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Originally Posted by The Saucepan Man
Given that this is the case, why is it not possible for people who have strong religious convictions to (willingly) suspend their belief and accept a fictional fantasy world (which is what Harry Potter's world is, despite its apparent setting in modern day Britain) in which God does not take centre stage, just as I willingly suspend my belief when I read LotR and accept the existence of Eru in Middle-earth? Really, it is not going to bring the world crumbling down around them and turn all their children to Satan. Take it from me as someone who has led a largely areligious (although most certainly not amoral) life.  |
Note tongue in cheek -->
Coming from that "religious" place across the pond, I would say that one argument for the ban regarding the Potter series is that the fight against evil must be fought not only on the big battlegrounds but also in the back alleys, in the nurseries, the schools - pretty much everywhere - as the eternal destiny of the children is at stake, and what parent would like to see their child go to hell? That Devil is sneaky, and he does not sleep, and it's books today about witchcraft and tomorrow it's gonna be public demon worship...
Rowling, obviously an agent of Satan, has used the gifts given to her by the Dark One to create a book series that is popular with children. Satan, knowing that younger children are more impressionable and, being rather impatient, did not want to wait until these kids were seduced by rock and roll (an old staple of the going to hell crowd) later in their teenaged years. These books glorify occultism and witchcraft, for gosh sakes! And the fact that Hollywood has gotten behind the books is prima facie evidence of satanic involvement.
Here is one sad tale of what can happen.
Note that I believe none of the above, and also mean to insult no one's beliefs.
Is it that Potter is the latest boogeyman for (primarily) Christians who (1) have little better to do, (2) require an enemy for something *to* do, (3) see the Devil in lots of things (like a evil being Rorschach's test?), (4) know little to nothing about what their religion actually says, and (5) are more energized and exciting about fighting the Devil in the pages of Rowling than fighting the 'demons' that exist in their souls?
For those of you old enough to remember, there was even a similar outrage regarding the movie "E.T." (which I will never watch). One prominent (at that time) Christian stated that Hollywood was trying to make us 'like' and accept ugly little ET-like toady thingies as this would allow for an easier acceptance of demons (who, as we all know, are also ugly as all evil things are...). And he was serious!
Sometimes I'm not sure whether to laugh or to cry.