I second what Nebby said above. I, too, can’t agree with Andreola’s particular interpretation, however, there are universal laws – Nature’s Law if you will – that is there because G-D made it into the Creation and even pagans got it in the past. Aesop’s Fables are a prime example of this higher law that G-D placed into His Creation. There are moral teachings within the myths, as well as other writings from pagan authors to be studied later, that are quite compatible with the teachings of G-D-since He’s the one who created those moral laws in the first place. Not to mention values of courage and sacrifice, etc., that are also universally admired, especially since the introduction of monotheism by Abraham.
C.S. Lewis spoke and wrote about it in Mere Christianity and it’s what T. Jefferson was referencing as well in our Declaration.
I think it’s vitally important for our children to know the myths; of course all in their proper time. Frankly, much of the Bible can’t be understand without an understanding of the ancient myths of the peoples then. If I had a child who began obsessing adn spending too much time reading them, then I’d be worried (I ahve an actual pagan relative, so I’m sensitive to that sort of thing).
I didn’t teach a whole lot prior to age 9/10. The ones they were introduced to first during their lower elementary years were: Aesop’s Fables, James Baldwin’s Fifty Famous Stories Retold, Thirty More Famous Stories Retold.
We did American History up till 4th and 5th gr., so we didn’t delve into the ancients and their myths beyond the books I mentioned above and any info. that was necessary to understand our BIble studies better.
HTH
