Harry Potter...

[Jimmyrich]

Wow TT...totally unnecessary in your drama and directness.... You enter this thread.  You state that you are NOT going to see the movie and equate it with voodoo etc.  Then, you say that the only reason you aren't going to see it is because you are a christian. THEN, you say that you don't want to see it. Then, its Your the parent etc...Jesus, it's like listening to MY dad talk...Decisions without reasons....parents are famous for that...it's funny how people WITH kids are comfortable justifying their positions to other adults as though they were children....
And to get to your analysis of my prior faith, a change of heart and mind doesn't mean that it wasn't real at the time. Ever been in love more than once?  Each time it seems like it's the be-all-end-all. But you allow yourself to change and grow and reality is totally different. Close yourself off, as you have, stating that "nothing can change my mind once I believe in something"...wow. Not much for learning, are we?  Because that's the whole point of learning, isn't it? Changing your perception?
And that, I think, is what scares some Fundamentalists about these types of movies/books etc...change. They see some kid approaching the Pagan Religion and they think "uh-oh! A kid is trying to learn about Paganism!" So what?  You state that your main interest is in having your kids be better than you and not to make your mistakes? How about giving them a chance to expand their minds? How about exposing them to the world and letting them choose what they want to believe? How about allowing them the possibility of change? Maybe they'll come back to you and say "mommy, you were right.  The world is full of evil and I'm glad I was careful. Yay God." Or maybe they'll come back and say "hey I just saw the Harry Potter movie on video and you know what? I loved it!"  Who knows.  My point is that I'm not suggesting what is and isn't right for you and your family in terms of belief and morality.  But I'm not hearing from you any specific issue you would take with this movie that led you to state that you weren't gonna LET your family see this movie. If you didn't WANT to see it, the post would have read "Eh, don't really want to see it. Doesn't seem interesting". NOT what you DID say equating it to psychics and voodoo etc...
OH, and so you say you'd rather stand with someone who's firm in their beliefs rather than someone who's wishy-washy?  And wishy-washy, I'm guessing, would be referring to me and my quest to find what I believe in the world, taking a bit from everything? So you, an african american(?), would rather stand with a member of the KKK who, like you, says he will NEVER change his way of thinking if he believes it, then someone who USED to be in the klan but now works for the Southen Poverty Law firm. I refuse to believe that to be true.

[PmoneyandTT]

Not one time did I say Im changing anyones mind..

Im not trying too.. I don't want too.. Where are you coming from? A movie is one thing - Killing people is another.. Lets not get off the subject with that.. Its my job to be discrete with my children - unless you want to pay for their living expenses - then what I decide will be my decision..

I like the fact you don't agree with me.. I love being the minority in everything.. I always have - and I always will be.. Its made me a very successful person..

[SxyPrincess]

She doesn't want to see the movie....DOES SHE REALLY NEED TO JUSTIFY HER OPINIONS TO EVERYONE....NO!!!!!!  

I don't want to see it either....does that make me a "bad" person?  

[Jimmyrich]

Umm....yes. :angry: A bad, bad person.

[Jimmyrich]

TT,

Changing minds? Killing people vs. a movie? was that in response to me?

[andwhat]

SXYprincess,
no that doesn't make you a bad person, nor does it make her a bad person b/c she doesn't want to see the movie. But she never said that. If she had simply siad i'm not interested, I don't get it, whatever then there would eb no issue. But the site is about reviews and she came on saying that she won't see it and won't let her kids see it even though she hasn't read it and doesn't ahev any real knowledge about it, that kinda bothers alot of people who truly treasure having an open mind and experiencing the world. Many people come from families with over protective families and parents and they are very bitter about it. Alot of those people are trying to protect her kids from growing up the same way and having a lasting despise for their mother b/c she refused to allow them to think or act on their owna dn instead just arbitrarily decided whats permissible or not without really knowing anything about it.
About the not wanting to see a movie vs killing someone debate, i'm afraid you started that one Pmoney when you started talking about the klan and your respect for someone who believes that strongly in something and will not listen to others and their point of view. I'm simply trying to show the danger in such a view and how ridiculous the statement sounds. notice when I originally said it I simply paraphrased what you had said, I changed nothing except the example, teh philosophy was still the same.
Oh and since it keeps coming up every so often and noone answers it, Pmoney how do you feel about the Narnia chronicles. Just curious on this one.

[SxyPrincess]

I LOVE THE NARNIA CHRONICLES!!!!!!!!!  One of the best books I ever read....

[vraiblonde]

JImmy writes:

But what doesn't make sense about simply claiming that "the beliefs expressed are contrary to my own, so therefore my kids can't see it".  That doesn't make sense.

Boy, Jimmy, now I know you're a young person and have no children.  Let me clue you:  parents are <i>supposed</i> to make decisions for their minor children.  It's called "raising" them.  You think TT sounds like your Dad?  Guess what!  <i>He</i> was a parent, too!  Funny how that works, eh?

Is it the Christian beliefs part that you all (not you, Christy) are threatened by?  I'm just trying to get a handle on why anyone is concerned that TT won't do the Harry Potter thing.

[Christy]

Sxy, if you liked the Narnia Chronicles, you would absolutely love the Harry Potter books.

[Jimmyrich]

Vrai,

The question I am continuing to pose, is what does TT find so DANGEROUS about these books/this movie that he wouldn't let his kids see it even if they wanted to.  It's not foul language, it's not too scary; my feeling is that he is buying into the fundamentalist rallying cry against this movie by people who don't know what it's about but love to find moral fault with things secular (AND most non-fundamentalist Christians) embrace.  
It's not about makind decisions for your children or not.  I may be young, but (a) that doesn't negate my opinion on this subject and (b) having children doesn't make you any more capable of decision-making so let's just get that out of the way.  And parents keeping their kids from movies they feel are going to be dangerous to them, I understand. I'm asking HOW the Harry Potter movies is perceived as dangerous?  And, if it's only the "witchcraft" and sorcery used in fantasy, I'm wondering what WOULD be an acceptable exercise in imagination?  Not the Wizard of Oz, not Narnia, not Pokemon, not Shrek, not MOST Disney movies;  but I'm doubting that all these make TT's list of unacceptable movies.   I'm wondering if he is just buying into the fundamentalist hype and NOT thinking for himself, as is a common mistake made buy fundamentalists--believe everything you are told by the Church.  I'm not afraid of Christian beliefs, unless they are used to justify harming an unaccepted group (gays, wiccans, pagans, athiests).  But TT seems to be using these beliefs without really thinking about what is at issue.  At least, he hasn't been able to explain it yet.