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July 21, 2007

This Just In: Harry Potter Readers Won't Go to Hell

Well, now that the seventh book has released, the world can see that all the Harry Potter controversies have been much ado about nothing.  Let’s see, there were the plagiarism complaints.  If you have ever read the fabulous graphic novel “Books of Magic” (If you haven’t go buy the first book today!) you can see why some people have a problem with Rowling’s “innovative” ideas.  Then there were the feminist groups remarking on a lack of strong female characters.  Their argument being that where Harry Potter and Professor Dumbledore show limitless courage, bravery, and wisdom, their counter parts Hermione and Professor McGonagall show frailty.  In addition, of course, there were the concerns from religious organizations that the Harry Potter universe of witches and wizards would lead the youth down a path of wickedness.
 
Everyone can relax; you’re not going to go to Hell (if you even believe in such a place) for reading the Harry Potter books!  Well, at least according to the Church of England.  Diocese of Oxford Bishop John Pritchard was quoted in The Christian Post (Click Here for Story) as saying, "Jesus used storytelling to engage and challenge his listeners.  There's nothing better than a good story to make people think, and there's plenty in the Harry Potter books to make young people think about the choices they make in their everyday lives and their place in the world.”
 
Owen Smith, a youth worker at St. Margaret’s Church in the United Kingdom, has written a book called “Mixing it Up with Harry Potter”.  The Church of England’s publishing company is publishing it.  The Church’s press release states, “Using film scenes in which the characters make tough decisions to prompt discussion about moral choices and extracts from the books that demonstrate the power of words and their impact on others, the resource has creative ideas for using the Potter books as a basis for Christian teaching.”
 
Smith has also written “Mixing it Up with the Simpsons”.  According to Globe and Mail (Click Here for Story), “Mr. Smith started writing the book 18 months ago when pre-teens at the Sunday school where he teaches told him they were far more interested in The Simpsons and Harry Potter than Jesus and apostles.”
 
It’s nice to see a religious body recognizing that there are moral lessons to be learned in stories, not just traditional Bible stories.  There are many good moral lessons to be found in the television show “The Simpsons” and they’re in the Harry Potter series. 
 
Personally, I’ve been working on the “10 Moral Lessons of The Family Guy.”  I’m at five and counting….

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July 12, 2007

The Driver's Ten Commandments

If you watch “The Daily Show”, “The Colbert Report”, or heck even “Headline News”, then you’ve already heard about the “Driver’s Ten Commandments”.  This was part of a larger document, the “Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road”, that was issued by the Vatican on June 19, 2007.  Technically, this is old news, with it being July and all, but in case you hadn’t seen this already I’m covering it now, also, I think it’s fun and timeless.
 
Actually, despite how easy it is to poke fun at the “Driver’s Ten Commandments” I feel that I should do the thing that no news outlet has done yet, which is provide a little context.  As I said, the “Commandments” are part of a larger document.  This document was never intended for the average Joe Catholic.  According to the presentation at the beginning, “These Guidelines are aimed at bishops, priests, religious and other pastoral workers, as a further step towards a pastoral care that pays increasing attention to all expressions of human mobility, and is integrated within ordinary, local and parochial pastoral care.”  The “Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road” covers four very separate categories that are connected by that pavement river we call, the road.
 
Part one is, “Pastoral Care of Road Users”, which includes the infamous “Commandments”.  The other three parts are, “Pastoral Ministry for the Liberation of Street Women”, “Pastoral Care of Street Children”, and “Pastoral Care of the Homeless”.  Still funny?  The fact is, this document is to help provide guidance to Catholics leaders on the church’s stance on these topics and how to help educate others in the subject matter and how best the Church can help solve the dilemmas of these groups. 
 
Yes, road users are a dilemma.  Don’t believe me?  Then you do not have to commute for your job.  I worked in retail for over 10 years.  You know what made me dislike people?  One year of commuting to my office job.  Accidents, reckless driving, the stress of traffic jams, drunk drivers, and more, are all important issues that face every driver, whether they’re Catholic or not.  The “Pastoral Care of Road Users” is comical in it’s presentation of the problems drivers face (“In addition to traffic congestion, people are directly exposed to dangers deriving from other related problems, such as noise, air pollution and intensive use of raw materials.”), but it does encourage the Church to help educate people in the importance of traffic safety and to contribute support for campaigns and programs aimed at bettering roads and traffic safety.  For all of the document’s comic value, and believe me, it has it in spades; at its heart, it’s a well-meaning document.
 
Now that I’ve been far more fair and generous to the Catholic Church than I may ever be again, let’s check out the “Driver’s Ten Commandments”!
 
I. You shall not kill.
II. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.
III. Courtesy, uprightness, and prudence will help you deal unforeseen events.
IV. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.
V. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.
VI. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.
VII. Support the families of accident victims.
VIII. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.
IX. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.
X. Feel responsible towards others.
 
Actually, now that I’m reading them, I can’t bring myself to poke fun because I cannot help but wish that more people on my commute seemed to follow these.  Although, there is a few that are missing, maybe I need “Rebecca’s Ten Commandments for Drivers”.
 
I. Thou shall not speed in the slow lane nor go below the speed limit in the middle lane.
II. When it is merely cloudy, and there is no precipitation, thou shall not drive as if there is precipitation.
III. Drivers shall not decelerate just because they are on a bridge.
IV. Drivers shall not decelerate before the exit ramp, for the exit ramp exists for deceleration.
V. Likewise, drives shall accelerate while using on ramps, for they are designed for acceleration.
VI. Drivers shall use their blinkers whenever they are turning or changing lanes.
VII. Drivers shall not use cell phones, even if a hands free device is employed, while driving.  There is a reason why our Lord created voice mail.
VIII. If thy vehicle is incapable of achieving the minimum posted speed limit, than thou shall not drive it on that road.
IX. Thou shall decelerate if necessary to let a driver merge.
X. If at all possible, thou shall not be on NY I-87 at the hours of 8:30 a.m. or 4:00 p.m.
 
If you’re interested, the entire Vatican document can be found here: http://212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/news/20451.php?index=20451&po_date=19.06.2007&lang=po#PART%20ONE%20THE%20PASTORAL%20CARE%20OF%20ROAD%20USERS

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July 02, 2007

The Fes Festival is Cool

When we decided to add a blog to The Magical Buffet’s website, the idea was that it would end up being this kind of fluffy thing where I would spend time going, “Isn’t this thing cool?”  Instead, I’ve somehow ended up spending time learning about Roman Catholic Canon Law, discussing the misrepresentation of Wicca, and most recently, trying to wrap my brain around the Malaysian Constitution.  Which is why I was concerned when I decided I wanted to write about the Fes Festival that recently took place.
 
I told Jim, I want to write about this festival, but all I really have to say about it is that it is really cool.  Shouldn’t there be more?  He assured me that it was okay to just write about something because it was cool, so here we go.
 
The 13th annual Fes Festival of World Sacred Music took place June 1 to the June 10 of this year.  If you’re like me, you’ve never heard of this thing, and if you’re like me, the more you learn the more you wish you could go. 
 
After the Gulf War, two Islamic scholars decided to start an interfaith music festival in Morocco to promote peace.  It is held each year in Fez, a medieval city over 1000 years old.  Performers from around the world gather in Fez to share their music, making it a cultural melting pot of races and faiths. 
 
2007 marks the 800th anniversary of the Islamic sage and poet Jalaluddin Rumi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jalaluddin_Rumi) so various concerts and rituals throughout the festival were in celebration of Rumi and his teachings.  The free concerts included, Latefa Raefat (Morocco), Majda Yahyaqui (a female Moroccan artist performing malhoun music, which is typically done by men), Said Bey (who performs rai and malhoun blended with funky bits of flamenco and salsa), Amarg Fusion (This group is a symbol of Amazigh culture), the London Community Gospel Choir, Johnny Clegg (“Zulu Rock”, which is African song with electric guitar), Elias Karam (Syrian performer), and obviously many more.
 
It’s not just music; they also host “Fes Encounters”, where politicians, activists, and academics are brought together to discuss urgent issues.  Past topics have been conflict resolution, climate change, social justice, and urban renewal.  This year they discussed cultural diversity versus globalization and the relationship between faith and reason.  They broke them down into 3 days.  Day one, “Our cultural identities vs. globalization.”  Day two, “Our heritage cities: reflections of an ancient world or an imaginative resource for the future?”  And day three, “Our beliefs and our reason put to the test in the new world.”
 
Oh, and all of this is taking place in a country where 98.7% of the population are Muslim.  (1.1% are Christian and 0.2% are Jewish, in case you were curious)  That is right, an Islamic culture is not only hosting these festivals, they came up with the idea in the first place.  In my opinion, the Fes Festival proves that there is room for everyone in the world, regardless of faith.  That is why I am writing this blog, because the Fes Festival is cool.
 
Want to learn more, visit their website: www.fesfestival.com, just be sure when you get there you click on the English option, unless you speak French or Arabic!
 
Want to learn even more?  Well, I could go next year and write about it that way you would hear about it first hand.  Make checks payable to Rebecca Elson.  I’ll be sure to send you a postcard!

Posted by r.l.elson at 03:59 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)


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