A good book on this very topic is Karen Armstrong’s The Battle for God. The case for fundamentalism’s anti-modernism is strongly presented in this well-researched, well-written book by a highly-respected author.
When I worked in the kids’ section of a large bookstore, I dealt with a large number of “[insert book here] is evil” people. As for the magic in Hanky P being real – J. K. herself has said, publicly, that that kind of magic doesn’t exist. (don’t have a cite at the moment, but as I recall she was addressing a stadium full of fans in the UK somewhere)
The only person who offered a reason that I would agree with for not letting her kids read the Potter books was the woman who pointed out that Harry’s parents are murdered in a pretty brutal way. She didn’t want her kids to be exposed to dark, scary things like that. Of course, what book did she buy instead? James and the Giant Peach, in which the title character’s (James, not the peach) parents are trampled to death by a rhinocerous, resulting in years of abuse by two vicious aunts. Go figure.
Gah! That site is sick (spit spit cough splutter)
Someone should get them a copy of The Screwtape Letters for their birthday. Now that would REALLY screw with their minds
Guin:
You should know some of the fundies I’ve known if you disagree with My views!
They are worse!
As for Ralph, well, I have eclectic tastes.
Ah, hon, you know I still think you’re cool. I just disagree about Harry Potter. And Ralph, of course.
You seriously need to start checking out Glenn Miller.
(BTW, if you want to see some serious fundy morons-check out the racist defends himself thread…)
We’re talking people that make Tex Marrs look like Einstein.
For the record, Dave’s eyes turn very blue when he’s outraged. He conducted himself very calmly, and didn’t even rant until we were in the car. I personally thought it was amusing.
My own parents, who are Charismatic Christians who happen to be Catholic, and very religious people, see no harm in the Harry Potter books. These are the same people who wouldn’t allow me to listen to Led Zep because it was chock full o’ back masking satanic chanting.
:rolleyes:
The times, they are a’ changin’.
(I am in love with Larry. I want to be Barbara Manatee.)
I presume I am correct in guessing that the last post came from Ginger and not Dave?
And, personally, I prefer Bear in the Big Blue House to Veggie Tales, but that’s just me. Bear’s so darn cute!
Yeesh. All these new-fangled silly kids shows.
Isn’t Sesame Street good enough for them, anymore?
It’s a conspiracy, I tells ya!
The ring. Just as Jesus takes on all the sins of the world, and in being killed, destroys evil, Sauron pours his evil into the ring, only to have it destroyed.
Gee, thanks for ruining it for me. It’s not like the film was so transparent that I was able to figure that out for myself.
(He was talking about the book.)
From what I’ve seen of the trailers (bootlegged, admittedly) they were going to do the same thing anyway.
Yep, give away a major plot twist, why the fuck not. Everyone’s read the book already haven’t they?:rolleyes:
Someone got suckered… don’t ask me who…
Ah, but Guin - Sesame Street now has Elmo.
Although I am amused by “Mr. Noodle” (because I have an inexplicable affection for Michael Jeter), Elmo is evil personified. I understand the urge that led to the “Torture Me Elmo” site. Truly. I would rather watch nothing but back-to-back episodes of the “Teletubbies” than one segment of Sesame Street featuring Elmo.
And I don’t even have kids of my own.
Harry potter is fiction.
I would let my son read it. I am happy he is reading; the other day he was reading to me out of Dick Goddards Weather Guide (a meterology book). Big words too.
I once went to a church where they had printed copies of the missing day theory. They believed it!
Although, I watch cartoons with my son, and on Johnny Bravo, they had a demon inhabit Johnny. I didn’t like that.
You know, I just had this vivid mental image of you and Polycarp…
Dave: The answer is 25!
Poly: It’s 40, you unmitigated twit!
Dave: Your sister!
Poly: That’s it, punk! You wanna take this to the PIT?
Dave: See you there, mofo.
Okay, maybe not exactly like that.
I love walking into the local Christian bookstore and seeing the rows upon rows of chick tracts… eep.
That’s cool, 'nilla. I thought you said once you didn’t like HP. I haven’t read them myself, though.
(When I was little, I used to take big books I couldn’t read, open them up and pretend I was reading something else-I’d make up a story in my head…)
I was a strange, strange child.
And dammit, I LIKE Elmo!
Yeah. That was me. That wasn’t Dave. I would be really surprised if Dave was was in love with Larry the Cucumber, and wanted to be Barbara Manatee.
Would you believe that I have been trying to re-post to this thread as me on and off for a very good long time? Each time there was a problem with the boards. Gr.
And D&D was inspired by Tolkien, who he seems to think is okay.
Dragonblink writes:
> The only person who offered a reason that I would agree with
> for not letting her kids read the Potter books was the woman
> who pointed out that Harry’s parents are murdered in a pretty
> brutal way. She didn’t want her kids to be exposed to dark,
> scary things like that. Of course, what book did she buy
> instead? James and the Giant Peach, in which the title
> character’s (James, not the peach) parents are trampled to
> death by a rhinocerous, resulting in years of abuse by two
> vicious aunts. Go figure.
I’ve always thought that the author whose books most resembled J. K. Rowling’s was Roald Dahl (who wrote James and the Giant Peach). Indeed, I never understood people who tell kids who want to read something else like the Harry Potter books to try Lewis or Tolkien. Oh, please, they’re nothing like the Harry Potter books. (I prefer Lewis and Tolkien, but the point is that they’re quite different from the Harry Potter books.)
I want to get back to a point that Anahita tried to make early in this thread. Weirddave is already referring to GingerOfTheNorth’s
son as “our son Matthew.” That’s either very sweet or downright frightening. Ginger, has Dave already insisted on putting his name on your bank accounts too?
Guin likes Elmo and yet liking Ralph is weird…okay…