Church burns 'satanic' Harry Potter books
Protesters waved Nazi flags at members of a New Mexican church as the pastor and congregation last night burned Harry Potter books .
Jack Brock, the Alamogordo Christ Community Church founder and pastor, said the burned books were ‘‘a masterpiece of satanic deception.’’
‘‘These books teach children how they can get into witchcraft and become a witch, wizard or warlock,’’ Brock said. Members sang Amazing Grace as they threw the books by British author JK Rowling, along with other books and magazines, into the fire.
Across the street, protesters chanting ‘‘Stop burning books’’ stretched in a line a quarter of a mile long.
‘‘It may be useless but we want (the church) to know the community is not behind them,’’ said Joann Booth, who was demonstrating against the burning with her four grandchildren. One protester dressed up as Adolf Hitler.
Brock told the congregation that he viewed the attention the church received as a blessing.
‘‘There are those that are doing their best to make us look bad.’’ Brock said. ‘‘But because of this, I’ve been able to preach the gospel around the world.’’
A letter to a local newspaper last week inviting the community to attend the fire sparked debate in the town of 36,000. On Tuesday, protesters held signs reading ‘‘Book burning? Shame on our town’’ in front of the public library.
