I’m devastasted. Lynn Bodoni of all people has fallen short of the mark in inflicting evil on the deserving. You see, both Paul and Christ had some very uncomplimentary things about gossip, malice, and slander. I’d say start with Matthew 14:10 and take it from there. By the time Jesus gets to verse 19, He’s condeming wicked thoughts, perjury, and slander right along with those perennial favorites, murder, adultery, and fornication. It’s funny how some folks over look the former set of vices. There’s also a slight matter of the Great Commandment which includes loving God with all one’s mind as well as one’s heart, but it seems to me some folks overlook that organ.
I’ve got to admit, I can see how some folks could see Christians as people who have volunteered to switch part of their brains off. The only thing is, as I read the Bible, and especially what’s attributed to Christ, Himself, that’s the very thing we Christians are not supposed to do. You’ve got my sympathies, Ca3799!
I’m starting to suspect that the Unnamed actually DO think magic is real, and that their little darlings actually will turn them into toads if someone just tells them how. This gives me terrible ideas to tell the mother of the freakily religious unsocialized homeschooled kids acrss the street. “I finally got my glasses back! I just used my wand and the *Oculus Returno * spell! It really works!” I’m surprised that she still lets her kids play with my stepdaughters once she found out we were Unitarian Universalists. Don’t most of the Unnamed think UUs are a Satanic cult, or something equally ridiculous?
I have known Wiccans I have had problems with, due to differences in our respective belief systems.
I have never, however, known Wiccans who threatened to kick my ass for not being a Wiccan, or for insulting Cernunnos or the Goddess or whatever with my (expletive deleted) belief system.
Putting aside that your comparison is actually with Wiccans and Evangelical Fundamentalists, I respectfully disagree with the characterization of Wiccans being less apt to become indoctrinated. I’d say that the percentages of Wiccans and Christians willing to embrace Accepted Doctrine without any sort of critical thinking is roughly even. Wiccans have their own branch of “nameless” who are just as indoctrinated as the Christian variety.
If you have ever been in a discussion about the “Burning Times”, you know damn well that some Wiccans will go through the most amazing logical backflips to argue the validity of one of their doctrines. I’ve seen a couple of Wiccan posters on this board do the text equivalent of sticking their fingers in their ears and chanting when the subject comes up. The specific thread I was remembering seems to be lost with the recent changeover to subscriptions, but in it two self described Wiccans took the predictable tact of “I don’t care what all the other historians say, Estrogena Unicorn-on-a-Rainbow told me about it, so I know it’s true.”
Thankfully, both sets of “nameless” seem to be only a small percentage of their religions, but I’d peg their percentages about the same.
As to Harry Potter, I have a problem with JK Rowling and witchcraft. Most people believe that the series is benign, but it has almost ruined me to the point I am considering legal action. Learning withcraft (not that pansy Wiccan crap, but the real turn your enemies into leperous goats withcraft) was step three in my plan for world domination, after the purchase of 12 packets of sea monkeys and a six week accordian class. In contrast to what the Reverend Jebediah Billie Ray Snakehandler told me, Mz. Rowling was of no help whatsoever in this matter. I must now turn to other methods to raise my army of giant accordian playing amphibious monkeys, and am currently looking into ancient knowledge regarding supernatural genetics. I am convinced Dan Brown can be of some help in this endeavor, as unlike the author of the Harry Potter series, Mr. Brown does not shy away from the assertion that his books are based on facts.
You could well be right. There’s a hell of a lot more evangelical fundamentalist Christians in south central Texans than Wiccans, which kind of skews the comparisons… and as previously mentioned, I’ve known several Wiccans who were fine candidates for “great flake of the universe.”
On the other hand, as previously mentioned, I’ve never had a Wiccan threaten to attack me or burn my house down for not being the right religion, either. Such things tend to stick with you, y’know?
Perhaps you do live in bizarro world, but what you’re describing seems like Christians who actually LISTEN to Christs’ message, rather than that of the church.
Sounds like your Wiccan buddy is in it for the shock 'n awe. Very likely, his intolerance, like most intolerance, stems directly from an extreme lack of knowledge about other religions, sadly, the same intolerance that he rails against in the Christian world, he himself is guilty of. Sad, really.
Which reminds me of the time several years ago while channel-surfing when I happened to click onto a religious channel. There sat four well-dressed adults in a discussion circle, earnestly explaining how “My Little Pony” is part of a Satanic plot to corrupt the youth of America.
Of course she did! Just like she heard the president of Proctor and Gamble say he was in the church of Satan on the Merv Griffin show, and then Donohue, then Oprah, and the The View. They all heard it, cause their preacher told them so!
Well, they’re okaywith the Pope, as long as he’s talking about abortion and birth control. But when he’s talking about the death penalty, the war in Iraq, and how Mr. Bush lacks moral clarity, then he s quite obviously a ninny who has no clue what he’s talking about.
Or an over the top rejection of his parent’s faith. I’ve met a number of recovering-Catholic Pagans that the Catholic church did a number on (denying abuse in parishes they belonged to being the aggregious example) who have extrapolated “Some parts of the RCC are corrupt, closed, and overly protective of their own at the expense of innocent members of their congregations” to “all Christians are Evil.”
Some people just are incredably fucking vague on the concept of fiction. I can’t think of any way to drive home “fiction=made up, not true” bette than (1) putting that in all dictionaries (2) explaining where-ever necessary (3) having fiction books so blatantly not true. But people still JUST DON’T GET IT!
Actually, typing that, I’ve changed my mind. I do get it. Books certainly can carry a moral message. They can show magic to be good, or bad, or neutral, either by having the characters believe that, or believe the other but obviously acting badly by doing so. HP characters’ morals seem generally pretty good. I’m guessing these people believe magic is inherantly bad. If you accept that, then HP is evil, because they use magic (often for everyone’s good) without wondering where it comes from, etc. I can’t imagine WHY magic is bad, it’s not like they’ve sold their souls or anything, but it would explain it.
I used to know a fair number of ex-Baptist UUs who pretty much made the same leap. Lotsa anger there.
And I know a highly eclectic pagan who, if asked, defensively admits that he’ll pick up good ideas (ethical stuff and what not, I guess) from a lot of religions – “even Christianity.” It’s the only one that gets an “even.” I guess he’s had a few run-ins with people who don’t think Christianity has anything good to offer anybody.
I read some book about why HP was eeeeevil, just out of curiosity, and aside from the ridiculous phobia of fictional witchcraft, one reason HP was considered a bad influence was that he is always breaking the school rules and either getting away with minimal punishment or actually being rewarded. I like HP as much as the next person, but I had to admit they had a point there. (Just a little food for thought, I am in no way condemning HP!)
Minor rulebreaking is sort of a staple of literature aimed at the HP target demographic. I’m pretty sure the Hardy Boys snuck out of the house, for example.
Besides, if Harry went to Dumbeldore the minute something mysterious seemed afoot instead of trying to solve things on his own, the books would be much, much shorter.
When Harry Potter breaks the rules, sneaks out, and so forth, he’s generally either rebelling against unjust authority (a staple of kids’ books), or doing what MUST be done because authority figures either refuse to see the necessity, or their hands are tied due to other factors (also a staple of kids’ books and juvie literature of all stripes).
Of course, a case could be made that Satan is “the god of rebellion against unjust authority…”
:rolleyes: