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Kathrin
Guest
Does the church say anything about reading fairy tales, myths, legends, or children’s books that contain figures like good fairies etc? Is it contrary to the faith? Could it be a sin?
Kathrin
Kathrin
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callmeChris
Guest
From what I know, stuff like Harry Potter, and Twilight which encourages witchcraft, and wizardry, and involvement with the occult are sinful. But children’s books that are about fairies, and knights slaying dragons and stuff of that caliber aren’t sinful. So in the end I have to say **no **it isn’t sinful.
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vera_dicere
Guest
I’d say the peddlign of Santa and the easter bunny are bigger afronts to the faith than faeries and leprechauns or whatever.
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Ceil-1
Guest
I read a book called A Landscape with Dragons by Michael D. O’Brien which spells this out.
To him, fairy tales and other fantasy novels are okay when they are written as allegory, metaphor, or pure imagination. For instance, Lord of the Rings occurs in a fictional land. The same would be with a fairy tale, or a moral tale such as the King Arthur stories which make use of symbols. The Narnia books are great stories that employ allegory. The reader knows these are fictional.
Everyone knows a puppet is an inanimate object. Pinocchio came to life and grew a nose, and was basically personified, but, the story had a moral point.
The author mentions that such imaginative and complex stories help the child’s formation and preparation for taking in the mysteries of the faith. In the old tales, the dragons and such are symbols of evil, the devil, etc. St. George is the Christian hero fighting against the “dragon” with his “sword”, (the Spirit), etc.
Modern tales are different. The Wizard of Oz, did separate the Land of Oz from Kansas, which is its saving grace. But, there are people who claim it is an allegory for a theosophist worldview. Apparently, the man who wrote it was one.
Many fundamental sects shy away from any imaginative stories d/t their fictional content.
Fiction=evil. I think that is a mistake. The Catholic POV encourages development of the imagination and use of allegory.
The ultra-modern stories are usually either new age, occult, or openly promote witchcraft. They subtly form the children in erroneous worldviews and religious systems the same way we Christians used to try to in the old stories.
Harry Potter may involve noble elements, but, it openly does just that. It sets up a false religious system. The modern vampire stories are the same thing. I would stick with the oold stuff, or check the backgrounds of the modern authors for help in this department.
To him, fairy tales and other fantasy novels are okay when they are written as allegory, metaphor, or pure imagination. For instance, Lord of the Rings occurs in a fictional land. The same would be with a fairy tale, or a moral tale such as the King Arthur stories which make use of symbols. The Narnia books are great stories that employ allegory. The reader knows these are fictional.
Everyone knows a puppet is an inanimate object. Pinocchio came to life and grew a nose, and was basically personified, but, the story had a moral point.
The author mentions that such imaginative and complex stories help the child’s formation and preparation for taking in the mysteries of the faith. In the old tales, the dragons and such are symbols of evil, the devil, etc. St. George is the Christian hero fighting against the “dragon” with his “sword”, (the Spirit), etc.
Modern tales are different. The Wizard of Oz, did separate the Land of Oz from Kansas, which is its saving grace. But, there are people who claim it is an allegory for a theosophist worldview. Apparently, the man who wrote it was one.
Many fundamental sects shy away from any imaginative stories d/t their fictional content.
Fiction=evil. I think that is a mistake. The Catholic POV encourages development of the imagination and use of allegory.
The ultra-modern stories are usually either new age, occult, or openly promote witchcraft. They subtly form the children in erroneous worldviews and religious systems the same way we Christians used to try to in the old stories.
Harry Potter may involve noble elements, but, it openly does just that. It sets up a false religious system. The modern vampire stories are the same thing. I would stick with the oold stuff, or check the backgrounds of the modern authors for help in this department.
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Ceil-1
Guest
Santa Claus is the personification of Charity. He ended up hijacking Christmas, which was no accident or coincidence. Some even feel there was some conspiracy by the human secularists, there. The concept of Santa helped form me in kindness and generosity towards even strangers. Then again, he was St. Nicholas and God’s helper. God was always behind it all. I believe this is sound formation for a child, or at least could be if it is handled.well.
The Easter bunny I never understood, and it wasn’t allowed to trump the idea of Easter for what it is. I did love Peter Cottontail, though. Esp. old Iron tail. What a kick I got out of that. And what a good message; don’t let partying get in the way of your responsibilities. Who could find fault with that? But, like everything else, a cute little idea gets turned into some monstrosity by the commercial media, and overtakes the whole idea.
Leperchauns are actual demons who enjoyed worship by the ancient Irish in the form of deities and were banished to the wilderness by St. Patrick. There is nothing redeeming about those things.
Fairies seem more like angels, though, I think in the old stories they represented both good and bad angels. Not sure about them.
Is it just me, or was Walt Disney heavy into all this stuff? My mother seems to think the guy was pure evil, though she cannot cite any specifics on why she feels that way.
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vera_dicere
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Exactly.
Every year the news folk go around and ask kids what Easter is about. Each year, more and more children are sayign somethign to do with chocolate. This year, not one of the kids they showed on TV said what Easter was really about.
My niece, who’s mother has fallen away from the Church, has no idea abotu Jesus or Easter or any of that. Its sad.
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diggerdomer
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Kathrin
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The specific story that triggered this question is a story that involves a mountain fairy. She comes across a bit like an angel, and watches out for the people who live their and for nature. There are also evuil characters, and some kids have to help free the fairy from them.
I would say the story is fantasy but it may be connected to an old myth that people in that region tell.
I would say the story is fantasy but it may be connected to an old myth that people in that region tell.
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BRZ
Guest
I don’t think it is sinful to watch any sort of myths, etc. Including Harry Potter, if you understand that none of it is actually real and it doesn’t affect your faith or morals and such.
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presidentjlh
Guest
Bingo.
Most stories about magic and such are just creative uses of imagination. They aren’t propagating the practice of witchcraft.
I have read all 7 of the Harry Potter books, and not once did the book say: “All you readers should attempt to do magic,” or even hint at that idea. The book is a fictional work, a story meant to simply entertain the reader.
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presidentjlh
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Actually, the Church hasn’t even made any official proclamations on the Harry Potter series. Some in the Vatican like the series, some don’t, but they haven’t made an infallible, or even fallible, doctrine concerning it. It’s mainly just depends on the person really. I haven’t run into any readers of the series that honestly think they are witches or wizards (some jokingly will say a spell or something, but they don’t really mean it).
I am not aware of the Church’s position on the Twilight series. Honestly, it doesn’t concern me, because the series sounds like a bunch of rubbish in the literary sense.
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PatriceA
Guest
The problem is with the age of the audience. A child may not be able to discern what goes against Catholic teachings the same way a teen or an adult would. Some books about fairies and such would be nothing more than just make believe for a child. Other stories about fairies might actually confuse the child about their faith and God.
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presidentjlh
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Maybe, but really, kids believe silly things anyways. I believed silly things too until about when I became a preteen.
Little kids tend to believe in magic regardless, they don’t understand the nature of things. Show a little child a magnet picking up iron filings or something. Odds are they might say, “Wow! You can do magic?!” or something similar. You can try to explain the properties of magnetism and electricity to them, but odds are it will fly right over their heads.
I bet you a number of adults on this forum thought that Jesus used “magic” when He performed the miracles when they were little. This wasn’t out of any malice, disagreement with the Church, or failure on the part of parents and teachers, but out of a simple inability to understand these things as a small child.
Also, when the Harry Potter series came out, most kids that read it were preteens. I started reading the series when I was about 10 or so. I knew the whole thing about “magic” was fiction, but it was just fun to read a story, and imagine a fantastical world. Not once did I think, “Man, I wonder if I can do this stuff,” or something, I knew it was all just for fun.
It’s like Halloween. Bunch of kids dress up in costumes and run around going trick or treat. People go see scary movies and decorate their house with ghosts and pumpkins. Does anyone do this because they actually think these things are something we should embrace and practice? No. We do it because sometimes it’s a little fun to get a little scared.
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PatriceA
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At the age of 10, yes. But you have to consider children at a much younger age, because most books about fairies are targeted to that age group, and most believe Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and all the muppets from Sesame Street are just as real as Jesus. You don’t want to hand them a book about make believe that could potentially have messages that are contrary to the teachings of the Church. Children at a much younger age have not discerned yet what is real and what is make believe. And you certainly what them to believe in Jesus, even though they can’t see Him any more than they can a fairy.
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BRZ
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I would agree that young children should stay away from these kinds if influences. Once their mind is developed enough to understand exactly what they are reading it would probably be okay.
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presidentjlh
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Indeed, I can agree on that. Again, though, most kids under the age of reason are unable to even read books of the size of Harry Potter. Those that can tend to be a little ahead of the curve, and usually have a better understanding of the whole thing.
If I was the father of a 6 year old, I probably wouldn’t buy him or her a Harry Potter book as a gift. Not so much because I think it’s against Church teachings, but because…well…they wouldn’t be able to read it: Too long, the lack of pictures means they’d probably lose interest in about, oh, 1 minute, and many of the words are too large or complex for them to be able to read.
Of course, this doesn’t mean I’d read to my kids (if I were married and had any) “The Guide on Becoming a Witch: Little Kids Edition”
I think that there is validity to both sides of the argument concerning Harry Potter. Indeed, when you think about it, almost anything can be interpreted incorrectly by a child and lead them to a belief that counters Church teaching. It’s not so much that these materials are “evil” per se, but simply that they are too complex for the very young. That is a fair argument.
One thing I do feel I need to promote is child literacy. Parents, read stories with your children before bed. Read stories with them regularly. Help them with their school work. I think one thing Catholicism and secularism can agree on is that people should know how to read.
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PatriceA
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The OP didn’t ask about Harry Potter. They asked about stories about fairies and myths. And some kids can read those books by the second grade.Indeed, I can agree on that. Again, though, most kids under the age of reason are unable to even read books of the size of Harry Potter. Those that can tend to be a little ahead of the curve, and usually have a better understanding of the whole thing.
If I was the father of a 6 year old, I probably wouldn’t buy him or her a Harry Potter book as a gift. Not so much because I think it’s against Church teachings, but because…well…they wouldn’t be able to read it: Too long, the lack of pictures means they’d probably lose interest in about, oh, 1 minute, and many of the words are too large or complex for them to be able to read.
Of course, this doesn’t mean I’d read to my kids (if I were married and had any) “The Guide on Becoming a Witch: Little Kids Edition”
I think that there is validity to both sides of the argument concerning Harry Potter. Indeed, when you think about it, almost anything can be interpreted incorrectly by a child and lead them to a belief that counters Church teaching. It’s not so much that these materials are “evil” per se, but simply that they are too complex for the very young. That is a fair argument.
One thing I do feel I need to promote is child literacy. Parents, read stories with your children before bed. Read stories with them regularly. Help them with their school work. I think one thing Catholicism and secularism can agree on is that people should know how to read.
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presidentjlh
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Yes, to answer the original question: I’d be inclined to say that those aren’t sinful in almost every case.
And, as to the kids that can read those books by second grade, well, I think it’s safe to assume that there are a few second-graders that are intelligent enough to understand that the Harry Potter series is fiction.
Of course, if any young reader of the book started to think it was real, then there would be a need for a discussion between him or her and the parents.
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shondrea
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What next, being afraid of Clifford the Big Red Dog?
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What next, being afraid of Clifford the Big Red Dog?
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presidentjlh
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I don’t know, I mean, Satan is big and red, right?
I do think that sometimes we get a little too serious on these things. Granted, sin is not something to be taken lightly, but we don’t want to be scrupulous about it. God wants us to obey Him, but in obedience to Him there are still things that aren’t sinful that are fun to do.
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