Bedtime Story

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In a message dated 10/29/98 4:53:25 AM Eastern Standard Time,
jfilley@primary.net writes:

<< JASON
 
 Well, the baby's about 4 1/2 months along now.  My wife and I were
 trying to feel the baby's kicking, but it's still a bit early and we
 couldn't tell if the little movements came from the baby or from the
 Hunan Beef.  In a couple more weeks it'll be time to start reading to
 the baby, so I've started chasing down old Dr. Seuss and Berenstein
 Bears books. >>

My daughter is 14 now, but I remember the Berenstain Bears books (and have
kept them).  They are wonderful.  And, pertinent to Christianity (or non-
Christianity), they show that morality can be taught without reference to God.
One even has a reference to "sheep" (who don't think for themselves) though
not in reference to the Christian flock/fold following their pastors and "good
shepherd": in "Double Dare", where kids double dare brother and sister bear to
steal a watermelon, the bears decide that stealing is not worth while, and in
response to the other kids taunts calling them chicken, respond "Baa! Baa!
Buncha sheep! Why don't you try thinking for yourselves for a change?" That's
a good habit in all areas of life.

Only in a couple of instances did I disagree with their morality or facts.  In
"Too Much Birthday" the parents don't allow their daughter (sister bear) to
get the pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey prize she won, merely because she is the
guest of honor.  In "The Messy Room", there is reference, without correction,
to a set of model dinosaurs used in a diorama of the Pleistocene age.  That
would be just up creationists' alley, making dinosaurs contemporary with
humans.  But out of dozens of these books these are the only two quibbles I
have.

Charlie

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