I was having a discussion with someone not too long ago, and they told me that back in medieval days, there was no such thing as childhood innocence; that children were not deemed too young to learn about the realities of life, meaning that they could be told anything without the truth being sugarcoated, and that the idea of "the innocence of the child" is something that was created by the media and was just recently adopted ( by recently I mean within the last hundred years or so). Can anyone comment on this? Thoughtful answers only, please. Thanks.
2006-11-14 09:57:47 · 3 answers · asked by fabulous diva 2 in Social Science ➔ Psychology
By the time they are 6 years old, with one year of school under their belts... they are devlish little urchins! The 5 year old kindergarteners are still pretty innocent sweeties though...
2006-11-14 14:00:33 · answer #1 · answered by River 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My short answer is NO, it is not a modern notion. The innocence of a child is deeply valued in all cultures of the world. When you talk about the medieval ages, you must also point out the abscence of "normal" environment, there was strife and wars everywhere.
We as a human community will immediately preserve the innocence of our children when peace is achieved.
Look at enlisted soldiers, they attempt to find the meaning of their missions in the faces of the children.
We have been lucky in the free world to have peace for several decades. We wish this for all the children of the world and that is hardly a modern notion but instead is an ancient human value.
2006-11-14 18:12:02 · answer #2 · answered by QuiteNewHere 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Bible is over 2000 years old, yet it refers to "little children" as innocence personified, using such terms as, "The Kingdom of Heaven", and "The Kingdom of God" to describe them. If this is in a well read reference that's over 2000 years old it is very likely that even in the middle ages children were considered innocent.
Matthew 19:14
But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
Mark 10:14
But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
Luke 18:16
But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
2006-11-14 18:54:27 · answer #3 · answered by musemessmer 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋