Stephen Maturin

Seems that a parent in Cedarville, Arkansas got all spun up over the evils of Harry Potter books after hearing some knob-end Assemblies of God preacher deliver a series of sermons on satanism and witchcraft. The parent brought her concerns to her child's school, which established a committee of parents, teachers, librarians, etc. to review the matter. The committee voted unanimously to keep the Potter books on the shelves, but that was only the start of it.

Undaunted, the parent took her complaint directly to the Cedarville School Board. By a 3-2 vote, the board overruled the committee and placed some rather substantial restrictions on access to Harry Potter books in the Cedarville Schools. And who cast the deciding vote? Yep, that's right; the same knob-end who who pastors at the aggrieved parent's church is also a member of the school board.

Last year parents of another child in the district filed suit against the board in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas to have the restrictions lifted. On Tuesday, Chief Judge Jimm Hendren ordered the books returned to the shelves where they can be accessed freely:

You can find a whole bunch more information about the case here:

Americans United press release

Southwest Times Record write-up

Also, I'd be remiss if I failed to point out that fish don't fry in the kitchen, beans don't burn on the grill. Pro forma organizational change or not, it's nice to see this forum up there with the big boys. It did indeed take a whole lotta too-rye-in just to get up that hill, but at long last we're up in the big leagues, gettin' our turn at bat.

Ronin

Poor, poor, muggles.

"Superstition, born of paganism and adopted by Judaism, invested
the Christian Church from earliest times. All the fathers of the
Church, without exception, believed in the power of magic. The
Church always condemned magic, but she always believed in it: she did not excommunicate sorcerers as madmen who were mistaken, but as men who were really in communication with the devil."

[Voltaire, Philosophical Dictionary, 1764]

Jewel

I'm not sure why, but it always surprises me to find that grown human beings still believe in magic. :banghead:

The Harry Potter books are pure fantasy. I'm glad the judge overturned the school board's decision. They did overstep their boundries.

Besides, if they really want to start banning books because the content is not suitable to children they should start with their own bible.

DMB

I don't know all that much about fundyism. Do they bann their children from reading or hearing traditional fairy tales such as Cinderella?

Grad Student Humanist

Wow, what a great quote!

miss djax

here's what i don't get :

lord of the rings is okey dokey, there's a witch in 'the wizard of oz' and cs lewis himself got rich over 'the lion, the WITCH, & the wardrobe', but harry potter is public enemy number what....

i love harry potter...can't wait for the order of the phoenix

miss djax

Deacon Doubtmonger

Well, one knob-end fundy wants to harness Harry to teach the Gospel. Check out *What's a Christian to Do With Harry Potter?* and *The Gospel According to Harry Potter,* both by Connie Neal, here on her website:

http://www.connieneal.com/special-ha...er-section.htm

As to classic literature, wouldst thou believe one tract publisher doesn't think Dickens' *A Christmas Carol* is fundy enough? See the Jack T. Prick version here, but take some Dramamine first:

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0092/0092_01.asp

Deacon Doubtmonger of Denver

"In any decently run universe, this [God] would've been out on his all-powerful ass a long time ago." -- George Carlin