty sedate about religion. What I mean is, they generally speak about all things religious in relatively hushed, reverent tones. I didn't get a lot of exposure to the "Jesus Rocks!" brand of religion that's so popular these days with Evangelicals. Now that Jack attends a Methodist preschool, though, I'm finally getting a first-hand look at exuberant religion.

The school does have the best curriculum in town. For the time being we don't address the religion issue and simply let him enjoy being part of the class and belting out "My God Is So Big" with the other kids.

There are times, though, when the sedate nature of our own household's non-religious-ness (unless you count the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Jack's getting a "Pastafarian" t-shirt in his stocking.) gets a little shaken up by this situation. I was reminded of this today, when the above title was pasted in 2-foot lettering on the message board in the hallway today.

Jingle With Joy For Jesus, indeed.

Then there's Jack's habit of praying before bed each night. It started as a desire to tell me about his school closing prayer one night at bedtime, and turned into a nightly ritual. After a few nights, I realized that - while I don't actually pray myself anymore - the prayer itself could just as easily be considered a humanist mantra of sorts.

"Dear God. Help us to do the things we should: To always be kind and good. To do and work and play. To grow more loving every day. Amen"

Given that these are all noble aspirations that we are trying to teach him, it seems good enough to let him be self-directed in this little ritual for as long as he chooses. T and I were both taken aback at first, but we are both determined to allow him to just learn as he goes for now and, as the questions start to come, answer them as best we can. For now, it's just fun for him to be part of the class.

As a kid who never quite felt like I belonged, myself, I have to admit that it does my heart good to see how easily Jack navigates his way through the class. Everyone is his friend, and he is friends with everyone. I hope that stays at least mostly true his whole life -- I want him to be able to appreciate and get along with all kinds of people. Evangelicals are everywhere, so I guess it's as good a place as any to start.

Plus, once they got past the tattoo and the nose piercing, the other parents have been pretty cool to me, too. So maybe Jack's not the only one learning to play well with others....