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Introduction
A lot of Christians are like used car salesmen. Worse, they're like used car salesmen who believe that we all have to
drive the same kind of car.
For them, everyone has to believe a certain thing, in a certain way, and there is very little room for any variation.
It's their job, their career, and their duty to sell it to as many people as they can. Their opinions are divinely revealed,
objective, literal truth; you can't argue with it or disagree with it, because God said it.
And if you don't buy it, you're going to hell.
God damn it.
To folks like this, the Sermon on the Mount was like an Amway Seminar; less instructional than motivational, more like
a product presentation. It's like a product that they don't actually have to use themselves, but they do have to know enough
about to sell it to other people. And the more you sell, the more points you earn with God.
God forbid they find out you're an atheist. They're selling a belief system, after all, and if you're an atheist, you
just don't have any belief system at all. It's like, say there's a guy who sells Pepsi: It's easier for him to sell to you
if you're not already drinking Coke. Or to sell a used car to someone who rides around on a skateboard, rather than someone
who's perfectly happy with the car they already have.
Or, think of it as a guy selling vacuum cleaners who first has to convince you that your carpet is dirty, without having
to worry about how dirty his own is.
Part I: Huh?
All of this might sound really cynical coming from a guy who's supposed to be a Christian himself. There are lots of
folks I talk to who think I should just shut up and get in line with all the other Christians, and care about the things that
they care about and do things the way they're all doing them.
But I don't think it's my duty to make sure that everyone believe the same exact thing that I believe. I think that God
is bigger than that. I think it's more important what's in your heart, and how you live your life, than what you know or even
what you believe about Him. If you're willing to seek Him, all of that stuff can come later.
It's not that I'm against the Bible or God or Jesus, or even other Christians. It's just that I don't spend a whole lot
of time thinking about what I shouldn't be doing, and I spend even less time thinking about what everyone else shouldn't be
doing. I guess I would just say that the only thing I am against is people who refuse to think for themselves, especially
when they blindly insist that no one else is allowed to think for themselves, either.
Part II: Harry Potter
There is a woman locally who is trying to get Harry Potter books banned from all the public schools in the county. I
won't say her name, but here is a picture of her from the local news outlet. I childishly defaced the picture itself, because
I think somewhere in the Bible it tells us to be like little children.
While I understand someone wanting to mindful about what their children are exposed to, I think the whole issue is kind
of silly. Wasted effort.
First of all, for a person who claims to have faith in the creator of the universe, a God who is greater than any other
God you can imagine, she sure is skittish, and thinking like this kind of reminds me of those little hairless dogs that are
shaking all the time. I mean, she worries about what ideas the books might "promote", or what they might "teach" her kids,
instead of what she's promoting, or teaching them herself. And she sure does give books a lot of credit, that they can corrupt
and undermine every value that she's instilled in them. How great can God be, when He's idly wringing His hands against
the power of a make-believe wizard?
I don't know that I buy all this, about how media controls what we think and feel and believe. Sure it influences
us (that's why we have commercials, to influence what detergent we buy or whatever).....but are we so far gone
that we can't think anymore, or make our own decisions? I watched The Flintstones, and looking back now I realize
how stupid it was, but I don't feel that it promoted Evolutionary Anthropology. I watched I Dream of Jeannie, but
it didn't make me want to experiment with black magic (though it did give me an appreciation for harem costumes). And Scooby
Doo didn't teach me deductive logic, either.
This woman says that Harry Potter is meant to teach kids to worship Satan, but I don't know that I buy it. If that's
true, it's doing such a horrible job of it that I would really be pissed if I was a Satan worshipper. Because while
the books and movies are enormously popular, I don't think attendance at Satanic services has increased at all. I know
where the local Buddhist temple is, and nearby there is a huge Hindu thing being built, but I have never seen a Satanic church
anywhere. Or even heard of one.
Conclusion
Just chill out
(From the Mailbag May 10, 2006)
I must make some comments on the attempted Harry Potter book banning.
First of all, I must say I enjoy the Harry Potter books and movies, and promote reading/viewing of the material as
much as I possibly can. In fact, I ENCOURAGE my children to read and watch them.
There are a few important points here that people are forgetting. What has happened to the freedom of the press?
Or freedom of speech? When we start trying to ban books, this takes away our rights. When people believe that
they can take away rights as simple as those, what's next? Are they going to try to appeal liquor again? Limit
our air intake? Where has the "pursuit of happiness" gone? Harry Potter makes me happy, and I damn sure am going
to pursue the next book and movies. What if the people out there were trying to ban a religious book? It is the
same issue, on banning books, and I guarantee that would not fly with these people.
I also think that a lot of the opposition to books they claim are "satanic" or whatever they choose to term them,
are from ignorance. Has the lady read the books? Funny they claim they know that Harry Potter will lead them to
satan, considering there is no mention of satan worship in any of them. People tend to steer clear of things they know
nothing about, and then they tend to criticize. What about someone who has never picked up the Bible? Should they
not read it, for fear of what is in it? Or ridicule it, because they know nothing of it? No. The Bible is
fact. Harry Potter is fantasy. These are two different levels.
What has happened to good old parental guidance? If the children are going to satan due to reading a book,
maybe the parents need to step in there and explain that this is a fantasy story, and it has nothing to do with satan.
Children lack a lot of teaching of what is right and wrong in these times. If all it takes is a fantasy to lead children
astray, then this world is in bad shape. What about all the cursing, and damning that go on in some households?
What about turning on the tv and seeing all the violence in Iraq, or the shooting down the street? Don't take away the
small pleasures of a good read, especially when the world around us is filled with horrible visions and occurances on a daily
basis.
Honestly now, how many of us would refuse a chance to own a magic wand that we could do what we want to with?
I guarantee the lady would be one of the first ones in line, so she could successfully ban all the books she would want to.
And last but not least, jealously for money makes some people crazy, and burns some people's asses because they didn't
think of the idea first, doesn't it?
Don't get me wrong. I think that teaching religion to children is great and is a necessary thing to do.
But I don't think we need to criticize one thing, such as Harry Potter, to get people turn to religion.
So I agree with you, everyone just needs to chill out.
~~Stacey
Wow! Thank you for your email, Stacey, very insightful and well thought-out. I think. Obviously, you've given
this subject a lot of thought. A lot more thought, in fact, than I have, because other than making jokes about it and drawing
fart sounds on the woman's picture, I have so little interest in this subject that I've started reading your email three times
and have yet to make it all the way through even once.
I really don't care if they ban all Harry Potter books, though I doubt they ever will, in an age when people
are bemoaning the literacy rates that a woman on the fringe like this wants to ban the one book that all the kids are reading.
Like, I really like Buffy the Vampire Slayer even though I know a lot of people are against it because
there are demons on the show, even though mostly all they do is kill demons so you'd think Christians would like it. But for
some reason they all think Buffy isn't a good role model, and she doesn't kill demons the right way or for the right reasons.
And it's weird that whenever I type out the word Buffy, if I'm not looking at the keyboard (and I hardly ever
am when I'm typing), I usually wind up typing BUDDY the Vampire Slayer because the D is right next to the F on the keyboard.
And every time I do, I always think of Buddy Ebsen or Buddy Hacket slaying demons, which is kind of stupid although I think
either of them could just talk demons to death.
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