I believe the Bible is fine for children to read and be exposed to so long as it is kept in perspective.

The Bible has numerous lessons that are of value and alot of filler in between.  No matter what many may think, the Bible was written by man and therefore subject to all of the shortcomings to which people are prone.  Furthermore, it is not historically accurate and even the very structure that we see today is something that was decided upon by man and not by God. 

I believe that in the Bible there is wisdom to be found and lessons to be learned, but it is by no means the only book which contains lessons of value and is not the only book to which children should be exposed.

 Hum, interesting question.  I know my husband and I have thought about it in regards to other books, but would we hold the bible to a different standard?

One of the things a friend told me is that "children get out of things what they're ready for".  While I'm not sure I agree with that 100% (I still remember being terrified by Indiana Jones as a child), I think in part it is true.  If my kids are ready to work their way through the language in the bible, then they are probably ready for the stories.  Same as we would with other books.  With the caveat that we want to keep the communication lines open, and make sure that they can come to us if they read / watch / hear anything they don't understand or want more information on.

Now I'm thinking of the bible itself.  The condensed children's bibles are sanitized and normally only include the PG rated stories.  Similar to the different between Grimm's fairy tales and Disney's Cinderella?

Hi efficient_cause,

My kids read it. 

There is nothing in it that I find unsuitable. 

Confusing or uncomfortable certainly.  Unsuitable?  Nope. 

Violence is present.  Is it graphic?  What would an example be of "graphic" violence recorded in scripture? 

They whipped Jesus.  Does that read as any more graphic than Tom Sawyer being whipped? 

Thousands are killed in battle. Is that any more graphic than a historical account of Vimy or the Battle of Beaumant-Hamel? 

They tried to kill Harry Potter as an infant.  Maybe we should take Harry Potter away from the kids.  

Yeah that is in there.  Twice I think in all of the 66 books.  And it reads like this, Soandso raped his sister.  Not a terribly graphic depiction.  

Actually, depictions in the Bible of violence are typically not graphic.  They are more matter of fact.  The 6pm news is more graphic. 

If you mean is it okay as if it is an endorsement to rape a family member or slaughter some Philistines then no.  It is not an endorsement any more than the news is an endorsement. 

If you mean, do I accept it because it is part of the history of redemption then yes. Of course, my reading of scripture is a tad more sophisticated than the literalist readings of the Christian fundamentalists or the new atheists. 

These events are part of the faith history and do not show that we are blind to our own faults.  They show that people of faith are not perfect and that we can do some reprehensible things. 

I have preferences as to where I would like them to start.  I feel no need to censure the scriptures. 

Fair enough.

My children are now 17, 15 and 13.  They have read the scriptures off and on through their whole lives and as often as possible we pick apart films or shows to find references to scripture and see how that might deepen their appreciation of.

My 17 year old son who is a fan of the macabre and horror movies went to see Amazing Grace with me a vew years back and he very much enjoyed the movie and was interested in how it depicted an actual moment of human history.

He still likes to go and see horror movies but we have been able to get him to go and see some more thoughtful stuff.

My 13 year old has recently announced a plan to read the Bible from front to back.  We talked about that for a bit and then I let her go.  I think Genesis and Exodus will be interesting for her but come Leviticus and Numbers she'll slow down.

My only concern is that she went out to buy her own Bible and she came back with a KJV (like hey don't ask your dad which version is a good read eh?)  Anyway.  She picked it out and she's giving it a shot.  I cut my teeth on the KJV as well.

Grace and peace to you.

John

I'm so glad you brought this up. I think sometimes that I'm the only one who worries about it.

It's funny. I'm a pretty laid back mom. My little one can experience whatever media he chooses, but I don't take him to church or read him Bible stories.

The stories are about people's lives, their fears and their growing awareness of God's love. But they're often read as suggesting that God commits genocide, or that God couldn't forgive us until he got a blood sacrifice. I don't believe either of those things.

Instead, he's convinced that God is love, that grace is real, and that salvation is universal. I hope he'll read the Bible and wrestle with God when he's older, but for now, he gets the best interpretation I can come up with.

When my children were little we read Bible stories together - I do the same with my grandchildren using Ralph Milton's The Family Story Bible.  The stories are simply written for children and they reflect my theology.

When my kids were older they choose to read the Bible or not.  My son read it through several times in high school / university.  I don't know if my daughter has ever read it all - although I'm sure that she has read parts and studied the lectionary Bible readings to teach Sunday School. 

I think that when kids are old enough to want to read the Bible they are old enough to read it.  I really can't imagine a seven or eight year old having the skills or interest to read much.  I also think that parents should be aware of what their kids are reading (at least until they reach high school).  Parents can then discuss books with their children - and find out if there are any parts that they find troubling or challanging. 

I remember reading the Bible as a teenager.  I was surprised to find the phrase "spilled his seed upon the ground".  My what a dirty book!  Also some of the laws of Exodus surprised me - like the fact that if you beat your slave and he dies right away you are guilty of murder; but if you beat him and he dies the next day you are not guilty because you couldn't know he was going to die.  Even as a teen I could see the injustice of that. 

The short answer to the question about children reading the Bible:   let them if they want to, but talk to them about what they are reading.   The same with any other book.

It all depends on the version of the Bible. We have a few versions of Children's Bibles and my oldest lover her Bible that has a comic book look to it. the stories are easy to understand. they also do read from the Bible in church. We talk about the stories and they can understand it better. It helps the children to understand why Jesus was so different by the stories of injustice they read and then hear how Jesus spent time with the marginialized people of his day. Remember  children need to hear stories they can understand, the words need to have meaning for them. Children's Bibles can help them.

Hi riderguy - you are right in that it depends upon the version.  I would be especially careful of children's Bibles and the theology behind the stories chosen.  Make sure the theology is something that you don't mind your children reading and you are right to discuss the stories with them.

The bible is good for pressing flowers in, but not butterflies, as I discovered as a kid.

As for reading it, I wouldn't give it to a kid for that purpose. Though I did take a boo, as a child myself, in the kids' Book of Genesis at the dentist's office. Ooo! Naked people! It was just a story...with naked people in it.

I've heard that in traditional Jewish society men couldn't read Song of Soloman until they were 30 and women never could. The Jewish people I've known are all Reform so they didn't follow that, not sure how accurate that claim was to begin with but it seems to be on topic. I agree with the comment that if the child has the reading skills to get through it there won't be a problem. Reading an account of a battle or even a rape is not remotely an endorsement of that. It's generally pretty easy to see the moral in any section of the Bible. People can miss it if they're trying to delude themselves (I was raised Southern Baptist and can go on about that one ad nauseum) but not if you're trying.

Has anyone seen the lectionary bibles that have been done by Ralph Milton?

We give bibles to the grade 2/3 class at Pentecost.

 I'am currently seeking bibles for my 2 children and yes I think it is appropriate to read the bible to children.I'am a firm believer in Jesus and when my children are old enough to make the choice for themselves to repent and recieve Jesus as their personal savior they will understand.And the men that wrote the bible were led by the spirit.