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Christianity & History/Literature
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Hello fellow CM homeschoolers,
Since beginning SCM a few years ago with my son, I have learned so much surrounding history, much of which is both enriching and eye-opening. As a believer, I’ve taken particular interest in the history of Christianity and also the history of other belief systems. It’s quite enlightening to notice the connections from the past to the present.
Anyway, now that we are in the Middle Ages period, I’m noticing the influence of witchcraft and paganism on early Christianity. I know the story of King Arthur is legend, but to me it seems telling that there is a mingling of church leadership and wizardry.
We have been able to study the belief systems of the ancient Greeks and Romans, and although some of it may have been surprising, I understand that these people just did not have the truth of God. So, I didn’t have a problem reading their accounts and stories about their gods. And, eventually Christianity was introduced to these people groups. Sadly, even as many people began to embrace the truth, their own long-held customs and beliefs were a stronghold in many cases.
The thing that has been a little unsettling to me as of late is in reading literature, such as in the story of King Arthur, that seems to embrace witchcraft and magic as an acceptable companion to Christianity. In our home, we have read books and watched movies that present an allegory to our relationship to God and others, such as C.S.Lewis’s Narnia. In these cases, we’ve been able to clearly separate fantasy from reality, and still embrace important concepts that do not conflict with our faith values, but provide food for thought, as in a parable.
More and more, I’ve become more aware of the pervasiveness of our modern culture in the inclusion of and celebration of ‘New Age’ thoughts & practices (including sorcery & witchcraft), and thus have had to be even more discerning regarding books and movies, music, etc. Even in the teen years, I believe this is still important (my son is 15).
Given my reservations with much of the current literature and media available, I’ve also grown more sensitive even to some of the long-held classics. So, I’m wrestling with what to include or omit in during our study of this time period. We started reading the recommended King Arthur book (it’s actually listed for 7th-9th graders), but I don’t think I want to continue with it. It may sound silly to some, but I’m even wrestling with whether or not to include Shakespeare, although I have already purchased some of the materials for it. I realize there will be differing opinions, but I’m curious to see if anyone else has also wresled as I have, or if anyone has any recommendations.
Thank you for listening.
Liz Tefft
I totally get what you mean. I delayed reading myths and then when we did finally read them I was very careful to replace any little g “god” reference with the word idol. I specifically remember doing this in The Golden Goblet. Sometimes the stories are worth reading just to open up conversations. All of that paganism is alive and well in our culture, it just go by different names. I did my best to make sure they knew truth like the back of their hand, then we did some worldview studies to help us better identify some of these philosophies that can be so subtle. I wanted to make certain they weren’t sucker punched when they left my home. My kids are pretty discerning now and pick out the idols being promoted in movies, books, and commercials. I think if these things are bothering you then you should go with your gut. You know your kids and what they need. They wont melt if they don’t read Shakespeare till late HS, or college, or never!
We have been very open with our kids about paganism(sun worship is a big one), witchcraft, Satan worship etc. In my opinion they must know about these things because these things are deeply entrenched in our current culture and it’s only getting worse. We present it alongside what scripture says and explain as we ourselves learn things. I have been deep down the rabbit hole for about the last 4 years now. The things I have learned have been eye opening, but also quite unsettling. I don’t want our kids going out into the world blind to these things. I want them to know what to look for(symbolism, etc). Our kids are old enough to learn about these things and some areas I don’t go too deep with them, but others I do. We can’t hide from the truth, not saying you are at all, but I do understand where you are coming from in being careful when presenting these things to our kids.
We have been open with our children, much like momto3blessings. We are Christians, feeling like we are living amongst much paganism. We are currently in Module 2 of SCM Bible, history & geography. We are in Judges learning how Israel adopted the worship of Baal and Asherah; pagan worship crept into Israel, as Baal was the Supreme god of Canaan. Sometimes, I really feel like it helps us understand scripture more, to know the history of the false god being talked about in scripture, as each of the plagues in Egypt related to a false god that had no real power against the one True God. I believe parents have different convictions, and I also believe in going with where God leads. I look at Moses. He was raised in the midst of paganism as an adopted child in Pharaoh’s family. Though, God used his life experience and exposure to foreign gods, to reject foreign gods and lead God’s people out of Egypt.
But speaking to the topic of books- perhaps every child does not need such exposure. Both of my children found God and have a personal relationship with God, all prior to us studying paganism and Greek mythology. And, we always talk about how the Greeks twisted Bible stories, and weaved myths.
Going where God leads you personally, is always so wise! Thanks for opening the discussion. I love reading the various perspectives.
@CristalN Thank you for understanding, and for your encouragement. You’re right, discernment is so important :).
I agree with you. I’m so thankful we can rely on wisdom from the Lord because it’s not always easy to navigate how and when to present things.
We loved studying that time period, and YES, it does help to highlight the power of the one true God! Love Joshua/Judges/Ruth! Moses is one of my favorites, too! Definitely ‘nothing new under the sun’. 🙂
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