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| Christians: Do you let your kids read HP; Another dang Harry Potter thread | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 16 2005, 10:18 AM (670 Views) | |
| Jolly | Jul 18 2005, 07:23 AM Post #26 |
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Geaux Tigers!
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Sure I luv ya, Kenny. You just need re-educatin'. Yes, there are some Christians who don't let their kids read Potter. Me, I think folks can distuinguish reality from fiction, as long as the stories are read for what they are. The guys who don't care for the stories usually object to the witchcraft aspect of them, the practice of the dark arts...but you already knew that, didn't you? |
| The main obstacle to a stable and just world order is the United States.- George Soros | |
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| kenny | Jul 18 2005, 07:26 AM Post #27 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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We all could use some of that. That's why God made tomorrow. |
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| Steve Miller | Jul 18 2005, 07:29 AM Post #28 |
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Bull-Carp
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I can understand the confusion. It looks as though the "anti-Harry Potter" movement never got much traction: Heretic Potter's vanishing act Mainstream Christians more accepting as series evolves, but some protests linger By Michael Booth Denver Post Staff Writer Is Harry Potter a good Christian? Or does it matter, as long as series author J.K. Rowling keeps grounding her wildly popular stories in clear discussions of good versus evil? Opponents of the books, often speaking from conservative Christian principles, take heart from a recently revealed letter written by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, hinting that Pottermania could "corrupt the Christian faith." A Toronto-based Christian news service has abandoned its "neutral" stance on Harry Potter, warning American and Canadian readers that the books may be harmful. "It's getting more and more evident that this is just not appropriate for children," said LifeSite News editor and co-founder John-Henry Westen. Yet mainline Christian commentators say there is less controversy than ever, with the arrival at midnight Friday of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." They argue that, yes, fundamentalist protests keep appearing, but from the same half-dozen fringe sources. Meanwhile, millions of Christians love the books, and some use them to frame discussions on morality. "The Christian community has dramatically changed its attitude toward Harry Potter," said Connie Neal, a Christian writer and speaker who has published books encouraging the use of Rowling's novels in church studies. Neal tracks the changes this way: In 2000, she took a book of Potter commentary to the Christian Booksellers Association and was attacked for "leading children directly into the occult." Neal said she received "some pretty scary e-mail and antagonistic responses for the next few years." For the 2003 convention, she was never invited to present her new book; she believes it was because conservative booksellers discouraged it. The 2005 convention just took place in Denver. Not only was Neal invited, but her book sold well, and many of the same people who had expressed outrage now said they read the books and enjoyed them. Neal suggested anyone reacting to Ratzinger's letter keep these points in mind: It was written two years ago, had one sentence concerning Potter and Christianity, was translated, and was in response to an anti-Potter author asking loaded questions. While the Internet makes protests instant and fast-moving, only a few attacking voices have appeared for Rowling's sixth Potter book. Denver lawyer Amy Tenbrink is helping to organize a Potter conference this fall called The Witching Hour - in Salem, Mass., no less. Despite the provocative tags, Tenbrink has received no flaming e-mails so far. "I was fairly certain we'd receive some outcry," said Tenbrink, whose grandmother was a United Church of Christ minister. "We haven't gotten Advertisement Click Here! any." Lutheran pastor Evelyn Weston, who has moderated discussion groups on Potter and other Christian issues, said fringe attacks on the books are self-defeating. "For Harry Potter fans who do not claim to be Christians, anti-Harry Potter rhetoric from Christians at any level will not encourage them to consider faith in Christ," said Weston, who leads a parish in Minnesota. "I personally think the rhetoric is more harmful to the Christian faith than the Harry Potter series is." But not all Christian reservations about Rowling and Potter relate to theology. Some family-oriented Christian groups, including Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs, praise parts of the books while questioning Harry's periodic defiance of authority. Focus on the Family's "Plugged In" website, which reviews pop culture books, movies and music, notes that Potter's "cool" teachers at Hogwarts wink and nod at Harry's lies, rule- breaking and power grabs. Though the Archdiocese of Denver has not commented directly on Ratzinger's letter, Archbishop Charles Chaput wrote a fairly neutral commentary on Potter mania a few years ago. Whether children should read the books or see the movies, Chaput said, is "a matter for parents, not bishops, to decide." "I think Harry Potter can be happily enjoyed as a children's fantasy movie," he said. "Nothing in the film attacks the Christian faith, and good does win out over evil. "At the same time," Chaput wrote, "unfortunately, characters in the Potter books do sometimes accomplish good things by doing bad things, like lying. In other words, J.K. Rowling is a very different author from C.S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkien. If you're looking for Christian allegory, Harry Potter isn't it." Staff writer Michael Booth can be reached at 303-820-1686 or mbooth@denverpost.com |
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Wag more Bark less | |
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| The 89th Key | Jul 18 2005, 09:52 AM Post #29 |
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I dunno, but it sound's pretty gay! |
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8:56 AM Jul 13