Speaking out about religious folks banning books, Judy Blume, author of Are you there God?It's me, Margaret said:
"What began with the religious right has spread to the politically correct. (Remember the uproar in Brooklyn last year when a teacher was criticized for reading a book entitled "Nappy Hair" to her class?) And now the gate is open so wide that some parents believe they have the right to demand immediate removal of any book for any reason from school or classroom libraries. The list of gifted teachers and librarians who find their jobs in jeopardy for defending their students' right to read, to imagine, to question, grows every year."
Another quote comes from Kimberly L. Keith who talks about how Harry Potter is good for children because it is basically a modern fairy tale:
"A fairy tale, or great children's book, guides the child's unconscious in a structured way to resolve painful feelings. This frees the child to cope on a conscious level without being overwhelmed by underlying feelings of anxiety and alienation. The Harry Potter books have all the elements of a classic fairy tale, but they speak to modern children in a way that classic fairy tales probably do not anymore."
On the other side of the coin we have this quote from Ray Novosel from www.jesus-is-savior.com:
"But as wild as children seem to be about Harry, no one is happier about the phenomenon than the old-school Satanists, who were struggling to recruit new members prior to the publication of the first Potter book in 1997. “Harry in an absolute godsend to our cause,” said High Priest “Egan” of the First Church of Satan in Salem, MA. “An organization like ours thrives on new blood - no pun intended - and we've had more applicants than we can handle lately." In 1995, it was estimated that some 100,000 Americans, mostly adults, were involved in devil-worship of some sort. Today, more than 14 million children alone belong to the Church of Satan, thanks largely to the unassuming boy wizard from 4 Privet Drive. Yes, the numbers ARE horrific, but the total sales of Harry Potter books, plus the natural hand-me-down factor where many people read a book that has already been purchased, easily equals or exceeds this staggering figure of 14 million."
Here's a lovely video put together by the folks over at everythingisterrible.com you should watch that will really drive home the point of view that Harry Potter is taking people away from good and placing them on the path of evil.
So this brings us to the question of who is right? Are religious folk correct in worrying about what our children (and everyone else's children) read and see? Are these kids really on the path to destruction:
Or are religious people overreacting? Is Harry Potter just a kids book with an interesting story, no different then the hundreds of fictional children's books that have come before it?
What I think is funny, is don’t they recognize Harry as the archetypal Christ figure? Just like Aslan from The Chronicles of Narnia or Frodo from The Lord of the Rings? I think the people who are so opposed to Harry Potter are zealots and then they tell people who don’t know anything about the book that it is dangerous and get them all upset.
ReplyDeleteFor example, one day, my grandma called and asked if we read those terrible Harry Potter books. She then went on to tell me about something she heard and that we shouldn’t read them anymore. Obviously she knew nothing of the books but was willing to adopt the worst about them.
This is my favorite quote from the video: “My deepest concerns and fears is the teaching of human sacrifice, pagan religions, Celtic religion, the sucking of blood from dead animals, Witchcraft, possession by spirit beings, Satanism, blood sacrifices, wands, robes, owls, Latin words … ” Latin words? Really? Latin words will cause children to delve into Satanism? Well then, they better stop teaching Latin in Catholic school.
J.K. Rowling was being interview the other day and remembering how she felt on 9/11. She called her friend in New York to make sure they were okay and he said to her, “And they say we shouldn’t teach children about evil.” This statement really addresses the concerns brought up in the video. If children don’t know that the things mentioned in the video are evil, what’s to stop them from pursuing them?
Hey, this is just the American way. Whatever is on top, we want to take down. We are just contrarians by nature.
ReplyDeleteEverybody hates Microsoft (and starting to hate Apple...), the Lakers, the Yankees, Twilight, A-Rod, LeBron James, Jersey Shore (but mainly because they're terrible people), Lindsay Lohan, and now Harry Potter. Okay, fine, pretty much everybody loves Harry Potter, but the people that hate him REALLY hate him hard core.
If there's any small chink in the armor of any of the entities mentioned it gets exposed real quick.
Harry Potter set himself up for this by being just too dang popular. Had he just been marginally liked it's likely that he would still be down with the crowd pointing fingers up at some glittering limey and his spirograph of emotions girlfriend clinging to the top of a conifer in Washington.
So, to answer your question, yes. People are overreacting to an innocent story about a boy and his gay master wizard. (I hope that doesn't spark another debate)
I have read all seven Harry Potter books and loved them. I enjoy the movies and have all of them. Although I do not have Harry Potter pajamas and a toy wand, I am a big fan of the books and the movies. As I reflect on my life and what I believe, I have never considered worshiping Satan or practicing any form of withcraft. My wife has also read the books and has not considered worshiping Satan or becoming a witch. I do not think my daughter will become a Satanist when she reads the books or watches the movies if she wants to.
ReplyDeleteIn a nut shell, yes, there are evil books out there. From our religious knowledge, we know very well that Satan is real. There are those who follow him willingly, however, Harry Potter is not out there to convert children's souls to the devil. We have the gift of discernment, well, at least some of us do. If we ever have a question about whether something is good or evil, we can always get on our knees and ask for some guidance. If something was really, really, evil and we needed to be aware of it, I think we would have heard in a meeting we have twice a year as Mormons, that these books are no bueno, and we need to stay away from it.
I, like many of you obviously, have read all of the books. I own the collection and I've listened to the book on CD while driving cross country with my family. I've never had evil thoughts or wish I could do magic (except for the occasional lazy though wishing I could make something come to me instead of having to get up and get it). I had never really thought about it before, but I guess Harry Potter COULD teach us bad traits and entice children into evils.
ReplyDeleteI think we need to be aware of what we and our children are consuming. But rather than shield them from every untrue thing, I would prefer teaching them what is the truth... what is real... where true power and knowledge come from. I think as long as we maintain a good head about our shoulders and realize the different between real and fiction, we will be able to help others better cope with these interesting issues that come up in books.
I don't think Harry Potter has a Satanic effect on children. I started reading the books when I was eleven, and never once did the thought of Satanic worship cross my mind. To me, it was very clear what the difference between real and fiction was, and I know that was the case for other kids my age. I can see how the following is cult like however. I think it is a little ridiculous to buy a Harry Potter wand, but at the same time, I think it would be ridiculous to think that Harry Potter fictitious witchcraft is the same as real devil worship.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm biased, after all I was raised on Lord of the Rings, Ella Enchanted and every kind of fairytale. Having had all that...corruption...I still turned out ok, and I still worship Christ.
I also believe that Harry Potter doesn't have a Satanic effect on children. For the most part, I think it can be a positive thing for children to read and engage their imagination. Sometimes i think we want kids to grow up too fast.
ReplyDeleteAs for the kids who get too involved, i think they were vulnerable to begin with for whatever reason.