Would Jesus read Harry Potter? It’s hard to say.
Would He rather that some who follow Him focus their efforts on something more constructive than going to great lengths to vilify it, like living His example of charity and compassion instead? Probably.
I continue to be dumbfounded by Fundamentalist Christians who insist that Harry Potter is the harbinger of the “End Times.” It’s risen to a level of ridiculousness over the years that can only be described as comical. Especially entertaining is the Fundies’ enduring argument that “Harry Potter teaches kids Witchcraft.” J.K. Rowling’s books are literary treasures – engaging and entertaining – but the magic worked within them bears no resemblance to Witchcraft. Those that think it does, whether Neo-Pagan or Christian, are mistaking fantasy for reality.
Like I asked in my comments on this silly post, do these people honestly have no better way to spend their time and energy than to dig for meaning in books that isn’t really there, and to vilify everything that doesn’t conform to their myopic view of reality?
Here’s another question – how many of these wing nuts have actually read the books they’re so hell-bent on condemning?
These folks would’ve LOVED living in Nazi Germany, where book burning was common practice. Or how about in modern communist China, where the government decides what people read and what they don’t?! (Guess what Fundies – the Bible is not on the approved list of literature!)
If these pious religious zealots had the power to pull it off, I’m sure they’d happily ban the Harry Potter books here in the good ol’ U.S. of A. (Thank GOD this is not the case.) But what’s so plain to me seems to completely elude them: if they actually achieved the power to censor, some other political interest – one perhaps not sympathetic to Christianity – would eventually wrest that power from them. What if this new group decided to ban their Bible? Then they’d really see their “End Times!”
Censorship is not good! If you value the freedom to read what you choose, it’s only logical to support everyone else’s choice to do the same. Why is this such a difficult concept to grasp?
Here’s a very simple solution for Fundies who find themselves embroiled in this oh-so-dire moral dilemma:
DON’T … READ … THE … BOOKS!
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Under a Violet Sun 
Fascist Fundies Forget it’s Fiction!
Posted in Fundamentalism, tagged Apostasy, Atheism, Bible, Book Banning, Censorship, Christianity, Fascism, Funda-MENTAL-ism, God, Gospel, Harry Potter, Holy Word, J.K. Rowling, Jesus, Neo-Conservatism, Neo-Fascism, Neo-Fascists, Neo-Paganism, Piety, Religion, Religious Intolerance, Religious Right, Religious Tolerance, Self-Righteousness, Social Commentary, Wicca, Wingnuts, Witchcraft on August 15, 2008| Leave a Comment »
Would Jesus read Harry Potter? It’s hard to say.
Would He rather that some who follow Him focus their efforts on something more constructive than going to great lengths to vilify it, like living His example of charity and compassion instead? Probably.
I continue to be dumbfounded by Fundamentalist Christians who insist that Harry Potter is the harbinger of the “End Times.” It’s risen to a level of ridiculousness over the years that can only be described as comical. Especially entertaining is the Fundies’ enduring argument that “Harry Potter teaches kids Witchcraft.” J.K. Rowling’s books are literary treasures – engaging and entertaining – but the magic worked within them bears no resemblance to Witchcraft. Those that think it does, whether Neo-Pagan or Christian, are mistaking fantasy for reality.
Like I asked in my comments on this silly post, do these people honestly have no better way to spend their time and energy than to dig for meaning in books that isn’t really there, and to vilify everything that doesn’t conform to their myopic view of reality?
Here’s another question – how many of these wing nuts have actually read the books they’re so hell-bent on condemning?
These folks would’ve LOVED living in Nazi Germany, where book burning was common practice. Or how about in modern communist China, where the government decides what people read and what they don’t?! (Guess what Fundies – the Bible is not on the approved list of literature!)
If these pious religious zealots had the power to pull it off, I’m sure they’d happily ban the Harry Potter books here in the good ol’ U.S. of A. (Thank GOD this is not the case.) But what’s so plain to me seems to completely elude them: if they actually achieved the power to censor, some other political interest – one perhaps not sympathetic to Christianity – would eventually wrest that power from them. What if this new group decided to ban their Bible? Then they’d really see their “End Times!”
Censorship is not good! If you value the freedom to read what you choose, it’s only logical to support everyone else’s choice to do the same. Why is this such a difficult concept to grasp?
Here’s a very simple solution for Fundies who find themselves embroiled in this oh-so-dire moral dilemma:
DON’T … READ … THE … BOOKS!
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