Cheap VeggieTales Classics - God Wants Me to Forgive Them? (DVD) Price

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Customer Reviews of VeggieTales Classics - God Wants Me to Forgive Them?

A great conversation-starter to watch with the kids
I bought this video today for our 3- and 1-year old kids, who love the other "Veggie Tales" they've seen. But I also bought it for myself, thinking the "Gilligan's Island" spoof would be funny, and it truly was. Larry and Bob as "The Skipper" and his little buddy were right on target - it made me embarrased to see how much I remembered about that show! The story of Junior Asparagus getting his feelings hurt by the Grapes of Wrath initiated a discussion not only about forgiveness, but also about intentional cruelty. These tapes are wonderful for starting conversations with your children concerning morals, behavior and Bible teachings. Preschoolers just beginning to understand about making a mistake or causing pain will enjoy and benefit from this video. The music, as always, is a gas.

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Important topic, but not the best Veggie Tale
My two children love Veggie Tales, and my son even knows all of the words to the theme song. I very much appreciate this series as a tool for teaching Christian values in a fun and clever way that is given on a level that kids can understand. That said I do have some comments about this video in particular.

The Gilligan's Island segment is far better than the Grapes of Wrath segment. It has a GREAT song about forgiveness, and the message is very clear! The Forgive-O-Matic segment made me uncomfortable; even though I am not Catholic, it did seem a bit pointed. The Grapes of Wrath segment I felt fell short. The mean-spirited grapes were repeatedly intentionally mean, and that was used as a vehicle to explain the necessity of repeated forgiveness. The problem is that I've seen people use this type of argument in abusive relationships. Repeated forgiveness is necessary, for both the offender and offended, but the situation where the offender was not truly repentant was not dealt with. Perhaps this is too complicated for young children, but forgiving someone doesn't mean that you have to leave yourself open to abuse. Finally, I would have liked to see the concept of forgiving yourself included as part of repentance and accepting of salvation, as sometimes that can be the most difficult part if you are sincere.

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Worst Veggie Tales I've seen
This is one of their earlier efforts, and it's clear they were still finding their feet, so to speak. The music is excellent as always, but the writing just doesn't measure up. Both segments are preachy and not very funny, with awkward comedic timing and pat, contrived dialogue and situations. With the "Gilligan's Island" spoof they overreached themselved, as they just didn't have the computer power available to them to satisfactorily render some of the effects they were going for. Roman Catholic and Orthodox parents will probably object to the gratuitous shot at the sacrament of Confession that occupies the space between the two segments. It's almost worth seeing for the introduction of Pa Grape, but since his personality undergoes a complete transformation in later videos you don't lose much by not seeing him here. This one's very missable, which is too bad because it's trying to put across a lesson that's absolutely central to the Christian message.