Silly Christofacsists on CNN burning Harry Potter books

[Kieran McConville]

This whole thread is ridiculous but at least it allowed avsgirl to expound a little on what makes Lord of the Rings such a vast piece of work, and that's always good to see.

As for the rest of the thread, um yeah.

 

[cardosino]

I bought 2 copies, one for each of my older 2 kids, they've been up half the night reading them. People wanna burn them ? Let 'em. They have the right/freedom to do so, stupid as it may seem to you or I that people would buy records/CD's/books for the express purpose of burning them, so be it.

 

[cardosino]

Because they are mentally deranged and mentally deranged people don't do well with logic.

I have a child who suffers from a TRUE mental disorder, these people are not mentally deranged, please, DO go educate yourself on such matters before inserting foot in mouth.

They are expressing an opinion/belief. Substitute "American Flag" for Harry Potter book" and you'd be defending their right to freedom of expression. There's a word for that.....

 

[VertigoGal]

But the Nazis burned the books written by Jews, communists and other "degenerate" authors. They did it in 1933, long before exterminations began. To those of us who study history and politics, you can't help but raise an eyebrow--its our job--and wonder what would happen if they had the support of the majority. I am NOT saying they would start killing people, I'm only wondering what else in literature, music, whatever, they would find evil. It wasn't that long ago some other yahoo wanted to ban works with homoerotic themes or imagery. Of course the comparison must be made, because when does "opinion" stop?

exactly. it's not only the act of book-burning, but everything that it represents. and they know damn well what it means. the term "book-burning" has very strong connotations, and they're not good. and these people know that. they may not be deranged, but they're pretty deluded. I would never, never burn a book, no matter what it said. that's the worst kind of ignorance.

 

[cardosino]

exactly. it's not only the act of book-burning, but everything that it represents. and they know damn well what it means. the term "book-burning" has very strong connotations, and they're not good. and these people know that. they may not be deranged, but they're pretty deluded. I would never, never burn a book, no matter what it said. that's the worst kind of ignorance.

I'm not defending it, I bought 2 copies of it myself as my 2 older kids were so anxious and neither of them wanted to wait for the other to finish it, but if we have the freedom to publish whatever we want pretty much, then we shouldn't be limiting the freedoms of those who want to express opinioins on what i spublished either. If that expression is by burning them in a manner which is not a public safety threat, stupid as it may seem to you or I, they should be allowed to do so.

Giving these people more publicity only adds to sales, so perhaps we can all take satisfaction in their counter-productive methods ?

 

[VertigoGal]

oh, I know. I'm not saying it should be made illegal. but my opinion of book-burners is very low, and I think it goes way beyond expressing your opinion in a constructive manner.

 

[melon]

I think it's amusing. We hate book burning, but liberals will defend the rights of people to do it anyway. We hate flag burning, but conservatives want to create a constitutional amendment to ban it, because if they hate something, then everyone must hate it too.

I find the subtle behavioral differences between liberals and conservatives to be quite interesting.

Melon

 

[BVS]

The Bible says to stay away from sorcery and witchcraft. These people are taking a stand for their beliefs. You call them mentally deranged for that?

Where's the tolerance, BVS?

Did the Bible say stay away from fantasy? Should we ban Star Wars they have the force? Should we stand up against The Wizard of Oz, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, etc? THEY'RE STORIES!!!

Where's the logic 80's?

 

[financeguy]

This whole thread is ridiculous but at least it allowed avsgirl to expound a little on what makes Lord of the Rings such a vast piece of work, and that's always good to see.

As for the rest of the thread, um yeah.

So why bother responding?

 

[melon]

If C.S. Lewis wrote the Harry Potter books, word for word, I'd guarantee that Christians would suddenly love them.

The fact is that C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien are perceived to be in "their club," whereas J.K. Rowling is not, even though she has said repeatedly that she is Christian herself.

It's quite illogical, but whatever. I'm used to this kind of behavior from the Christian Taliban.

Melon

 

[financeguy]

Re: Re: Silly Christofacsists on CNN burning Harry Potter books

Tolkein was a Christian, and his books were largely allegorically Christian in nature.

Precisely. You've hit the nail on the head.

Writers seen as Christian are allowed freedom of expression. Writers not seen as Christian are seemingly not.

That is what the issue is about at its core, it is about attempts by the Christian Taliban, as Melon rightly called them, to suppress freedom of expression and intimidate people.

 

[financeguy]

So, by burning books, these people are trying to force Christ on people?

Very definitely, yes. They are trying to intimidate people into not reading books they don't approve of.

And for those who say comparisons to Nazism are over the top - well, the Nazis started off as a fringe movement too!

Now I'm off to burn a few Bibles and Korans on live TV, I assume 80sU2isBest will be joining me, given his much vaunted commitment to freedom of expression.

 

[BVS]

I have a child who suffers from a TRUE mental disorder, these people are not mentally deranged, please, DO go educate yourself on such matters before inserting foot in mouth.

They are expressing an opinion/belief. Substitute "American Flag" for Harry Potter book" and you'd be defending their right to freedom of expression. There's a word for that.....

That's rich coming from you, someone who generalized a whole country as violent people.

I completely defend their right to do burn the books. Where and when did I say I don't think they have the right to do this?

deranged - To upset the normal condition or functioning of.

People who grew up watching Wizard of Oz, reading Sleeping Beauty, taking their kids to see Star Wars and not see the same themes and devices in these and don't realize they are fantasies are not functioning on a normal condition. These parents somehow feel they're child will be sucked into evil from reading a child's book of fantasy? Maybe they fear their own parenting if that's all it takes.

But hey that have every right, but yes I stand by the fact that they are not functioning on a normal adult logic.

 

[80sU2isBest]

Very definitely, yes. They are trying to intimidate people into not reading books they don't approve of.

No, they are not. They are expressing their feelings toward the books themselves.

And for those who say comparisons to Nazism are over the top - well, the Nazis started off as a fringe movement too!

Hitler's plan from the very start was to install a master race, and the Jews had to go. He didn't start out immediately by throwing them in concentration camps and executing them, but that's because he wanted to get people used to the idea of treating the Jews as second class people. Make no mistake; his plan form teh beginning was the advancement of the Aryan race to the detriment and genocide of the Jews.

Do you see any of that in this book-burning?

Now I'm off to burn a few Bibles and Korans on live TV, I assume 80sU2isBest will be joining me, given his much vaunted commitment to freedom of expression.

Good point, FG...

NOT.

I nerver said I would join with anyone in any protest. I said people have a right to protest.

 

[verte76]

I think these people have the right to protest. If they think Harry Potter is demonic or whatever, I think they're nuts, but I also think they have the right to said nutty opinions. After all, I also think the Ku Klux Klan has freedom of speech rights, as much as I detest their ideas.

 

[80sU2isBest]

I think these people have the right to protest. If they think Harry Potter is demonic or whatever, I think they're nuts, but I also think they have the right to said nutty opinions. After all, I also think the Ku Klux Klan has freedom of speech rights, as much as I detest their ideas.

I know that you are not comparing these people to the KKK. I do know that. But I only know that based on who I think you are form your other posts.

However, I think you should be careful when mentioning the KKK in the same breath with the book burners, as it might be natural to assume that you were making a comparison.

 

[financeguy]

I know that you are note comparing these people to the KKK. I do know that. But I only know that based on who I think you are form your other posts.

However, I think you should be careful when mentioning the KKK in the same breath with the book burners, as it might be natural to assume that you were making a comparison.

Such a comparison would be appropriate.

The KKK want to stir up hatred against blacks, while the bookburners want to stir up hatred against Pagans.

I see no essential difference.

 

[Irvine511]

i dunno ... i think the image of people tossing Harry Potter books onto an open fire is so hilarious that they've pretty much indicted themselves as simple-minded and paranoid and really not worthy of this much discussion. of course they have the right to burn HP books, just as black ministers have the right to smash violent and obscene rap/hip-hop CDs.

and they all make asses out of themselves. let them continue to do so. especially as we've finally seen some good news in education -- our elementary school kids have made dramatic strides in reading in recent years. and i'd say that's much to do with Harry Potter.

but i assume those who burn HP books probably aren't all that into reading in the first place. or at least reading things that might *gasp* not be fully in accordance with their worldview!!!

it amazes me when people attack pieces of fiction -- and i have the same reaction when GLAAD went after Eminem. it's all embarassingly patronizing to the people such groups are saying they are trying to protect. in works of fiction, characters make decisions. they sometimes make decisions that you or i would never ourselves make. but, if the work of fiction is done well, you follow the characters through their decision making processes and understand that life is complicated, and that there's more than one way to do things, and that bad people sometimes do good things and that good people sometimes do bad things and that no one is either all good or all bad and that the point of fiction is not to instill morals and values but to give us a mirror so that we might examine our own morals and values and come to question them. perhaps our morals and values are reaffirmed, perhaps they are challenged, but the important thing is to get people to THINK about how they live and why they live that way, and about how to think about the ways in which we have been taught to think.

but such a process is no match for the adrenaline rush of tossing a book onto a fire. garrrrh!

morons.

 

[80sU2isBest]

Such a comparison would be appropriate.

The KKK want to stir up hatred against blacks, while the bookburners want to stir up hatred against Pagans.

I see no essential difference.

This book burning has nothing to do with "stirring up hatred against pagans". The people burning this book are doing so because they believe the books promote sorcery and witchcraft. They are taking a stand against that and are showing people what they think.

It's simply a form of protest, and that's it. When people were protesting the Vietnam war, do you think they were trying to stir up hatred against the soldiers? No, they were trying to stop what they felt was an unjust war.

The KKK were infamous for burning crosses on people's yards, but that was the least of the damge they did; they dragged blacks out of their homes and off the street to lynch and murder them. Bookburnings pale in comparison to that.

 

[BVS]

No, they are not. They are expressing their feelings toward the books themselves.

Throughout history book burning was not just a sign of protest but more of a means to actually rid the society of these books. Now of course these people can't actually do this, but it's a symbolic way to rid society of this book.

So I do believe this to be out of fear.

 

[VertigoGal]

Throughout history book burning was not just a sign of protest but more of a means to actually rid the society of these books. Now of course these people can't actually do this, but it's a symbolic way to rid society of this book.

So I do believe this to be out of fear.

Yeah, there's a reason they're burning the books, not ceremoniously chucking them in a dumpster or scribbling on them with Magic Markers.

I wonder if they know how stupid they look. Idiots.

 

[MadelynIris]

it amazes me when people attack pieces of fiction

Like the Turner Diaries...

 

[Irvine511]

Like the Turner Diaries...

that was more of a how-to book. especially the whole flying-the-airplane-with-the-bomb-into-the-pentagon part.

it is and should be legal to publish crap lke that. though i think it would be better to attack it's total lack of any and all literary merit rather than the crap it's pushing.

so, anyway, did you have a point you were trying to make? or did you just want to bring out a very, very extreme piece of writing and somehow make the comparison that people who react negatively to a book about the White Supremecist overthrow of the Zionist governmend and their black henchmen are every bit as credible as people who burn Harry Potter books?

 

[BVS]

Like the Turner Diaries...

Yeah that's a great comparison.

 

[melon]

I hope those who defend burning books also defend burning flags.

Melon

 

[MadelynIris]

especially the whole flying-the-airplane-with-the-bomb-into-the-pentagon part

I think Tom Clancy invented that first.

 

[MadelynIris]

No, I'm just saying it isn't that big of a freakin deal that some people burn stuff in protest. Very few people I might add. It's just not that big of a deal.

Yes, if they were at a Harry Potter convention and were burning the books and had megaphones, and stuff making all the kids cry - maybe that's a bigger deal, but still doesn't merit you guys calling them nazi's. lol

Same with burning flags at a war veteran convention - maybe a bigger deal, but not that big of a deal.

 

[MadelynIris]

christofacists....

 

[Diemen]

The people burning this book are doing so because they believe the books promote sorcery and witchcraft.

Then quite simply these peoples' belief is wrong in this case. Harry Potter no more promotes sorcery and witchcraft than Star Wars "promotes" using the force or The Lord of the Rings "promotes" fighting the undead.

It is a work of fantasy and fiction whose central theme is the fight between good and evil. You would think Christians wouldn't be so upset at that.

 

[cardosino]

I hope those who defend burning books also defend burning flags.

Melon

I'll defend both. Consistency is a great thing. Burn a flag, flush a Koran, burn Harry Potter.......