The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1913-03-14
REV. LYMAN ABBOTT. ON HOW
TO TEACH THE BIBLE"

Would you kindly give in your de-
partment OF Letters 10 Unknown
Friends" your thought of how the
story Of the Book OF Daniel should D.
taught to children? Is it right TO let
the boys and girls think OF this st0ry
as literally true, or should endearor
be made to give them the lesson q
teaches, explaining its true character
1t is a great deal more important
that the child should have faith in his
mother than that he should have faith
in the Bible. And it is certain thar n
her use of the Bible is characterized
by any insincerity or suspicion OF I'M
cincerity. she will by such use shake
not only her child's faith in her. bar
his faith in the book as we'll II Won
believe that such stories as the Elisha
stories, the Daniel stories. the Jonah
story, are history, as history you
should treat them in reading them 10
your children; if you believe they are
fiction, you should treat them as fc.
ton; and if you do not know what 90
think, you should frankly acknowl
edge your uncertainty. Never under
any circumstances pretend TO a faith
which YOU do not possess. Any kind
of a person" says E. S Martin. "will
do for parent except a liar" Chill
dren are much keener than we think
They see quickly through shams and
false pretensions.
A little more specific answer as To
the best method of using the Bible I'm
reading it to children may not be in-
appropriate. | think we have belittled
the Bible by a false reverence We
have assumed that because il Is in
spired it cannot be human, and be
cause it is true it cannot contain fc-
ton. We have assumed that God Is
limited in his employment of human
faculties for the instruction and ele-
walton of the race to one or two: that
he can speak to us through the con
science in law, and through observa-
ton in history; but that ii is irrey-
erent to suppose that he can speak 10
us through the imagination and the
fancy, and almost irreverent TO think
that he can speak to US through the
emotions.
| hold that the Bible is a collection
of Hebrew literature; that il contains
law, history. folklore, drama. fiction
poetry, political orations. religious
orations, ethical culture addresses.
hold that it is a more divine book be.
cause it is a human book. and larger
in its range of inspiration because II
speaks through every faculty and 10
every faculty. 1t would be difficult m
find any short stories in literature sn-
perior to the books of Ruth and rs
Their or any epic poem characterized
by profounder genius than the poem
OF Job, or any ethical culture writings
more frank in their calculations Of
human experience than the books OF
proverbs and Ecclesiastes. or any
folklore more naive than the Elisha
stories and the Daniel stories. or any
satirical fiction more keen and cutting
than the book of Jonah.
| did not always think so. When
held the narrower view of the BibIe
| read and interpreted Ruth. Esther
Daniel, Jonah, as histories. Now in
my private reading and in my public
ministry, read them as fiction. II il
not necessary always to say this e
history, or this is fiction, but IL is No.
cessary to answer always with abso.
lutte frankness the quetion OF the
child who asks you for your opinion.
and it is always necessary that tha,
answer should not be tainted with the
least suspicion of reserve, hesitation
or insincirity.
| repeat: 1t is better that the child
should lose faith in the Bible than