Belly sin...

[General Woundwort]

I have tried to avoid posting on this thread, but I can't hold back any longer...

I am aware of this website - I first encountered it when the first LOTR film came out. (In their criticism, they actually counted how many times Gandalf cast a spell, so they could properly condemn his sorcery.) I frankly find this sort of extreme nitpicking embarassing. It's also illogical. First, given their standards NOTHING would be watchable - I often wonder, 'what would they consider acceptable'? Second, according to their own standards as applied to movies, the Bible itself would be unacceptable (it's full of murders, rapes, mass combat). Third, this sort of massive fingerpointing at non-Christians misses the point of the Christian faith entirely. I seem to recall Christ saying something about removing a plank in one's own eye before going speck-hunting in others'...

Thus endeth the sermon.

[Erax]

Just my off-topic 0.02 :

- I'll consider PC as more than a joke when Marvel and DC rename their characters to 'X-People', 'Spider-person', 'Superperson' and 'Batperson'.

- The following conversation actually happened (although the original references were different) :
Fundamentalist mother - "I don't want my son to read the Harry Potter books because he might want to become a witch."
Schoolteacher - "By your logic, then, if he reads Hans Christian Andersen, he might want to become a mermaid ?"

[Loser]

Originally posted by dogscoff:

I was first introduced to capalert by a fantastic website called www.ntk.net, which i read every week.

Oh yeah, Need To Know is a must read.

[ September 12, 2003, 12:23: Message edited by: Loser ]

[geoschmo]

Originally posted by Erax:
Fundamentalist mother - blah blah blah
Schoolteacher - blah blah blah

While I agree that the reaction of some religous types is way over the top regarding Harry Potter, this hypothetical teachers logic isn't exactly sound either. If your child wanted to become a mermaid after reading H.C.A. no matter how hard they tried they could never be a mermaid. On the other hand it is entirely possible that an inquisitive child wanting to find out more about witchcraft could find some more detailed sources on the subject and could potentially get into some very serious, and very bad stuff. There is a significant difference between fantasy and the occult. Even if you believe that "serious" occultism is all a bunch of superstitious garbage, there are some very odd people that take it very seriously. Probably not the kind of people you want your kids hanging around.

[ September 12, 2003, 12:53: Message edited by: geoschmo ]

[General Woundwort]

Originally posted by geoschmo:
If your child wanted to become a mermaid after reading H.C.A. no matter how hard they tried they could never be a mermaid. On the other hand it is entirely possible that an inquisitive child wanting to find out more about witchcraft could find some more detailed sources on the subject and could potentially get into some very serious, and very bad stuff. There is a significant difference between fantasy and the occult. Even if you believe that "serious" occultism is all a bunch of superstitious garbage, there are some very odd people that take it very seriously. Probably not the kind of people you want your kids hanging around.

Then again, how many people have really become Satanists by reading Tolkien or Rawlings?

[geoschmo]

Originally posted by General Woundwort:
Then again, how many people have really become Satanists by reading Tolkien or Rawlings?

Well none if you believe like I do that simply reading a book or watching a show makes you into something. And it's not at all what I said anyway so I am not sure why you quoted me GW.

But what you read does have an influence on you. Everyone of us is the sum of all our experiences after all. And it's not totally irrational for parents to be concerned about what their children read. But there are better ways to guide your child then banning books. Perhaps *gasp* read the book with your child and use it as a lesson in the differences between fantasy and reality. But that's more work.

[ September 12, 2003, 13:51: Message edited by: geoschmo ]

[Loser]

[this post is not serious]

But is the solution to this 'occult threat' vilification? I don't think so. I also don't think the solution is to teach the children to regard it as fantastic or utterly harmless dallying.

If something is to be done about it, it must be Education. Teach your children what is, and is not, possible, why some people think they possess powers beyond those of normal humans and what kind of trouble they can get in.

Teach them what role 'magic' and superstition play in human culture, and how different these roles are from those portrayed in fantasy settings. Tech them the nature of fiction and escapism.

Of course, if you've already taught you kids that there is a Santa Claus, you might have some credibility issues on the subject of magic, either way you take it.