trillian

Most of the Christian moral police are against exposing children to violence and sex. They try to ban books, movies, and music which contain "adult" themes to protect against influencing their children. I actually agree with them on the more extreme things (like children banned from buying porno mags and xrated movies).

As I read the Bible, there is bloody violence and gore all over the place. There are also fairly pornographic passages which should children should not be exposed to (if they can understand it).

So at these Bible reading camps, bible reading marathons, etc... is it censored for children? Is a child normally allowed by a Christian parent to read straight from the Bible?

trillian

Biff the unclean

No Christian reads straight through the bible, child or adult. That's why they are still Christians.

Arikay

I dont know about actually reading the actual bible. But I was looking at some kids versions that I have. One was small, and completly glazed over some things, like Noahs flood. The other sounded like it was written by kids.

You would think though that they should censor it, unless they want to be hypocritical.

Then again, to censor it, would be to not tell the whole truth about what the kids should believe.

Hmm.

Proctors_Gambit

Most parents will give their kids a bible safe in the knowledge that they'll never read it.

I remember a little of the sunday school I went to as a child.

We were taught about noah and the flood.
We were told about the plagues of Egypt and the drowning of pharoahs army.
I think, as kids, we just trusted our 'leaders' when they told us that these people were BAD and God did the right thing.
It was really a matter of good guys (israelites) vs bad guys (the people they were killing).

This programming you receive as kids makes it so much harder to reject your faith as an adult, but ultimately, so much more rewarding when you finally do.

-Gambit

snoiduspoitus

Of course it's censored. I work with a guy who told me his daughter will receive two Twins tickets after bringing x number of bible passages to class.

I told him I've got lots and lots of bible passages for his daughter's perusal. He declined the invitation. I'm a well-known atheist around these parts. Go figure.

I ate Pascal's Wafer

Hmm, I'm not sure. I have a children's Bible at the house (I'm in college, so I don't have access to it), so I'll check it out next time I go home. They probably either censor the bad stuff, or rest easy knowing that children won't read it.

I agree with Gambit. Even if the stories are not censored, children are trained to believe that God is doing what's best because the people he did that to are truly awful. Any objections are answered by "God works in mysterious ways", and too many children accept this answer. By the time they become old enough to see through this argument, it has already become internalized for far too many of them.

-Nick

Amos

The bible should be censored for adults because they are misled by it, not once, but 20,000 times. Lucky for Catholics who are not encouraged to read the bible.

agnawstick

I would love to just go to a ball park and hold up a sign saying instead of John 3:16... Ezekial 23:20-21 and have people look it up. Would be fun for kicks.

Proctors_Gambit

Did a little googling for childrens bible stories, found a site and the story of Stephens Martyrdom...

http://members.aol.com/zippy2000/story/stephen.htm

Some rather spooky quotes...

"Stephen was the first disciple who was put to death because he believed that Jesus was the One whom God had sent to make his promises come true. It was really a great honor to die for this reason."

"It did not mean, of course, that God failed to take care of Stephen."

"And now others were to have the privilege of dying as Jesus died, because God plans to use them by and by to work with Jesus in making his promises come true"


And they way they write it to be read by a child... Taken from the moses story.

"Moses loved God, and because he loved God he also loved God's people. He just couldn't stand seeing one of God's people beaten, so what do you suppose he did? Why, he killed that Egyptian! Now that wasn't the right thing to do. "

Naughty naughty Moses.


There's a whole bunch of them.

I have this image of mothers reading the stories to their kids.
"And one day little Billy, you might have a chance to die for God too".
"Really? You think so?", replied little Billy.
"If you're lucky, you might even be tortured first, pain brings you closer to Jesus".
"Wow, I hope I can die for Jesus soon"

*Shudder*

-Gambit

Silent Dave

They not only censor the Bible for children, but they actually CHANGE it.


Take the story of Jephthah in Judges 11:30-39. Here's how it goes in the Bible:

Jephthah made a deal with God: If God would let Jephthah defeat the Ammonites, Jephthah would sacrifice the first person to come out of his door when he returned. He did defeat the Ammonites, and when he returned, the first person to come out of his door to greet him was his daughter. So he gave her two months to wander around the mountains and "bewail her virginity," and then he sacrificed her.


Here's how it goes in a collection of Bible Stories for Children (I forget which one):

Jephthah made a deal with God: If God would let Jephthah defeat the Ammonites, Jephthah would sacrifice the first person to come out of his door when he returned. He did defeat the Ammonites, and when he returned, the first person to come out of his door to greet him was his daughter. So God changed his mind and allowed Jephthah to sacrifice an animal instead.


Dave