JK Rowling denied 'Top US Honour'

[Scotracer]

Harry Potter author JK Rowling missed out on a top honour because some US politicians believed she "encouraged witchcraft", it has been claimed.


Matt Latimer, former speech writer for President George W Bush, said that some members of his administration believed her books promoted sorcery.
As a result, she was never presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The claims appear in Latimer's new book called Speechless: Tales of a White House Survivor.
He wrote that "narrow thinking" led White House officials to object to giving Rowling the civilian honour.
The award acknowledges contributions to US national interest, world peace or cultural endeavours.
Past literary recipients of the award include John Steinbeck and Harper Lee.
Others denied the privilege under the Bush administration included Senator Edward Kennedy, who died in August this year.
Latimer claimed, in his book, that the veteran politician and health care activist was excluded because he was deemed to be too liberal.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8282356.stm

This is the most powerful government in the world and they are scared of witchcraft? I thought we had left the dark ages behind.

Questions for debate:

1) Is the US as superstitious as this report appears to show?

2) Is the claim in any way justified; does the series promote 'witchcraft'?

3) Am I the only one horrified by it?

[JoeyKnothead]

Questions for debate:

1) Is the US as superstitious as this report appears to show?

2) Is the claim in any way justified; does the series promote 'witchcraft'?

3) Am I the only one horrified by it?

1) I'm aware of many folks in my neck of the woods that rail against the book on the same grounds.

2) It "promotes" it only if it contradicts one's own preferred brand of magic.

3) Horrified? Not so much as I consider it religious politics (theocracy) as usual.

[Coyotero]

It mostly depends on where you are.

When I was living in Indiana, I would get sideways looks from passers-by and customers when I wore my hammer or Valknut in public. On more than one occasion I was called a devil-worshiper, and I had a few customers boycott my store. Any pagans I met up there were very shy about coming out of the broom closet.

Down here in Arizona, things are much more open. There's a lot of us around who are loud and proud pagans.

It is very scary. Amazing these goons can't get past their medieval mindset.

Scotracer, you may want to take a look at a blog that I frequently read: http://wildhunt.org/blog/ The authors there keep a close eye on witchcraft and paganism and how it's affected by politics, it's more prevalent than you'd think.

[Scotracer]

It almost mirrors gay people coming out

Maybe it's because I live in a highly secular Europe and where religion in my country amounts to a social gathering for old dearies.

Pagans do seem to get the bum-wrap of it all though. I'm not sure why that is - was it Christian propaganda through the ages that has given them the reputation they have?

[Coyotero]

I think centuries of Christian propaganda has a lot to do with it.

Christian propaganda and some of the modern media portray witches and pagans as something to be feared. I think for a lot of Christians it's a fear of the unknown, they know at least roughly what Judaism, Buddhism, or Islam are all about, but when someone says the P word they get all worried and frightened.

To be fair, Paganism is a very broad brush. The word itself encompasses a vast number of traditions: Asatru, Wicca, Celtic Reconstructionist, Old American Indian religions, Indigenous/tribal religions, Santeria, Vodou, Kemetic, Occultism, Golden Dawn, Rosicrucian, Kalash, Shinto, and hundreds of others.

I've had a few occasions where I've been called a satanist or a devil worshiper on these very boards... It's ignorance, pure and simple.

[elle]

Questions for debate:

1) Is the US as superstitious as this report appears to show?

2) Is the claim in any way justified; does the series promote 'witchcraft'?

3) Am I the only one horrified by it?

1. Yes, in some areas. I'm from the "bible belt" of the South where there are tons of churches in every city and town and thus many brands of Christianity. My former sect believed that Harry Potter was okay as long as those who watched the movies or read the books understood that it was a fictional story. This is not to say that they would support pagan or earth-based religions, but they didn't go overboard about HP. Other groups did not allow or strongly discouraged their members from watching/reading HP. You have to remember, it's very easy to convince people not to see something when their trusted religious leader tells them it could negatively influence them or their children. I suppose you could label that as superstition and it's certainly ill-placed, but I understand how the fear is instilled.

2. No the series does not promote witchcraft. When I think of witches, I think of Wicca and there is nothing about HP that resembles Wicca in my opinion. The characters in HP do not do magic as a religious endeavor and I don't remember any religious worship or practice actually taking place except for a Christmas celebration. Take my assertion here with a grain of salt as I have only seen the movies and not read the books. I also remember reading somewhere that the author had intentionally put Christian themes and undertones in the books which would further suggest that HP does not actually intend to promote pagan religions such as Wicca.

3. I'm not horrified, most likely because I have been raised around people who are very much against things they don't take the time to understand so I get where it's coming from. That doesn't mean I don't think it's a huge shame.

[Homicidal_Cherry53]

1) Is the US as superstitious as this report appears to show?

I am willing to admit that I honestly don't know. The people in my area are not anywhere near this suspicious (although an overwhelming majority are devout Catholics), but elsewhere, it is entirely possible that people agree with the decision that the Bush administration made.

2) Is the claim in any way justified; does the series promote 'witchcraft'?

Definitely not.

3) Am I the only one horrified by it?

I can't say I'm particularly horrified. After the Patriot Act, an unjustified war, and a record number of faux paus, not giving J.K. Rowling a Medal of Freedom is pretty negligible (she didn't really deserve it anyways, IMHO).

[Cathar1950]

How superstitious is Bush?
I can imagine there are pressures from some religious and the do have money.

I don't know if the Medal of Freedom is appropriate but some honer is fine.
I am happy to see kids running around actually reading the books.
I find it interesting that kids can tell the difference between superstitious and fun while some adults live in fear of freedom. Maybe they were not the right people to be giving such honors

[Coyotero]

What I want to know is, what is so wrong about promoting witchcraft? (And I get it, I know the books don't actually promote true witchcraft, by my point remains the same.)

If you had a book with a character who was Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, etc., you'd not hear nearly so much uproar. Why the huge bias against wiccans?

[Cathar1950]

What I want to know is, what is so wrong about promoting witchcraft? (And I get it, I know the books don't actually promote true witchcraft, by my point remains the same.)

If you had a book with a character who was Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, etc., you'd not hear nearly so much uproar. Why the huge bias against wiccans?

I am amazed that even though there are the movies the books are still being read and that is spooky.
But you do raise an interesting point as we see all kinds of writings that claim Christian magic is fact. There was obvious politics behind it.

Competing magic?