Response to Debbie's Bible Blog

     I agree with Debbie's stance that children are taught only the stories that adults feel they can "handle". This is not only true of Bible stories. In Literature for Children and Adolescents, we started with fairy tales, and moved to Charlotte's Web, Peter Pan, and Alice in Wonderland. I can assure you they are not the stories I am familiar with from my childhood.
    Then Debbie asks, "So is the problem that parents, churches, or education has failed?". I think people's hearts were in the right place to begin with. Perhaps they wanted to shelter children from some of the violence and more adult topics in the Bible. However, by leaving it out all together, people seem to have forgotten that there is more to the story; I know my mother has.
     A few nights ago, my mother looked at me and actually said something like, "Well, I do not know what kind of Bible you have that they are making you read, but those sorts of things were NOT in my BIBLE". It was an interesting moment in so many ways. First of all, because my tiny 4'9" 82 year old mother was so irate I thought she was going to explode. Second, it was news to me that she read the Bible (which from the conversation I am wondering if she actually did. The only thing that makes me think she may have is that she reads everything she can get her hands on). I think Mom took me to church maybe twice in my life. Third, that she was so passionate and opinionated about this. She has read many of my papers, and she does not usually have a strong opinion even when I come up with some twisted view of a classic. In case you are wondering what we were discussing from the Bible that had her so riled up, I will tell you. I was talking about there being giants and unicorns mentioned. She is, I assure you, of sound mind. She was just very passionate that these things were not in HER Bible.
     As for Debbie's view that the Bible should be taught in schools, I have to agree. This is not just a religious book, this is the basis of a lot of our literature, and culture. I honestly do not see why this should be a problem. There are no Bible stories that I have read so far that contain more mature content than what my daughter brought home from elementary school. I do not even want to think about her assigned reading in middle school, I was not sure I was old enough to read some of it. (Yes, I let her read it for her assignment.)
     The tough question is where do we draw the line? What is okay to present to kids and what needs to be taken out? I think presenting the entire story is important. Perhaps presenting some of the more child friendly stories and holding off on something like Lot and his daughters would be a better solution.