or force me to watch chick flicks ..

Ok, lets see if we can actually get back to the discussion at hand. I think the banning of HP is stupid. I ready all the books last year. There is nothing the anti religion in them at all. A normal person can not even be a witch or wizard, you have to be born one.

People are just crazy and want to have things to complain about. If you don't want your kid to read the book, don't let them, but why punish all the other kids whose parents don't have a problem with it?

Isnt it strange though how the debate went from HP to the casting of Christian spells.

People's perceptions are different.

I mean, as a guy, peach is a fruit not a colour!

Tolkein's Lord of the Rings has been held up to be a religious based story. No one bleats on about that!

I thought the basic story of HP was about loyalty, trust and friendship.
HP's faith in his friends never wavered and this was a concurrent theme.

But do we have room for another book with Dudley becoming the villain?

And you know this how?



It issue is the legality of book banning, especially for religious reasons. Its just not right.

Just like the problem the Christian right is having with Oprah where people are listening to her and following her path. Harry Potter is getting children interested in doing magic which is viewed by them as "evil."

If you are not one of these fundamentalist Christians you probably don't see the problem. Not everyone thinks this way.

Religious people just like to complain. Maybe they do it for the publicity?

I watched a marvelous movie called "The Golden Compass". It's story about a young child who foils the plans of the Magisterium and frees the children from their ultimate authority.

For some reason the Christians are suggesting that the Magisterium represents God's ultimate authority through Christianity. And has this movie using Children, Armoured talking ice bears, and witches defeating the Magisterium and freeing the spirits of individuals.

The Christians think it's awful to have children being the heroes in a movie about killing God.

The Pantheists counter that accusation by claiming that the children were killing God but rather freeing God's spirit in the hearts of the individuals. They claim that the Magisterium had oppressed God for long enough.

I love it!

The Atheists have no comment but they buy tickets anyway.

I don't think the movie was about defeating Christianity. It certainly didn't do this blatantly. But it was a movie about freedom from ultimate authority so I guess that's what has the Christians all flustered. They can't stand the idea of anyone not accepting their religion as the ultimate authority.

Personally, the mere fact that they think they are the ultimate authority is what I find to be really sad. Why should God want to be an authoritarian in the first place?

From a legal point of view I don't see how they could get the book banned from schools. The book doesn't CLAIM to be a religious book and therefore it's not a problem legally.

Religious poeple don't have a legal leg to stand on in a court of law as far as I can see. They could only do that if the book claimed to be a religion.

If they want to write fictious books about Christianity and pass them off as fantasy they are more than well too. But in doing so they would be claiming that their religion is fantasy.

I don't see where they have a leg to stand on complaining about Harry Potter on religious grounds. It's presented as pure fantasy insofar as I know.

Is it filed under religion or fantasy in the library? That should be the only question that needs to be asked.

You mean they dont get enough publicity??
After all the complaining and whingeing they do, you would think they would shut up to prevent making themselves look ridiculous about a series of books that are pure fantasy ... oh but wait!
So is the Bible ...


But the Earth is flat and the sky is falling in!!!
Isnt it?




Give them their Jew, its not just the Christian God Squad that does this, the Muslims do it too.
So, I guess its a competition as to who's loving tolerant god can get the upper hand and beat the living mahoojies out of the other.

Although, at least Islam recognises Jesus (he is a prophet - but a man, nonetheless). Shame the Christians dont show the same respect.

This is what I always believed as a child. But as an adult, so far all the Wiccans I have met have told me that anyone can become a witch. It's a practice and a belief, it's not genetic. Witches aren't a species. They are humans who practice witchcraft.

Anyone human can become a witch in the real world.

At least this is what witches have told me. I specifically asked because I too thought you had to be born a witch (like Tabatha on Bewitched) But that's fantasy. If you want to talk about real witches, you're talking about humans who practice witchcraft. They are HUMANS. Just like you and me.

Anyone can learn witchcraft, but it's not unlike Christianity, you have to BELIEVE IT, or it won't work.

The real driving force in the world is BELIEF. Anything you believe in strong enough will be true for you! And that includes the world being mundane! If you strongly believe that the world is mundane and non-magical, then FOR YOU it will be TRUE.

I believe that the power of coffee will save the world!

... and I have evidence to back this up ...

Just try talking to me in the morning BC ... (before coffee)

They aren’t going to be happy until every knee bows and ever tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

As long as one knee is unbent, and one tongue has yet to confess, then they still lust for more publicity.

They are admittedly out to conquer the world!




This is true. Of times when I use the word Christianity I’m really referring to the Biblical picture in general (which includes that Quran). So it’s almost always about the bigger Judaism, Christian, Islam picture. They all believe in a jealous egotistical God who has made as his first commandment “Thou Shalt Not have any other Gods before ME!”.

Christians just take this to the extreme in Christ. Now Christians won’t even recognize the original Godhead. That’s not good enough. Now it’s all about Christ.



That is a shame too, because if Christianity viewed Jesus more like a Buddha they might actually have something. Their insistence that he was God dying in the flesh to offer men salvation is their nemesis. They can’t recover from that now. This is the entire basis of their belief. Take this away and Christianity collapses back into to Judaism.

By that I mean that they could hardly keep Jesus around even as a Buddha now. They’ve ruined him forever.

Deep joy!!!

More chances to be stoned for adultery in countries that think Jesus is actually a mexican beer!




But Jealousy is a human emotion. Arent Gods supposed to be above all that? Whiter than white? Purer than the driven slush?


Same as Islam ...




If he was of use to start with.
Apart from subjugating a whole load of people with myth and hearsay

I believe that eveyrone can be converted to Tea, if they simply have enough faith.

I have no evidence though (other than my own personal experience of having converted to Tea). So it's an entirely faith-based idea.

Although some have suggested that I was only able to convert to tea because I had never truly been 'saved' by coffee in the first place.

I prefer to think of my enlightenment to Tea as having been 'saved' from coffee.

Only time will tell. And I must also confess to indulging in Goblin's Brew on occassion as well.

Today I'm also riding a broom around my kitchen, but don't tell anyone.

let's face it..Harry Potter is about witchcraft and if he was living in Salem during the witch trails on during the inquistition trying to conjure up spells they would have burned him at the stake

NO!!!! UNBELIEVER!!! You will be hastened to an early death!
Your memory will be erased by the DEMON BREW!!

I KNOW!!! Im English!! Tea is the devil's spawn!!

Its seeping, refreshing reaction is contrary to ALLLLLL I believe in!!!

Caffffffffeeeeeeeeine is the saviour of the world!

GET THEEEE BEHIND ME SATAN!!!!


I have been chosen!!
I will cast out this wanton, licentious activity at 4pm with cucumber sandwiches (crusts off)!!!!

11AM is the time for purification!! With a nice sticky bun or a piece of carrot cake.

YOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU heathen, be told!!!

I willllllllllll saaaaaaaaaaaave youuuuuuuu




... and as far as broom riding goes, do you find it is easier to be astride or side saddle.

I found a cushion between the third and fourth knobbly bits on my ash broom sets me ok for astride.

how does riding a broom feel on the balls?i often wondered how harry could do it....me i'm a magic carpet kinda gal.

Ok, we are discussing HP. I am not talking wiccan society. According to the HP books,which I read, you are born a wizard or witch. Try and keep focused people.

Not really, if people at the salem trials were witches/wizards from the HP books, the normal people would not have even been able to capture them.

you ever heard of slipping someone a micky ...then little wizards and wizettes still have to eat food and drink water ..geez Chazster you lack ingenunity

All the real witches went undetected.

pretty sure they didn't have that stuff back then. Either way, if you read HP you would know that if they thought they were discovered they would leave, not to mention the protective charms they would have. (muggles not being able to see their house) They could also aparate away instantly.