Talk:Michael D. O'Brien
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This page originally read like blatant self-promotion, and much of it was lifted directly from O'Brien's official web site; we must watch that this page maintains a more neutral point of view. I've made a significant edit today to address that. 216.209.114.49 13:01, 8 April 2006 (UTC)
The edit sounds like someone who as an animus against O'Brien. This page needs to written just like any other modern author. And why the preface "conservative"? Do you think authors like Robert B Parker for example should be described as liberal, because many like Parker are just that? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 137.48.50.51 (talk • contribs) 22:17, 23 May 2006.
There did seem to be a slight bias detectable, but after looking through earlier versions of this article, it looks as if someone has edited this page to remove factual statements which they personally do not "like," therefore introducing their bias. A quick search of the Internet has provided references for these statements, and so I have reinserted them into the article with proper reference links. These are not statements of someone "out to get" Michael O'Brien, but in fact statements by O'Brien himself or his publisher: 1) O'Brien really does believe we are currently living in the "end times," and it is the reason he wrote Father Elijah, a story which he says came to him in a vision before the Blessed Sacrament.[1] 2) O'Brien really does have a dim view of the future of the Catholic Church.[2] 3) the publisher indeed describes Landscape with Dragons as a "controversial" look at the "paganization" of children's literature in its own promotional material.[3] 4) O'Brien definitely is one of the most outspoken critics of Harry Potter, and he did call it a "gnostic invasion."[4] Clearly these statements are factual, verifiable, and should not be deleted without discussion. Also, having read Landscape With Dragons, I can confirm that O'Brien is indeed "critical" of Lewis and Tolkien -- it doesn't mean he is "against" the books, but he does raise a lot of questions about aspects of Lewis' and Tolkien's writings which he believes are misguided or in error, from his point of view, and he cautions readers against reading them without careful spiritual guidance. (I also agree that it's important to note that he himself did not pen the list of "Recommended Reading" within that book, as people frequently make the mistake of believing he did... while it may be true that it is blatant self-promotion for Bethlehem Books/Ignatius, that's probably not particularly relevant to this article.) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 216.209.114.46 (talk • contribs) 21:12, 16 June 2006.
Umm.. if you actually look at the website you cited under [2], Michael D. OBrien proposes three different possible futures of the Catholic Church. He clearly states in bold all three are fiction. There also seems to a strange emphasis on Landscape with Dragons and relatively little on his novels, artwork, or magazine articles. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 128.183.22.24 (talk • contribs) 18:31, 29 June 2006.
