The puppet master

Why do you believe in God?
Because I am a puppet.

Why DON'T you believe in God?
Because I cut the puppet master's strings.

If you were to ask people why they follow their faith, they might answer that it's what they believe. If you asked them why they believe, they might respond that it's what they were taught, or how they were raised. Sounds a bit like coercion to me.


Maybe the definition is a bit strong, but when you think of it, a child is very much like a helpless puppet. They do what they are told, without question. In fact, they don't even know what the questions are! You can tell children anything and they will believe it. Santa Claus, Easter bunny, tooth fairy... God, devil, heaven, hell. Children are trained and guided to as their elders direct them. Tell a child that there is a God and he won't know anything different--unless you tell him there is another point of view. Why WOULD you tell him anything other than what you want him to believe? If you did, you would risk that child choosing his own beliefs.

I think some people take the whole puppet master task a little too seriously. I grew up not learning anything about other religious beliefs. I attended Catholic schools for my entire school career. I don't remember if we were specifically taught that other religions were against God, but it was certainly implied. It didn't matter at the time because I was so sheltered in the Catholic beliefs. I believed what I was taught to believe--what my parents believed.

Now I am an adult, in the real world. The real world consists of people from all over the world who have such varying ideas of what God is. I respect that to a great extent, and I'm glad that I reached out to explore and ask questions. What makes Catholicism "the" one, true faith? Because we were taught that? Well, a Jew believes their's is the one, true faith. And a Buddhist believes their's is the one, true faith. I mean... who is right? The answer is all of them.

I was a puppet. I was a very good, obedient, Catholic puppet. I can't blame those who raised me because they themselves were puppets. Putting one-sided ideas into the mind of a child is a tragedy.