A recent reading presented a striking phrase. Moses was preparing the Israelites to go into Canaan, and he referred to “your children who do not know good from bad” ( Deuteronomy 1:39 ). Lots of people throughout history have tried to define this idea of when a child knows good from bad. Jews have bar mitzvahs for boys at age 13 and bat mitzvahs for girls at age 12 to announce that the child is now a son or daughter of the Torah. Some Christians have Confirmation classes about the same age in some traditions, while Roman Catholics confirm at the age of discretion, about age seven. Our church tradition is more of a sliding scale “age of accountability,” where each child is on more of a self-paced Montessori -like exploration until one day they awaken and know right from wrong. When this actually happens is not so apparent; well, at least until you take your children to the playground . Over the years, we often took our girls to playgrounds, and they never failed to go running tow...
by Chris Rainey. This is a blog of my journaling, essays, opinion pieces, religious satire, and creative writing.