Potterphobia hits Lincolnshire village
As a plan to promote reading among his pupils, “Harry Potter Day” probably sounded like a winner to Paul Martin, head teacher of Holt Primary School in Skellingthorpe. But he didn’t take into account the reactions of local Christians.
A letter from the rector, Richard Billinghurst (who, incidentally, owns a guinea pig), led directly to the cancellation of Harry Potter day – much to the upset and confusion of local children.
According to Billinghurst he never asked the head to cancel the day, but merely wanted him to be aware that “witches and wizards are real” and that they posed a real danger to children.
Unlike priests, who are only make-believe and pose no threat to children whatsoever?
Witches and wizards are real? Vicars usually do have little sense of rationality but that is just ridiculous!
The “Harry Potter” novels are known to be fiction, but religion is known to be – what?
More blackmail from the priests…..
Good grief, what next, book burnings, witch trials? 2005 is certainly fast becoming the year of the religiousness nutcase revival, arghhhhh, stop the planet, I want to get off….
ps… looking forward to reading the new Potter, it’ll take my mind of the sheer lunacy that belief in ‘the good lord’ is having lately!
Funny isn’t it. When the Scientologists sue someone over their dogma its considered OK, but when a long established religion (based on equally stupid ideas) spits its dummy out over something, people take them seriously. The Scientologists are merely trying to do what generations of Roman Catholics have done to free thinkers over the ages: gag anyone who happens to disagree with them.
Did anyone else notice that the RHIL won’t protect Satanists… why? Because they “believe” in human sacrifce, apparently. And that’s different to *actually* murdering millions over the centuries, how exactly?
Christians (in particular) have too much power and we’re not doing enough to fight back. I say it’s about time we did and I’m researching a book about it. This isn’t an axe-grinding excerise, but a serious discussion of the folly of religion for common people. Anyone who wants to contribute can reach me on the secular newsline at Yahoo groups.
One thought, what is it about people claiming to represent “religion”
that virtually guarantees that journalists and reporters and others
instantly suspend their critical judgement and normal, perfectly proper,
suspicions and cynicism that they apply to all other subjects?
I’m still smarting over an incident about 13-14 years ago when I interviewed a preacher in Llanelli for Swansea Sound, where I was head of news for a while. He’d done the usual things that some of these nutters do each year on Hallowe’en, and complained about how dangerous it is for little kiddies to dabble in trick-or-treating or wear silly hats and generally enjoy themselves. My interview was deliberately confrontational and I asked him how he knew God would want this or that, and more or less pinned him up against the proverbial wall. I played the interview on the one o’clock, and the MD told me to pull it for the five o’clock. No doubt some complaints from some of the God-fearing biddies on the reception desk.
Oh, I spent a very enjoyable quarter of an hour talking to a Satanist a few weeks ago in connection with my trying to get a quote for a news story I was writing for a magazine. His name was Gavin. As far as his church – the Church of Satan, an international organisation – is concerned, there is no Satan, but ‘he’ is just the life force, the energy that is common to humanity, and their belief is that it should be used and enjoyed. Call it hedonism. I’d read that Satanism had been likened to humanism. ‘It is, sort of,’ he said. ‘Only it’s a bit more Gothic.’ So they have ceremonies. I have no problem with ceremony. At least he wasn’t trying to tell me what Satan would say about this or that.
This nutters need psycological help. They need to learn there are no such things as witches and wizards. Harry Potter is fictional.
The relegious “great and good” are attemtping to spoil kids’ fun just for the sake of ramming their own bigotted views down their throats. In a world of hatred, fear and terrorism they should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves for attemtping to deny children small pleasures based on blatant superstition.
Letters of support should be addressed to:
Mr Paul Martin, Headmaster
Holt Primary Shool
Swallow Avenue
Skellingthorpe
Lincoln
LN6 5XJ
Tel Number: 01522 683236
Fax Number: 01522 696342
I’m being unfair, but what the hell….
Go to the Rev’s website here:
http://users.quista.net/acorns/family/index.htm
and start looking at the pics of his own kids that he links to. (Hey, he links to them, so they are fair game). Most of the pictures are the usual dull family shots, except “Johnathan”. He’s good value.
Extremely bad boxer shorts and a “Dyke” joke that even a 12 year old would think a little pathetic. Looks like these kids enjoy a drink.
http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/jonb/derby/derby.htm
Scroll down a little more and you discover more about their drinking habits, and WHO’S THAT GIRL IN BED? Have they been having SEX?? Are they married??
Outrageously ugly girlfriend and bit of a Nazi Salute on a statute here:
http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/jonb/birm/birm.htm
I find it incomprehensible that the Reverend “Dad” has the nerve to dictate to other peoples’ children which books he thinks it appropriate for them to read. I wish he’d tried it here, I know what the Head of my children’s school would have said to him in the same circumstances (I asked – the head told me – “mind your own business” doesn’t do it justice).
May our Gods save us from the hypocritical religious leader and the weak educationalist.
Never mind the nazi salute – in that last one you link to, there’s someone miming being fellated by the statue of a young child (far left).
it’s not a nazi salute on the statue, it’s a worker leading his comrdaes to a brighter tomorrow, probably hailing the future or something. It’s a lovely piece of socialist utopian art that’s been removed now because of drunken pricks going down broad street in birmingham and breaking bits off of it.
Thank you for the link to the righteous Rev Billinghurst’s page. Obviously upholding childrens morals doesnt stretch to stopping his 14 year old watching 15 rated films and listening to Iron Maiden!
We want no Potter! Oh, and can you please get your daughters to the slaughter before the start of the 6:30 service. Ta.
Haven’t you heard Hector, ALL religious leaders are hypocrites. Nice find on the twat’s website. I’m sure I saw a rubber doll in there somewhere… Obviously the good Rev’s spiritual guidance isn’t working on his own kids.
It’s a great pity the ever litigous Ms. Rowling doesn’t see fit to sue idiots like this… but then, it probably sells more books.
When confronted with stupid Christian ideas like these, always remember the Midianites. [See here (http://tinyurl.com/akcwz) for a delightfully detailed examination of what Moses’s boys did for the Christian god.]
Ah! The Father Ted argument. “Fascists are people who dress in black and tell people what to do. While priests …errr… more beer!”
Actually, it was removed because some 15 (IIRC) year old delinquent set fire to it and damaged it beyond repair. I bit THAT little twat doesn’t read Harry Potter.
Dam those evil Harry potter books, let’s teach our Children real values such as:
Deuteronomy
13:6 If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;
13:7 Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth;
13:8 Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him:
13:9 But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.
Perhaps the Pope and the Christian Sheep in Lincoln should take a look at their own sick book before they condemn another…
It’s the words “Witch & “Wizard” that get the christians and the muslims for that matter, exited.
They don’t go beyond that.
Remember that many christians denounced JRRT’s Lord of the Rings and Hobbit, because they had Wizards in them.
Similarly, it’s obvious that they haven’t even looked inside the cover of a JKRowling book, or they would find a clssic “fairy-tale” – like Grimm or Andersen or the aforementioned JRRT – a highly moral tale about good and evil.
But, of course, the christians and other religions as well, don’t want others, particularly not fiction authors muscling in on their territory.
They might lose their blackmailing grip, if that happened….
Jack T Chick’s anti-Dungeons & Dragons tract, “The Dark Dungeons” used to condemn CS Lewis as an obvious Satanist…
Oh boy, Chick tracts, is there anything that more ludicrously shouts ‘American Christianity’ than a Chick tract?, posted through letter boxes, left on bus seats, slipped into bags unnoticed, if these laughable publications ever converted anyone to christianity I’d be surprised, mind you, this IS America we’re talking about, so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised.
For those who’ve never heard of a Chick tract, or if you just want to laugh yourself silly, here’s the URL of some real ‘classics’, be warned though, reading them can get quite addictive, in a bizarre sort of fashion…
http://www.chick.com/catalog/tractlist.asp
HAW! HAW! HAW!
Mike – -I looked at theose Chick Tracts yesterday, and now half my office is practically wetting themselves over them.
they’re more addictive than crack.
11am Friday morning and I have done no work – Chick Tracts, just love them.
If you want the full set of Chick tracts they are mostly available from McCall Barbour in George Street (I think?), Edinburgh. They used to have comics too, which were even ‘better’ (for those who are into that sort of thing).
Who knows? – they might even have an important message hiding there among the paraphernalia.
Thanks for the tip Christopher, although it would mean paying for them and reading them in our own time, when we c’n read ’em for free online at our employers’ expense
Chick must be gutted.
I like your ‘important message’ bit. I have definitely taken away from them that catholics and muslims are evil and must be stopped at all costs.
For an important message to ‘hide’ means there is an awful lot of dross for it to be able to hide behind,eg your (slightly exaggerated) example.