The stories of the Garden of Eden and Noah’s Ark were not censored in our house. They were taught. I cherished my wooden toy ark with two of every animal and displayed it prominently. The only difference was that these pillars of civilization were presented as important, influential literature—not history. (My mother would say things like “There is evidence that there was a great flood, but the fossil record contradicts the idea that two of every animal survived and repopulated the planet.”)
