Burn the books.... Burn the witches.... Burning Testimony??... And then Scouts

Okay- I know this is a family blog- and this has alot to do with my family- My family and i have waited excitedly, counted down to, and are now ready to see the Golden Compass! Well Heather told me her theater has been being given some nasty emails for carrying the movie-- So i will copy the email that was sent to almost everyone i know concerning it- Including all the managers at her theater (so one can only assume all theaters) Worse yet... I know the woman who sent it- My breath was taken away that this kind of thinking still exists in mondern day.

“BEWARE!!! There is much controversy over this children’s book which is now being released as a movie in theatres on December 7th. Many people have been deceived and refuse to see the message it is sending. Make no mistake, the author is a predator and is attempting to poison the minds of our children and he will do so if we allow him to. This series, “His Dark Materials,” was written as a direct response to The Chronicles of Narnia. The author has admitted to being an atheist and has commented that his books are about killing God in the minds of children. As parents we have a moral responsibility to protect our children from harm. It is extremely disturbing to know that Phillip Pullman has successfully marketed this trash to so many young minds already. This book has crossed into some of our schools and is being assigned as part of our children’s reading curriculum.
I implore you to take a stand to stop allowing others to deceptively corrupt our children’s minds. We must not turn a blind eye and brush it off as just a book/movie. It is time to stand up to these people that believe they have the right to corrupt the minds of our children because of their right to free speech. They may have a right to free speech but we also have a right, as well as a responsibility, to protect the minds of those who are the future of our great country. Please do not let your children get sucked in by this monster."

This absolutely infuriates me.... Now, I would like people to take a minute to think about the implications of this matter. The authors of this email are concerned for the moral well being of their children because children will be taken in by the Atheistic beliefs of the author and will therefore slide down that slippery moral slope and lose their faith in God. Please focus for a moment on their complaint that Pullman is a “monster” who, responding to C.S. Lewis’s work The Chronicles of Narnia, expressed an alternate view to theology and religion through fiction.
I ask you, why is it worse for an Atheist to write a children’s book about using one’s own intelligence to question the actions of a political/theological body than it is for a Christian to write an allegory of life and death ? Is every person in the world of one point of view? I think not - Why not start petitions to have the movie based on his works removed from the shelves of video stores everywhere?
Obviously, I do not believe that Lewis should be banned or censored. INFACT - I Loved the Narnia movie, and i have read the books as well. I loved them! The laws of free speech protect the rights of Westboro Baptists (no, I will not provide links to their websites because I find them vile and repugnant) who maintain publicly that “god hates fags” and “god hates America” while they picket the funerals of American soldiers who have fallen in combat in Iraq. If laws of free speech can protect these hate mongers why should they not cover Pullman, who in no way suggests trading in belief for hate or violence.
Religion is a subject that I find best kept private. My feeling on the issue is that I won’t bother people with my religious views if they don’t bother me with theirs. Each person has the right to believe what he or she chooses and that choice should have no impact on me. Honestly, what does it say about a person’s strength of will or belief if they can be so easily swayed by children’s fiction? Is not the job of a parent to educate children? Help them understand wrong from right? Teach them how to live morally and hold true to their beliefs? How can you do this if you ignore any possible intellectual challenge to your belief system?
I don’t understand people who have so little faith (although they profess the opposite) that they feel the need to pretend opposing views don’t exist, or worse yet, try to squash them. It seems to me that the people who are so worried about the moral decline of their children through the literature they read should bear two things in mind. One : at least the children are reading . Two : talking to your children about the reasons for their faith will be much more effective in the long run than a knee jerk reaction calling for the removal of books from a library or school reading list.

WHEW! i feel so much better now

Change of Subject--- Johnathon had scouts last night, Not only did he win in the eggdrop capsule contest... the egg lived. But here are all the belt loops he was awarded with last night- He got more than anyone else... Physical Fitness, Basket Ball, Geology, BB Shooting ( he likes this one best), Map and Compass, Softball, Archery. Here is a picture of them all. His belt will be full!