I actually love the "...for Dummies" titles. I used "The Bible for Dummies" all through seminary, when I was worried by UU Sunday School education had me missing things that my Methodist colleagues got right away. These days, I feel as though I'm the one writing, or rather saying, religion for dummies, as I try to explain somewhat complicated religious concepts to my four year old.
I hasten to add, my four year old is no dummy...but she does require a simplified version of what I would say on Sunday morning. And actually, I'm loving it. Today we had a conversation about whether people were inherently bad or just did bad things. Having to get the concept of the inherent worth of every person down to a preschool level made me realize how deeply I do believe it.
Sometimes, the explanations I launch into make me realize how difficult a concept is. With adults, we sometimes use shorthand when referring to challenging or metaphorical ideas. Or we just ignore hard concepts, because we've already decided they aren't relevant to our religious lives. But that doesn't work with a four year old! I could write fifteen blogposts about my explanation of Easter, which needed to include eggs, bunnies, and Jesus. Try explaining a metaphorical, essentially humanist understanding of the resurrection to a four year old. Heck, try explaining it to yourself!
And that's my point, I think: that engaging in these ideas with my daughter has been so instructive for myself, as I've grappled with what I really believe, what I want to believe, and especially how I want to describe my beliefs. The next time you're wondering what you think about something complicated, put it into a "...for Dummies" book. I guarantee it'll make you smarter.
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