Mormons are always looking for ways to teach the scriptures and good principles to their children. Many member of the LDS church use the Living Scriptures. The Living Scriptures are really good, however, they just tell the stories. Learning the stories is only part of understanding the scriptures. Members of the Mormon faith try to do as Nephi directs in the Book of Mormon to liken the scriptures to their lives. There have been attempts to create entertainment that not only tells the stories but also likens the stories to the lives of children, these have been successful also.
Though VeggieTales was not produced by the LDS church or was created by members of the church, it has gained popularity among members of the Mormon faith. VeggieTales is a show where talking vegetables in computer generated animated episodes tell Bible stories. These stories are usually in a parody format. Though members of the LDS faith believe in the Book of Mormon and other scriptures the Bible is a very important part of their religion.
VeggieTales is a universally Christian show, meaning that it tries to be suitable to all Christian denominations. The show does not make pronouncements of doctrines but, instead teaches specific Christian principles. You would not see them teaching an opinion about grace versus works, or a belief in the resurrection. The show teaches things like being kind to your neighbor, helping others and just being a good person.
VeggieTales is non-denominational, because of this the show tends to be appealing to LDS members. The show will tell stories like Jonah, The Good Samaritan, Joshua and others to illustrate to children how they can apply what is being taught in the scriptures to their own lives.
The slogan of the VeggieTales is “Saturday morning fun, Sunday morning values” this rings true to what Mormons are looking for in entertainment. Deseret Book carries selected DVDs of Veggietales, which means that they should be appropriate for LDS families, since Deseret Book is owned by the LDS Church. The material that is sold by Deseret Book must go through a short approval process. This does not mean that VeggieTales should be shown in your next primary or Sunday School lesson in fact that would be against church policy, but what it does mean is that it is appropriate for families to watch at home.
As a parent I have found that for my family we can all sit down and enjoy watching them together. My two year old already knows the story of Jonah. I like the fact that there are people who want to make good high quality entertainment to help bless the lives of children.
