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Christian Charity Removes Pokémon, Harry Potter Toys from X-Mas Drive
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
The charity organization Samaritan's Purse sent out the last of its donated Christmas gifts on Thursday as part of its "Operation Christmas Child." The organization sent out more than 2.4 million shoeboxes of toys that passed through its processing center in Charlotte, North Carolina but not before weeding out some that were deemed "inappropriate" by the Christian organization.
Samaritan's Purse removed any Pokemon-related toys or items from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Domestic director Randy Riddle released a statement that reads in part:
"Operation Christmas Child works with church partners in more than 100 countries from a number of denominations and realizes that not every partner has the same views."
The statement does not directly mention the conflict between the popular game franchise or J.K. Rowling's series. The Harry Potter books were challenged 23 times in 13 states for removal from public or school libraries in 1999 by religious groups and parents. Common reasons were concerns over occultism and witchcraft.
The Pokemon game franchise has also been criticized for its inclusion of evolution. The animal rights group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) released two parody games to expose what they perceive as Pokémon's message of animal abuse.
Source: WCNC
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