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Potter tossed in fire
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WHEN members of a suburban Pittsburgh church wanted to purge their lives of things they felt were against their faith, Harry Potter books, Disney videos and Pearl Jam CDs found their way into the fire.
The congregation of a church in suburban Pittsburgh gathered around a bonfire on Sunday night to burn Harry Potter books, Disney videos, rock CDs and literature from other religions. "Our purpose comes out of the Bible," said the Rev George Bender of the Harvest Assembly of God Church in Butler County. "We read in the Bible how people, after they received Jesus Christ as their saviour, took things out of their homes and burned them. They received Christ and they willingly did this."
The church has a regular Sunday evening service, which does not include a bonfire. But this week the congregation wanted to do a little more, and 35 people brought books, CDs and tapes that they felt were not in keeping with their faith.
The Harry Potter books, so popular with children and parents, have drawn fire from religious leaders before for their depiction of a boy who consorts with wizards and uses magic.
"We believe that Harry Potter promotes sorcery, witchcraft-type things, the paranormal, things that are against God," Bender said. "That is really bad."
A spokeswoman for Scholastic, the publisher of the books, said they are more about a child who feels powerless in the world understanding that he can take some control of his life. She said the message sent by burning books is more dangerous than any fable about sorcery could be.
"I think burning books is shameful," Scholastic spokeswoman Judy Corman said. "The message is very clear by inference. I think he's saying something very strong."
(SD-Agencies)
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