Saturday, 3 December 2011

A Mediaeval Man.

I see the Vatican’s chief exorcist has declared the Harry Potter books to be the work of the Devil, since they point people in the direction of magic. He has also declared yoga to be the work of the Devil, since it points people towards ‘oriental religions.’

I respect the man’s right to hold his opinion of course, but it seems to me that this is the very stuff of which the Inquisition mentality is composed. It’s at the heart of why organised religion has always directed so much of its effort towards torturing and killing innocent people, or at least provided a convenient excuse when other motives have ruled.

And it seems the good priest is a fan of William Peter Blatty. Presumably, he has little time for Umberto Eco, even though he could well find a comfortable role in The Name of the Rose.

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