Gallery / Memories of Childhood #1

“Davie...”

Memories of Childhood #1, 2020
Oil on canvas

Television held a firm grip on my education as a child, and this particular character played a very unique role: presenting Christian morality and virtue. Davie stands out as unique because, unlike his peers: Mickey, Kermit, Big Bird, Gumby (same creator btw) and the countless other religiously ambiguous characters, Davie was an ambassador from the world of Christianity. That the characters David and Goliath were based on King David and Goliath (the Giant) from the Old Testament, proposes the show as a commentary on the differences between the old, child-like, Hebrew Tribal way of living (the way of a child), and the more evolved Christian way (the way of his parents). Despite his name being derived from the old testament character; Davie was a Christian claymation boy, Not Hebrew, or Judaic; he was teaching Christian values by making mistakes and being corrected by his parents and other adults.

Together with his dog, Goliath, Davie dealt with all of childhood's problems from the perspective of a child who was being raised as (learning to become) a Christian. His entire family was featured in the show, with his parents presented not only as guardians and caregivers, but also as his Christian teachers: teaching Christian morality to Davie to help him become a man.

Because I was raised without any clear religious affiliation, I was fascinated by this character and what seemed to be, a clear presentation of fair and intelligent solutions to everyday problems. I am very fortunate to have had the positive Christian influences on my upbringing; especially in a culture that has since attempted to blur the lines between Judaic thinking and Christian thinking. Judaism and Christianity are not the same, and the show teaches this in a wonderfully compassionate manner.

While I'm sure that some of the issues presented in this show might be considered a little less than “woke” in our delightful new century of equity and fairness for all (hehemmm), I suspect that Davie still has much to teach us all... by making his mistakes and learning to become a proper Christian.

~Cory