Posted on 11/06/2001 8:02:15 AM PST by marshmallow
LONDON, Nov 5, 01 (CWNews.com) - Residents of Luton, England, will not be able to celebrate Christmas this year. Instead, the town's official ceremonies will be re-branded "Luminos," a word taken from the wildly popular line of Harry Potter books.
In it's attempts to be all-inclusive, the town on the outskirts of London has been accused of "politically correct paranoia" by both Christian and Muslim groups. Iain Bainbridge, a spokesman for the Christian Institute, described the approach as a "ridiculous overreaction."
"It is not so much an agenda of sensitivity to other faiths as a secular agenda," he told The Times. "In areas where you have large numbers of a certain ethnic group it is quite normal for specifically religious celebrations to be accepted."
He continued, "It is political correctness gone mad. In a country with a strong Christian heritage and a predominantly Christian constitution it is crazy not to have this manifest at Christmas. We are renowned as a country of religious tolerance but it now appears as if the Christian faith is respected the least."
Akhbar Dad Khan, the former general secretary of Luton's Islamic Cultural Society and an interfaith spokesman for the Islamic community, said the Christian complaint was entirely understandable. "All people from all faiths recognize and appreciate each other," he said. "We do live in a predominantly Christian society and people from other faiths have accepted that. Each faith has its own characteristics and the celebration of any particular faith would not offend anyone else. We are all grown up."
Luton is the latest British town to come under fire for changing the name of Christmas. Glasgow's festivities have been renamed "Shine On" and, more recently "Winter Festival." Birmingham has used the term "Winterval" and Sheffield no longer has Christmas illuminations but has changed to "city lights."
LOL! ;-)
I have to admit, however, that everytime a Potter book comes out and large displays on books about witchcraft come out at my local library, the Half Price bookstore and other bookstores, I do wonder "who" is reading these books. "Someone" is obviously being influenced to read more about witchcraft.
I don't know about where you live, but here in the Houston area, it's almost chic in high school to call yourself a witch. I guess we can blame Buffy, instead of Harry for that one. :)
Witchcraft Mentality! Having come out of the occult, I am very sensitive to anything of that realm, and I always try hard to warn people that it is nothing to mess around with. Witchcraft is an abomination in any form, and the Harry Potter books are now destroying our country with the endorsement of many churches. In November, the 11th month of this year, the Harry Potter movie is scheduled to appear in theaters everywhere. I have in front of me, a picture from the movie that appeared in a London newspaper. The headline says, "Revealed: The Dark Secrets Of The First Harry Potter Film." It shows children at "Hogwarts" school all dressed in black and straddling broomsticks. Another picture shows Harry lifting his hair to reveal the mark of a lightning bolt on his forehead. Yet another shows them standing in front of the three-headed hound of hell. (21) I am amazed at the ignorance and lack of discernment of the ministers. There was a time in this country when anyone who promoted such blatant witchcraft would have been ridden out of town on a rail. Witchcraft has not only been popularized, but it is also glorified as adults and children alike have become spiritually addicted to Harry Potter. In Britain, Prince Charles says that he starts his day by listening to a Harry Potter audio book. The prince said, "The tapes sat by my bed for ages, but as soon as I played them, I was hooked." (22) England is regarded as the "holy land" by witches, and it is interesting to note that at the time of the summer solstice this year, 10,000 witches came to Stonehenge to worship their deities. (23) What truly amazes me is the insatiable appetite of people for witchcraft. On June 19th, the American Library Association ended its convention in San Francisco and released the following statistic that of all global book sales, Harry Potter books accounted for 11 percent of all book sales world-wide. (24) What an astounding figure! The world is more than tithing to witchcraft by buying these books. The minds and hearts of the world are being taken in an occult snare. It is all in preparation for the appearing of the son of perdition. Thank God, there is a remnant who can still see!
High level witches believe that there are seven satanic princes and that the seventh, which is assigned to Christians, has no name. In coven meetings, he is called "the nameless one." In the Harry Potter books, there is a character called "Voldemort." The pronunciation guide says of this being "He who must not be named."
Besides, there is NO real fundamental dogma in paganism. It's just a bunch of environmentally-concious people chanting stuff and hoping there is something in it.
No, of course not! Where would anyone get that idea!
There are many scholars on this that disagree with you! If you are interested in opinions that differ from yours then check into it!
Don't just say you disbunk something! That does not mean anything!
Luton, which has 20,000 Muslims, was the focus of unrest last week after two residents were killed fighting for the Taleban in Afghanistan.
While the council claims its festive season, including a Diwali lantern festival and Punjabi dancers, is more inclusive, religious groups argued that it was turning an important religious occasion into nothing more than a secular winter festival. Christian organisations, backed by other faith groups, called on councils not to strip Christmas of its religious significance in their quest to be all things to all faiths.
Great country you have there. I mean had there.
You should talk to my husband, the skeptical agnostic physician, and ask him what he thinks about it all. He's counselled people involved in ritualistic abuse since childhood during his residency. Guess how many children they entice with "white witchcraft" or some they just kidnap. It's pretty gruesome. The last patient he counselled before leaving residency, he thought she was doing so well, then she committed suicide. Believe me, there's a dark side. That movie, the Entity, he knows it's not fiction, and he's not a Bible thumper (like his wife).
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