All things Harry Potter:
Well the countdown continues.
I could check the amazon.com site and see exactly how long till it hits, but I won’t.
The book has even made it to National Public Radio. They ran a “local” story looking at adults who were getting a little nutty over the release. Well, in truth, the story was about how HP has fit into their lives, but what we got was nutty.
Butter Beer
8 oz cream soda
2-3 tbsp butterscotch syrup (or butterscotch schnapps for the alcoholic version)
2 tbsp milk
--Whisk ingredients together. If desired, it can be heated in a microwave, but not too much, or the soda will go flat and not taste quite right.
My son continues to comment on that fact that his parents are crazy over HP. Now it is true that we are excited for the release of the last book, and that we went to the movie(s) the day they opened, but I don’t think he has a leg to stand on. He was the only student in the history of our school system to ever be threatened for reading too much. His personal library is huge, and most of the tombs within have been read several times. He has pervasively invaded both my and my wife’s libraries. As for his comment on our excitement – “Hello Pot? This is kettle. Your black.”
Let not forget that there were request to buy more than one copy of the book, so nobody had to wait for my wife to finish.
So the big questions!
The six previous books have create a vast number of unresolved questions. Like, who is going to be a couple, who is going to die, how can Harry kill Lord Voldemort, is Dumbledor really dead, is Snape evil, what will happen to Draco Malfoy, which squib will cast spells, and many others.
JKR has been questioned numerous times as to the fate of the characters and people have been weaseling to get answers. Untold masses have been (over)analyzing the text for clues and breadcrumbs. All of these loose ends must be ties up in a book that is not even the largest in the series.
My predictions:
Who is going to be a couple?
Harry and Ginny
Ron and Hermione
Neville and Luna
Who is going to die?
Lord Voldimort
Lucious Malfoy
Hagrid
Bellatrix
Other are certain, but I would not bet on which
How can Harry kill Lord Voldemort?
Destroy the remaining Horcruxs and ten go for the gold – the real question is what and where are these magical items
Is Dumbledor dead?
YES
Is Snape evil?
No, but he is a bit of a bast@rd
What will happen to Draco?
Dead or alive, he will try to get out from under his family and fail.
Which squib?
Filch
Is there Christian allegory?
YES – The infamous Christian artifacts are represented in the story, and there are many references to Arthurian legend. But it won’t be enough to assuage those who fear words like witches and magic.
The issue of devil in Potter is one of my favorite debates to get into. Coming from a good Christian home and having attended a Bible college (and getting a minor in bible studies), I enjoy talking to people about the Devil and Mr. Potter.
For the record, as if you could not have guessed, I do NOT think Harry Potter is a tool of the devil, any more than CBS’s CSI: Miami. I have spoken with a variety of people on the topic and those people have closed minds, and are anti-society. That is to say they are insulating themselves from society with their faith. They band together with likeminded individuals and use faith in the Lord to shield them from the world.
Now I understand that a Christian must not allow corruption from the fallen world to taint their soul, but withdrawing from the world is not way in which to do that. To me that is cutting off your nose to spite the face. These individuals are by far and large evangelical Christians, and if you are hiding from the world behind a wall of “perfect faith” where is the proselytizing (evangelizing) that we are all commanded to do?
There is an ancient military strategy that instructs to know your enemy. This means that if you don’t know what you are up against then your efforts to defeat it are in vane. This should be critical advice to those who speak out against Harry Potter. Without ever reading a book or becoming aware of what is within HP, how can you possibly know what you are fighting against?
Those who are critical without reading are fighting against words. All Americans know how fruitless it is to wage war against words. The idea that JKR uses words like witchcraft or wizard, does not make these texts the work of the devil. If it did then the entire Chronicles of Narnia would have to be burned at the stake (or like a steak). The pretense that C. S. Lewis was writing a text that made Christian ideas easily accessible to your people is an evangelical version of a corrupt sheriff’s trumped up charge. Only in light of literary dissection does the allegory become clear. The same arguments for Lewis cannot be twisted to prosecute Rowling. Harry Potter has messages of love and friendship and huge moral decisions. It presents good Christian ideas and beliefs. Her story is a coming of age tale that has nearly ubiquitous appeal to a whole generation.
If Evangelical Christians want something to read to their children that encourage strength of character and vehement defense of ideals there is no better choice that Harry Potter. On top of that if you want to encourage the isolation of those of faith, there is a perfect literary model built right into the story. What more could you ask for?
Stop criticizing what you don’t understand or retreat behind your walls of faith and keep to yourself.
All of those people who honored me by explaining their views and allowing me to challenge them, I offer you thanks.
Well, it was a pretty good day. I have to yet go home and do some role-playing therapy with the kids, but then it’s the weekend
Well the countdown continues.
I could check the amazon.com site and see exactly how long till it hits, but I won’t.
The book has even made it to National Public Radio. They ran a “local” story looking at adults who were getting a little nutty over the release. Well, in truth, the story was about how HP has fit into their lives, but what we got was nutty.
Butter Beer
8 oz cream soda
2-3 tbsp butterscotch syrup (or butterscotch schnapps for the alcoholic version)
2 tbsp milk
--Whisk ingredients together. If desired, it can be heated in a microwave, but not too much, or the soda will go flat and not taste quite right.
My son continues to comment on that fact that his parents are crazy over HP. Now it is true that we are excited for the release of the last book, and that we went to the movie(s) the day they opened, but I don’t think he has a leg to stand on. He was the only student in the history of our school system to ever be threatened for reading too much. His personal library is huge, and most of the tombs within have been read several times. He has pervasively invaded both my and my wife’s libraries. As for his comment on our excitement – “Hello Pot? This is kettle. Your black.”
Let not forget that there were request to buy more than one copy of the book, so nobody had to wait for my wife to finish.
So the big questions!
The six previous books have create a vast number of unresolved questions. Like, who is going to be a couple, who is going to die, how can Harry kill Lord Voldemort, is Dumbledor really dead, is Snape evil, what will happen to Draco Malfoy, which squib will cast spells, and many others.
JKR has been questioned numerous times as to the fate of the characters and people have been weaseling to get answers. Untold masses have been (over)analyzing the text for clues and breadcrumbs. All of these loose ends must be ties up in a book that is not even the largest in the series.
My predictions:
Who is going to be a couple?
Harry and Ginny
Ron and Hermione
Neville and Luna
Who is going to die?
Lord Voldimort
Lucious Malfoy
Hagrid
Bellatrix
Other are certain, but I would not bet on which
How can Harry kill Lord Voldemort?
Destroy the remaining Horcruxs and ten go for the gold – the real question is what and where are these magical items
Is Dumbledor dead?
YES
Is Snape evil?
No, but he is a bit of a bast@rd
What will happen to Draco?
Dead or alive, he will try to get out from under his family and fail.
Which squib?
Filch
Is there Christian allegory?
YES – The infamous Christian artifacts are represented in the story, and there are many references to Arthurian legend. But it won’t be enough to assuage those who fear words like witches and magic.
The issue of devil in Potter is one of my favorite debates to get into. Coming from a good Christian home and having attended a Bible college (and getting a minor in bible studies), I enjoy talking to people about the Devil and Mr. Potter.
For the record, as if you could not have guessed, I do NOT think Harry Potter is a tool of the devil, any more than CBS’s CSI: Miami. I have spoken with a variety of people on the topic and those people have closed minds, and are anti-society. That is to say they are insulating themselves from society with their faith. They band together with likeminded individuals and use faith in the Lord to shield them from the world.
Now I understand that a Christian must not allow corruption from the fallen world to taint their soul, but withdrawing from the world is not way in which to do that. To me that is cutting off your nose to spite the face. These individuals are by far and large evangelical Christians, and if you are hiding from the world behind a wall of “perfect faith” where is the proselytizing (evangelizing) that we are all commanded to do?
There is an ancient military strategy that instructs to know your enemy. This means that if you don’t know what you are up against then your efforts to defeat it are in vane. This should be critical advice to those who speak out against Harry Potter. Without ever reading a book or becoming aware of what is within HP, how can you possibly know what you are fighting against?
Those who are critical without reading are fighting against words. All Americans know how fruitless it is to wage war against words. The idea that JKR uses words like witchcraft or wizard, does not make these texts the work of the devil. If it did then the entire Chronicles of Narnia would have to be burned at the stake (or like a steak). The pretense that C. S. Lewis was writing a text that made Christian ideas easily accessible to your people is an evangelical version of a corrupt sheriff’s trumped up charge. Only in light of literary dissection does the allegory become clear. The same arguments for Lewis cannot be twisted to prosecute Rowling. Harry Potter has messages of love and friendship and huge moral decisions. It presents good Christian ideas and beliefs. Her story is a coming of age tale that has nearly ubiquitous appeal to a whole generation.
If Evangelical Christians want something to read to their children that encourage strength of character and vehement defense of ideals there is no better choice that Harry Potter. On top of that if you want to encourage the isolation of those of faith, there is a perfect literary model built right into the story. What more could you ask for?
Stop criticizing what you don’t understand or retreat behind your walls of faith and keep to yourself.
All of those people who honored me by explaining their views and allowing me to challenge them, I offer you thanks.
Well, it was a pretty good day. I have to yet go home and do some role-playing therapy with the kids, but then it’s the weekend
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