We own about 15 or so Veggie Tales videos. They’re cute, and my kids have enjoyed them. They go through phases – won’t watch them for months, and then won’t watch anything else for months. I’m not sure if the kids “get” the moral of the story, meaning, I’m not sure the videos are doing much to alter my children’s behavior, but at least they are learning, somewhat, some Bible stories.
Except King George and the Ducky…yeah, an adult will know it’s about King David and Bathsheba. But if adultery and murder are too much for little kids (and gee, I hope they are!), why even bother trying to tell the story? Surely there are other examples of coveting thy neighbor’s goods?
I digress. That is a problem with Veggie Tales, but not the one I intended to address. No, my big complaint is with Rack, Shack, and Benny and Daniel in the Lion’s Den. Both stories come from the book of Daniel. My study Bible says that it is debatable whether the book of Daniel is prophetic and written during the Babylonian captivity, or if it was written long after the captivity and is more a recounting of the trials through which God brought His people. Either way, the moral of the story is God Saves. That’s a great moral, right? Sure.
Find yourself being thrown into a furnace? No worries! Pit of hungry lions your afternoon’s adventure? No problem! If you are good, love God, and pray hard enough, God will save you! On eagle’s wings and all that…
Yes, but…what about St. Ignatius of Antioch? Did God not love him? And all those thousands of other Christians who met their fate in the Roman Coliseums? Or the millions persecuted in the past 2000 years?
Or is it that God only saves the Jews? Hey, remember the 1920s, 30s and 40s? Was God not interested in helping His people in Dachau?
The story of Joseph (with that amazing technicolor dreamcoat) is a much better example of God’s saving hand. Joseph suffered for years in slavery and in prison before the Divine plan was revealed. Veggie Tales did this story as well – Little Joe – and it’s fine. Doesn’t quite show the passage of time and kids might think that God works all his miracles all at once, but it’s fine. At least, though, you can see that all his trials put him in just the right place at the right time to save God’s chosen people.
But Little Joe is overshadowed by Daniel and the three guys at the bunny factory who are saved from certain death by a miracle. And so, when my son, Billy, flips through our Picture Book of Saints to find a story to read and picks St. Ignatius who is depicted surrounded by lions, his little mind fully expects to hear about a miracle, not a martyr. The poor kid was flabbergasted.
I suppose the story of St. Stephen doesn’t make for a good, happy-ending tale, eh? No, not if your martyrdom is the end of it all, which, thankfully, it’s not. How about the story of St. Paul? Let’s show him holding everyone’s coats while St. Stephen is stoned to death, then show him blinded on the road to Damascus (en route to persecute more Christians!), and then show him writing half of the New Testament from prison! Hmmm…not too many happy endings in the New Testament. Perhaps that is why the makers of Veggie Tales have stuck mostly with OT stories like Daniel, Joshua, Joseph, and Esther. Let’s skip Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah, and Aaron and the golden idol and that messy deal with slaughtering everyone who turned away from God.
It is unfortunate that the reality of this world is usually an unhappy ending…sometimes an unhappy beginning and middle too. We avoid suffering as much as possible, and that is understandable. But kids need to know the truth, too. No, they don’t need to get all the gory details or never hear a happy ending. But they need to understand that suffering does not mean that God doesn’t love you. They need to know that always God brings good out of misery…you just might not be able to witness the good of your personal misery from an earthly position. So let’s see Larry the Cucumber as St. Paul dying a martyr’s death! But let’s see the spread of Christianity from all of his writings, too.
Yeah, OK, that’s ridiculous. I guess I just need to add to my collection of Glory Stories and CCC of America Saints and Heroes DVDs. Would my kids even believe a cartoon tomato could get squashed beyond recovery?
Reit This Way 
Hey! You can’t mess with Bob and Larry this early in the morning!
Personally, I have a harder time explaining why Santa doesn’t visit all children than I do explaining why so many of our saints are martyrs. To die for something bigger than yourself is noble and heroic, and, though not everyone is called to a martyr’s death, the children can understand that. But why does good Saint Nicholas, who so loves children, leave so many empty handed on Christmas morning? I have told them that he leaves it to us to be Santa for some and they choose and donate gifts for this purpose, but it’s a sticky situation, to be sure.
Wow. I never ever thought of that. But you are absolutely right. I wonder, are the makers of VT Catholic? That might explain the seeming non-contradiction for them regarding the martydom of saints…
Very interesting. This is one of the reasons I love to read you!
Oh no, the makers of VT are Protestant which I think explains why they don’t focus on the stories of martyrs. Catholics believe that martyrs and saints continue to help us from Heaven by their prayers of intercession. Protestants don’t buy that, so once you’re dead, you are no longer any good to those of us “left behind”.
And speaking of “left behind” – my husband had a really funny one a few weeks ago. He said that those who believe in the Rapture just don’t get it – the Rapture has already happened. Jesus came for Mary and all the rest of us were left behind!!! Yikes.
I have explained those VTs to my children as an example of doing the right thing despite the threat of harm. If it serves God’s purposes to assist in the conversion of souls, he may allow a miraculous saving action. Or, the physical harm may actually occur, as in the martyrs, and that is for God’s glory also. The saving of Daniel and Rack, Shack and Benny aren’t for their sake, it is for the Glory of God. I don’t think the martyrs feel jipped because they weren’t saved physically. They knew that ultimately death had no power over them, and left the outcome in God’s hands.
Also, I think the image of Daniel emerging from the lion’s den is a foreshadowing of the Resurrection. I’ll have to look it up.
Anyway, for what it’s worth, the Veggie Tales seem to give us a spring board for more in depth conversations.
Good post!
It is extremely hard to teach suffering as a gift…
But it is~
Blessings,
Cris
I love this post. I also can’t help tearing up whenever I hear the theme song, “I Thank God For This Day…” It is so simple and sweet. I can’t even think of the words right now without choking up. Genius!
Excellent points and a great post. Now I need to rent some Veggie Tales to see this first-hand.
My kids have the same love/hate relationship with VeggieTales. The one I have a problem with is “God wants me to forgive them?”. There is a little interlude about a forgive-o-matic. I can’t help but think every time I see that segment that it’s a slam on the confessional.
I ended up giving that one away because it annoyed me. But Daddy likes Silly Songs with Larry!
Mama Says
Oh ho – I didn’t see the one with the forgive-o-matic! My favorite ones are not Bible stories, just morality stories: Madame Blueberry, Lyle the Kindly Viking. But I did like Esther, and my daughter, Katie, for a time, kept her hair over her eye like the, what is she?, a leek? green onion?
I’m quite offended by the comment of “Protestants don’t buy that, so once you’re dead, you are no longer any good to those of us “left behind”.” Of course those that are killed because of their faith are important to even protestant people! Rude.
I’m not sure if I should delete my comment or leave it there so this follow up makes sense.It’s a shame you are anonymous because I can’t apologize to you directly, and I doubt you will check back to this post. Those words of mine were typed up in frustration nearly two years ago. Although my main point – that most Protestants do not believe that those who have died can and are praying for us and interceeding for us – is unchanged, I did not word it very nicely. I have many Protestant friends who read this blog, and I have tried harder over the last year to tone down my negetive attitude.I have more in common with many Protestants who try to live the Gospels, than I do with many Catholics who seem to think being Catholic is a cultural identity. I’m not trying to offend, but I am trying to point out why certain Catholic videos are better for children than ones that do not have a Catholic viewpoint.
“Although my main point – that most Protestants do not believe that those who have died can and are praying for us and interceeding for us – is unchanged”
I have one problem with this statement. The Bible specifically says in 1 Tim 2:5, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” God does not need intercessors. He hears all prayers equally.
Raymond, we may not *need* intercessors to get to God, but instead of hearing one voice cry out to Him, there are 2 or 5 or 20. I pray for others and ask them to pray for me too. I cannot deny that their prayers are helpful, and do not know any Christian church that doesn't offer prayers up for others: the sick, the lonely, the poor, the victims of flood or hurricane. Why bother praying for others if they can simply pray for themselves or why ask my friends to pray for me if my prayer is good enough? Catholics believe that the saints pray for us as well as (but probably better than) our friends and neighbors. It is no different to ask St. Anthony to pray to God to ask for His help in finding a lost object than it is to call a friend and ask her to pray I find my car keys or the $100 I misplaced or whatever.