# The Muggles Are At It Again **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 27, 2002, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muggles-are-at-it-again/139086 "2002-11-27T11:57:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrot)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2002, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muggles-are-at-it-again/139086/21 "2002-11-27T18:38:11Z")
Well, he couldn’t rightly steal them, now could he? ---
**Author:** ![anya\_marie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@anya\_marie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anya_marie)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2002, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muggles-are-at-it-again/139086/22 "2002-11-27T19:35:33Z")
You can find a Christian in Indiana, by the letters to the Op-Ed page telling all the heathens about the Rapture, and how everyone except them is going to hell. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2002, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muggles-are-at-it-again/139086/23 "2002-11-27T19:44:41Z")
I’m just waiting for someone to notice that “Muggles” is a very archaic term for marijuana, and therefore declare that the HP books and movies are promoting drug abuse. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2002, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muggles-are-at-it-again/139086/24 "2002-11-27T19:47:43Z")
You know, Steve hit an interesting point. What’s up with the title _reverend_? Doesn’t that mean _revered one_? Why do these people want to be revered (_cough_ worshipped)? ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2002, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muggles-are-at-it-again/139086/25 "2002-11-27T20:03:23Z")
To know me is to revere me **Monty** , my son. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2002, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muggles-are-at-it-again/139086/26 "2002-11-28T00:20:39Z")
Eh, for the fundies this is pretty much par for the course. Just yesterday, while I was dial surfing on the radio, I came across some religious talk show that had on somebody who’d written a book claiming Harry Potter (along with Furbies, Pokemon, and the Teletubbies) were leading people to the occult and satanism. Not only did he and the host recommend destroying all books and toys related to these icons of evil, they urged their followers to boycott Coca-Cola because of its commercial tie-in with the “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” movie. So remember this the next time you’re thirsty and you see that omnipresent red and white logo: THE DEVIL DRINKS COKE! (This message brought to you courtesy of fear-mongering, narrow-minded, imagination-hating fundie Christians everywhere and Pepsico.) ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2002, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muggles-are-at-it-again/139086/27 "2002-11-28T00:49:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by irishgirl \* > \*\*Kal, may i suggest a big new kingsize bed and a new griddle pan? > > (for the gypsy loving and bacon sanwiches, respectively) \*\* Are you volounteering? If so, may I point out that I’ve been a reverend in the Universal Life church for just over 2 years now? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2002, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muggles-are-at-it-again/139086/28 "2002-11-28T00:51:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cjhoworth \* > This is probably old news by now, but yet another Christian has decided the best way he can serve God is by disparaging Harry Potter, this time in Lewiston, Maine. Here’s the [link](http://www.startribune.com/stories/1553/3433565.html). Thanks for reporting this … we at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Opposable Thumbs have been looking for this pair. They were stolen from the corpse of a dead lawyer. Some people haven’t evolved their own, you see. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2002, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muggles-are-at-it-again/139086/29 "2002-11-28T01:32:19Z")
**NDP:** _Not only did he and the host recommend destroying all books and toys related to these icons of evil_ Haven’t these folks figured out that if you buy one of the books or toys in order to destroy it, you’re just making more money for their creators? And that if you destroy ones that belong to people who **don’t** think they’re bad, those people are likely to go out and buy replacements, producing the same effect? I want to see an _Onion_ article on this. Something like, “Fundamentalist Group Sponsors Fundraiser for ‘Anti-Christian’ Children’s Books”. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2002, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muggles-are-at-it-again/139086/30 "2002-11-28T02:33:24Z")
The way he defended his staunce(which was a couple of weeks ago that no one should see the movie. From the link it seems he’s ecalated), at least in the sound-bite on the local news, is that he’s appauled that the Harry Potter books “teach children witchcraft.” I feel gyped now, none of the HP books I own taught me to do a single spell correctly. Maybe I should read the British versions. ---
**Author:** ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2002, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muggles-are-at-it-again/139086/31 "2002-11-28T03:08:20Z")
The only spell that my children have learnt from these books is the ability to suck money out of my pocket and spend it on more HP stuff ! Never ending circle here. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2002, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muggles-are-at-it-again/139086/32 "2002-11-28T06:23:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cjhoworth \* > \*\* > They even celebrate Christmas at Hogwarts, for crying out loud, > CJ \*\* Oh, is _that_ the way it is? So Harry Potter isn’t anti-Christian. He’s anti-Jewish! Lousy exclusionist private school bastards! Hmm, found this online > [@](#): > > “And, students, what were the signs that Vuldemort was evil?” > > “The Devil’s mark over his heart.” > > “Yes. What else?” > > “The evil laugh.” > > “Good. But, you’re forgetting the most important. Ahh, Mr Potter?” > > “He was a Jew!” > > “Yes class. And that brings us to today’s lesson- Firefang’s Final Solution!” From **Harry Potter And Elders Of Zion** ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2002, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muggles-are-at-it-again/139086/33 "2002-11-28T11:24:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Monty \* > \*\*You know, Steve hit an interesting point. What’s up with the title _reverend_? Doesn’t that mean _revered one_? Why do these people want to be revered (_cough_ worshipped)? \*\* Yes, I was aiming in that point’s general direction… to a dyed-in-the-wool Protestant like myself, ordained ministers are not supposed to be spiritual authorities - leaders, yes, counsellors, repositories of knowledge about the Church and its doctrines, but not spiritual _authorities_. Let alone temporal ones. So, I very much distrust this habit of priests to set themselves up as arbiters of what is right and proper in society. I expect them to know right from wrong, fair enough - but if they tell me something’s wrong, I expect them to be able to explain _why_ (and no, “Because it says so in the Bible” is not good enough. _Why_ does it say so in the Bible? Who put that bit in there? Are you _sure_ your interpretation is correct?) And I am very much concerned about those Protestants who follow such priests and accept their authority without question. You’re not supposed to do that! If God had wanted you to be a sheep, He would have made you one! Your soul and your salvation depend on _your_ relationship with God, not someone else’s! Protestantism. Learn it. Love it. Live it. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2002, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muggles-are-at-it-again/139086/34 "2002-11-28T11:26:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by welby \* > How can anyone destroy a book? > > Maybe I should stage a protest of religion and take scissors to the Reverend’s Bible? But then you’d be destroying a book 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2002, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muggles-are-at-it-again/139086/35 "2002-11-28T18:08:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kimstu \* > \*\*Haven’t these folks figured out that if you buy one of the books or toys in order to destroy it, you’re just making more money for their creators? And that if you destroy ones that belong to people who **don’t** think they’re bad, those people are likely to go out and buy replacements, producing the same effect? > > I want to see an _Onion_ article on this. Something like, “Fundamentalist Group Sponsors Fundraiser for ‘Anti-Christian’ Children’s Books”. \*\* Heh-heh. I raised a very similar point on another message board (the now-defunct Globe) a long time ago. This was when my daughters and I were first reading the books, and I heard about a real organization called “Muggles for Harry Potter” which was fighting the various censorship efforts being leveled aginst Harry Potter and similar books. I started a topic about it, in support of the organization. I naturally got lots of fundie responses about the evils of Harry Potter, all of them from Christians who clearly hadn’t read the books. My favorite part was one Christian who was part of a group who had actually raised a bunch of money a few years before, with the express purpose of going to the local porn shop and buying up all of the videos there, then taking them and destroying them in a nearby parking lot. He said that they hoped to do the same with Harry Potter books soon (though I still don’t know how they expected to buy out ALL of them). My amused response was something like, “You realize, of course, that you just made that porn shop owner a great deal of money with which he can (a) buy a whole bunch of new videos, refreshing his stock and (b) take a nice vacation too. You just made a porn shop owner **very** happy!” I never got a response from that guy. Bummer. By the way, if you’re interested, “Muggles for Harry Potter” has since broadened their focus and changed their name. They are now [KidSPEAK!](http://www.kidspeakonline.org/) I still support them. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2002, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muggles-are-at-it-again/139086/36 "2002-11-28T19:00:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Steve Wright \* > \*\* > And I am very much concerned about those Protestants who follow such priests and accept their authority without question. You’re not supposed to do that! If God had wanted you to be a sheep, He would have made you one! Your soul and your salvation depend on _your_ relationship with God, not someone else’s! > > Protestantism. Learn it. Love it. Live it. \*\* Um, nitpick-these guys aren’t PRIESTS!!! Priests are Catholic, d’uh. Of course, they’re pretty evil, you know that whole, “Call no man Father…” ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2002, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muggles-are-at-it-again/139086/37 "2002-11-28T19:06:35Z")
No, I can assure you that ordained ministers, within the Church of England at least, are referred to as priests. (Among other things…) ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2002, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muggles-are-at-it-again/139086/38 "2002-11-29T00:39:08Z")
Protestant churches also have priests. Specifically the Church of England, also known as the Anglican church. The Catholic church and Anglican church were one until the time of King Henry VIII and his many wives. ---
**Author:** ![Siege](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Siege](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siege)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2002, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muggles-are-at-it-again/139086/39 "2002-11-30T16:39:36Z")
I just wanted to post an update. The friends who are moving to Maine forwarded my e-mail on this to friends who are in Maine, and Reverend Taylor has made a retraction. I was also told that becoming a Pentecostalist minister does require some years of training. By the way, among the people the e-mail was passed onto is a member of the Maine Interfaith council who is a former Presbyterian Minister with a Masters in Theology who is now a quite powerful Wiccan. They may be meeting with this fellow. I _love_ knowing interesting people, including you folks! Oh, **Doc Cathode** , with Christians like this, Judaism looks pretty good some days. Happy Hannukah! CJ ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2002, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muggles-are-at-it-again/139086/40 "2002-11-30T18:18:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cjhoworth \* > \*\*. Oh, **Doc Cathode** , with Christians like this, Judaism looks pretty good some days. \*\* #1-Judaism has its fair share of fundamentalist idiots. #2-It used to look a whole lot better, but since Sammy Davis passed away the overall fabulousness quotient has dropped. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muggles-are-at-it-again/139086.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muggles-are-at-it-again/139086.md?page=3)