Is it normal?

Some people cannot help their ignorance. I once spent an entire evening arguing with a girl about whether or not Greek Mythology was once a religion, which is was and somewhat still is. Some people just don't want to acknowledge anything outside their little realm. Its sad really. It especially sad that this is a person others look up to and he is saying these things. What does that teach the children in the church?

Alas, this dogmatic and ignorant approach to other cultures and religions has pervaded Christianity from its conception. Anything that could be seen as contrary or threatening to the church will always be belittled. The Japanese written language is made up of Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji. The Kanji are the same as the Chinese written symbols, known in China as Changjie. As I understand the runic symbols of Scandanavia, they are similar to the Meditarranean early writings of Linear A & Linear B (the written languages of the Hittites and Minoans). I am a linguist, and can translate ancient Greek, Latin and Aramaic, but am not an authority on Runes. However, I am aware that there are several soecialists in this field, especially in Scandanavia, with it being a part of their heritage. What I can say with no doubts whatsoever, is that Runes and ancient Scandanavian symbolism has been found in many parts of Scotland and Ireland, especially on the Scottish Islands. So, these ancient people must have been far more intelligent, and capable of discussion and conversation, than your church minister is giving them credit for, otherwise they would not have been able to build ships capable of crossing the North Sea, which still today is one of the most trecherous oceans on the planet. That the Scandanavians, and the Scots, were able to fight back the Roman armies, and therefore not adopt Latin as their mother-tongue, should not be used to show them as lesser peoples. Perhaps you could ask the minister, why is it that Christians claim Jesus was born in Bethlehem, of lowly parents, in a cow-shed, on December 25th, when Jesus was, in fact, born in North Egypt. The whole of the story surrounding Jesus's birth is directly stolen from the Romans, and their story of the birth of Mithras, a demi-god, who walked the Earth and was the path to eternal life in the stars. Doesn't the First Commandment state that 'Thou shalt have no other God but I' and that the celebration of Mithras is therefore contrary to the word of God?!