The Bible passage that reads  “Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God” has a very profound meaning in light of contemporary experience and understanding of the development of children.

That passage, which in a more modern translation, would read “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.“  – has a greater depth of meaning than casual reading would suggest.

If we apply the logic of contemporary science and psychology to this statement, we can recognize that the innocence and acceptance of childhood enables children to “connect” to the spiritual dimension in a way that adults struggle to achieve.

There is abundant anecdotal evidence that young children seem to have a sixth sense that diminishes as they age. Invisible playmates are not uncommon, and even visits or conversations with deceased family members. If we are not too stubborn to admit it, we can consider the possibility the children have these experiences because they haven’t yet learned to doubt.

Doubt is a natural if unfortunate side effect that accompanies the maturing process. In the earliest years, we actually teach children to embrace fantasy beings – Santa, the Easter Bunny, the tooth fairy. In their innocence, children accept these fantasies as reality, just as they accept the cartoon characters they see on television.

Gradually, as they mature, our children begin to develop a sense of the difference between fantasy and reality. As this occurs, they build up a mental barrier to block out anything that isn’t supported by concrete, physical evidence.

As adults, we have not only built those mental barriers, we have reinforced them over the years.

With that understanding, we can appreciate that re-establishing a connection with the spiritual dimension may indeed require returning to a childlike state of innocence and acceptance-giving a new understanding of the passage – “ unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”