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AUGUST 4, 2003 at 1:53 PM
Posted by GERI
Source: WZZM TV via The Leaky Cauldron
The Jesus Non-denominational Church in Greenville organized a Harry Potter book burning 
this past Sunday to demonstrate that glorifying wizardry and sorcery will lead people to accept and believe in Satan. They were trying to save their souls by tearing up the devil and burning his words.
Pastor Tommy Turner said:
The younger members of the church agree. Kristi Eastman says many books teach that sorcery is okay.
But Tasia Kisscorni, a high-school teacher says the church is making a much 'to do' about nothing:
Harry Potter wasn't the only thing that took a burning - some of the parishoners also burned music CD's like 'NSync. They say the music is not glorifying God, so they don't need it.
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Grillows Girl
Points: 2785
Miss Baltimore Crabs says:
It's fiction, not real life! Honestly, my six year old brother has more sense than Pastor Tommy Turner. If you don't like a book, it's simple: DON'T READ IT!
PS: Harry Potter is the best.
Posted Feb 6, 2006 at 2:56 PM EST
Hades Baby Girl
Points: 5702
Pinkcess of the Abyss says:
They burned the books? Yeah, let go and PROMOTE violence and random distruction.
I think relegion is a good moral ground. I dont belive in it but the rules established to live by are pretty good ones. The witchcraft ones are more from the olden times, so really should be forgotten. Especially if the people think back to what happened in the past... witch burnings? They were crewl and false, yet they mimic it with books. It sort of makes me sick.
Posted Feb 8, 2006 at 7:50 PM EST
Order of Merlin, 4th Class
Points: 1370
hellothere says:
They were trying to save their souls by tearing up the devil and burning his words.
That sure makes a whole lot of sense! Lets go burn a Harry Potter book and will get a sure ticket to heaven! Some people are insane!
Posted Feb 20, 2006 at 9:08 PM EST
Squib
Points: 183
surfgirlusa says:
Hi guys. I live in that town, and I also agree that it is ridiculous for these people to burn the books. They are the only church around here to do so; the other 9,000 or so people in our town (including pastors)don't believe that the books are going to convert everyone into demon worshipping hellians. As a Christian, I am rather ashamed that people of my town are so close minded; I know one kid who's mom goes to the church, and she just took his books without asking and burned them. Not only is she infringing upon his rights, but she damaged a delicate relationship with her son. All this intolerance does is make people absolutely miserable; I say don't read it if you don't want to, but don't decide what others should do. And by the way, everyone else in Greenville is normal (except for the church that performs exorcisms and speaks in tounges...but that's another story.)
Posted Mar 11, 2006 at 8:09 PM EST
Muggle
Points: 80
magickie_feelings says:
Ok. lets get this straight. since i basically read the books like twice a month, means im going to be praying for a letter in the mail from hogwarts. or im going t owave a wand and change myself into a shark. right. i myself am a pagan but thats besides the point. i became pagan before i even heard of harry potter. and since i do do whitchcraft i still dont wave around a wand or ride on a broomstick and calling it a nimbus 2000. although now that i think of it that does sound like fun. :)
Posted Mar 13, 2006 at 8:43 PM EST
Points: 1
wurpess says:
Ok, someone was bored. Seriously, that church could be doing something meaningful like doing extra bible study or charity work instead of burning books. And if you really reach, there are religious messages. Dumbledore, the powerful, benign, all powerful being, the only one the evil power fears. He always has a plan and knows what he's doing, even if it doesn't seem like it. With Lily's love saving Harry again and again can translate to 'With Jesus' love is eternal salvation'. Come on people! Next, they will be saying The Chronicles of Narnia are evil because they have magic in them, even though they are basically stories directly from the bible translated into a fantasy environment. And while I hate N'Sync, why only them? Are they going to start burning all music and books from the time they went secular to now?
Posted Mar 15, 2006 at 1:33 AM EST
Squib
Points: 197
iceadmintonto says:
If they want to boycott Harry Potter, WHY ARE THEY BURNING THE BOOKS? Burning the books means buying books to burn, which means JKR gets royalties and the Harry Potter franchise is encouraged and heightened! And besides, it's just a children's book! I agree with everyone here on the whole tolerance thing- Christianity does preach this.
Posted Mar 16, 2006 at 5:17 PM EST
Squib
Points: 191
droacosgirl400 says:
my motto: it is not god i dislike it is his fan club. ohhhhhhhhhhhhh god these people are crazy and i totally agree with KTLady how long til we have another salem. the really nuts thing is my mom is kindaa like that, she's nnot as bad a my grandma who gave me a lecture about how the books were against god and that i should not read them.
Posted Apr 3, 2006 at 12:36 PM EST
Squib
Points: 127
looneybooks says:
People are scared of whats new; and books like Harry Potter that captures their imagination and the ability to think outside the bible and question life through this growth of reading other books scares them as a community.
So as a community they burn the books, which is a sin in my eyes as i love books; any way...
But in the bible which these people love and follow doesn't it say (i cannot remember where at this moment in time) that Jesus taught his followers to love and accept others; and if so shouldn't they do the same?
Posted Apr 10, 2006 at 6:44 AM EST
Prefect
Points: 395
ScarlettRose says:
They're not going to change the world by burning a few books, or change anyones mind about reading it!! Had anyone in this church ever read this book then they would know that the wizards and witches in this book are not worhiping satin or anything like that!! I go to church and i belive in god but when i read this books i never even concidered the fact that they might have been bad!! the referece to witches and wizards does not alwyas have to connect with satin!
Posted Apr 14, 2006 at 9:53 PM EST
Squib
Points: 137
SnApE iS mY hErO says:
People should focus more on denouncing the real evils in the world...instead of a harmless fictional story!
Posted Apr 18, 2006 at 9:30 PM EST
Muggle
Points: 2
Painted Black says:
Isn't it odd how people make such a big deal out of fictional novels?
It's also weird how people seem to think that anything and everything is always against their religion. It's not as if the books say to denounce your god and practice sorcery.
(Although those books should not be burned either: I don't think there is ever an excuse for any book burning.)
Posted Apr 28, 2006 at 9:49 PM EST
Muggle
Points: 20
mud_bloods_puddle says:
How rude!
The person reading the book isnt doing magic besides its up to the person to read the book
if there afraid of going to hell then they shouldnt read the book
Burning a book is a waste of tree
Posted May 11, 2006 at 1:11 AM EST
Witch
Points: 605
berries&cream says:
WHAT? But Harry Potter is the best I enjoy so much readung those books! How can they live without them!! not natural for me
Posted May 23, 2006 at 3:39 PM EST
Witch
Points: 507
lady_moon says:
Oh. My. God. I'm tired of all these Christians thinking we are going to burn just because we like Harry Potter. There was no need to burn those books! If you don't like witchcraft, don't read them. Just leave the rest of us, who are actually sane, alone.
Posted Jun 18, 2006 at 2:17 PM EST
Muggle
Points: 12
levicorpus-nvbl says:
Hmm. My uncle is a reverend (most Christians here are Calvinist Protestants) and he lives so closely next to the church, almost sticking to the building, and he simply let his daughter keeping HP books in her shelf without burning it. I think he, like me, reckons that HP books are merely fictional novels not reference books, textbooks, or what. Anyone who use HP's fictional magic as reference and start to perform witchcraft&wizardry are moron and can't respect literature.
Posted Jun 23, 2006 at 11:56 PM EST
Muggle
Points: 46
snake xtank says:
oh my . . . .
that's just completely stupid .
I mean burning books ?! what's the point . .
& HP isn't really real .
wow it's abit funny actually .
Posted Jun 24, 2006 at 1:40 PM EST
Princess of Cleverness
Points: 5207
unicorn_purple says:
Are those people insane.
Harry Potter is not bad at all.
Posted Sep 28, 2006 at 7:13 AM EST
Slugmeister
Points: 3731
Prawg says:
Wow! I am not only stunned that people are able to completely misread the meaning of the HP books to such an extent, but also that they go to the step of actually burning it. I mean, if I knew about a book that I though was pure evil (the closest example I can think of is "Mein Kampf"), I still wouldn't burn it! What good it that going to do, apart from giving it extra advertisement? Also, show some civiliazation, people! We stopped burning books a couple of hundred years ago for a very good reason! Jeez...
Posted Oct 13, 2006 at 6:06 AM EST
Auror
Points: 2313
loopy looney says:
"I don't want anyone to go to hell, and the bible says if people use sorcery and witchcraft they will go to hell."
we are not using it, only reading about FAKE witchcraft!!!
Posted Oct 27, 2006 at 1:27 PM EST
Auror
Points: 2307
Queen_Democrat says:
Oh, jeez louise! By doing those things, the Church is promoting something in the Harry Potter books. Professor. Umbridge. She and the Church are alike in the sense that they are both very into being unfair and being big control freaks. For this reason, I will not associate myself with the Christian Church. I prefer to live and let live and not bothering people just because they aren't my standard of perfect.
The Church is an Umbridge. The Church stinks! Ha! I just said something bad about those intolerant control freaks and I don't care.
[Sticks out tongue at all the control freak members of the Church]
Posted Nov 26, 2006 at 1:37 PM EST
Student
Points: 263
SapphireLion says:
These people that burned HP books are really crazy!!!
I'm Christian too, and I love Harry Potter, but that doesn't mean I practice magic or that I believe in Satan! Harry Potter is just fiction, it's not real... I mean, if HP has something with Satan than all those fairy-tales for kids like Snowhite have too, because in them are often mentioned witches and magic...
Posted Jan 18, 2007 at 4:28 PM EST
Muggle
Points: 54
Looney Lovegood :) says:
I never got how these books were thougt of as evil...Harry's mom dies [b]out of love[b] to save her son...what's so evil about that?
Posted Apr 12, 2007 at 9:28 PM EST
Professor
Points: 1090
Octavian Petronius says:
I mean, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Mine is that they have a bit of a problem between distinguishing fiction from reality. God never said don't have an imagination.
Posted May 12, 2007 at 11:19 PM EST
Muggle
Points: 2
Lord Blackheart says:
Given that there are only 2 references to Lucifer and 6 to Satan in the entire bible (if you exclude the Apocrypha, which most bibles do as the books contained therein tend to contradict a lot of what's to be found in both the OT & NT) then there are a lot of self - deluded, attention seeking godbotherers out there whose only aim seems to be to promote their own agendas and attempt to steal the thunder away from truly creative individuals whose works have stimulated the interest of many millions of children to learn to read and enjoy books worldwide. Then again, these clowns have the same mindset as those wankstains of the Middle Ages and beyond who realised that if the general populace became educated, they would then be able to think for themselves and question the ideas of the so - called leaders of their time.........
Does this make me a commie pinko creep as far as the current administration of the USA is concerned, I wonder ?
If so, HOORAY !
Posted Aug 21, 2007 at 6:11 AM EST
Order of Merlin, 3rd Class
Points: 1588
Severus' Advocate says:
It's disgusting. If anything Harry Potter is Christ-like with
Harry's power being love, sacrificing himself for everyone in DH. They acted horribly.
Posted Jan 13, 2008 at 9:59 PM EST
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