That awkward moment when you're discussing Harry Potter on CC with people who believe the series is like the real occult world and that just don't get a clue.
That awkward moment when you are trying to think of the best way to help [someone who just doesn't appear to have a clue] understand the fact that Satan actually uses "seemingly 'harmless' things like Harry Potter" to entice and draw people - especially children - into "the real occult world"...
That awkward moment when someone doesn't realise you can be a discerning Christian reader and still read such things because you're covered by the blood of Christ (even though the magic therein is incredibly different to the real world occult).
That awkward moment when your about ready to ask Stilly or Once to bean a couple of guys on the head for bringing their little argument into this thread.
Now boys (GRA, TinTin), if you two can't behave, there will be no brownies for dessert for you two tonight. I made the caramel brownies.
violakat:
1) There is no argument.
2) This "volley" started with post #565 in this thread (first quoted above).
Nothing was "brought in" from anywhere else (except Tintin's
mindset when he wrote the post). That is
your uneducated
assumption.
3) I am pretty sure that 'GRA' is not one of the 'people' that Tintin had in mind in post #565.
4)
Tintin made a legitimate-by-the-intent-of-this-thread-topic post -- thus, automatically and legitimately opening it up for discussion. Any discussion of any reasonable length that follows - IS VALID - as long as it does not completely derail the thread.
A "rabbit" of a few short posts does not usually constitute a 'derail'. An extended volley of highly-distracting posts, on the other hand...
I just don't see how this short exchange was as "dangerous" as you seem to suggest.
5)
I had only made one post so far.
I can appreciate the fact that you anticipated a
possible [but not necessarily] thread-derailing exchange about to ensue -- although, you should not have
assumed it until
at least after I had made another post -
and then, only if the 'tone' of it honestly seemed too extreme.
I can also appreciate the "playful" way you decided to "soften" the 'sting' of the
accusation...
I believe that I am a fairly laid-back kind of guy. I can "play along" with these kinds of things (like your post), and even have fun with it. No harm done.
However, in this particular case - I think you "jumped the gun" and made an
unfounded accusation.
What I DO NOT appreciate - is getting "called down" (
based on a false-assumption) for making
one honest and sincere first-reply post to a [valid but]
serious-in-nature "random" post in a thread that was intended to contain
mostly-light-hearted "random" posts...
I do not believe that it was necessary for Tintin to make an apology to you - or to me.
(
I am not saying that it was not O.K. -- I am only saying that it was necessary. )
Neither 'Tintin' nor 'GRA' have anything against the other, as far as I know. We have different views - and have chosen to express those views for [what we hope to be] the benefit of others. And, Tintin is "more than welcome" to let me know if he does not feel that I have made this statement properly.
In the future, please be careful to get your facts straight first. O.K.?
Now - I am going to say just one more thing with regard to this issue. And then, I intend to "drop it" from this thread...
It is not the 'discerning Christian reader' that I am mostly concerned about. It is the MILLIONS of unsuspecting undiscerning CHILDREN who are being "sucked into" the "real occult world" almost exclusively by the 'power of suggestion'.