elvis elää, eiku jeesus elää

Kirjoitan poikkeuksellisesti englanniksi, lähinnä sen takia että uskon näitten keskusteluiden menettävän osan tahattomasta komiikastaan ja lapsen syvästä ihmetyksestä, jos yritän kääntää ne suomeksi. Koska teksti koostuu useasta lapsen kanssa käydyistä keskustelusta, uskon kielen olevan riittävän yksinkertaista myös sellaiselle lukijalle, joka ei käytä englantia arkipäivässään.

On Saturday night we are lying in bed with K, as I still share M’s bed with K after his surgery on Wednesday.

- Mom...

I answer him rather distracter as I'm playing Sudoku on my tablet - Ummm, yes babe... 

- Do you think Jesus made batman?

- Well, that’s a really good question. I guess we should say Jesus has made everyone, shouldn’t we?

- Did Jesus make Joker too?

At this point I put the tablet away, even though I know I have has some form of this discussion before. - I guess so love.

- If Jesus made Batman and Joker, why is Joker bad?

- I don’t think Joker was always bad, just as Batman wasn’t always Batman.

- But why did Batman become Batman?

- Batman became Batman when Joker killed his parents. He decided he would fight against bad and protect good.

- But mom, why didn’t he let Jesus do that? And why did Joker kill his parents?

- I believe Batman was angry for what Joker did, and he wanted to make things right. Sometimes when you are angry it’s hard to trust Jesus.

- But why did Joker kill his parents?

- Oh honey, I can’t remember why? I know that is super scary...

- Could Joker kill you?

- I don’t think we would be interesting enough for him to kill us.

- But why does Jesus make bad guys?

- I don’t think Jesus makes anyone bad. I think sometimes life is so hard it pushes people into making bad decisions.

…

- Mom…

-Yes, dear.

- Do you think Jesus is stronger than Batman?

I answer him, trying to hide my amusement - I believe so honey.

- K babe?

- Yes mom.

- Do you know I love you a whole lot?

- Yes! I love you too...

In the morning I’m working on breakfast, while listening to the somewhat one sided conversation between K and M. K’s voice has a demanding tone in it, as his sister declines to answer his questions.

- M?

- M?

- M? M? Do you know Jesus has super powers too? And God.

- M? Can you hear me M?

M in a somewhat annoyed tone of voice - K, I’m being Elsa, Elsa has a freezing power and she needs to be super careful.

- But M, do you think Jesus got his superpowers at birth just like Elsa? Mom!!!!!! Mom, did Jesus get his superpowers at birth, just like Elsa? M isn’t telling me.

- I think he did.

- So, when did God get his superpowers?

- God has kinda always existed, so he must have always had his superpowers.

- I wanna know when Jesus realized, he had superpowers!

- I don’t think we’ll ever find out.

- But Jesus is real, isn’t he?

- Yes. We believe in Jesus.

- But Mom. Why doesn’t Pappa believe in Jesus then?

I always give him the same answer to this question, since Jesus is a never ending topic with him...

- Babe, it’s not that he doesn’t believe that Jesus existed, he just doesn’t want to go to church, because he doesn’t believe in the Church as an institution.

Later in the day we are driving home from the hardware store and the discussion picks-up again, probably for the umpteenth time…

- Mom!

- Yes babe?

- Jesus is alive!

- Yes.

- Pappa! Pappa! Did you know Jesus is alive?  

Fredde looks at me, and rolls his eyes as I, trying to hold back my laugh, silently remind him that this really isn’t a true thematic discussion, but a mere obsession of our son. And I see my husband trying not to laugh as he tells his son what the boys wants to hear: - Yes K.

- And Pappa!

- Yes?

- Everything they say in the Bible is true too!

At this point I interrupt my son and steer the discussion to a different direction whilst reminding my husband of his father’s words… “Fredde should go to church with you, it would do him good.” - And then we laugh together as we drive home with the little boys that wants to talk about Jesus.

A week back, I was sitting in a psychologist office with this same little boy. I had written down pages and pages of stuff. Things that give our family grief, things that he keeps doing and discussions that we tend to have… not every once in a while. Not weekly, or not even daily. These are discussions that are never ending. He usually picks one of his most favorite topics, and in a way they all remind me of each other: Harry Potter and Voldemort, Batman and Joker and Jesus.

I hand a bunch of paper over to the man sitting in the chair opposite of me, mentioning at the same time these topics. The man in the chair smiles and reflects back: “We talked about Jesus quite a bit today too…”