The first film I saw at a cinema was Bambi. I was three and a half, I thought it was terrific-- until Bambi's mother was killed by a hunter then I thought this is just too sad, what! no! can't be, the mother gets killed?
Yes children's stories always used to be frightening, perhaps it taught children to be realistic about the fragility of life but really those horror tales for kids did not encourage growing up or teach how to become independent or how to deal with the world. The moral was usually to do what you are told or else you get punished!
Grimm and his brother encapsulated European folk tales which had deeper psychological insights drawn from the human consciousness and set in a timeless world of pre-scientific magic. It is part of our collective literary heritage.
I think that there was a threshold for nasty children's tales and that was the Second World War. As an example take the UK Rupert books. Before the war they presented sinister shadowy almost gothic tales, post war, with enough suffering and brutality recently on our doorsteps, the tone improved and the stories became lighter and more child oriented. I would go as far to say they were much 'happier'.
The Bible however relishes revenge, divine judgement, smashing children against walls if you disagree with God etc.Children, like women and wives were just the belongings of the husband to dispose of at will. How could the WT Society (as it was then known when they produced My Book of BS) how could they imagine that you can expose children to such outlandish material for their benefit?
Of course it wasn't for the benefit of the young, the only result would be indoctrination and stunting children's development, and that is what has happened. JWs become dependent on the JW org who in turn depend on the "absolute goodness" of the Bible and remain stuck in the cult like brainless limpets on a rock.
