A Catholic Homeschool Father Won't Bother to Review the Rest of the Harry Potters

Gloria Romanorum blog ^ | 10/25/07 | Florentius

[Non-Sequitur]

No, I wouldn't. For the same reason I didn't go watch Broke-Back Mountin'--Rarely is the Enemy so accomodating as to tell you what he's doing in advance.

Well it's a good thing then, isn't it? But you might also want to keep your kids away from Moby Dick because I think the jury is still out between Queequeg and Ismael. You would also want to avoid Sherlock Holmes also because when Holmes leaves for his eventual 'death' at Reichenback Falls I believe he leaves from Charing Cross station. And for pity sake don't let them watch Breaker Morant because while awaiting execution the lead character talks about "awaiting crucifixion" and then when the firing squad shoots him his arms fly out as if he were hanging on a cross. Symbolism galore in all of those.

[GreenOgre]

When and where are we going to have the book burning?

[Antoninus]

Uh, what? When did I say I objected to the symbolism? Might be a good idea to READ the article before commenting on it.

And BTW, I wouldn't have my kids read Moby Dick because it's tedious uninspiring and I wouldn't want to inflict that sort of punishment on them. To the best of my knowledge, Melville never came out and announced that Ahab was a butt-pirate in a past life.

[FormerLib]

No one can accuse you of not giving the books a fair reading.

For some reason, my daughters have never been interested in the series so I never started reading it.

[Antoninus]

When and where are we going to have the book burning?

LOL. A guy criticizes an author and says he doesn't want to have hern books in his house because they are contrary to his beliefs and some genius accuses him of being a Nazi.

That being the case, I insist that you have the complete Summa Theologica in your home or else YOU are a Nazi.

[FormerLib]

You win the weekly prize for missing the point completely.

[Antoninus]

No one can accuse you of not giving the books a fair reading.

Oh, don't bet on it.

[FormerLib]

Well it's a good thing then, isn't it? But you might also want to keep your kids away...

As is his trademark, his post does not logically follow from anything that you posted. It's also the trademark for picking a fight without being able to state an argument.

[FormerLib]

Ok, amend that to read “No intelligent person can truthfully accuse you...”

[Antoninus]

As is his trademark, his post does not logically follow from anything that you posted.

LOL! Hadn't thought of that!

[trisham]

Well it's a good thing then, isn't it? But you might also want to keep your kids away from Moby Dick because I think the jury is still out between Queequeg and Ismael. You would also want to avoid Sherlock Holmes also because when Holmes leaves for his eventual 'death' at Reichenback Falls I believe he leaves from Charing Cross station. And for pity sake don't let them watch

*************

You object to someone not seeing Brokeback Mountain because it has a homosexual theme? Did you see it?

[HKMk23]

[sigh]

You had to be the first to imply that, any expression of disgust at the pendulum being shoved further toward the corrupt, must be synonymous with advocacy of witch hunts, burnings at the stake, and such.

What next, in your head, another Crusade??

May God save us from such either/or minds as yours.

[marshmallow]

If I, or any of the books' other critics had said...."and it's also clear that one of the main characters is homosexual.....", we would have been laughed out of town. Accused of looking for symbolism where there is none and having our tin foil wrapped too tightly around our heads.

Good that Rowling said it. Ironically however, it probably was not at all obvious from the book and one gets the impression that this is just a stunt thought up after the fact, for whatever reason. Of all the books' criticisms, nobody seems to have picked up on this.

The reaction to Rowling's statement seemed rather low key to me....more like a stunned silence.... and I get the distinct impression that the Potter fad is on the wane.

You did heroically well to wade through it all.

[dragonblustar]

I consider myself a fairly astute reader but I didn't pick up on any "butt lust connection" between Dumbledore and the Dark Wizard, Grindelwald.

However, given Rowling's statement above, I guess I wasn't astute enough in my reading here given that I'm generally not prone to assume that two male characters who are friends are actually doing more with their wands than just casting spells. But hey, maybe I'm just old fashioned.

That says it all.

[Antoninus]

Ok, amend that to read “No intelligent person can truthfully accuse you...”

I really did want to give the series the benefit of the doubt, especially with all the rumored Christian symbolism. But no doubt remains, now.

[dragonblustar]

You object to someone not seeing Brokeback Mountain because it has a homosexual theme? Did you see it?

I saw that movie. Funniest damn thing I ever saw. Nobody ever told me it was a comedy.

[Antoninus]

You had to be the first to imply that, any expression of disgust at the pendulum being shoved further toward the corrupt, must be synonymous with advocacy of witch hunts, burnings at the stake, and such.

Yes, it's not good enough that this crud be heaped on our society repeatedly. They insist we tell them how good it is, and beg them to please shovel on some more.

[Non-Sequitur]

You object to someone not seeing Brokeback Mountain because it has a homosexual theme? Did you see it?

I did, actually, because I liked Ang Lee's "Ride With The Devil". I thought it was kind of dull and was pretty disappointed with the whole thing.

[Non-Sequitur]

Uh, what? When did I say I objected to the symbolism? Might be a good idea to READ the article before commenting on it.

Actually I think I've read all your Potter posts. And if memory serves, while you weren't praising him to the rafters you didn't seem all that upset with Rowling's books...until her recent comments. So that one comment changed everything in your opinion and turned the entire series from so-so to pure evil? Even though nothing in the books themselves seemed to indicate anything untoward?

[HKMk23]

They insist we tell them how good it is, and beg them to please shovel on some more.

And worse, if we protest, we get pilloried by people who otherwise claim to be "Cosnervative" as if the only options are a society that total embraces either corruption or a New Inquisition.

Where's the rational, UN-extreme, Conservative way?

Where's the simple acknowledgement that having a cultural atmosphere less like debauched Corinth, and more like Mayberry, would make the world a pretty darn decent place to live?

Why this inane insistence that not helping push the culture over the brink of The Abyss equals activly advocating institutionalized Puritanism, or some such brand of Morality Police?

Sadly, it seems as if we've come to the place where a plainspoken urge toward decency and wholesome living is regarded as a harbinger of the rise of a Fourth Reich of The Holy ROllers.

Honestly, that mentality needs to be utterly scorned as the back-handed advocacy of outright bodge and decadence that it is.