Do you think there are more valuable lessons in fairy tales than in religious books?

Answer 1

Yes, I honestly do! In fairy stories there are often morals, whilst many episodes in the bible, for example, are purely vile and serve no moral purpose other than to scare people into kow-towing to god!

Xtians and other religious apologists try and excuse all the rape, slaughter, genocide and exhortations to hatred in the bible by pointing to isolated passages that are inspirational or uplifting. But I can find equally uplifting passages in Harry Potter or Winnie the Poo!

Answer 2

Many fairy tales -- mother goose stories, and stories for children specifically -- were specifically meant to make a moral point. Certainly Aesop's fables fall into this category, as do the Greco-Roman stories of gods and goddesses, heroes and villains.

I think these lessons are more valuable than stories from the Bible or the Koran or one of the less well known "religious books" because they are more accessible. You don't need to believe there really was a talking fox that decided the grapes were sour, don't need to believe anyone ever set up a race between a tortoise and a hare, to get the point of the stories.

Answer 3

Good question. There is much that can be taken from many types of book. It's all down to interpretation, fortunately there is yet to be a strong anti-fairy-tale group of people yet, but give it time.

If you take the bible (as a book, not a religious doctrine) and understand its stories are fables rather than literal, then there is no reason to not see the same as Aesop's fables, or Little Red riding Hood, or the many films like Green Mile etc. But both require thought and understanding of moral values before reading, so I dont think either are any better or any worse at portraying the ideal.

Answer 4

Oh most certianly!

What did religious books teach us? Don't eat seafood (Leviticus), Let an angry mob take your daughters before strangers (Sodom and Gomorrah), the appropriate remedy for sinning is to burn animals (somewhere in Leviticus ... what a crazy coot), with one rib a man can create an entire woman (adam and eve), killing the son of god will forgive everyone's sins.

On the other hand fairy tales taught us useful lessons like being too curious and be a bad thing (curiousity kille the cat), hard work and persistance pays off (the crow and the pitcher), slowly working towards a goal will pay off int he long run (the tortus and the hare), and a slew of others (Every tale is not to be believed, Evil companions bring more hurt than profit, One cannot be first in everything...)

I think it is CLEAR that fairy tales teach much more valuable lessons than religious books.

Answer 5

OK ... now ... lessons .... there as as many in fairy tales as in religious books. but what they both have in common: they're traditional (read: old fashionable) and lessons they teach might not be completely to our today's living habits. that IS the biggest problem with both ... holding on to old traditions can help us save our cultures, but at the same time they can be very contradictory to what we teach our children today. I do believe that fairytale have very important role in helping children adjust to the societies they live in, but maybe it's time we come up with some new fairy tales ... and one more thing .. Disney adaptations are very appealing, colourful and cute and sweet, but they're missing that element that makes fairy tales so effective: very stressful (almost agonising) moments that get solved with happy endings ... children need that so they can identify their own feelings of fear and anger and guilt, they recognise "horrible" things they're experiencing and see that they're not alone, and happy endings are necessary to help them develop optimistic thinking. Heroes go through many ordeals (growing up is full of them, no matter how good parents are, or society) and grow stronger, solve all problems and win a prise. If we soften up all those difficult moments in a story, then this very important function of any story is lost.

Answer 6

I think that you can get valuable lessons from both. Getting a good lesson will really depend on the teacher.

Answer 7

Do the fairy tales you are asking about reffer to the same lessons discussed in the religous books you are reffing to?
Is this a trick question?

Answer 8

i think you need to teach kids these values and morals yourself and by example. my six year old has no idea the morals or values behind fairy stories (all she understands is that the cinderella and the prince get married or the wolf gets slayed by the wood man) or the stuff she is taught at school in r.e. but she understands not talk to strangers etc by me teaching her this and setting the example from home

Answer 9

No, not really. Fairy tales are aimed at children, who soon outgrow them. I'm sure they can be a tool, but what exactly does Sleeping Beauty, Rapanzel, Cinderella, teach you? Other than if you're good and meek and mild,a prince will come and save you from your miserable life.

Answer 10

till now different entertainment media and a well-liked refinement of tastes, people used to get their Joly's from thoughts of blood and guts, intercourse and violence in the Bible, the theatre or stay on the shares,the Gallows and the Gibbet. We nevertheless get our entertainment flirting with intercourse and violence yet all of us comprehend that for the time of recent times its in basic terms make have confidence on a reveal. Fairy thoughts have been in basic terms ever meant to entertain babies. then back the two biblical thoughts and fairy thoughts are of interest to the Jungian psychologist. they are very revealing relating to the mythical subconscious international that's area of our collective psyche.