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Woman seeks damages from primary school
earthtimes.org ^ | Sat, 09 Jun 2007 18:08:00GMT | Entertainment News Editor

Posted on 06/10/2007 4:52:45 PM PDT by Alien Syndrome

LONDON, June 9 A British teaching assistant is suing an elementary school in London after being disciplined for refusing to listen to a child read a "Harry Potter" book. Sariya Allen told a tribunal she resigned from her post at Durand Primary School after being suspended for "her obstructive conduct over time," the Daily Mail reported Saturday. Allen claims she was "harassed, humiliated and discriminated" against because of her religious beliefs. Her last alleged act of "obstructive conduct" before resigning in 2006 was refusing to listen to a 7-year-old girl read a "Harry Potter" book because she said it was against her Christian faith. Her employers disciplined her after she told the girl "I don't do witchcraft in any form" and said she would be "cursed" by hearing the novel. She is seeking about $100,000 in damages from her former school for religious discrimination.

"I admit I said to the child that I don't do witchcraft in any form," she said. "I was put in the position that listening to the child reading this book would compromise my religious beliefs."


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: beliefs; christian; discrimination; harrypotter
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To: twigs

Is there a difference between witchcraft in fantasy and just magic? I ask seriously, because I have a mage and sorcerer. Both use different forces of magic.


81 posted on 06/11/2007 8:54:02 AM PDT by HungarianGypsy
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To: twigs

Oop! I meant I have a mage and sorcerer in my story. I don’t want it to sound like I keep them hidden in my closet or anything.


82 posted on 06/11/2007 8:54:50 AM PDT by HungarianGypsy
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To: HungarianGypsy

I don’t know what a mage is. But I believe sorcery is wrong.


83 posted on 06/11/2007 8:55:18 AM PDT by twigs
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To: HungarianGypsy

I thought basement...


84 posted on 06/11/2007 8:57:48 AM PDT by null and void (Wherever liberty has sprouted around the world, we find its seeds were watered with American blood)
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To: HungarianGypsy
It depends on how they're used. Even CS Lewis uses Merlin, but he seems to me to be part of an older system that is being superceded by a newer system (That Hideous Strength). Whenever you deal in fantasy, I think you have to be careful, but I still like those elements. My problem with Potter is that the good in the book is based in witchcraft. I just have a problem with that. However, I will admit I have not read the books, although I've seen several of the movies. I will reserve my full analysis until I read all of them.
85 posted on 06/11/2007 9:00:22 AM PDT by twigs
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To: null and void

I can’t. I don’t have a basement. If you’re at all interested in what I have so far, freepmail me. I need motivation once in a while.


86 posted on 06/11/2007 9:06:11 AM PDT by HungarianGypsy
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To: Caramelgal
“True story, Miss “Captain Hook”, gave us an assignment...”

While in (I think) second grade, we had counting exercise (and this I remember like it was yesterday) where we were given a handout and were instructed to color certain numbers of items certain colors. “Color 10 ducks green”, it said (there were 13). I colored 10 green, and to compliment them, I colored the remaining ducks yellow. WRONG! I still remember the shame and humiliation of being pointed out is class as the kid who did it wrong. The teacher never explained to the class what my true transgression was, but led them to believe I had yet to learn to count to 10. I’m 49 years old and still pissed about that.

87 posted on 06/11/2007 9:15:46 AM PDT by stormer (Get your bachelors, masters, or doctorate now at home in your spare time!)
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To: twigs

The movies are a very thin broth compared to the rich stew-based full meal of the books.


88 posted on 06/11/2007 9:21:35 AM PDT by null and void (Wherever liberty has sprouted around the world, we find its seeds were watered with American blood)
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To: HungarianGypsy
Ah, but nully’s Basement is somewhat legendary on a few FReeper threads...
89 posted on 06/11/2007 9:22:36 AM PDT by null and void (Wherever liberty has sprouted around the world, we find its seeds were watered with American blood)
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To: stormer

Did she teach on the Base at Beaufort?


90 posted on 06/11/2007 9:23:43 AM PDT by null and void (Wherever liberty has sprouted around the world, we find its seeds were watered with American blood)
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To: Alien Syndrome
This is fundamentalism. It is insular, shallow, legalistic, hollow, dead and ugly. While Harry Potter does leave a lot to be desired, it will not "curse" you to read it any more than it "cursed" Paul to read Epimenedes, who was up to his eyeballs in heathen religion, or to read Aratus, a pagan astronomer who praises Zeus. We know Paul read these pagan heathen, idol worshiping unregenerates because he -uh- QUOTED them in evangelizing the scholars on Mars hill in Acts 17.

Fundamentalism is anti-intellectual, and exalts our "obedience" (in reality, our legalism, since so many rules are designed to "protect" us from things not even overtly unbiblical) and downgrades the sovereign protective work of God, as though He were powerless to keep our minds from running off into apostacy if we read "wicked" works.

The ugly effects of this approach are evident to me lately in working with a number of Latino evangelicals. As some know, Guatemala is now over 65% protestant, and El Salvador is over 70%. But when you get with these people (many of whom are VERY sweet and loving and godly persons), you see the same legalistic and unbiblical "rules" approach that characterized American fundamentalism in the 50s and 60s (no wonder! Our missionaries left our bible colleges and seminaries and taught them!). It is the same old stuff. No movies, no make up, no haircuts for women, NO drinking, NO dancing, and varied other prohibitons. It is like stepping back in time. What is really interesting is that there is a kind of a consensus that "Doing these things (or not doing them) is a sign that we are different and not "worldly." This makes us attractive to the unregenerate world." In fact, this obsession with rules keeping is repellent to the unbelieving world around them. When questioned, the unbelievers will often say "I would like to be a Christian. They are really good people. But I don't think I could live that way." Either that, or they are just thought strange.

91 posted on 06/11/2007 9:24:55 AM PDT by DreamsofPolycarp (Libertarianism: u can run your life better than government can, and should be left alone to do it)
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A British teaching assistant is suing.

How Christian of her.

92 posted on 06/11/2007 9:25:42 AM PDT by Jakarta ex-pat
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To: Jakarta ex-pat

As opposed to simply beheading the offending kid...


93 posted on 06/11/2007 9:30:05 AM PDT by null and void (Wherever liberty has sprouted around the world, we find its seeds were watered with American blood)
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To: null and void

Haven’t been so excited about seeing the movies, since the third one was so messed up. The third really bothered me, since it was my favorite of the series. I still haven’t seen the last one.


94 posted on 06/11/2007 9:31:11 AM PDT by HungarianGypsy
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To: null and void

That’s what I figured. Most movies are. And it’s also the reason I want to wait until I read at least the first book. But I think I need to read all of them.


95 posted on 06/11/2007 9:32:18 AM PDT by twigs
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To: HungarianGypsy
The Order of the Phoenix is my favorite. I hope they didn’t screw it up too badly in the screen adaptation
96 posted on 06/11/2007 9:34:13 AM PDT by null and void (Wherever liberty has sprouted around the world, we find its seeds were watered with American blood)
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To: null and void
As opposed to simply beheading the offending kid...

That's not what I implied.

Idiocy attached to a religion isn't a one way street.

97 posted on 06/11/2007 9:35:59 AM PDT by Jakarta ex-pat
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To: twigs
I think after you have read the first book, you will want to read the rest.

OTOH, you may loathe the series. That's fine, in matters of taste there is no right or wrong, and at least at that point your opinion won't be ignorance based!

98 posted on 06/11/2007 9:37:03 AM PDT by null and void (Wherever liberty has sprouted around the world, we find its seeds were watered with American blood)
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To: Jakarta ex-pat

*wink* Sometimes it is...


99 posted on 06/11/2007 9:37:58 AM PDT by null and void (Wherever liberty has sprouted around the world, we find its seeds were watered with American blood)
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To: DreamsofPolycarp

Oh good grief. I come from an evangelical background and I don’t know anyone who doesn’t wear make up (or if they don’t, it’s not because of a religious belief), doesn’t dance (I don’t, but its because I look like a goon when I do, not because I believe it’s wrong), my hair is short, and I’ve always watched movies. The list goes on. I teach ESL and two of my students are brothers from Guatemala. They seemed to indicate that they were not Catholic which surprised me, but now I see why by your post. These brothers were extremely nice young men, but I do not recognize them by your descriptions. They were even educated in those horrible “fundamentalist” schools you mentioned.


100 posted on 06/11/2007 9:38:32 AM PDT by twigs
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