DD appeared in my bedroom last night and asked how the entire human race could have appeared from two people. I asked her what she's talking about, Adam and Eve? (turned out she was reading a "Bible Story" book someone gave her, probably step-mom). I told her that it's in the Bible but it wasn't a story that even the author meant for people to take literally. It's questions like this that are driving me crazy. Is that even correct? Did the author of the book of Genesis write it/tell it as a "story" to illustrate a point? Or did the author really intend for people to take it as literal fact? I don't have the knowledge of ancient cultures/history to even have a definitive answer and feel like I can't answer questions like this.
When my eldest was very, very young--he asked me about The Double (Devil). I hemmed and hawed and told him that some people think the devil is literally a creature with hooves, horns, etc., while others think of the devil more symbolically, as a metaphor for all that is dark and evil in the world. He asked which camp I belong to, and I told him (honestly) that I lean more toward the figurative side of things--he said (emphatically): not me, I believe in The Double!
That aside, one thing that might be interesting to your son is to understand that even within a particular tradition, there are people who believe in a very literal interpretation and those who believe in the stories as metaphors. One can be deeply religious/spiritual either way. I am not sure what the metaphor is re: Adam and Eve, but I suspect your son might be a bit less confused if he understood that even under one umbrella, there are myriad ways of understanding sacred texts. (This is true in all traditions, I believe, but am most familiar with Christianity.)
