(no subject)

[tree_and_leaf]

OK, I'm preaching to the choir here, but I really am struggling to believe this article about a depressingly stupid court case.

I really would like to shake this woman. The paragraph which really made my head hit the desk was this one.

Mallory said she has been contacted by other Christian parents who were concerned about the content of the books. On her complaint form, she suggested they be replaced by C.S. Lewis’s “Chronicles of Narnia” series or Tim LaHaye’s “Left Behind: the Kids” series.
She admitted that she has not read the book series partially because “they’re really very long and I have four kids.”
“I’ve put a lot of work into what I’ve studied and read. I think it would be hypocritical for me to read all the books, honestly. I don’t agree with what’s in them. I don’t have to read an entire pornographic magazine to know it’s obscene,” Mallory said.

OK: now even if I were, say, a really hardline member of the Inquisition and approved of burning books or banning them from schools (which, just to clarify anyone who's in doubt, I'm not ;-) ), I would be far keener on conveying Tim LaHaye to the nearest bonfire than Harry Potter. I would bet my AHRC funding that "Left Behind" contains far more heresy and unchristian sentiment than Harry Potter. In fact, I can't think of any anti-Christian passages in Harry Potter. And if the issue is that there are no school prayers or other overt expressions of Christian religious practice - er, I think I must have missed those bits in the Chronicles...

I haven't got a Lewis icon (remiss of me!) but I'm sure that JRR Tolkien, even though he didn't think all that much of Narnia, would like to express his sympathy at his friend being dragged into such dirty and stupid company.

Comments

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

I'll go one step further - I haven't read more than a chapter of the LaHaye books (and pur-lease - what kind of blatantly made-up name is LaHaye?) because they were so very put-downable, preachy and smug. But if I had a choice of banning them or HP for warping fragile little minds, I'd go for the Left Behind books every time.

Have you read "Good Omens"? If so, you will no doubt remember Aziraphale on the subject of the Rapture - which really says it all.

[a-t-rain.livejournal.com]

“I think the anti-Christian bias — it’s just got to stop,” Mallory said.

:: smacks forehead :: I am so heartily sick of the fundies doing their "we're a poor, fragile, discriminated-against minority under siege" act whenever the public schools don't knuckle under to their totally unreasonable demands. They cry bias if the system doesn't cater to their every whim.

These are the same people whose kids come to college convinced that the Evil Liberal Professors are trying to brainwash them (as if it would take -- if I had the capacity to brainwash students, I'd use it to brainwash them into writing proper English, which is a hell of a lot likelier to make my life easier than brainwashing them to share my political views).

[gramarye1971]

if I had the capacity to brainwash students, I'd use it to brainwash them into writing proper English, which is a hell of a lot likelier to make my life easier than brainwashing them to share my political views

...marry me? ^_^

[a-t-rain.livejournal.com]

Of course, m'dear! (And heey, another William & Mary person -- I'm class of '98.)

[tree_and_leaf]

It particulalry annoyed me, as I know Christian people (from East Germany) who did have to deal with being more or less under siege from the government. The fundies don't know they are born - and the 'Oh my God, I'm a martyr' an insult to people of whatever religion or political persuasion who do suffer for their beliefs. There is a difference between martyrdom and not getting your own way constantly, otherwise we'd have to canonise Malfoy and Dudley!

[harriet-wimsey.livejournal.com]

As someone from Kansas (which has had a lot of these sort of problems lately) and an evangelical Christian, I agree wholeheartedly. The objection, of course, is that they're witches, but that's hardly unique to Potter, and the only sort of "calling up evil spirits" stuff that they're imagining would be the blood magic and such known as the Dark Arts which earns you life in prison and the loss of your soul. I'd say the wizarding world objects to it, too!

[mrs-wolf.livejournal.com]

I actually first read the Harry Potter books as an evangelical (no longer adhere to anything I want to talk about) to prove they were evil. And promptly fell in love with him.

They haven't read them. That's all there is to it. Because they're afraid they'll be tainted or something.

[mrs-wolf.livejournal.com]

I heartily agree. I'm so sick - and I'm talking about all races and cultures and religions here - of having to watch what I say because it might be "biased."

I was once told I was anti-Semitic for fuck's sake (for being pro-Palestinian, which is a whole other bottle of worms).

In high school we had to watch a documentary about Huckleberry Finn because it had a "prejudiced theme." It makes me wonder if any of the complainers had any clue who Mark Twain was. I mean, he was so not prejudiced. In some schools they've even taken him off the curriculum, but I'm sure you know this.

[themolesmother.livejournal.com]

*Sighs deeply*

Depressing, isn't it?

The most depressing bit is the one where they always say, "... of course I haven't actually read the book ..."

MM

[tree_and_leaf]

"What do they teach them in these schools?"

Apparently not logic, or even reading....

[gramarye1971]

There are times I can't decide who I dislike more -- people who bash Harry Potter because the books are supposed to promote witchcraft and are 'anti-Christian', or people who bash C.S. Lewis because the Narnia Chronicles are considered to be misogynistic/racist/Anglocentric.

And the comparison to a porn magazine makes me choke with rage.

I feel sorry for that woman's children.

[tree_and_leaf]

There are times I can't decide who I dislike more -- people who bash Harry Potter because the books are supposed to promote witchcraft and are 'anti-Christian', or people who bash C.S. Lewis because the Narnia Chronicles are considered to be misogynistic/racist/Anglocentric.


I know - very tough, isn't it? I think I take the 'HP is teh ebol 111!111' people more personally, though, as they're also making my religion look like the refuge of small minded idiots...

And the comparison to a porn magazine makes me choke with rage.

I feel sorry for that woman's children.

Agreed absolutely, on both counts.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

But can’t I remember cases of parents trying to ban the Narnia books as promoting witchcraft? In fact I’m sure I can.

To try and see a silver lining, depressing as it is when one thinks of the children, it’s something of an honour for the writer to cause such upset; these people deserve to be shaken a little, and you’ve done it! Other than having people write NC-17 fanfic about my if-only-I-could-get-round-to-writing-them children’s books, my goal in life is to be banned by at least one American school board.