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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 18239
[Religious]
Date Posted:
7/23/2007
9:49:59 am EDT
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Views: 8,804
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Comments: 50
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Harry Potter And The Assault On Christianity
Author: Charles Moore Source: The Halifax Daily News (N.S.)
Title: HARRY POTTER AND THE ASSAULT ON CHRISTIANITY
In the context of occult literature and cinema, Harry Potter is relatively soft-core, but its sanitized portrayal of the black arts arguably makes it more potently subversive. Interest in the occult incited by getting caught up in the Harry Potter phenomenon is likely to carry over into deeper exploration.
Potter advocates, disingenuously, pooh-pooh any linkage of Harry-mania to increasing popularity of Wicca and other forms of paganism. Rowling herself has stated: "I truly am bemused that anyone who has read the books could think that I am a proponent of the occult in any serious way. I don't believe in witchcraft in the sense that they're talking about at all."
However, Rowling is the the product of a post-Christian, postmodern culture that believes magic, demonology, Wicca, and seances to be completely harmless, and it's quite possible she is sincerely unaware of the inherent dangers of her writing. However, in a 2000 Guardian Weekend Magazine interview, Rowling did acknowledge that Wiccans "are constantly thanking me."
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Community Thoughts: There are 50 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| Actually... | Jul 25th. at 11:26:43 pm EDT
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Scolaí (Tarboro, North Carolina) - Email Me - Web
I left the xian faith BEFORE I read the first Harry Potter book. That was in 2003. I left the church because the "absolute truth" of the religion just became so apparently untrue to me.
A little common sense is enough to lead a mind away from Jesus and his followers. HP just provides a convenient scapegoat.
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| One Man's Magick Is Another Man's Miracle... | Jul 24th. at 8:12:55 pm EDT
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Songwind (Gardner, Massachusetts) - Email Me
or something like that. I honestly don't see why they should be threatened. The HP series doesn't have even a subtle anti-Christian theme, let alone a blatant one.
If they are worried about anything, they should be worried about other books. Mercedes Lackey's Bardic Voices series, for instance. Her other series' aren't blatantly anything (well...one of them features a barely-disguised Egyptian pantheon, but that isn't what I meant, precisely.)
Her Bardic Voices though, while fantasy, features the Church very prominently. And the "Sacrificed God" and some of the Priests' preaching sound very like some Christian sects (with minor differences-we don't have any of the "nonhuman" creatures in our world, for example.) The series features the Church in a mostly negative (meaning corrupt) light, and preachers saying the opposite of what their "Sacrificed God" said in the scriptures. In other words, our own "culture wars" are both exaggerated and simplified, but the theme is there all the same.
But Potter? What does it matter? It doesn't touch upon religion, Pagan, Christian, or otherwise.
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| Hmm | Jul 24th. at 6:02:35 pm EDT
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Ravenowl (Amboy, Oklahoma) - Email Me
I was just wondering if Xtains ever notice that word meanings change through history. They are all about quoting Deut. Without looking at what is meant by it. You could read that quote one of two ways (well a lot but to simplify) . The early Christians were not aware of the practices of those people. Thus they were afraid of it. Or Two what they were refering to simply didnt exist then. Xtains have a long standing in saying they are getting attacks by all sides all the time. Wouldnt that fit into it. One other thing. Just because some yahoo said God said this or that does not make it so. Or just because it was printed does not mean it was God approved, or whatever. They really need to realize that while the book is exciting.. all sorts of action is in it... its not meant to be taken literally.
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| Leaving Christianity | Jul 24th. at 1:50:48 pm EDT
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Lughaidh (Burleson, Texas) - Email Me
It doesn't appear that the author is aware that people have been leaving Christianity in droves since before the Harry Potter series ever came out. And as has been observed previously, the world does not revolve around his religion, whatever he may call it.
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| Not Exactly The 1st Witch Books For Kids | Jul 24th. at 9:05:59 am EDT
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Teleri ferch Nyfain (Asheville, North Carolina) - Email Me
I've said this before - the literary education of these scared little Potter bashers is totally inadequate. Rowling is culling 2 very well-established children's lit traditions here: the public school story & the fantasy quest. Tom Brown's Schooldays meets The Princess and the Goblin.
We've had the Dorrie the little Witch series in this country, not to mention the Oz books (which have good witches right along with bad ones) .
Notice they mention C.S. Lewis but not Tolkien, bless him, a staunch Catholic who gave us the grandest wizard since Merlin (that would be Gandalf) .
Nothing new really, except huge popularity & a sudden realization on the part of the Xtian fundies that Paganism (the real kind) is a fast-growing faith.
BB
Teleri
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| Same Old Hypocritical Argument | Jul 24th. at 6:42:37 am EDT
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Wolf Mage (Angels Camp, California) - Email Me
Having myself been raised on Christian values and morals and such I can understand their point of view, even though it may be misguided and two faced.
In the article they quote the scripture about not having witches amongst them or those that do sorcery.
Yet most of the great bible heros did exactly that and never undermined God's work isn't that ironic.
Look at Moses who turned a staff into a snake, did the illusion of leprosy, and many of the others.
If omens and signs make one evil, then most pastors are to be held in contempt of God's law as they constantly interpret things as a sign from God.
I think that it comes down to this how can you condem something that you yourself are guilty of. So what sorcery and such are outlawed as abominations against God unless he permitts them and then they are mericle.
This two faced argument is exactly why the Christian religon is on a steady down slide and has become a corrupted version of what it was nearly 2000 years ago
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| Bah | Jul 24th. at 12:51:11 am EDT
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Sam (Merrick, New York) - Email Me
I would say this stupid argument will be over now that the books are done, but there are still the movies.
I'm reading this great book right now called St.Camber. It's simmilar to Potter but I belive the series is much older. St.Camber is the 2nd of three. It takes place in the middle ages. The Roman Catholic Church is still very powerful. Each chapter is defined by a simple bible verse. Every charater is catholic and there are many reference to the bible in the book. There are a group of charaters both on the good and bad sides that do magic. Yes, Catholic Magicians. Their "ritual" magic parrelles pagan ritual almost exactly. That, I can almost see getting some fundies angry, or some Catholics angry. But Alas, it is not nearly as popular. Compared to St.Camber, Harry Potter is as threatning as Cinderella.
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| Salem All Over Again | Jul 23rd. at 11:38:08 pm EDT
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Kiki Circen (Escondido, California) - Email Me
This time it's a book that is tied to a stake. Somehow, I'm not surprised that radical Christians would make these kind of comments. I was surprised, however, that my mother actually let me read them and buy the HP swag. They are great books, by the way.
I love magick, but found none of the magick I'm intrested in in the HP books. I like natural healing magick. The kids at Hogwarts are lucky; if they lived in the real world, they'd have to follow specific instructions to create their own magickal supplies. I read that ritual magick has very detailed instructions on what to do and when and how.
The HP books also are home to many not easily classified characters, and that's my favorite part. It's refreshing to read a book that isn't plagued by absolute good and evil groupings.
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| Assault??? | Jul 23rd. at 10:03:02 pm EDT
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The Rev. Sparrowhawk (Yakima, Washington) - Email Me
"The Harry Potter phenomenon is, whether deliberately or obliviously, part of a broad cultural assault on Christianity..."
Ha! It looks more like Christianity is assaulting Harry Potter! There they go again. Making it sound like they are being attacked by the occult. What a bunch of retards!!!
NOTE: This does not apply to all Christians as many support Harry Potter being read by their children. It is the few loud and annoying fundies and extremists that making the rest of the religion look like it's filled with lunatics.
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| Great..... | Jul 23rd. at 8:44:50 pm EDT
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Elwin Shadowstrider (Bartlett, Tennessee) - Email Me
the fundies are smoking beetle dung again. Whatever, desensitizing? Black Arts? Who burned who during the Burning Times? Let's face it, the laws are the only reason the Inquisition ended, they are in different form now, attack us, yet we Pagans, Witches,Wiccans, are still here. The Assault? On Xtianity? Get a grip, try being a Witch, in any country, yeah, right.......whatever. When the fundies realize what they have done to Pagans over the centuries and honestly face the true facts of what has been done and not sugar coat it, then maybe the facts will be straight. However; I doubt it.
Brightest Blessings to all!!
Elwin Shadowstrider ) O (
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| The Greeks Said It All: | Jul 23rd. at 8:37:42 pm EDT
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Blackthorn (Nashua, New Hampshire) - Email Me
To the pure, all things are pure.
'nuff said.
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| OH Please! | Jul 23rd. at 8:30:26 pm EDT
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Just A Wolf (Seward, Michigan) - Email Me
This coming from the same group that has assaulted, battered, and violated their savior's mesage. I am willing to bet all of them that Jesus just finished reading the last book. However, did he know the ending before he started the book?
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| Assault On Chr**anity | Jul 23rd. at 8:28:21 pm EDT
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Blackthorn (Nashua, New Hampshire) - Email Me
We should peacefully fight this kind of ignorance. It can only be done by example.
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| Hmm | Jul 23rd. at 8:08:48 pm EDT
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Ravenowl (Amboy, Oklahoma) - Email Me
speaking as a person that has read the entire series.. She did an amazing job of showing how those who appear to be evil arent. That they power of love is that powerful. The most dispised people in the book show what they really are and why they did what they did. How seemingly perfect people have characters flaws. How its perfectly fine not to be perfect. For no one is perfect. That someone like Voldermort is what evil is. Whats the difference between Voldermort and Harry. If you really look at it, they are amazingly alike. The difference really is on how people deal with things. How love wins over hate. How faith wins over greed.
Anyone that says that Harry Potter books are evil as never read them
Anyone that thinks that all Witches can perfom magic like they do in the series... well needs to be put on the third floor.
Harry promoted real characters.. not absolute evil or absolute good. People relate to that. One of the most evil chars in the series finally shows Harry why he did what he did. As his last act on earth. That shows Harry why he must do what he must do.
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| Oh Please | Jul 23rd. at 8:02:36 pm EDT
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Ander s. Drake (hays, Kansas) - Email Me
all this biblical nonsense against socercy and magic is not the words of any god but the words of a few people who are fightened of the unknown. Of course, with people being frightend of what they don't understand it's obvisous that magik became a taboo in parts of the cultures. I sure there were the few people who misused their gifts that made it worse. Magik is a natural part of the universe it's how a person uses their magik that counts for good or evil. Magik can be things people take for granted like drawing,writing, good communtion skills, making a web page, magik isn't just these occult things some people are afeared of. Death and rebirth are magilkal themes. Wheather christians like it or not magik is in every body and it's insuperable part of our world, mayber you don't see it but it's there every day.
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