To those who have a problem with the themes and values in the Harry Potter

[blondeatlast]

books, be they the pope, the religiously insane, whoever:

Good luck.

Idiots.

[Mojambo]

1. My only objection is that the formula got old

I read the first two, they were fun.

But it really feels played now.

[tigereye]

8. they actually get better and more complex as you go -

thematically and character wise. You might want to read the rest. JMO

[Mojambo]

10. Well, I got half way through the third

and I wasn't feeling it.

I might try again years from now after Rowling has finished squeezing money out of this.

[tigereye]

21. oddly enough

I am glad to see her fabulously wealthy.... to a good end. :shrug:

[Mojambo]

22. Well I don't exactly begrudge her the wealth

But there always comes a point in an artist's life when it becomes an overriding factor in their creative drive.

I've seen Rowling approach that point, but it's no big deal, that's how these things work.

[tjdee]

24. The third was a mess.

And I'm just going by the film. I don't even know how she'd do that in novel form, LOL.

But I too am enjoying the Harry Potter thing now. Got on the bandwagon very, very late, and only watch the films. And I fell asleep on the second, and the third's climaxy stuff was so convoluted I wanted to hurt someone.... but I still like Harry!

[tigereye]

25. books have much more to say than the films

I really liked the 3rd film ( yeah there is a lot jammed in there at the end) But that's how she does end her books.... bam, bam, bam, bam. Actually in book 5 it's quite powerful and exciting.

The guy who directed the third one, Cuaron, made Y Tu Mama Tambien, and I thought he really captured the adolescent spirit and some of the poignancy of the books.

[tjdee]

26. Oh, certainly.

I was liking the third better than the first up until round the middle.

The fourth looks good as well--I think the films are two behind the books, yes?

[proud2BlibKansan]

36. The 4th book has been the best so far, IMO

I can't wait for that movie to come out.

[Kerrytravelers]

2. Anyone who has read the Potter books can tell you, it is good vs. evil.

They have a Defense AGAINST the Drak Arts teacher... AGAINST! What don't these people understand?

[blondeatlast]

3. Aaaah, but you see, they DON'T read them. I work in a library, in the

Collection Development office, where we get the "requests for reconsideration."

There is a formal, but simple protocol for registering an objection. One thing that we ask on the form is "Have you read/watched/listened to the material in question?"

You'd be astonished at how often the answer is no--even though they ALWAYS know the page numbers of the "objectionabl" material.

We laugh quietly, and send them a polite letter, mostly.

[hyphenate]

7. What's funny

is my best friend, who as many already know (I talk about her often enough! lol!) is a fundie. She has enjoyed going to the HP movies so far, especially with her two grandkids (11 and 14), but hasn't read the books as a result of her (relatively) new found beliefs. However, a couple of weeks ago, we were talking about the new book, and she said she'd like to read them sometime. Either her mind is finally (re)expanding, or she wants to understand them better to fully condemn them, which is unlikely as she enjoys the movies too much!

[Kerrytravelers]

15. So, let me get this straight.

She will watch the movies... taking children with her. But, because of her faith, won't read the books... the very same books the movies are based on?

And this is the logic we're trying to understand. Clearly, a * voter.

[hyphenate]

16. Exactly.

She definitely voted for the asshole, but I think she's finally seen the light. She now refers to him as the Chimp. She still reads massive sections of the bible every day, and has had a tattoo on her neck with the word "adhonai" (or something like that) which is another word for JC. I love her dearly, but I have to shake my head about her fanaticism. She pretty much feels the same way about my (lack of) beliefs--she said she's got me on Pat Robertson's prayer list. (HELP!!)

[hfojvt]

17. adonai is Hebrew, from the Old Testament

means "my Lord" mostly referring to God the Father, rather than God the Son.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01146a.htm

[hyphenate]

18. Ah! Thank you

my mistake. Tells how much I've paid attention to religious stuff.

[Kerrytravelers]

30. Thank goodness she's seeing the light.

My grandmother, God rest her soul, read the Bible everyday. She actually read it all the way through approximately 25 times--- all on a 4th grade education. And, she said, it was this understanding of what Jesus taught (even if you don't beleive he was a messiah, he did have some good thoughts on loving one another and serving the poor)that made her a very strong Democrat through and through.:) We're not all wacked out fundies (teeheehee) just a very large number of "christians." :P

[rateyes]

33. Yeah, I loved Dean's line...

I'm a Democrat because I'm a Christian. Must have driven the fundies absolutely nuts.

[Kerrytravelers]

31. P.S.

I'll pray for you for being on pat robertson's prayer list! :P

(just kidding!)

[rateyes]

34. Let me tell you...

Pat Robertson can really pray...I mean he prayed a hurricane away from Virginia Beach so it wouldn't wreck his TV studios...only problem, it hit NY, and some people died! What a jerk he is to think that God actually steered that hurricane away from him and into others.

[Kerrytravelers]

39. The man is sub-human... at best.

He isn't a real good representative of "christian moral values." My grandmother, on the other had, she was a true saint on this earth.

I swear, she was like Cinderella. Little animals rushed to her side whenever she went outside. I felt like I was in a freaking Disney cartoon. Birds landed on her shoulder... squirrels at her feet. I expected Zip-a-dee-doo-dah any second.


No kidding!

[ikojo]

14. Well, since they serve the Dark Side, they don't

want people getting any ideas of teaching defense against the Dark Side.

[proud2BlibKansan]

37. I wonder if these same kind of ignoramuses

objected to Wizard of Oz?? It's about witchcraft too.

[ghostsofgiants]

4. My only objection is that they're lame

And I stand by that.

[blondeatlast]

6. Start your own thread then. No flames here, please!

:hi:

[ghostsofgiants]

9. Not flaming

Just stating my opinion regarding the books.

[skygazer]

5. I like the fact that they encourage kids to read

It seems that a lot of kids who didn't read much before are reading more because of them.

I found them lame and formulaic, myself but that's merely my opinion. Personally, I approve of anything that encourages reading and that includes comic books.

[greeneyedpookie]

11. I agree!

My daughter is 7, going on 8 here in less than a month and is reading them. Slowly, but she is reading them. She also loves the movies and cannot wait (along with grandparents, dad & I) for the 4th movie!!

GEP

:bounce:

On Edit: PS: cannot wait until I get the mail on the 16th!!!!

[liontamer]

28. have you read the fourth one?

While I think the first three are really cute. The fourth one turned me into an addict. It was reading the fourth one that made me go back and read the books one and two in the first place(had previously just seen the movie)

[proud2BlibKansan]

38. Yes, that is the best thing about them

And they really are the best kids' books to come out in the last ten years. Lame or not, they rise to the top of the crop. If you don't believe me, read one of those Lemony Snicket books. They are truly lame.

[Telly Savalas]

12. Is the Pope really anti-Potter?

I saw a thread about that in GD this morning, but the source cited was Drudge, whose webpage is less reliable than the writings on the wall of a bathroom stall. Have any credible sources confirmed the Papal Mugglecy?

[deadparrot]

23. link...

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/jul/05071301.html

[caty]

13. I see a lot of myself in the Harry Potter books.

I try to keep learning. I try to be kind to others. I try to take care of those I care about. And, I always use my magic for good and not for evil.:dilemma:

[Not_Giving_Up]

19. My fundie parents think it's awful that

my son loves the books and movies. They do however, appreciate that he'd read them all by age 10, and that's quite an accomplishment.

[elshiva]

20. Actually, as an Episcopalian, I have no problem with this...

Potter is just an English/Anglican schoolboy put through fanasty moves. My church always used Lewis' Narnia series to teach about Christ.
There have been Christian defenses of these books, which have tried to say that most mainline Christians are fine with these books because they are really about friendship and life at school...

[Shell Beau]

27. I am a fellow Episcopalian!

[liontamer]

29. me three(episcopalian)

and huge c.s. lewis fan. I read the narnia books as a kid. Then I read more of his work in high school and discovered that he was very religious. I often wondered how he wrote seven books with no religious themes... and then I happened to reread the narnia books when I was about 19. :dunce: I can't believe I missed pretty much the entire point of the series.

[terrya]

32. One would think that with all of the real problems in the world...

hunger, homelessness, poverty, disease, famine, war...that the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church would spend more time dealing with THOSE serious problems than spending time worrying about some fucking book.

[rateyes]

35. One would think.... eom