What the Christians Are (Not) Readings

It's always fun to watch Fundavangelicals try to talk about books, especially books for kids. Once they get past the "They should read C.S. Lewis's Narnia series!" it's totally hopeless. But very funny.

http://www.worldmagblog.com/blog/archives/015546.html

(I did enjoy the one who advised parents that L'Engle's "Ripple in Time" was "Science Fiction from a Christian perspective," though. That was adorable.)

Here's the problem you're having, dudes. It's the same problem they're having making the movies in the age of the post-feminist backlash.

You want your kids to read books in which (1) no child ever does anything wrong (2) no misbehavior is ever perpetrated by anyone, adult or child (3) no moral ambiguity ever arises (4) parents are always shown to be perfect authorities who make no errors in judgment and (5) no signs of the modern world (that is, jokes about underwear, for instance) appear.

There is a name for books like these. Stupid and boring.

Also? Not realistic to the child's worldview. Why would these books interest a child? He would see that those characters have nothing to do with his existence. Why would he want to read them? We read to understand our lives -- well, not y'all, apparently. Why y'all read, I cannot fathom.

(Oh, wait. You don't read -- that's clear from your comments. Ripple in Time, indeed. Never mind.)

But those of us who read, read to understand the (actual) human community.

Therefore -- follow my leap in logic here -- it helps if the books have actually been written about actual members of the human community.

And not imaginary beasts you have made up, trying to convince your nine year old he or she should act in some imaginary (and wholly unlikely) fashion.

I'm just saying.