29 replies to this topic

[Willow]

W-B church putting Potter into its lessons

Unity Church in Wilkes-Barre will be using characters from the books to teach about spirituality.


WILKES-BARRE – While some clergy have scorned the wildly popular Harry Potter children’s book series, claiming it promotes the occult, at least one local pastor is using the characters to help children find spirituality.

Unity Church will present a series of 12 lessons through the program “Harry Potter and the 12 Spiritual Powers” at its regular and children’s services beginning Sunday, said the Rev. Ann Acacio, the church’s pastor.

Unity minister Joy Wyler developed the program to capture children’s attention by using the popular literary characters.

Story

[mellilotflower]

apart from the odd inaccuracies of the story (stating that JKR has written 6 best sellers then quoting the fifth as the last) I'm darn glad that people are finally looking behind the "magic" and the superficial face of Harry Potter and seeing the good characters and essentially good mesage behind the books. I'm fed up with reading about religious people who see the books as nothing more than examples of witch craft when to their is so much good and vitue present in those books.

[aloha_spirit]

Interesting that a virtue was associated with Lord Voldemort.

[mellilotflower]

All virtues can be turned to evil- is courage not a virtue? What happens when someone is courageous enough to kill a person? The only thing that is inherently good in itself is the good will- and Lord Voldemort, it could be argued, even had that (once).
If their characters are explored thoroughly during a book, as Voldemort's is in the Harry Potter series, it is inevitable that they are shown as virtuous in some way or another, or as having been virtuous. A character born evil, remaining evil and dieing evil is a little uninteresting.

[blkadr]

Voldemort nailed his playmate's bunny to the rafters in the orphenage, if I remember right. He was never good, but he is always interesting.

As for Harry being a Satanist... please, its just a book! Just because you live your lives according to a fictional Book doesn't mean that no one should enjoy some great Intentional Fiction.

Hooray for Unity Church (I haven't read the entire story). The 12 spiritual powers freak me out though. I really need to check that out... but I think its progress.

Pope Benedict says that Harry Potter is evil... I say that the Pope should sell his kissable ring and feed a small country with the earnings. I guess I'm crazy.

Edited by Willow, 10 September 2005 - 10:18 AM.

[aloha_spirit]

I would appreciate it if you didn't call any religion's sacred texts fiction unless they're published as such. Show other religions the respect you would like afforded to your own.

[tkite]

Since the Christian bible has been re-written so many times, and coerced into what certain people want it to say, I can see where some people would want to say it's a fictional book. For instance King James had so much re-written just to persecute people who practice Witchcraft..... Gee, when you're a King you can do anything you want. Same goes with the Vatican.

[aloha_spirit]

tkite, it is true that the Bible has been translated and retranslated many times. However, most fare quite well when compared with the oldest available manuscripts. Translators must, out of necessity, make judgment calls when a word in Aramaic (or Hebrew or Greek, etc) translates to more than one English word or when an idiom in the original language makes no sense when translated verbatim. I've studied the Christian Scriptures in English and Portuguese; while I would have chosen a few different words here and there, the ideas were preserved. FTR, the Portuguese Bible I use was not translated from the King James Version. If you wish to debate this point further, please start a new thread.

Back on topic, Harry Potter is marketed as fiction. Its readers know that the books don't portray real witchcraft. We must teach children truths and values from things that interest them.

[tkite]

Hey Aloha, no problem man. I was just trying to get your dander up...... Man you are UN-shakable! lol (I've never seen you get irrate yet!)

[blkadr]

I shouldn't call any religion's text fiction until its published as such? I think that archaic theories that predate the scientific method should be dismissed as fiction until proven otherwise. I completely agree with tkite: when you're King/Pope, you can rewrite the "truth" as you see fit.

[Willow]

Everybody is entitled to their opinion, however, we will not tolerate any belittling or calling down of other's religious beliefs. If you want to comment about your own religion, feel free, but don't call down somebody else's beliefs as being ficticious.

This is the last warning, stay on topic

[aloha_spirit]

Hey Aloha, no problem man. I was just trying to get your dander up...... Man you are UN-shakable! lol (I've never seen you get irrate yet!)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for the confidence, but I must ask you wanted to find my breaking point. Were you testing me for one of the 12 spiritual powers (faith or strength, maybe)?

We all possess each of those 12 powers to a degree.

[tkite]

Hey blkadr,

I am not a Christian, but I do think of Aloha as a friend here and you must understand that even if you don't agree with his book of faith, you should still give him (and others here) their due respect by not trashing it. The Christians on here have been extremely respectful and very interested in my own past of Witchcraft, and I give them their due respect in return. I hope you do the same.

[Tangnefedd]

I am a very liberal Christian, who finds the HP books have a very moral basis, which is more than can be said for some of the books in the OT! The idea that God zaps folk for the most trivial of offences is pathetic imo. I don't thin

[CastleBee]

I'm fed up with reading about religious people who see the books as nothing more than examples of witch craft when to their is so much good and vitue present in those books.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Same here! Whenever I hear about people getting their knickers in a bunch over these books I think Geeeeeeeeez! Does someone REALLY need to define the words "fictional literature" to you? I honestly believe that some people stir this stuff up just to have a "cause"... oh, yes that and it probably doesn't hurt to create a good reason to write and hawk your own "Beware of Harry" book either. People make me tired.