Church plans Harry Potter book-burning

[BlueApple]

Church plans Harry Potter book-burning
ALAMOGORDO, New Mexico, (Reuters) -- A New Mexico church plans to burn Harry Potter books because they are "an abomination to God," the church pastor said Wednesday.

Pastor Jack Brock said he would have a "holy bonfire" on Sunday at the Christ Community Church in Alamogordo in southern New Mexico to torch books about the fictional teen-age wizard who's wildly popular with young people.

"These books encourage our youth to learn more about witches, warlocks and sorcerers, and those things are an abomination to God and to me," Brock, 74, told Reuters.

"Harry Potter books are going to destroy the lives of many young people."

The books, written by British author J.K. Rowling, have been runaway bestsellers and the first of a planned seven films, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," is currently a blockbuster hit.

Brock, who said his Christmas Eve sermon was titled "The Baby Jesus or Harry Potter?," described the book burning as part of an effort to encourage Christians to remove everything from their homes that prevents them from communicating with God.

The books have come under fire in a few United States communities for supposedly encouraging devilish thoughts among the young, but Rowling in an earlier statement issued by her publisher, Bloomsbury, has called the criticisms absurd.


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[Lars]

Book-burning reminds me of the history of my home country: Germany

 

[Red Dawn]

<< A New Mexico church plans to burn Harry Potter books because they are "an abomination to God," the church pastor said Wednesday. >>

He and those who think like him are an abomination to freedom loving individuals world wide. Sounds like my BIL Lumpy!

 

[ShotgunSteven]

How delightfully ignorant. :disgust:

 

[Electric Amish]

Hopefully they'll include the movie.

amish

 

[Dedpuhl]

Typical

 

[Elledan]

<< Book-burning reminds me of the history of my home country: Germany >>


Sad but true...

This pastor would fit just nicely in a strait-jacket.

 

[monk3y]

Really is pretty ridiculous. :|

 

[Moonbeam]

Extracted from another post:

"People just seem to need to band together in little groups or bigger groups and find something to assuage their own since of inferiority by feeling superior to. If it's not Harry Potter it's books or Blacks and a million other things. We are the good guys and the rest of you are suck. It's all about a swolen ego covering an inner hole."

 

[EXman]

<< Typical >>

Haha this comes from someone w/ ACLU in their sig! :Q Laughable! Need to throw them on the fire instead!

Too bad I guess they didn't see the movie it was good

 

[Ns1]

dude if i was the publisher of hte book i'd be more than happy

you have to buy the book before you can burn it!

 

[Ronstang]

For all you religious people out there; Never trust anyone or any institution that is afraid of free speech and the option for everyone to have access to all possible viewpoints. If your church feels this way about Harry Potter then you might want to rethink your affiliation with such an institution. If you agree with this position on Harry Potter then I feel very sorry for you and the insecurety you feel about your existance.

 

[DanFungus]

HAH!

either, they'd have to buy the books to burn them, or steal them, which since it's a church, they wouldn't steal. Anyways, if they buy the books, they'll give Harry Potter people more money, keeping it alive. What stupid morons...

 

[Juniper]

I wonder whether its only Harry Potter? How about series like Charmed?

 

[Elledan]

<< For all you religious people out there; Never trust anyone or any institution that is afraid of free speech and the option for everyone to have access to all possible viewpoints. If your church feels this way about Harry Potter then you might want to rethink your affiliation with such an institution. If you agree with this position on Harry Potter then I feel very sorry for you and the insecurety you feel about your existance. >>


These are wise words. Sadly not everyone is capable of comprehending this

 

[Dedpuhl]

<< Typical >>

Haha this comes from someone w/ ACLU in their sig! Laughable! Need to throw them on the fire instead!



WTF does the ACLU have to do with a church doing what it does best?

 

[Azraele]

<< How delightfully ignorant. :disgust: >>



I second that.

 

[Texmaster]

<< How delightfully ignorant. :disgust: >>



Its EXTREMELY ignorant to burn books, esepcailly based on magic which uses the imagination. (Harry Potter rocks)

But it is just as ignorant to lump all Christians in the same catagory as these wakos like MANY do here on this board.

 

[LordMaul]

As a Christian, I think these people are, IMHO...stupid. 'Da hell's the point? I, personally, hate Harry Potter because it is, to me, one of the most annoying things to come out of the 21st century. But to say it is going to ruin the lives of some people in the future, is stupid.

Why must we come up with stupid, annoying, rediculous ideas and books to get children to read...Why, in my da...err...never mind...

 

[Nitemare]

I bet if you were to go there and start tossing some bibles in, they would forget the "love thy neighbor" part in the bible...


hehehe...are they getting these books for free or are they purchasing them and making the author richer and helping to keep them on the best-sellers list... what stupid dumb@$$es.

 

[Optimus]

Whew - I'm glad my church tells us to decide for ourselves about stuff like this, because I really like the Harry Potter Books and the movie.



<< If your church feels this way about Harry Potter then you might want to rethink your affiliation with such an institution. >>


I agree.



<< But it is just as ignorant to lump all Christians in the same catagory as these wakos like MANY do here on this board. >>


I agree again.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

The church believes that Harry Potter books are a slightly changed book of wicca or witchcraft. If you read the first book, then the first chapter of the wiccan bible, then the second book and the second chapter, then the third book and the third chapter... etc., you'll find "interesting" similarities. And, since witchcraft is something that the church strongly disagrees with, they chose to burn the books.

Even though I don't agree with the book burning, I still say: Get over it. They aren't stepping on your rights or breaking any laws. Let them do what they want.

Nik

 

[Red Dawn]

<< Why must we come up with stupid, annoying, rediculous ideas and books to get children to read...Why, in my da...err...never mind... >>

I've never read any Harry Potter Books so I couldn't say if they were stupid or not. Have you read any Lord Maul?



<< But it is just as ignorant to lump all Christians in the same catagory as these wakos like MANY do here on this board. >>

So true. Most Christians who have the ability to think and reason for themselves would never buy in to the complete Bullsh!t these types of Religious Wackos preach. Since most Americans are Christian it's a relief to know that they aren't mindless sheep like this guys congregation is.



<< The church believes that Harry Potter books are a slightly changed book of wicca or witchcraft. If you read the first book, then the first chapter of the wiccan bible, then the second book and the second chapter, then the third book and the third chapter... etc., you'll find "interesting" similarities. And, since witchcraft is something that the church strongly disagrees with, they chose to burn the books. >>



So what's the point of burning it? All they are doing is showing what extremists and paraniod drones they are.

 

[ShotgunSteven]

<< The church believes that Harry Potter books are a slightly changed book of wicca or witchcraft. If you read the first book, then the first chapter of the wiccan bible, then the second book and the second chapter, then the third book and the third chapter... etc., you'll find "interesting" similarities. And, since witchcraft is something that the church strongly disagrees with, they chose to burn the books.

Even though I don't agree with the book burning, I still say: Get over it. They aren't stepping on your rights or breaking any laws. Let them do what they want.

Nik >>



Similarities between Harry Potter and the Wiccan Bible? What church figure came up with this BS?

 

[jkersenbr]

If members of this church wish to burn books, they are free to do so. They are not forcing anyone else to do so, nor should anyone force them not to. This is America, it is supposed to be a free country. Part of freedom is being free to do something determined by others to be stupid.

Unfortunately, this chruch's effort amounts to symbolism over substance. Modern American society primarily thinks in terms of dollars. The books have still been purchased and the maketing machine fed. It would only prove something if the books had never been purchased in the first place.