Fighting the Good Fight against Harry Potter and his Paganistic Propaganda.

Status
Not open for further replies.

Vincent

Cheers
Poetry Book Collaborator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
1,933
Reaction score
463
US state board to discuss Harry Potter appeal in public

The Associated Press
Published: December 12, 2006


ATLANTA: The state Board of Education will decide Wednesday whether to keep Harry Potter books on library shelves in one suburban Atlanta school district, and the matter will be discussed in public rather than behind closed doors as previously planned.

The board will consider an appeal by parent Laura Mallory who is upset that the Gwinnett County school board voted to keep the best-selling books in its schools, despite her claims that the books indoctrinate children in pagan religion.

The state board originally had planned to discuss Mallory's appeal on Thursday in an executive session. However, after The Associated Press filed a formal protest with Attorney General Thurbert Baker over those plans, state school officials decided to move the discussion to a public forum Wednesday afternoon.

Superintendent Kathy Cox and board members decided to move the meeting "to err on the side of openness," state Department of Education spokesman Dana Tofig said.
The state board historically has talked about appeals of local board decisions in executive sessions, a closed meeting held before the board's public monthly meeting. Those appeals typically deal with personnel issues or student discipline, both of which are exempt from open meetings laws. Other matters that can be discussed by the board in private include real estate acquisitions and pending or potential litigation.

Tofig admitted the Harry Potter appeal is an unusual matter to come before the board.
AP filed a letter of protest with the attorney general on Monday, claiming the Harry Potter appeal did not fall into any of the protected categories under the state's open meetings laws.
It is only appropriate to discuss the subject in public, said Hollie Manheimer, executive director of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation.

"This is just the kind of issue for which the Open Meetings Act exists — to enable the public to have oversight of these very important policy decisions involving our children," Manheimer said.
A hearing officer has recommended that the state board uphold the Gwinnett board's decision to keep the books on shelves. Mallory, of Loganville, has worked more than a year to try to get the popular novels pulled from schools because of their references to witchcraft. It is not apparent how much discussion there will be of the appeal before the state board votes.

Mallory did not immediately return repeated calls for comment Monday and Tuesday.

Gwinnett County school board officials have said the books are good tools for encouraging children to read and for sparking creativity and imagination. Officials have said banning all books with references to witchcraft would mean mainstays like "MacBeth" and "Cinderella" would have to go.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/12/america/NA_GEN_US_Harry_Potter_Protest.php
 

Sean D. Schaffer

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 18, 2006
Messages
4,026
Reaction score
1,433
<rant>Wow, that is just... bad. How does one justify taking out all books that mention witchcraft? That's just wrong. Whatever happened to Freedom of the Press in the United States?

I can understand, to some extent, the person's beef with witchcraft, but to try to ban a series of books because they mention it, in my opinion is downright stupid. I'm sure the board has much better things to do--and more important things to think about--than whether or not books mentioning witchcraft should be allowed on library shelves.

This is what I do not like about some people and their viewpoints. They believe that a child cannot differentiate between fact and fiction. I sometimes wonder if people with that attitude can differentiate between fact and fiction.</rant>


Okay, rant over. Carry on.
 

ATP

What happened to my LIFE?!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 1, 2005
Messages
1,733
Reaction score
52
Simply put, she's just one of the US's crackpots or nutters that we so often read about, and the popular press loves so much. Lest people here think that I am biased, there have been some nutters along the same lines in the UK and Australia. Yet, at least in the popular press, the US seems to have a lot more of them.

If I remember correctly, previous reports about this woman indicate that this is not her first such attempt at this sort of thing. A Google search will turn up more about her.

As to the comment that the US is regarded as 'secular', nominally so. Surely you realise that it is swayed by very strong factions of left and right/ conservative and liberal?
 

Rolling Thunder

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 12, 2006
Messages
15,209
Reaction score
5,341
The old goat! Hmmmm.......wonder if they need a sacrifice over in pagan cha...............nevermind.
 

Perks

delicate #!&@*#! flower
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 12, 2005
Messages
18,981
Reaction score
6,933
Location
At some altitude
Website
www.jamie-mason.com
Well, since everyone (even godless, hopeless pagans) knows that you can't wave a wand and levitate, transform and zip around on broomsticks, these stories fit quite comfortably alongside any other fantastical fable.

Religion can survive fantasy. Otherwise, it would have been long gone by now.
 

PattiTheWicked

Unleashing Hell.
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 15, 2005
Messages
3,999
Reaction score
1,249
Website
www.pattiwigington.com
Perks said:
Well, since everyone (even godless, hopeless pagans) knows that you can't wave a wand and levitate, transform and zip around on broomsticks, these stories fit quite comfortably alongside any other fantastical fable.

We can't?

Crap.

:::scratches stuff off To Do List:::

I read this article yesterday, and it never fails to amaze me how many people wish to share their stupidity with the world.
 

Lyra Jean

Two years old now.
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 10, 2005
Messages
5,329
Reaction score
794
Location
Boca Raton - Mouth of the Rat
Website
beyondtourism.wordpress.com
If they are just sitting on the library shelves waiting to be checked out then I don't see how she can complain. If the books were taught in class then yeah I could see how she would have a complaint.

But if christians, and I am one, complain about Harry Potter then why are they for Narnia? Narnia has magic in it as well. You can't use the excuse that "oh but Aslan represents Jesus" who cares he still uses magic.
 

kikazaru

Benefactor Member
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
Messages
2,142
Reaction score
433
I really think that people like this should not be given the publicity that they so desperately crave. I cannot believe that anyone is that attention deprived and I can only conclude is that she is a ringer sent in by the author to drum up sales, since every time some wing nut like this goes on a rant against the "evil" Harry Potter, then the more likely kids are going to want to read it.

If Ms Mallory wishes to shield her children from the satanic influence of words, then she should yank the little darlings out of school and hand feed them her version of the world. If she stopped haranguing the school board with her nonsense, she would have time to do so - and the school board could get on with their business. She should not be allowed to even presume to dictate what other parent's children should read and it just burns my behind that she was even given the time of day.
 

Zonk

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 18, 2005
Messages
867
Reaction score
140
Location
Bahamas
JimmyB27 said:
I think someone should log a complaint against the Narnia books as they indoctrinate people into the Christian religion.

Isn't the US supposed to be secular?

Actually a fair number of fundamentalists excoriated Lewis as being too Pagan when the series first came out, and a few still do. The use of mythical creatures in the Narnia Chronicles is hard to miss.

:D:D:D
 

Sean D. Schaffer

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 18, 2006
Messages
4,026
Reaction score
1,433
Zonk said:
Actually a fair number of fundamentalists excoriated Lewis as being too Pagan when the series first came out, and a few still do. The use of mythical creatures in the Narnia Chronicles is hard to miss.

:D:D:D


True. I remember reading a tract (a Chick tract, if I remember correctly) that said to burn all books by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein, because they can be found in occult sections of some bookstores.

I guess I'd better burn my Bible too, because I found a number of Bibles in an occult section of a Waldenbooks a few years ago.
 

johnnysannie

Banned
Joined
Feb 22, 2005
Messages
3,857
Reaction score
435
Location
Tir Na Og
Website
leeannsontheimermurphywriterauthor.blogspot.com
Ian D. Mecantie said:
True. I remember reading a tract (a Chick tract, if I remember correctly) that said to burn all books by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein, because they can be found in occult sections of some bookstores.

I guess I'd better burn my Bible too, because I found a number of Bibles in an occult section of a Waldenbooks a few years ago.


Well, if a mention of witchcraft is enough to ban a book or burn it, then toss the Bible onto the pyre since (gasp) it mentions witches.

After all, it was Saul who consulted the Witch of Endor who called up the spirit of the prophet Samuel. Dangerous stuff, that.....just as bad as Harry Potter for those of a certain mindset.
 

Zonk

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 18, 2005
Messages
867
Reaction score
140
Location
Bahamas
Ian D. Mecantie said:
True. I remember reading a tract (a Chick tract, if I remember correctly) that said to burn all books by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein, because they can be found in occult sections of some bookstores.

I guess I'd better burn my Bible too, because I found a number of Bibles in an occult section of a Waldenbooks a few years ago.

My Bible mentions a Witch from Endor, as I recall.

Part of the problem is that many fundamentalists (and I speak as one firmly ensconced within that camp :tongue ) wouldn't know a full-fledged Paganism if they slept with it.

I've read serious treatises on witchcraft, and Harry Potter ain't it. It's 'Disneyized' magic, similar to Bedknobs and Broomsticks, though somewhat better written.

When someone gave my youngest daughter the first book in the HP series for Christmas, I decided, because of all the noise, that I would read it to see if I felt it was appropriate.

She has read all of the series so far, and so have I.

:D:D:D
 

johnnysannie

Banned
Joined
Feb 22, 2005
Messages
3,857
Reaction score
435
Location
Tir Na Og
Website
leeannsontheimermurphywriterauthor.blogspot.com
Zonk said:
My Bible mentions a Witch from Endor, as I recall.


When someone gave my youngest daughter the first book in the HP series for Christmas, I decided, because of all the noise, that I would read it to see if I felt it was appropriate.

.

:D:D:D

Although I'm not a fundamentalist, I did the same before I allowed my kids to read the books. I had heard so much about the books, good and bad, that I wanted to see for myself and make a decision before I let them read or not.

It's a wise course of action with many books these days - even those that don't have magic.
 

Zonk

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 18, 2005
Messages
867
Reaction score
140
Location
Bahamas
johnnysannie said:
Well, if a mention of witchcraft is enough to ban a book or burn it, then toss the Bible onto the pyre since (gasp) it mentions witches.

After all, it was Saul who consulted the Witch of Endor who called up the spirit of the prophet Samuel. Dangerous stuff, that.....just as bad as Harry Potter for those of a certain mindset.

A careful reading of the passage in question (I Samuel 28:4-25) shows that the witch was fairly surprised when the 'ghost' of Samuel appeared...

Wiki says that the Witch of Endor was probably the inspiration for Bewitched's Endora, Samantha's Mom.

Guess I can't watch that show now either ;)

:D:D:D
 

Perks

delicate #!&@*#! flower
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 12, 2005
Messages
18,981
Reaction score
6,933
Location
At some altitude
Website
www.jamie-mason.com
Christine N. said:
Hey! Perks, I take offense at being called godless.

I have a god. I just have a goddess too. :D
True - I should have called you 'Godless' not 'godless'.

My apologies. It wasn't ignorance, just a lack of caffeine.
 

farfromfearless

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 1, 2006
Messages
412
Reaction score
37
Location
Ottawa, Ontario Canada
Website
www.farfromfearless.com
They might as well take out any of the history books that reference Salem, Witches, Merlin (Sword & Stone), magic of any kind - I've read numerous debates on the matter and I find this whole thing completely absurd. If I wanted censorship I'd move to China.
 

WildScribe

Slave to the Wordcount
Poetry Book Collaborator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 31, 2006
Messages
6,189
Reaction score
729
Location
Purgatory
As a pagan, I can tell you that anyone claiming to be "initiated" by the harry Potter books would go immiately into my "nutter" category.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.