Today in my freshman class, we’re beginning our discussion of Plato’s Republic. In Book II, there is a discussion of which Greek myths are appropriate to share with children. It always makes me think of the similar issue regarding Bible stories, which in turn makes me think of this video:

Even some stories that are regularly told to children contain rather horrific or gruesome details – the turning of Noah’s Ark into a story about cute animals rather than the mass extermination of most of humankind and animalkind, or David’s battle with Goliath as though it is merely a child standing up to a bully and does not end with a beheading.

Some churches place a lot of emphasis on telling Bible stories to children. Given that the Bible is in fact a collection of books and other literature for adults, and many stories end up being changed in order to be shared with children, I’d be interested to hear from a wide range of people of varying religious and non-religious perspectives. Should the Bible be shared with children as it is, in a watered-down form, or not at all? Is the Bible “rated R“?