Honouring The Questions: Shifts In The Treatment Of Religion In Children'S Literature

Contemporary trends in the treatment of religion in children's literature represent a dramatic shift from the religious didacticism of past centuries. Books from mainline publishing houses today that deal with religion tend to eschew religious assumptions or doctrine, focusing rather on the questions young people have. This article describes four categories of such questions: those arising when religious institutions or leaders disappoint or betray; intellectual questions arising from tensions between science and religion or the presence of suffering in the world; religious implications of social issues such as gender inequity or the break-up of family structures; and the quest for a faith tradition which one can embrace. A representative book in each category is discussed; other relevant books are included in an appendix. These novels do not provide definitive answers. While each reaches a satisfying conclusion, these conclusions are quite varied and open-ended. The pattern that runs through them in treating young people's questions with respect as signs of intelligence and a normal part of a spiritual journey. Such books can provide young readers with a sense of companions on their own journeys.