Some thoughts on the ever divisive "should Christians read fantasy, myths, Harry etc"

[Lizzie in Ma]

I have mulled it over time and again and I blogged it today in a loving and non-divisive manner. I just wanted to share my thoughts.

I have wanted to post many times but never had the time to think it through for myself.

 

http://lizzie-aworkinprogress.blogspot.com/

[Slartibartfast]

Very nice.:)

[JenC3]

As an English major who is married to a English PhD professor sci-fi geek, I agree with your post wholeheartedly. One needs a break from realism and fantasy is a welcome retreat. I actively cultivate a love for myth, fairies, witches, and magic. I mean our God is supernatural. My children are more likley to pick up a Biblewise book to read as they are a book about mermaids or knights. They talk equally about God as they do about fairies. At 4 & 6 I think this is marvelous.

[Mrs Mungo]

I agree with you. :)

[Joker]

I too have found myself telling my dds not to mention Harry Potter in certain groups. I don't feel anything is wrong with these types of stories but have wondered if I was missing something. I enjoyed reading your thoughts. Thanks!

[LauraGB]

Lovely! Thank you for sharing. :)

[KnitWit]

Very nice. Thank you for sharing. I agree with you also. :)

[The Governess]

Thanks for sharing, and I agree as well. :D

[mommaduck]

I enjoyed the post. Fully with you.

[mommyrooch]

What a wonderful entry into your blog!

 

I have struggled with the very issues you spoke about. My family is vastly in the minority among homeschoolers in my area. I too have found myself telling my kids to not metion Harry or Percy.

 

After much soul searching I came to the same conclusion you did. Reading these books and delving into these worlds with these characters does not make our family bad Christians. I would hate to imagine my life or my children's lives without such stories. They have enabled us to grow and dream in ways that would not have been possible without them.

 

My family is able to distinguish between fantasy and reality and we take these stories for what they are. They are fantastical and magical places we can visit anytime our imaginations take us there.

 

My children love and honor their God. As do I. These kinds of books have not, nor will ever change that.

 

I now do not hang my head in shame because I know I have nothing to be ashamed of. I have accepted that there will just always be people out there that are quick to judge and condemn me.

 

Thank you for sharing. It is a breath of fresh air knowing that there are others out there that believe as I do on this issue.

[teamturner]

Thanks for sharing that blog entry! I agree. I got such an upset reaction the other day from another homeschool mom when I mentioned my dc reading The Lightning Thief. To each his own.

[asta]

I now do not hang my head in shame because I know I have nothing to be ashamed of. I have accepted that there will just always be people out there that are quick to judge and condemn me.

 

 

This has been the bit that has always gotten to me: while many people are simply "it's not for me" (I'm comfy with that - we all make personal decisions), I see and hear quite a few, well, venomous (for lack of a better word) attacks on people for their choices of reading and viewing material.

 

This has never seemed to mesh with what was to be the "overall" message of what their given religion.

 

Nice blog post, OP.

 

 

a

[joannqn]

Awesome post! Well written and thought out. Loved it.

 

I totally agree. I grew up on sci-fi. My dad was a member of a science fiction book club, and when I outgrew my elementary school library I turned to his shelves to entertain me. It is still my favorite genre. My kids and I are all reading through Orson Scott Card currently. :D

 

I, too, loved Harry Potter. Dh was against them and I tried to honor that for a long time. I finally decided to find out what all the hype was and found them well-written and entertaining. As we went through the books, we found them to be full of truth as well. The themes of love, sacrifice, perseverance, friendship, loyalty ring true whether they are in real life or in fantasy books. I find sometimes the fantasy helps to bring a clearer understanding of these themes. Often books like these leave me contemplating the truths of the Bible because of the clearer understanding I received from the books. So, while some Christians may say I'm a bad Christian and a bad mother for reading and letting my kids read these books, I say hogwash; God isn't limited to just "good wholesome" Christian books. He can use anything and everything for His purposes.

[BikeBookBread]

Yep. 100% agreement with the great blog post, OP :)

 

I just decided a while ago that I would no longer talk about my newest "fun" read with certain friends and family if it were one of "those" books.

 

I only recently discovered Percy. Good grief, what a fun series! Fantasy is such a nice change from the lousy news reports, the angst of choosing next year's curriculum, preparing to move and the hot desert weather. In no way does this reading EVER supplant truth in my mind, nor did it when I was a child. I grew up with those scary tripods from the far white mountains, the antics in Oz, Time Wrinkles, Hobbits, elves, Narnia, etc. HAPPY memories are what remains of those books, not "seeds of doubt" or anything else sinister or dark that would come to damage my Christian faith or walk.

[Spy Car]

I fail to see how people can object to dark subject matter, fantasy, gory violence, and sexual themes that are widely inappropriate for children, and yet approve of youngsters reading the Bible.

 

Bill

[Mrs Mungo]

I fail to see how people can object to dark subject matter, fantasy, gory violence, and sexual themes that are widely inappropriate for children, and yet approve of youngsters reading the Bible.

 

Bill

 

That whole thing where the runaway wife gets tossed out to the Benjamites then chopped up into bits and sent to the 12 tribes of Israel as a warning? Yikes.

[asta]

I fail to see how people can object to dark subject matter, fantasy, gory violence, and sexual themes that are widely inappropriate for children, and yet approve of youngsters reading the Bible.

 

Bill

 

Nice one, Bill.

 

 

asta's kid

[laughing lioness]

I fail to see how people can object to dark subject matter, fantasy, gory violence, and sexual themes that are widely inappropriate for children, and yet approve of youngsters reading the Bible.

 

Bill

In agreement with you, Bill. Though we still direct our younger kids reading- be that Bible reading (we use a kids version when they are young) as well as other reading/watching. My 15 yo and I LOVED Avatar, and we are going back with the 19 yo, but I'm not taking my 10 yo to it, as much as he wants to. It was so much like the Artemis Fowl books by Eoin Colfer books, it gets under your skin- kwim? and he is just too sensitive of a kid. (not that he wouldn't LOVE it- he would).

[Medieval Mom]

I whole-heartedly agree. We LOVE myths, legends, fantasy, and fairy tales in this house. Myths and fairy tales are our cultural heritage and include the beliefs and oral traditions of our family's ancestors. In our house, they make up a very large proportion of what we read and enjoy. :)

[BikeBookBread]

I fail to see how people can object to dark subject matter, fantasy, gory violence, and sexual themes that are widely inappropriate for children, and yet approve of youngsters reading the Bible.

 

Bill

 

While I see what you're saying about the gore part, I don't think that's their issue...

 

There are passages in the Bible (both OT and NT) that say that followers of the Lord are not to be involved in witchcraft, sorcery, divination etc... I think that the definition of "involved with" is what is up for debate in Christian circles. Does it include simply "reading about?" I don't think so. But I think the anti-fantasy camp fears that reading will lead to engaging the mind, which will lead to changing the heart (that old "gateway drug" philosophy).

 

As you can see in my first post, I'm NOT an anti-HPer, PJ-er, etc.... My DDs are already showing an interest in fantasy stories - they love Narnia, Magic Tree House, everything fairies, unicorns, and LOTR movies. However, as a Christian Mom of young kids, it would be my Biblical duty if I found out either of my DDs had moved from the category of "really enjoying fantasy" to the realm of heart and mind change because of what they're reading, to address the issue. At that point, I'd probably have a serious talk with them, put the brakes on it (at least for a while) until they were older and able to discern. Of course, there is NO WAY I can control what my child is thinking or "loving". It is futile to try, but I CAN steer them towards books and other entertainments which encourage grounding in reality and Christian thinking.

Edited March 23, 2010 by BikeBookBread
bad grammar

[FaithManor]

I agree with Bill too! Life on planet earth is messy, gory, and weird. The Bible is just about X-rated in sections because we can't escape the horribleness of a fallen world. So, I think these types of books can really spark great discussions of good vs. evil, the heart of man, etc. We did wait until the logic stage to allow Harry Potter, the Lightening Thief, etc. so that we were able to really delve into the issues and have the kids think about them in meaningful ways.

 

The Bible is also very, very difficult reading and the symbolism is even more buried than anything like Narnia or LOTR. Therefore, if we want our kids to understand it, its prudent to give them a good base in this kind of literary language. I think that probably holds true for Buddhists and other religious groups as well. Most religious writings are brain-bending tomes to decipher. They require tremendous reading comprehension and logical thinking skills to digest.

 

We have had to caution our children about discussing the books they read with others. I would say that there are many Christians in our community that would condemn us for our classical education approach to literature. At the local Christian school, the most daring thing the kids read in high school is Robinson Crusoe and Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (just the one play and no sonnets). I am not certain how these kids are going to think critically about something like say, The Book of Daniel.

 

Faith

[lllll]

I usually skip those threads about this. But I read your blog (OP) and it's pretty much how we view things here. We read all the myths and such from the WTM grammar and logic stage lists, too. Thoroughly enjoyed those ... wonderful insight into other cultures. We compared the stories from the different cultures - themes, characters, etc. We even tried to figure out which culture WE would most likely fit into. All very fun for all of us.

 

I was the first one to read HP's years ago and told dc about it. Some of them read them and some of them don't. But the ones who don't, say it's just a matter of not having the time - no big deal. For those who read them, we've had impromptu discussions about the writing itself (ie. I still think the first book was the best, and the rest just so-so, etc.).

 

I didn't realize it was so annoying amongst IRL people; I suppose because we never go to hs events anymore. Actually, we never even see hs'ers anymore except by accident. And the last thing we'd probably be discussing is HP and our dc's tastes in books. :)

[HRAAB]

That whole thing where the runaway wife gets tossed out to the Benjamites then chopped up into bits and sent to the 12 tribes of Israel as a warning? Yikes.

 

I would let my children read Harry Potter and the likes at a much younger age than I would let them read the Old Testament. Holy Cow! There's stuff in there that I still have difficulty sifting through my mind. Like a father offering up his daughters so the men will leave his male visitors alone.

[TXMary2]

Nice post :001_smile::iagree:

 

When I was a younger christian I banned Pokemon and Harry Potter. As my faith has grown over the years I have come to believe more like you stated in your blog. My kids know the difference between reality and fantasy and as long as their christian foundation is strong they will not be swayed or allow satan to have a foot in the door just because they read a fantasy book. These types of books allow for some GREAT conversations about faith anyway, so not reading them would mean a lot of missed opportunities.

[Desert Rat]

Wonderful post. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[5Youngs]

Bravo!

[Crimson Wife]

I would let my children read Harry Potter and the likes at a much younger age than I would let them read the Old Testament. Holy Cow! There's stuff in there that I still have difficulty sifting through my mind. Like a father offering up his daughters so the men will leave his male visitors alone.

 

My oldest has been clamoring for a "real" Bible but there's just so much in there that I don't think she's ready for at age 7. And it's not only the OT- just think about Revelations :eek:

[Pip]

I have long believed that if your child is going against your religious teachings your problem is much deeper than Harry Potter.

[Spy Car]

 

There are passages in the Bible (both OT and NT) that say that followers of the Lord are not to be involved in witchcraft, sorcery, divination etc... I think that the definition of "involved with" is what is up for debate in Christian circles. Does it include simply "reading about?" I don't think so. But I think the anti-fantasy camp fears that reading will lead to engaging the mind, which will lead to changing the heart (that old "gateway drug" philosophy).

 

Is it at all ironic that among the first visitors of the baby Jesus in the Bible story were magicians (Magi)?

 

Bill

[BikeBookBread]

Is it at all ironic that among the first visitors of the baby Jesus in the Bible story were magicians (Magi)?

 

Bill

 

HA! Good point. Perhaps that's God's point -- HE uses WHOM HE wants to use, not the typical people that WE think are the "proper" people.

 

I remember hearing (conjecture for sure) a while back that perhaps the Magi were from Babylon (some say Saudi, some say Africa, there are lots of ideas); Daniel was in captivity in Babylon, and was among the "wise men" -- the Magi; Daniel was given many of the prophecies of Christ's birth. Perhaps the Magi were the keepers of that knowledge?

Edited March 23, 2010 by BikeBookBread

[mommaduck]

Is it at all ironic that among the first visitors of the baby Jesus in the Bible story were magicians (Magi)?

 

Bill

 

Who were more along the lines of astonomers and scientists, possibly healers, than along the lines of sorcerers and conjurers ;)

[Spy Car]

Who were more along the lines of astonomers and scientists, possibly healers, than along the lines of sorcerers and conjurers ;)

 

Astrologers, not astronomers. And magicians, not scientists.

 

Bill

[mommaduck]

Astrologers, not astronomers. And magicians, not scientists.

 

Bill

 

Astrology, I can agree. Magician in the common sense of the word, I would disagree ;)

[Mommee & Baba]

What a wonderful entry into your blog!

 

I have struggled with the very issues you spoke about. My family is vastly in the minority among homeschoolers in my area. I too have found myself telling my kids to not metion Harry or Percy.

 

After much soul searching I came to the same conclusion you did. Reading these books and delving into these worlds with these characters does not make our family bad Christians. I would hate to imagine my life or my children's lives without such stories. They have enabled us to grow and dream in ways that would not have been possible without them.

 

My family is able to distinguish between fantasy and reality and we take these stories for what they are. They are fantastical and magical places we can visit anytime our imaginations take us there.

 

My children love and honor their God. As do I. These kinds of books have not, nor will ever change that.

 

I now do not hang my head in shame because I know I have nothing to be ashamed of. I have accepted that there will just always be people out there that are quick to judge and condemn me.

 

Thank you for sharing. It is a breath of fresh air knowing that there are others out there that believe as I do on this issue.

 

You took the words right out of mouth!

 

Everything you said..:iagree:

[Garga]

I'd heard that part of the Magi's responsibilities was crowing new kings (sort of like the Archbishop of Canterbury crowns the king of England.) So, when they showed up asking, "Where's the new king?" that was what had Herod and "all of Jerusalem" in an uproar.

[Spy Car]

I'd heard that part of the Magi's responsibilities was crowing new kings (sort of like the Archbishop of Canterbury crowns the king of England.) So, when they showed up asking, "Where's the new king?" that was what had Herod and "all of Jerusalem" in an uproar.

 

Citation please.

 

What king? Where did magicians ever crown a king?

 

Bill

[Karis]

Wide is the road...

 

What happened to people simply taking God at His Word? Instead we rationalize, justify, weave our way around, seek others to validate and legitimize our own desires - our own falling away...

 

"Did God really say..." isn't even a question many Christians are prompted to ask.

[WishboneDawn]

Wide is the road...

 

What happened to people simply taking God at His Word? Instead we rationalize, justify, weave our way around, seek others to validate and legitimize our own desires - our own falling away...

 

"Did God really say..." isn't even a question many Christians are prompted to ask.

 

I've asked it for years now. But I'm betting that my answers (or rather the new questions that question led me to) are very different from what yours would be.

 

I've never met a Christian, even the most literal Christian, who at some point didn't engage in rationalizing, justifying, etc. when it came to what "God says". Me included.

[Guest Cindie2dds]

I have mulled it over time and again and I blogged it today in a loving and non-divisive manner. I just wanted to share my thoughts.

I have wanted to post many times but never had the time to think it through for myself.

 

http://lizzie-aworkinprogress.blogspot.com/

 

I could have written this myself! I find myself the lone Christian in my area who allows fairies, gnomes, etc., to be a part of play and school. I was so nice to read your blog. I appreciate your thoughts and thank you! :grouphug: