Driving to work this morning I was charmed by an observation Samuel made regarding ancient religions.
"I don't think the Ancient Egyptians were worshipping many gods. They just took God and split Him up and called Him a bunch of different names. They didn't know any better."
I thought that (pace, Dante) this was such a profound place of compassion to start from. I pointed out to him that we did not have that luxury because God did reveal Himself to us clearly, but that ancient peoples had only partial glimpses of God and that all the powers of Earth would seem godlike to someone who did not understand the revelation of God.
It's wonderful to hear these things when they come up. I suspect that they are a result of our conversations about Japanese anime, where so many gods and spirits are featured. Of course, I want Samuel to have a thoroughly Catholic understanding of God and His revelation, but I also want him to have a spirit able to speak to anyone from where they are and guide them as gently as possible to where they should be.
An excellent observation by Samuel. If any of my kids made a similar observation, I'd be proud.