'HARRY' CATCHES HELL FROM CHRISTIANS

New York Post ^ | 11/24/01 | TODD VENEZIA

[kattracks]

November 24, 2001 -- Is Harry Potter the spawn of Satan?

That's the opinion at one Christian school in southern Australia, where parents voted yesterday to forbid students from reading about the bespectacled wizard and his preteen cohorts.

The vote was just part of a widespread anti-Harry backlash by religious conservatives angered by the best-selling books' blatant celebration of witchcraft and the occult.

[eaglewatch]

Last January my quadriplegic nephew, who is in my care, became very ill and had to spend two weeks in the hospital. Since hospitals are not staffed or equipped to deal with quadriplegics, I had to "move in" for the duration of his stay.
To pass the time I read the first two books of the Harry Potter series to him. I found them sort of fun but some of the names were hard to pronounce when reading outloud.
Beyond that, the books can only be described as "hack-work" if compared to the great master, J.R.R. Tolkien.
As for promoting witchcraft, how many witches do we find in the good old fairytales and Walt Disney movies? (The old movies - not that crap they produce today.)

[Jim Scott]

Surely you don't think that Penthouse should be allowed in the elementary school library...

Let us not attempt to split hairs. People may object to anything they wish and they should if they believe a book would have a detrimental impact on children.

I said they should not attempt to ban non-sexualized, fantasy-based books such as 'Harry Potter', where any negative influence it could have on children is truly a matter of interpretation unlike Penthouse, which is clearly and historically pornographic and requires no interpretation.

[Skooz]

I find that the attacks on Christians who protest Harry Potter are often from the same people who ridicule anyone with religious convictions, attempting to live a spiritual life. Nothing new here. In those cases the Harry Potter fad just becomes a vehicle non-believers can use to criticize and mock Christianity while appearing to be oh-so open-minded and intelligent about the whole thing.

Ditto. Well said.

[troublesome creek]

I really do think there is a possibility that that post was an anti-homeschool "plant". If not, your advice is right on target. If it is a "plant", shame on them.

[Skooz]

I think everyone should just lighten up about that post. Sometimes my posts are mangled when I hit "Preview" and then I clean them up before I hit "Post." I tend to type faster than I am able, and typos abound. Apparently, this poster just hit "Reply" with typos intact rather than cleaning them up and posting with no typos or mispelled words, you know, like all you smart people do.

[mamaduck]

Don't you people have anything better to do????????????Sheesh!!!!!!!!!!!

Have any of you heard of the concept of "making you look the other way"??????? If you all believe Satan created and or is Harry Potter, do you think maybe he is using these arguments as a distraction from the Really Important Things that are happening and coming to light in the World right now??????

Go Read Some News!

[self_reliant]

In the marketplace of free ideas, Christianity has survived quite nicely. O, ye of little faith.

[AppyPappy]

I see nothing wrong with parents objecting to materials they feel are detrimental for whatever reason. It could be Captain Planet or Pokemon or anti-gun books. They certainly have done it with religious books. If parents want their kids to read Potter, they can do it without involving the schools.

[AppyPappy]

Don't you people have anything better to do????????????

Don't you have anything better to do than play thread mom?

[Skooz]

I have a feeling mamaduck was perusing the Latest Posts, saw the words "Harry Potter" and "Christians" in the title, and thought "YES! Now I can go and belittle those obnoxious little fundies. Oh, how I hate those bible-thumping bigots," and made her way here to post her "tolerance" for all to see.

But, that's just a feeling I have. I may be wrong.

[JoeSchem]

Much of the opposition is based on the long-felt Christian disdain for the occult that dates back to the Salem witch trials.

Actually, I think it goes back to the time when people who believed in magic and astrology threw Christians to the lions.

[janis]

very funny

[AppyPappy]

The Jews were the ones who said witches should not be allowed to live.

[JoeSchem]

Good to see the Potter loons are not just confined to the States.

It's funny how modern society works. People who believe that you can turn a human into a cat by pointing a stick and spouting gibberish are regarded as wise, while people who are opposed to indoctorinating children with such nonsense are called 'loons.'

[MSCASEY]

I wonder if the poster is posting in english as their second language? If so and the person does not live in the U.S. then their use of spelling and grammar may not be such a tragedy.
MCD

[Bush2000]

Somehow, I've heard this rant before: "Rock and roll is the spawn of the Satan. Blah, blah, blah..." I'm amazed that some of these morons have not had problems with Grimm's Fairy Tales ... since they are populated with evil trolls, wicked stepmothers, witches, and so on. Harry Potter is no different. It's a fairy tale. The main character is fundamentally good, decent, and honest. He is set against the evil Lord Baldemour (sp?) and, while Harry's tool is wizardry, he does not use his gifts to intentionally harm other people. In other words, it is no different from comic book heroes who have developed extraordinary powers and battle evil. The problem that some of these narrow-minded twits apparently have with Harry is that, besides finding him sympathetic and likeable to potential Wiccans, many of them cannot distinguish between fantasy and real-life evil. They would have felt right at home at the Salem Witch trials; in fact, some of their ancestors were probably cheering stuff like "Burn the Witch! Burn the Witch!"

[AppyPappy]

Even more amusing is watching people riding a multi-million dollar marketing train and making sure their kids are along for the ride. And they want the schools to beome one of the depots.

"I'll show those Bible-thumpers. I'll double my Christmas spending to buy my kids Potter stuff. And I'll demand their school push Potter stuff as well. ".

[lasereye]

Or are the people arguing against these books afraid that these things do in fact exist?

I'll be happy to clarify this point. The Bible makes clear that Satan does exist. You may not believe the Bible, which is your right. So yes, Christians like me do believe that things like witchcraft are from Satan.

[AppyPappy]

They would have felt right at home at the Salem Witch trials; in fact, some of their ancestors were probably cheering stuff like "Burn the Witch! Burn the Witch!"

And the Potter geeks probably would have thrown the Christians to the lions for entertainment.

[Bush2000]

And the Potter geeks probably would have thrown the Christians to the lions for entertainment.

In your case, that wouldn't be a bad idea.