The Children Discuss Theology
The Children Discuss Theology is an abstract of Arthur Conan Doyle's Three of Them III. Speculations published in Light on 24 november 1923.
Abstract
"Baby saw God yesterday," remarked Laddie, casually.
Daddy dropped his paper.
"Yes, we made up our mind we would all lie on our backs and stare at the sky until we saw God. So we put the big rug on the lawn and then we all lay down side by side, and stared and stared. I saw nothing, and Dimples saw nothing, but Baby says she saw God."
Baby nodded in her wise way.
"I saw Him," she said.
"What was He like, then?"
"Oh, just God."
She would say no more, but hugged her Wriggly (the doll).
The Lady had entered and listened with some trepidation to the frank audacity of the children's views. Yet the very essence of faith was in that audacity. It was all so unquestionably real.
"Which is strongest, Daddy, God or the Devil?" It was Laddie who was speculating now.
"Why, God rules everything of course."
"Then why doesn't He kill the Devil?"
"And scalp him?" added Dimples.
"That would stop all trouble, wouldn't it, Daddy?"
Poor Daddy was rather floored. The Lady came to his help.
"If everything was good and easy in this world, then there would be nothing to fight against, and so, Laddie, our characters would never improve."
"It would be like a football match with all the players on one side," said Daddy.
"If there was nothing bad, then nothing would be good, for you would have nothing to compare by," added the Lady.
"Well, then," said Laddie, with the remorseless logic of childhood, "if that is so, then the Devil is very useful; so he can't be so very bad, after all."
