A few weeks ago, I helped my 2nd-year college student with a term paper she had to write at the end of the semester. I've always loved to write, so to me, this was not a daunting task. (For her, not only was it dreaded-she hates to write-but ALL her irons are in the fire with working two jobs, going to school full-time, and being in the National Guard.)
When she told me the subject matter on which her 4-page paper had to be written (Little Red Riding Hood by Charles Perrault-1697) I was somewhat dismayed. A fairytale? What could possibly come out of that? Of course, I had read only the children's version some thirty-plus years ago. Her paper had to be presented as an argument. Wow! Thirty-plus years later, raising my two daughters as a single (divorced) parent had prepared me for that argument.
As I began to write down thoughts that would help her in writing this argument, I found myself passionately protesting-not only the moral of the story, but also the 'facts' that lead up to it.(Moral: Children, especially attractive, well bred young ladies, should never talk to strangers, for if they should do so, they may well provide dinner for a wolf. I say "wolf," but there are various kinds of wolves. There are also those who are charming, quiet, polite, unassuming, complacent, and sweet, who pursue young women at home and in the streets. And unfortunately, it is these gentle wolves who are the most dangerous ones of all.)
As I read through this story, I realized the little girl never had a chance in escaping the big, bad wolf because she had never been warned, according to the facts of the story. (The poor child, who did not know that it was dangerous to stay and talk to a wolf...) I was shocked! How could they possibly blame Little Red Riding Hood for getting eaten by the wolf when no one had shown her what a wolf looked like?
Then I began to think about the majority of youth in today's society, not having the sufficient role models from the adults in their lives to make informed decisions about their future. My husband, James, and I (domestic missionary evangelists, on the road for the last 2 years) have seen this stigma over and over again in our travels.
Then I began to think scripturally, about blame, facts in stories, responsibility, and the misguided social statuses based on blame instead of responsibility. That brought me to Genesis chapter 3. The facts are, as the Bible portrays them, that God told Adam not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. After this, He created the woman. Even though she knew what God had told Adam, she had no idea of her location when she accepted the fruit. (In verse 3, she knows not to eat the friut in the midst of the garden, but obviously didn't know that was where she was standing.) So Adam had not shown her the tree, he had only told her about it.
We can only presume that he had ample opportunity to show her where the forbidden tree was standing. Like Little Red Riding Hood, she had been tricked by the wolf (the serpent) while the woodcutters (Adam) stood by and did nothing.
The story could have ended differently. Little Red Riding Hood's mother could have stood up responsibly and admitted not showing her about the dangers in the wood. Adam could have spoken up and admitted he never showed (the still unamed) woman where the forbidden tree was located. Instead, he blamed her for the deed done, and God for giving her to him.
Today, in the so-called Bible belt, there are way too many Adams going around blaming the Eves, and God, for their lack of responsibility. One of the consequences of action that God put on Eve was that she would be in subjection to her husband, and he would rule over her. If there is any understanding of this fact, it would seem to me that before 'the fall' she would have been Adam's equal. Otherwise, the punishment would not make sense.
When Jesus came, he lifted the curse that God had placed on man (Heb. 2:14-17) thereby restoring the woman (and the man) to their their rightful places. Our walk, through Jesus Christ, restores our fellowship with God, so that we can walk with Him 'in the cool of the day' (Genesis 3:8). Not with the woman walking behind as slaves and servants were required to do, but in pace with God, and Adam, as they walked, conversed, and probably stopped to smell the roses.
Let's not send our children through the woods to grandma's house without first warning them by pointing out the wolves. But if any do, don't blame the child for being careless. And let's not throw blame toward anyone who is pursuing the call God gave them, regardless of gender, if we are in a place if disobedience ourselves. Some things, once done, cannot be undone-like the death of Little Red Riding Hood, or the ingestion of forbidden fruit.
The moral: Blame is of the devil, responsibility is of God.
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