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Story of the Romans – questions
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We have recently started Module 3 (Ancient Rome). So far we have enjoyed everything (love the Europe mapwork!!!) but I’m not too sure about Story of the Romans. I’m wondering if anyone else here has used it and has any input on it. I’m not really comfortable reading stories of Roman “gods” to my kids. I didn’t realize that is what the book is going to be about (at least the first two chapters) … The last few weeks I was doing “review” with my 1st and 3rd grader of Adam and Eve, Noah’s Ark, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, etc. and a few days ago John the Baptist … and then today I’m reading them stories about Gods of ancient Rome. I think this might become conusing to my kids (especially my 3rd grader who was baffled by one of the lines that said some of the stories are true and others aren’t and we aren’t sure which ones (I’m paraphrasing) and then a paragraph later we are reading about a “god”. He was questioning me and I told him it was fictional but I had also told him this was one of our “history texts”. I’m questioning whether to keep going with this book. That is just my viewpoint, and I completely understand that others might disagree with me…is the entire book about the gods of Rome or does it get more to the history of it?
In my copy, after chapter 5 you start getting into the history part. After chapter 7, you are there. Hang in there or skip to them if it will make it easier for you all. There is no harm in skipping the gods at their age and in anyone’s tender, young faith stages (and no need to feel guilty or that you will harm their education!). Once you are past the god stories, it is an easily understandable comprehensive history with short chapters that tie the Roman history together.
The history of the founding of Rome is the stories of their gods and goddesses. You can’t get around it. Now, as you move further past it’s founding time period, you’ll move further away from some of the more constant referencing to them and into the actions of the Roman Republic and then the Empire.
My children have never been confused, but I intentionally chose to stay with American history, with just a few of the ancient and most important tales for familiarity but not study, until they were around 9, when we began in the Middle ages and then started the Ancients finally when they were 10/11. I wanted them to have a strong foundation in the One G-D before we dug in deeply into the others who were made by man and those supernatural creations desiring worship for themselves.
Additionally, I have always taught that G-D has never claimed that He is the only supernatural entity, just that He Alone is G-d and who deserves worship. He doesn’t deny that there aren’t other created entities vying for our worship – quite the opposite.
Though we do not accept the accounts as factual, the ancients did and real people did settle in the ancient world. Plus, remember that there was rampant ancestor worship then and I always taught, too that it’s very likely that the founders of these great civilizations transformed their ancestors into “gods and goddesses”, since they worshiped them anyway. So if you keep it within the context of the time, it’s not complicated, it’s just a matter of communicating it to children. They will read for themselves in the Bible that G-D didn’t deny the presence of other entities in the world, so to deny that they existed at all will come into conflict with what the Bible actually says.
I hope I’ve made sense. it’s late, thought I knw what I’m trying to convey to you. It’s a vastly interesting topic and usually one downplayed, but it’s not simplisitic either and makes some people uncomfortable.
The text does not spend much time on this at all. Just simply say “Most civilizations did not have writing at the time of their fouding, so they have stories to explain this. We call these stories myths. Everyone has them, and what the myths are like tells us something about the people who created them.” Then of course, remind them that there is an exception–Israel had the benefit of having prophets to whom God could reveal things. Later on, when they are older and read the Aeneid, they’ll have a background slot to put it in–an amazing literary attempt to explain a city’s founding. You might even ask your older child what sort of people might have created these stories. Warlike people? Superstitious or afraid people? The text will move on quickly to more solid ground, where we have more of a basis in fact and can call it “history” as opposed to myth. Your kids have already been exposed to false gods; everyone has. Can’t escape it in this world. You don’t have to spend a lot of time on it, but it is OK to give it a name, and then move on.
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