JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A South African schoolboy appealed to education authorities after refusing to answer an exam question on Harry Potter because he believes the best-selling children's books promote witchcraft.
Eighteen-year-old John Smit did not answer a comprehension question on a review of one of J.K. Rowling's books on the boy wizard, worth 30 percent of his English exam.
"He wouldn't answer it because it supports witchcraft, and we're against witchcraft ... the Bible is against witchcraft," Smit's mother, who did not wish to give her first name, told Reuters.
The family has written to provincial director of examinations to complain. Authorities have yet to respond.
"I hope they will give him his average mark. This shouldn't happen again," she said.
African Christian Democratic Party MP Cheryllyn Dudley said South Africa needed a clear policy to avoid other pupils facing moral dilemmas during exams.
"I have read (Harry Potter books), I have researched them thoroughly, and my personal opinion is that they are witchcraft manuals," Dudley told Reuters.
I thought this had gone out of style, but apparently not.
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-revprez, with yet another brilliant rebuttal.
Why am I not surprised that someone named Dudley would object to Harry Potter...
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"I have read (Harry Potter books), I have researched them thoroughly, and my personal opinion is that they are witchcraft manuals," Dudley told Reuters.
oh for fuck's sake. this guy is clearly a moron if he can't distinguish between a work of fiction and an honest to goodness witchcraft 'handbook'. He's clearly never read the likes of the satanic bible or the alchemist's website.
"It's you Americans. There's something about nipples you hate. If this were Germany, we'd be romping around naked on the stage here."
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The concept of refusing to answer an exam question because you don't agree with the subject of it is the dumbest thing about this, in my opinion. You don't see people calling others Nazis because they answer questions about Hitler on a History test, after all.
One has to wonder- would these people burn a witch at the stake if they actually caught "one"?
Devolution is quite as natural as evolution, and may be just as pleasing, or even a good deal more pleasing, to God. If the average man is made in God's image, then a man such as Beethoven or Aristotle is plainly superior to God, and so God may be jealous of him, and eager to see his superiority perish with his bodily frame.
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CJvR wrote:Why am I not surprised that someone named Dudley would object to Harry Potter...
Hey, you stole my thoughts.
"Ha ha! Yes, Mark Evans is back, suckers, and he's the key to everything! He's the Half Blood Prince, he's Harry's Great-Aunt, he's the Heir of Gryffindor, he lives up the Pillar of Storgé and he owns the Mystic Kettle of Nackledirk!" - J.K. Rowling
***
"Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on
the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You did not place your
hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."
"I have read (Harry Potter books), I have researched them thoroughly, and my personal opinion is that they are witchcraft manuals," Dudley told Reuters.
Apparently she's too damn lazy to actually try some of the spells. Pointing a stick at someone and shouting "Impedimenta" will not cause that person to start limping, and anybody who thinks that the Harry Potter books are witchcraft manuals after having read them obviously needs to flunk a reading comprehension test.
Anybody want to place bets on whether she's a fundamentalist dumbshit or a lying political opportunist? Or both?
The kid and his family are grade A fundies... but seriously. An exam on Harry Potter? Is it a very good series? Yes. Is it worthy of being taught about in schools? No.
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Captain_Cyran wrote:An English exam on Harry Potter?
The kid and his family are grade A fundies... but seriously. An exam on Harry Potter? Is it a very good series? Yes. Is it worthy of being taught about in schools? No.
The exam was to measure reading comprehension. In order to measure that, the students need to read something. The Harry Potter series is very enjoyable reading, so they used it. Maybe they already assigned the Harry Potter books as required reading, to improve English skills or something, and decided to reuse it on the exam. It's perfectly reasonable.
Captain_Cyran wrote:An English exam on Harry Potter?
The kid and his family are grade A fundies... but seriously. An exam on Harry Potter? Is it a very good series? Yes. Is it worthy of being taught about in schools? No.
Sometimes they do stuff like that to keep the students interested in reading.
"Oh no, oh yeah, tell me how can it be so fair
That we dying younger hiding from the police man over there
Just for breathing in the air they wanna leave me in the chair
Electric shocking body rocking beat streeting me to death"
- A.B. Original, Report to the Mist
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This is Africa we're talking about. There have been many cases of people being accused of witchcraft and murdered recently, including in South Africa where old ladies are killed for supposedly cursing people (giving them AIDS).
Also, ever notice on the "Have Your Say" topics on the BBC News Online that the most rabid fundies all claim somewhere in Africa as their location or home country?
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I am reminded, again, of back in the day when I posted on Leftbehind.com's boards and posted the Onion's article the week it came out....and all those yokels believed it.
"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles."
Captain_Cyran wrote:An English exam on Harry Potter?
The kid and his family are grade A fundies... but seriously. An exam on Harry Potter? Is it a very good series? Yes. Is it worthy of being taught about in schools? No.
Thats nothing in a university in Montreal,there is a whole course on one of the dumbest tv show ever made in french..*La Petite Vie*
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Captain_Cyran wrote:An English exam on Harry Potter?
The kid and his family are grade A fundies... but seriously. An exam on Harry Potter? Is it a very good series? Yes. Is it worthy of being taught about in schools? No.
The exam was to measure reading comprehension. In order to measure that, the students need to read something. The Harry Potter series is very enjoyable reading, so they used it. Maybe they already assigned the Harry Potter books as required reading, to improve English skills or something, and decided to reuse it on the exam. It's perfectly reasonable.
Actually, no. The question was on a review of Harry Potter. Not the actual book itself.
And, the guy is 18. I don't if that makes it better or worse.
We now have conclusive evidence that J.K. Rowling is in fact the tool of Satan, who is corrupting all of our children and teaching them to sacrafice babies. Why has our greatest sage, he of the mighty art tract, not risen to decry this menace? We've got D&D, now I need a laugh, so I want an anti-Harry Potter Chick Tract.
Post 666: Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 12:51 am
Post 777: Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 6:49 pm
Post 999: Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 11:19 am
UCBooties wrote:We now have conclusive evidence that J.K. Rowling is in fact the tool of Satan, who is corrupting all of our children and teaching them to sacrafice babies. Why has our greatest sage, he of the mighty art tract, not risen to decry this menace? We've got D&D, now I need a laugh, so I want an anti-Harry Potter Chick Tract.
You mean there isn't one? He needs to get cracking!
I check every couple of monthes but no dice. I even sent a suck up e-mail about how Mr. Chick is the only one who could make a tract compelling enough to turn the kiddies away from Satan. No word back on that one. Maybe they screan their mail for religous moderates and libertariens, in which case, I never got through.
Post 666: Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 12:51 am
Post 777: Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 6:49 pm
Post 999: Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 11:19 am
.
He needs to get cracking! 