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City in England Cancels Christmas in Favor of Potter Holiday.
Catholic World News ^ | 11/5/01

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."


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To: Illbay
This has got to be a joke, or a fraud. I don't know anything about the "Catholic World News." Is it some guy with an 8-bit word processor working in his basement in Cleveland?

More likely . . . it's a Muslim working in his cave in Whateverstan !!!

41 posted on 11/06/2001 8:26:58 AM PST by GeekDejure
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To: marshmallow; 2sheep; Thinkin' Gal; RnMomof7; Prodigal Daughter; MissAmericanPie; xzins; Zadokite
Harry Potter: Witchcraft Repackaged

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42 posted on 11/06/2001 8:27:09 AM PST by TrueBeliever9
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To: Incorrigible
I prefer Festivus myself!

I like that Festivus pole idea. My wife just bought a pair of very sexy leather pants, and we were both talking about installing a poll in the bedroom so she can do a "Bada Bing" dance on it while we blast the theme from the Sopranos.

Anyone know where I can get a cheap Festivus pole?

43 posted on 11/06/2001 8:27:42 AM PST by Maceman
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To: patent
If the story is accurate, we didn’t associate it with Potter, the fine folks canceling Christmas did when the chose the name of their new celebration.

Perhaps not but the original title of: "Christmas Canceled In English Town" read a little different than:

"City in England Cancels Christmas in Favor of Potter Holiday"

Luminos is from the Latin luminosis [I'm no Latin scholar, I did a search on Google.com], meaning bright - which as my faulty memory recalls is how it is used in the Potter series. But it goes back a lot further than it's use in Harry Potter.

44 posted on 11/06/2001 8:31:08 AM PST by Ward Smythe
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To: patent
Interviews: Harry Potter - Witchcraft Repackaged

The Harry Potter books have sold over 100 million copies in 40 languages around the world. These books are nothing more than witchcraft manuals for an innocent generation of children.

Satan is trying desperately to penetrate the very souls of our children. Are we going to sit back and allow this to happen under the pretense of, “my child is finally reading”, or “Disney has witches, it’s the same thing”? NO, it is not the same thing! Harry Potter is a “chosen” witch, who practices witchcraft, and is the “hero” of these novels. If you are allowing your child to read Harry Potter, you are opening the door to allow Satan to enter into your child’s life.

Pastor Hagee conducts in-depth interviews with occult expert Caryl Matrisciana and author Dr. Robert McGee, exposing the dangers of Harry Potter and how it makes witchcraft more acceptable. It will inform and shock you.

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45 posted on 11/06/2001 8:41:21 AM PST by TrueBeliever9
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To: Illbay
Nope, Dallas. heh heh
46 posted on 11/06/2001 8:42:14 AM PST by Bikers4Bush
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To: mike2right
Luminos is from the Latin luminosis [I'm no Latin scholar, I did a search on Google.com], meaning bright - which as my faulty memory recalls is how it is used in the Potter series. But it goes back a lot further than it's use in Harry Potter.
I did notice the title change, which I wouldn’t ordinarily do. (Though I might have put it in a parenthetical to clearly indicate it was my editorial.) Certainly, however, the article does make that connection. Anway, what does the luminos celebration go back to? What are its origins?

patent  +AMDG

47 posted on 11/06/2001 8:43:35 AM PST by patent
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To: TrueBeliever9
Frankly I don't think you can blame Potter for this. This is the work of secularists who hate Christ, and a Potter celebration is just the crutch they use to fill the vacuum left behind.

patent

48 posted on 11/06/2001 8:45:05 AM PST by patent
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To: Illbay
I went to the web site for the Luton, UK City Council and found nothing about this matter there. Check it out for yourself.

http://www.luton.gov.uk/

49 posted on 11/06/2001 8:47:34 AM PST by Don Myers
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To: marshmallow
Once you buy into the falacy of PC garbage, there is no end...you can't make everyone happy, why try. I live by God's principles and let him judge me, and him only. PC is a lot of BUNK, and this town has proved how dangerous that concept really is!
50 posted on 11/06/2001 8:48:30 AM PST by wwjdn
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To: Xenalyte
Second, and more importantly, the Harry Potter books are NOT PAGAN. I dare you to provide me one solid example of paganism from any book. "Draco is a pagan name" pseudo-examples won't cut it.

WITCHCRAFT is pagan.

51 posted on 11/06/2001 8:50:17 AM PST by dubyagee
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To: marshmallow
The Catholics charge to look at this article. I knew they were taking over the world.
52 posted on 11/06/2001 8:52:36 AM PST by AppyPappy
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To: wwjdn; marshmallow
The problem is where did they get the story from, I can not find it in any English Papers, or the Luton Council Home Page.

Tony

53 posted on 11/06/2001 8:54:20 AM PST by tonycavanagh
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To: hattend
"Will there be anti-Christmas patrols? Fines? Jail Time?"

Somewhere in Hell, Oliver Cromwell is chuckling.

54 posted on 11/06/2001 8:54:47 AM PST by Goetz_von_Berlichingen
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Comment #55 Removed by Moderator

To: patent
Anway, what does the luminos celebration go back to? What are its origins?

Bonfires and other festive or religious illuminations are widely observed winter solstice customs. They are natural human responses to the dark, cold season, and very possibly derive from sun cults relying on magic to persuade the sinking winter sun to return.

56 posted on 11/06/2001 8:54:59 AM PST by Romulus
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To: TrueBeliever9
....parallels between Harry Potter and true witchcraft as practiced today with actual footage of witches

What is "true witchcraft"? Did the actual footage of these "witches" show them flying on brooms? Maybe we need to start burning these witches...

57 posted on 11/06/2001 8:55:00 AM PST by Always Right
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To: marshmallow
OK - where is OWK? I am not flagging him because I know he is reading this thread!
58 posted on 11/06/2001 8:57:38 AM PST by Hacksaw
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To: jjbrouwer
Where were you searching? I found it in a minute. The multi-cult strikes again:

Have yourself a very merry Luminos

BY SAM LISTER

LUTON council was accused of “politically correct paranoia” by Christian and Muslim groups yesterday after removing Christmas references from its seasonal festival to broaden its cultural appeal. The council, which has rebranded its Christmas lights ceremony Luminos, a word from the Harry Potter books, became the latest local authority to be criticised for destroying Christmas traditions.

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.

Other councils across the country have also played down references to Christmas in recent years to broaden the seasonal appeal. Birmingham once named it the Winterval festival, to public outcry.

Councils such as Glasgow run a “winter festival” and others such as Sheffield refer to “city lights” rather than Christmas illuminations. Most councils opt for secular symbols for the lights such as circles, flowers and abstract patterns.

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 said. “In areas where you have large numbers of a certain ethnic group it is quite normal for specifically religious celebrations to be accepted.

“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 recognise 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.”

Bill McKenzie, the leader of Luton Borough Council, defended the initiative yesterday after a local radio station was inundated with angry calls.

“Luminos is the designation for the whole event but there is no reason why people can’t call them Christmas lights if they want,” he said. “We are having a really good multicultural festival.”

In Luton town centre yesterday residents expressed their irritation at the way the council had removed the reference to Christmas. “It’s madness not calling the lights the Christmas lights,” one shopper said. “It’s the little children who love the lights. Don’t the council realise that kids don’t want it know as Luminos — what’s that all about?” In Glasgow, where the Christmas festivities have been renamed “Shine On” and then the “Winter Festival” in recent years, a council spokeswoman defended the change. “We are very aware as a community of other faiths and traditions, which is why we have adopted a generic name. We are making a conscious effort to include everyone. Even the Christmas cards we now send out all say ‘Seasonal Greetings’ rather than ‘Happy Christmas’ so that we don’t offend.”

59 posted on 11/06/2001 8:57:42 AM PST by Dumb_Ox
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To: patent
Anway, what does the luminos celebration go back to? What are its origins?

I have no earthly or other-earthly idea. The reference used in the Potter books is for a "spell" to cast light in a darkened room, area, etc. I don't recall any Potter holiday of that name.

60 posted on 11/06/2001 8:57:56 AM PST by Ward Smythe
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