DebateGate

Oy.  This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "Swish and flick!"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071020/ap_en_ot/books_harry_potter;_ylt=Anl0WiyQiJqbiRt0Uuv4ZzPK.nQA

J.K. Rowling outs Hogwarts character


NEW YORK - Harry Potter fans, the rumors are true: Albus Dumbledore, master wizard and Headmaster of Hogwarts, is gay. J.K. Rowling, author of the mega-selling fantasy series that ended last summer, outed the beloved character Friday night while appearing before a full house at Carnegie Hall.

After reading briefly from the final book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," she took questions from audience members.

She was asked by one young fan whether Dumbledore finds "true love."

"Dumbledore is gay," the author responded to gasps and applause.

She then explained that Dumbledore was smitten with rival Gellert Grindelwald, whom he defeated long ago in a battle between good and bad wizards. "Falling in love can blind us to an extent," Rowling said of Dumbledore's feelings, adding that Dumbledore was "horribly, terribly let down."

Dumbledore's love, she observed, was his "great tragedy."

"Oh, my god," Rowling concluded with a laugh, "the fan fiction."

Potter readers on fan sites and elsewhere on the Internet have speculated on the sexuality of Dumbledore, noting that he has no close relationship with women and a mysterious, troubled past. And explicit scenes with Dumbledore already have appeared in fan fiction.

Rowling told the audience that while working on the planned sixth Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," she spotted a reference in the script to a girl who once was of interest to Dumbledore. A note was duly passed to director David Yates, revealing the truth about her character.

Rowling, finishing a brief "Open Book Tour" of the United States, her first tour here since 2000, also said that she regarded her Potter books as a "prolonged argument for tolerance" and urged her fans to "question authority."

Not everyone likes her work, Rowling said, likely referring to Christian groups that have alleged the books promote witchcraft. Her news about Dumbledore, she said, will give them one more reason.

CV?

Culture Vultures.  Sorry, just too lazy to type.

can`t boycott chinese product
americans won`t make them

Well, then let the Illegal Aliens make them.  Isn't doing what Americans won't do supposed to be their job? 

By an odd set of coincidences my offspring are all becoming Disney types.  My second-born, Robert, did a couple of years in Tokyo in Disney Sea as a performer and now my first-born, Chris, who is an aspiring actor, is an extra in "The Game Plan."  Since he is a SAG member (he did a commercial and has attended acting schools in NY and LA) he got paid as a "featured extra" and actually got a small speaking part (The Rock ordered something from him at the bar) but alas, ended up on the cutting room floor.  He shows up in the crowd at the stadium a few times.  He was in the front row and can be seen prominently for about two seconds in a couple of seens.  That may not seem important, but there was a certain young extra on the ship in the movie "Hawaii" that didn't do too bad.  (They call her the Divine Miss M.)

Anyway, we're waiting for the DVD to come out.  Come on "Deleted Scenes!" 

Dr Watson is no stranger to controversy. He has been reported in the past saying that a woman should have the right to abort her unborn child if tests could determine it would be homosexual.

Somewhere Pat Robertson's head just exploded.

I am happy to know that my misunderstanding is honest.

I was actually saying this in jest. I was thinking that is someday, one of my descendants decides to become a Mormon, then they would submit the family tree and seal the whole tribe into the LDS Church, despite the fact that none of us in life was sufficiently enthused to seal ourselves.

Could you explain what it is I have misunderstood about this?

Gladly.  The doctrine of ordinance by proxy does not negate free choice.  Here it is, in a nutshell:

Everyone needs to have a chance to hear and understand the gospel of Jesus Christ.  If they do not, how can they be judged by it?  There are many faiths who preach that anyone who, through no fault of his own, never hears the gospel is condemned to hell, or at the least to "limbo."  But if that is true, God would be awfully unjust.

We believe that anyone who has not yet had the opportunity to hear and understand the gospel in this life will be given an opportunity in the next life before the final judgement.  But the Bible clearly states that one must be baptized to enter the kingdom of heaven.  Since this and other ordinances (such as marriage, which the Bible states is not to be done in heaven) must be done on earth.  Proxy ordinances are done in the name of the deceased person.  But that person may choose to accept it or not.  You do not lose your choice in the next life.  Just being listed as "baptised by proxy" on the rolls of the church does not make you a member.  This church does not have dead members.  It simply indicates for those who may be seeking to do the ordinances that these people have already been given the opportunity.

Now of course, this raises the question "Why would anybody reject the gospel in the NEXT life, having already seen that there IS a next life?"  I'll tell you - I dunno!  But we believe that in the next life we keep our free choice, and we also keep many of the traits that we had on earth.  Sometimes people just can't accept that something is right, even in the face of strong evidence.  Some are stubborn, some are afraid, some simply do not want the responsibilty that comes with commitment.  This is also true on earth.  Many say "I would be a Christian if i didn't have to give up [insert your weakness here]."  Some say "I would join your church, but my family would disown me."  It happens.  Since we have free choice on the other side, we can choose to say "Lutheranism was good enough for me on earth, it's darn well good enough for me here."  Unlike many other religions, we do not presume you will go to hell for such a decision.  We believe that you will still receive a reward if you were faithful to whatever you believed.  You simply will lose the opportunity to advance beyond a certain point.  There is a "Hell" for the worst, those who knew better but rejected there own knowledge.  So yeah, Hitler probably isn't going to heaven.  However, someone here on earth may well have submitted his name and the work may be done (I have heard rumors to that effect).  Don't worry.  If a person rejected truth on earth even a proxy Baptism will not help him.  If you hear and understand the gospel on earth and reject it, you have had your chance.  Your ancestors may do your temple work, but it will only be obedience on their part.  You will have already made your choice.

In effect, if Mormonism is right, a cosmic dilemma is solved - and nobody loses their choice to accept or reject it.  If they are wrong, no harm is done to the person for whom the proxy stands.  After all, if a good Christian dies in Christ, what difference would some odd rite done after he is dead make?  But if that same good Christian finds that, while his faith was good there is more to know and accept, he has not lost the chance to have the fullness of the gospel.

Hope that clears it up.

Lanya, Sirs, MT, Missus:

Thanks for the kind comments.  The Heart in the Sand is a tradition we started back in 1977.  I was walking on Glebe Road in Arlington, VA. with Val during a snowstorm.  I spontaneously jumped onto a small patch of grass in front of a bank and used my feet to make a heart in the snow.  She thought it was sweet (awwww!) so since then whenever it snows or we go to a beach I make her a heart.  I usually get a lot more elaborate, like lining it with seashells or something like that  (Hey, ya gotta keep it fresh!) but since we only had a short time on the beach I stuck to the simple, with just our anniversary date on a scroll below.

All of those pics were taken with my son's Canon digitial camera.  We have lots more, but we have to compress and upload them and it takes time.  In a week or so I'll probably post more.


Sorry I don't get much online time.  I'll try to post more often when I get the chance.

Cheers, all!