I Read A Book

I know it has become almost a knee-jerk reaction among more experienced Pagans to discount, if not outright laugh at, those whose sole knowledge comes from reading books. Some wag has even coined the term "IRAB" (I Read A Book) to describe these individuals who think that browsing through Cunningham or perusing Buckland is all one needs to become the end all and be all of Paganism.
The thought is that merely reading a book is not enough. It assumes real time interaction with a human teacher and a few years of experience are the only way to gain real knowledge. The idea is that there is no power in books.
Those who hold this point of view might do well to reconsider. The Christian church rode roughshod over and ended up running most of the Western world empowered by nothing more than what was written in a book. Thousands of Americans died on 09/11/2001 because of what someone had written in a book. You would be hard pressed to find any religion from Mithraism to Scientology that is not based on what is written in a "mere book." Even the neo Pagan movement came as a result of books.
What set me off on these literary musings is what I have been reading about a recent and very powerful book. Part of a set of books, really, this book has been at the top of the news, the center of riots, the source of endless controversy, and, as some would describe, the source of great evil that is subverting our children and guaranteeing them a life of pain and suffering. I am, of course, talking about the latest book in the Harry Potter series.
It started months before the book even came out. The news media began a countdown of the book's release reminiscent of countdowns to other great events such as the man landing on the moon or Y2K. Every night, the newscasters advised us with breathless anticipation of how much closer we were to the Great Day that we would find out what Harry's latest adventure would be. Rumors about the books were flying around like poop at a baboon convention. Someone whispered that an important character was going to die. Someone else heard that Rowling was reneging and would not write anymore books. We heard about how many books were being printed, how many would sell, and how much money would be made by all concerned.
One hapless reviewer dared to publish his comments about the book before it was officially released and is being thoroughly bludgeoned with the club of litigation. That one unfortunate incident aside, the wonderful day finally arrived. As the hour grew near, we got constant news feed about how many people were lining up with sleeping bags and camp stoves to get the great "honor" of spending their money one the book the instant it became available. We saw video of long lines on the sidewalk outside bookstores looking like Depression Era soup lines and heard interviews with Potter enthusiasts about how the book was going to change their lives.
Finally, the Cosmos aligned in the proper position and it was time for the book to be sold. Those waiting in line fell upon copies like starving men falling upon a turkey dinner. Some bought both the English and American versions, apparently unaware that the only differences were the size of the type and the margins. Of course, the media was there to show as the thrilled children grasping copies in their arms and falling to the bookstore floor unable to put off reading even as long as it took to get to the parking lot.
We also saw the ugly side when near riots broke out as stores ran out of their strictly rationed copies. It was then the criminal element moved in and pirates made free copies widely available on the Internet.
Of course, a certain portion of our society, the church, was not shocked at all to see this happen. To their way of thinking, this did not even scratch the surface of the insidious evil lurking between the covers of that dastardly tome.
This book and the ones before it have been accused of teaching children Satanism and Witchcraft (like these are bad things), diluting the work ethic by giving the impression that things can be obtained without working for them, and even promoting promiscuity by depicting young men and women fraternizing without proper supervision. I should expect to hear any day now about the hidden Satanic messages one can decipher by reading the books backward.
Hellfire and brimstone has been called down upon Harry and the gang as these thought Nazis demand the books be banned from libraries and removed from schools. After all, they are to blame for the "alarming" increase in the number of people turning to Paganism and the declining numbers of people in pews (and dollars in church coffers).
The furor is nowhere near dying down as, just today, I read an article making a very feasible case for Harry's story being an allegory for what a young gay man goes through- right down to the point his family forces him to live in a closet. He is, the piece claimed, the latest gay icon.
I am shocked that those who protected us from the hidden filth of the Teletubbies did not pick up on such a blatant sign of Satan in action but, now that it has been brought to their attention, I am sure there will be a renewed cry for the purging of this evil in print from the hearts, minds, and bookshelves of humanity.
For the gods' sake, this is a kids' story! It is a fanciful tale, a flight of the imagination, a daydream in print. It is not even a new story. It is "Oliver Twist" with a magic wand. It's Dorothy and Toto in England. It is "The Hardy Boys and the Mystery of the Really Spooky Castle." It is just a book that has shaken our society as thoroughly as the other events it has shared the front page with these past few months.
Just a book; something of no power or consequence? Tell it to Saul of Tarsis who wrote a book which became the foundation of a repressive moral code which, after more than 2000 years, left societal scars we are still endeavoring to heal. Tell it to the men who framed the Constitution of the United States and set the course for the greatest nation in the history of mankind. Tell it to Charles Darwin who took pen in hand and transcribed the creation of the Universe.
Tell it to the once homeless J K Rowling.

posted by The Pendragon at 8/17/2003 07:57:00 PM