Is the Bible appropriate for children?

[Lethkhar]

Seriously, what with all the rape, murder, violence, suicide, rebellion, incest, bestiality, use of drugs and alcohol, sexuality, and various other atrocities, the Bible is hardly appropriate for children to read.

So why are children allowed into churches where they read these sorts of things? It's absolutely sickening. It's scarring their minds.

If we have to censor television and music for children, why don't we censor the Bible as well?  

[Fushigi na Butterfly]

The Bible is censored for children. Children's Bibles and picture Bibles usually skip over alot of stuff in the Bible, and all the things like the Exodus are sugar-coated so that it's not so over their heads. Once they're older, it's the parents' responsibility to graduate them to actual Bibles and fill in all the blaniks.  

[Lethkhar]

Fushigi na Butterfly

The Bible is censored for children. Children's Bibles and picture Bibles usually skip over alot of stuff in the Bible, and all the things like the Exodus are sugar-coated so that it's not so over their heads. Once they're older, it's the parents' responsibility to graduate them to actual Bibles and fill in all the blaniks.

Wow, so kids miss out on about half of their faith...

I wonder if kids would accept it just as well if you taught it all...It might reduce the brainwashing...I mean, the hypocrisy's quite clear at an age when your mind hasn't been distorted so much that it turns a blind eye to it.

That might be an interesting study...  

[ioioouiouiouio]

Well, I think that, just like some television and books, some parts of the Bible are inappropriate for children. I also think that censorship is only an excuse for lazy parents to not do their job.  

[Lethkhar]

Cometh The Inquisitor

Well, I think that, just like some television and books, some parts of the Bible are inappropriate for children. I also think that censorship is only an excuse for lazy parents to not do their job.

Agreed.  

[A Different Light]

Honestly, I think that its fine for them to read the Bible. If the Bible is "history" you shouldn't sugar-coat what "realy happened." The terrible things in the Bible are part of their faith and they deserve to know them. That's what I think.  

[Eliza9790]

Well, I don't think it's that bad that they censor parts of the bible. I don't think that's the bad part. Every religion has to deal with area's in life that are inapropriate for kiddos. Kids don't know about sex, and wars, but that doesn't mean that religion shouldn't deal with it. Those things exist in life so of corse a religion has to deal with it.

I agree, that it is a little bad though that kids don't know everything about what 'they beleive'. I think it would be more appropriate, in a perfect world, if children were taught about many different religions. Than when they were older- maybe in their teen years or so, they could start deciding which religion they want to take.  

[Lethkhar]

Eliza9790

Well, I don't think it's that bad that they censor parts of the bible. I don't think that's the bad part. Every religion has to deal with area's in life that are inapropriate for kiddos. Kids don't know about sex, and wars, but that doesn't mean that religion shouldn't deal with it. Those things exist in life so of corse a religion has to deal with it.

I agree, that it is a little bad though that kids don't know everything about what 'they beleive'. I think it would be more appropriate, in a perfect world, if children were taught about many different religions. Than when they were older- maybe in their teen years or so, they could start deciding which religion they want to take.

Oh, if only if only.

If there ever was a blessing, it was an objective view on things.

One of my main problems with religion is early life brainwashing.

For instance, one time I was hanging out with my 5-year-old cousin at my grandma's house. Out of nowhere, the kid started to talking to me about Adam and Eve. He talked to me as if I believed that Adam and Eve had eaten an apple and gotten us all banned from the garden. It was totally obvious to him, as if that was the only world view in the world.

I didn't blame him. He had nothing else to base his opinions on. Little kids are so gullible and innocent...

So what did I do? I parafrased The Ramayana for him. He liked that story a lot better. 3nodding

I love Hindu myths...They're so cool...  

[Eliza9790]

LoL. Hinduism is pretty awesome. I love Ancient Egyptian mythology, myself. (That's just another reason why, I'm a pagan! biggrin )

Yes, alot of people have that promblem, with Christianity. I think that it's sort of wrong to completly blaim this brainwashing promblem on Christianity itself. We live in a Christian society (I'm assuming you live in America). It's impossible to excape christian ideology and beleifs- never the less, to learn about some other religion. Also, I'm pretty sure somewhere in the bible it says to learn about other people and their cultures. I've listened to enough Christian, your going to hell schpills to know that their are enough bible verses in there, to say alot of things.

So really, I wouldn't complain about the biblical censorship, that's going to happen in any religion. I would complain about the lack of open religious education.  

[Lethkhar]

Eliza9790

LoL. Hinduism is pretty awesome. I love Ancient Egyptian mythology, myself. (That's just another reason why, I'm a pagan! biggrin )

Yes, alot of people have that promblem, with Christianity. I think that it's sort of wrong to completly blaim this brainwashing promblem on Christianity itself. We live in a Christian society (I'm assuming you live in America). It's impossible to excape christian ideology and beleifs- never the less, to learn about some other religion. Also, I'm pretty sure somewhere in the bible it says to learn about other people and their cultures. I've listened to enough Christian, your going to hell schpills to know that their are enough bible verses in there, to say alot of things.

So really, I wouldn't complain about the biblical censorship, that's going to happen in any religion. I would complain about the lack of open religious education.

Agreed.

I think we would have a lot more atheists in this world. Buddhism's numbers would increase significantly. And Baha'i Faith, I'd be willing to bet.

What a shame...  

[Eliza9790]

Maybe, we'd have more atheists, but alot of people, I imagine would love the hope religion offers. Religion does have a deep connection with it's adherants. I would have to disagree with you, if you beleive that connection is just an hallucination, or brainwashing. I think it's alot more. But even if it's nothing but hope, I think it helps people alot. So I don't think that atheists numbers would grow to a majority or anything like that. People love religion to much, and religion has been around to long for that to happen.

I do think their would be alot more buddhists though. That would be awesome. Proably a load more pagans too.  

[Lethkhar]

Eliza9790

Maybe, we'd have more atheists, but alot of people, I imagine would love the hope religion offers. Religion does have a deep connection with it's adherants. I would have to disagree with you, if you beleive that connection is just an hallucination, or brainwashing. I think it's alot more. But even if it's nothing but hope, I think it helps people alot. So I don't think that atheists numbers would grow to a majority or anything like that. People love religion to much, and religion has been around to long for that to happen.

I do think their would be alot more buddhists though. That would be awesome. Proably a load more pagans too.

I didn't say atheists would become a majority...I just said their ranks would bolster.

Buddhists are atheists. pirate  

[freelance lover]

I know back in the day younger people like teenagers weren't allowed to read books like Song of Songs since it's all about sex and stuff. Censorship is a yes and no thing. I think it's nessicary to an extent because a lot f the thing kids just cannot comprehend. We censor just about everything for them. I mean, in elementary school we learned about the pilgrims and Indians, but we don't really learn what went down between the two groups until we get much older.

So I mean, yeah, you can say the censorship is bad but we do it in just about every aspect of life, so you can't really apply it just to a child's religious life.

In some ways it has to be done, but it has to be handled carefully and we can't decieve them too much. I guess I don't really have a good example since my family never went to church and stuff when I was younger, so by the time I got really involved, they weren't censoring much of anything for me.

And random: Buddhist are nessicarily athiests. Some are agnostics, it depends on if they believe in a higher being or not. But Buddhism is more a way of life then religion. There are actually Jews called Jew-Bhus (sp?) who apply Buddhist technices when the worship God. It's actually kind of a cool idea, when you think about it.  

[Lithanus]

There is a difference between censoring and allowing children to take small steps of understanding. You do really expect a child to completely understand the Song of Songs. They have not had sex or even a parnter yet. Skipping that section would be wise for children seeing as they can't relate. This can also be said about other books of the bible as well. Kids only learn about the stories to start with because its the easiest to understand. As they grow up then they can learn the meaning and history behind each book to them understand more about their ongoing lives.

As far as the brainwashing goes, young kids soak up everything quickly and usualy believe everthing that is told to them by their parents and other adults. You wouldn't have to brainwash them to make them believe in santa clause, all you have to do is just lie to their face untill they are old enough to think for themselves. Christians pass down their beliefs to their kids just like any other parents do, wouldn't you want your kids to understand what you believe in?  

[Lethkhar]

Lithanus

As far as the brainwashing goes, young kids soak up everything quickly and usualy believe everthing that is told to them by their parents and other adults. You wouldn't have to brainwash them to make them believe in santa clause, all you have to do is just lie to their face untill they are old enough to think for themselves. Christians pass down their beliefs to their kids just like any other parents do, wouldn't you want your kids to understand what you believe in?

Understand? Yes.

Necessarily believe everything I believe? Not at all. That's almost signature of a bad parent. You have not done your duty in turning them into a free-thinking individual. Sure, you can agree on a lot of things, but if they believe every single thing that you believe...Can you really call them human?