Harry Potter: Fact or Faux?

[twistedsister]

http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/
http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/home.asp


the only way to determine if it is "appropriate" material for you and your child...is to examine the materials for yourself...not base your opinions on heresay and second hand knowledge...i don't have any children but if i did...i would allow them to see the movie and read the books...on the other hand i have some relatives that at the very mention of me wanting to see the movie (um...i think i'm old enough) reacted as some people have in this thread..."i'm not goin' to see no 'satanic' movie"...a little extreme in thought to me...but that's my opinion...maybe the above links will help parents to better determine whether the books and film are appropriate for their children...

Originally posted by tickledpink
I am usually leery when I recieve things like this, becasue I've seen many children's characters accused of having harmful influences or "Satanic" references (Barney, Teletubbies, Pokemons). However, has anyone else heard any references to Harry Potter?

I was distrubed when I received this (my son has 2 Harry Potter books which I will be reading for myself now).

Does anyone know if any of this has any validity? I apologize for the long post, but this is actually the edited version...

"Please read this material carefully and see how satan is destroying the minds of our youth through literature

Potter Books
"Jesus died because He was weak and stupid";

This is a quote from 6 year old Jessica Lehman of
Easley, SC, after reading the HARRY POTTER BOOKS!

The following is an email sent for the American Family Association,
which is VERY disturbing, to say the least. Please forward to all
email contacts,especially Christians and Pastors.

Dear Christian, This is the most evil thing I have laid my eyes on in
10 years ... and no one seems to understand its threat. The Harry
Potter books, are THE NUMBER ONE selling children`s books in the Nation
today....

Harry Potter is the creation of a former UK English teacher who
promotes witchcraft and Satanism. Harry is a 13-year-old `wizard.` Her
creation openly blasphemes Jesus and God and promotes sorcery, seeking
revenge upon anyone who upsets them by giving you examples(even the sources with authors and titles)
of spells, rituals, and demonic powers... Let me give
you a few quotes from some of the influenced readers themselves:

The Harry Potter books are cool, `cause they teach you all about
magic and how you can use it to control people and get revenge on your
enemies" said Hartland, WI, 10 year old Craig Nowell, a recent
convert to the New Satanic Order Of The Black Circle. "I want to learn the Cruciatus
Curse, to make my muggle science teacher suffer for giving me a D." (A
`muggle` is an unbeliever of magic.)...
DOES THIS GET YOUR ATTENTION?

If not, how about a quote from High Priest of Satanism: "Harry is 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. And, of course, practically all of them are virgins, which is gravy."
Since1995, open applicants to Satan worship has increased from around
100,000 to now...20 MILLION children and young adults!)...
Still not convinced? I will leave you with something to let you make
up your own mind. And finally, a quote from the author herself,
J.K.Rowling, describing the objections of Christian reviewers to her writings: "I
think it`s absolute rubbish to protest children`s books on the grounds that
they are luring children to Satan," Rowling told a London Times reporter in
a July 17 interview. "People should be praising them for that! These
books guide children to an understanding that the weak, idiotic Son Of God
is a living hoax who will be humiliated when the rain of fire comes
...while we, his faithful servants, laugh and cavort in victory."

[This message has been edited by tickledpink (edited July 25, 2001).]

[KappaStargirl]

Originally posted by tickledpink


Does anyone know if any of this has any validity? I apologize for the long post, but this is actually the edited version...

"Please read this material carefully and see how satan is destroying the minds of our youth through literature

Potter Books
"Jesus died because He was weak and stupid";

This is a quote from 6 year old Jessica Lehman of
Easley, SC, after reading the HARRY POTTER BOOKS!


Harry Potter is the creation of a former UK English teacher who
promotes witchcraft and Satanism. Harry is a 13-year-old `wizard.` Her
creation openly blasphemes Jesus and God and promotes sorcery, seeking
revenge upon anyone who upsets them by giving you examples(even the sources with authors and titles)
of spells, rituals, and demonic powers... Let me give
you a few quotes from some of the influenced readers themselves:

The Harry Potter books are cool, `cause they teach you all about
magic and how you can use it to control people and get revenge on your
enemies" said Hartland, WI, 10 year old Craig Nowell, a recent
convert to the New Satanic Order Of The Black Circle. "I want to learn the Cruciatus
Curse, to make my muggle science teacher suffer for giving me a D." (A
`muggle` is an unbeliever of magic.)...
DOES THIS GET YOUR ATTENTION?

If not, how about a quote from High Priest of Satanism: "Harry is 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. And, of course, practically all of them are virgins, which is gravy."
Since1995, open applicants to Satan worship has increased from around
100,000 to now...20 MILLION children and young adults!)...
Still not convinced? I will leave you with something to let you make
up your own mind. And finally, a quote from the author herself,
J.K.Rowling, describing the objections of Christian reviewers to her writings: "I
think it`s absolute rubbish to protest children`s books on the grounds that
they are luring children to Satan," Rowling told a London Times reporter in
a July 17 interview. "People should be praising them for that! These
books guide children to an understanding that the weak, idiotic Son Of God
is a living hoax who will be humiliated when the rain of fire comes
...while we, his faithful servants, laugh and cavort in victory."

[This message has been edited by tickledpink (edited July 25, 2001).]

I'm sorry to crash your board, but I feel the need to set the record straight on this, especially since I am a children's librarian and Harry Potter is a huge part of my life.

The quotes you read from the 6 and 8-year-olds about Jesus dying for being weak and stupid were completely made up. That quotation is from an article in The Onion, a terribly funny satirical newspaper that circulates heavily in the Midwest. You can see the article for yourself if you do a search at The Onion. None of what's printed in there is true, except for Dan Savage's article, Savage Love, and maybe the movie reviews.

The only way to truly tell whether a book goes against your religious beliefs is to read it yourself. I am very wary of what the American Family Council or anyone else tells me to think about the book, these people tend to be censors of many things. They promote their beliefs without reading the books or seeing the movies first. As a librarian, I've been taught that censorship is an impediment of our civil rights, and I try to stop as much of it as possible. I truly believe that fear of these books is simply fear of the unknown and the unread. People hear the word magic and assume Satanism and anti-Christianity, when in fact religion of any sort is never mentioned. How can a book be against something it doesn't even discuss?

And a muggle, by Hagrid's definition in the first book, is someone who simply doesn't have magical powers, not necessarily a non-believer of magic. There's nothing wrong or right about that according to wizards, but the wizarding world keeps itself secret because "everyone'd be wanting magical solutions to their problems."

For those of you interested in Christianity's standpoint on the Potter books, there are some books in which you may be interested, including What's a Christian to Do With Harry Potter?. Look for books that do not automatically set out to attack the books, but that incorporate HP into Christian ideals to see how the two do or don't fit together. Some writers believe that Harry Potter himself is an exemplary example of a Christian: He is smart, courageous, faithful to his friends and school, and above all ALWAYS chooses good over evil. Check Amazon for the books.


If anyone wants to discuss this with me further, feel free to PM me, I'd be very interested to hear what you think about the books.

[Poplife]

Like I said before, if you teach children what is right and wrong, what is real, and what is fantasy, then they won't "get into all the mysticism stuff" in a way that hurts them. My sister take dance lessons, flute lessons, horseback riding lessons, and is on her school Step Team. She's a very well adjusted HP fan. Yes, she gets happy when Harry saves the day, but she doesn's sit up in her room trying to make magical potions or attempting to fly on a broom.

I think it really depends on the children themselves. Some kids can't read HP without trying to reenact the novel. Other kids just put the book away and never give it a second thought. If your kids are still at the "act everything out stage" them please keep the book away from them because it's action packed. But if that is your true concern, then don't write off the books all together. And to get the full effect, you have to read the whole book. Not skim it or see then movie.

Originally posted by prayerfull
There will be no Harry Potter merchandise in my household. At first, I was about to buy one of the books for my son, but then I started looking at it a little more in depth. It's all about "mysticism" and stuff like that and quite frankly, all that is a kids version of witchcraft, tarot, horoscopes, etc. I don't think that any of the Harry Potter stuff is "evil" per se. I just don't want my kids to get into all that mysticism stuff.

In addition to Harry Potter, my kids are no longer allowed to watch Power Rangers or anything else that promotes violence, because they take all of that power ranger energy to school. My son is also no longer allowed to watch Digimon - - Digital Monsters. He started acting the parts out...too aggressively. His behavior immediately changed when he stopped watching it. Kids easily take cartoon characters and make them their "heroes".

[Poplife]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by twistedsister
[B]
http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/home.asp


I just spent an hour at this site! It's really amazing how kids respond to positive books and their teachings. I just wanted to post some quotes from a few kids who won as essay contest entitled "How the Harry Potter Books Changed My Life". There are so wonderful I thought it'd be nice to share.



"In Book One, Harry discovers a mirror in which he sees his deceased parents. He is spellbound, and comes back every night to look. One night, Professor Dumbledore is waiting for Harry. He explains that the Mirror of Erised is actually the mirror of desire. It will give him neither knowledge nor truth. Dumbledore tells Harry, "It does not do to dwell on your desires and not to live." When my own life is hard, I think about Dumbledore's advice. Don't sit around wishing for your heart's desire. Do something — live."

~Laura S., age 13,



"One day my dad and I were listening to a local talk show. They were discussing the Harry Potter books and how they were supposedly evil and anti-Christian. This made me very angry and I wanted to tell him that the books were not evil or anti-Christian. My dad urged me to call, so I did. I called Mr. Berg (the talk show host) and told him magic is not evil and one of our greatest Christian writers, C.S. Lewis, wrote books with a lot of magic in them. Later that week people started calling and writing to him agreeing with me. Finally, he said he would actually read the book before he badmouthed it. It made me very happy that I had helped changed someone's opinion. That is how the Harry Potter books have changed my life."

~ Millie T., age 11




" I'm J.K. Rowling's biggest fan. I really like to read her books.

As much as I would like to win the contest for myself I would love for my 4th grade teacher Mr. Jake Nash (known to us as Dumbledore) to have the honor to meet J.K. Rowling. He purchased a book for every student in his class and encouraged us to enjoy reading it. Of course we all did.

Harry Potter changed all of us. It brought us together and gave us a common link. I have learned that being determined can help you achieve the benefit on the other side of an obstacle or challenge. If more people read Harry Potter more people could have the courage and strength to help other people and stand up for what they think is right."


~ Nick D., age 10




"The books have taught me that I will find my own special powers. I can't do magic, but I can believe in myself. I can't fly on a broomstick or become invisible, but I will stop saying "I can't". Harry learned that with help from people who cared about him he could make impossible things happen. I hope that the books will help my cousin Joe [who lost both his parents in the same year] find his own special powers and know that life can be wonderful again even after terrible things have happened."


~ Rachel J., age 9




"Before I started reading Harry Potter, I thought the only way to have an adventure was simply to read about it, but now I know you can have an adventure in everyday life, like at Hogwarts [Harry's school of magic], there is always magic, fun and disaster.

Harry Potter has also changed my views on relationships with other people. After reading these enchanting books, I am wiser on how to deal with, and not deal with, difficult people. People like Professor Snape who torments Harry in potions class, and people like the Slytherins who always find ways to laugh and jeer at Harry, Ron and Hermione.

I also learned not to judge people by their looks, or financial difficulties. For instance Malfoy, who teases Ron about being poor, and calls Hermione a "mudblood." [nasty word for a person who is only part magic] Instead, it is better get to know each person. Chances are hasty judgements could lose you a best friend."


~Sarah B., age 11

[tickledpink]

Originally posted by twistedsister
http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/
http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/home.asp


the only way to determine if it is "appropriate" material for you and your child...is to examine the materials for yourself...not base your opinions on heresay and second hand knowledge...i don't have any children but if i did...i would allow them to see the movie and read the books...on the other hand i have some relatives that at the very mention of me wanting to see the movie (um...i think i'm old enough) reacted as some people have in this thread..."i'm not goin' to see no 'satanic' movie"...a little extreme in thought to me...but that's my opinion...maybe the above links will help parents to better determine whether the books and film are appropriate for their children...

Again, let me repost my original message from July:

I went to a hoax website and found that it is indeed a hoax. Seems it began as a satirical article in "The Onion" and either someone took the satire to be serious, or decided to create a hoax off of it.

The original intent of the post was to see if anyone had heard anything similar. After researching it, HP seems to be ok. My son enjoys reading the books and we all saw the movie. The most important thing is listening to and talking with my children to see what their comprehension of the books & movie is.

[Poplife]

Originally posted by tickledpink
The original intent of the post was to see if anyone had heard anything similar. After researching it, HP seems to be ok. My son enjoys reading the books and we all saw the movie. The most important thing is listening to and talking with my children to see what their comprehension of the books & movie is.

I revived the thread because people are once again downing Harry Potter in lieu of the movie's release and extreme popularitynot to mention the huge jump in books sales worldwide. Just because you have resolved your issue with the HP books and rumors doesn't mean that everyone else has as well. It's obvious from the more resent posts that people are still in the dark about the books, are divided on the issue, and/or have opinions and questions despite your update post. If that's the case then the discussion should continue.

I think most people knew the Onion thing was a joke. I mean really, Rowling started HP book in a coffee shop to keep herself sane. Besides, if anyone took that article seriously then they didn't read the book and/or are way too impressionable.The issues lie with the parents, not the children. Kids are very open and accepting. It's parents that have difficulty accepting what they fear and/or don't understand, and that is always worth talking about.

[tickledpink]

Originally posted by Poplife




I revived the thread because people are once again downing Harry Potter in lieu of the movie's release and extreme popularitynot to mention the huge jump in books sales worldwide. Just because you have resolved your issue with the HP books and rumors doesn't mean that everyone else has as well. It's obvious from the more resent posts that people are still in the dark about the books, are divided on the issue, and/or have opinions and questions despite your update post. If that's the case then the discussion should continue.

I didn't ask why you revived the post. Nor did I respond to you. Obviously if you wanted to start a discussion on this topic, it would have made sense to search as you did for a topic that was similar. I responded directly to someone that quoted me to show that I had researched the topic and come to my own conclusions, therefore, I personally was no longer seeking a resolution.

[CrimsonTide4]

**NOTE FROM CT4:** I do not read Harry Potter but I found this article and wanted to share with those who do or have children who read it.

New Book Sees Christian Imagery in Harry Potter
Tue Oct 8, 9:52 AM ET
By Nigel Hunt

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Harry Potter (news - web sites) may carry a wand, ride a broomstick and count a werewolf among his friends but a new book claims the boy wizard's adventures are really full of Christian imagery and morals.

"I could run a weekly bible study using Harry Potter as a starting point. It is a gold mine of biblical truth if you look at it that way," Connie Neal, author of "The Gospel According to Harry Potter," told Reuters in an interview.

J.K. Rowling (news - web sites)'s best-selling series of books have stirred up considerable controversy among Christians with critics fearing that children may seek to emulate some of the occult practices that are depicted.

"Poor Harry I think got a bad rap at the beginning," Neal said, noting her book includes 52 of 80 incidents, which she called "glimmers of the Gospel," in the Potter books. "I was surprised there were so many. Some were very blatant."

Neal's favorites include the death of Harry's mother. The Dark Lord Voldemort threw the curse of death at Harry but his mother loved him so much that she threw himself in front of the curse and saved him at the cost of her own life. Her sacrifice mysteriously broke the power of Voldemort.

She noted that during a recent conversation, a teen-ager with a pierced nose had commented to her; "Hey, isn't that a bit like what Jesus did on the cross."

Harry also prays in two places, celebrates Christmas and Easter and belongs to a house, Gryffindor, whose symbol is a lion and whose most bitter opponent, Slytherin, is represented by a snake. Jesus is sometimes described as "The Lion of Judah" while Satan is often depicted as a serpent or snake.

"Satan is never mentioned in Harry Potter but I've not found a better literary representation of evil than in Voldemort," Neal said.

HARRY'S MENACE

Neal's book, published last month by Westminster John Knox Press, the publisher of the highly successful "The Gospel According to Peanuts," has not been well received by Harry Potter critics within the Christian community.

"Connie Neal is well meaning but she really doesn't know what she is talking about," said Richard Abanes, author of "Harry Potter and the Bible -- the Menace behind the Magick."

"Kids are curious and when they are either watching the (Harry Potter) movie or reading the books they become curious about witches and spells, not Christianity. There is no Gospel according to Harry Potter," Abanes said.

Abanes said that while witches and magic are used in fantasy literature such as C.S. Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia" or J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings," those works take place in a different world with different rules.

"Harry Potter takes place in the here and now in England, using references to existing occult practices," he said.

"If you are reading certain fantasy literature that has magic of a kind that you can go to the library and look it up then it might be a problem. If they can't it is no problem at all," Abanes said.

He also said virtually all the good characters lie, cheat, steal and go against authority. One of the book's heroes, Harry's friend Hagrid, is frequently drunk.

Neal said she was also concerned about the dangers of children becoming interested in the occult, noting it was important for parents to discuss that with their children before reading them the books.

"Our world is full of lots of dark spiritual pursuits. If you believe the Bible you have to believe they are real and dangerous," she said.

Abanes, however, remains unconvinced.

"Kids are kids. You can give them all the warnings you want about eating too much candy but leave a kid in a candy store, tell them they can eat one piece a day and they are not going to listen to you," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...sure_potter_dc

[Senusret I]

I don't read Harry Potter....not because I think it is Satanic, but because I am not really feeling children's books as a 23 year old man.

I did however read the Chronicles of Narnia, and I am surprised that Richard Abanes in the above article would state that Connie Neal doesn't know what she's talking about. He further tries to use Narnia as an example to prove his point.

If you all recall, the children in the first volume were all English children during World War II (or I). There were in fact two separate dimensions if you will, but C.S. Lewis (the author) was himself a theologian who wrote plenty of non-fiction works about Christianity.

Knowing Lewis' background, and then picking up say "Companion to Narnia," one can see not only the MANY Biblical allusions that Lewis makes, but also the influences that CS Lewis also had on JK Rowlings work.

Like others, I do not agree that HP is Satanic, but do what's best for your kids.

[AchtungBaby80]

Witchcraft isn't Satanic. Anyway, how many little kids do you see running around dressed up as witches for Halloween? Lots. I'm sure their parents don't mind *that*...so what's the big production for?

I love Harry Potter, by the way. They seem a little deep to be "children's" books, though.

[KappaStargirl]

dardenr, forgive my bluntness, but if you think that Harry Potter is a children's series, then you obviously have not read the books. They are NOT children's books, even though the main characters are children. In fact, there is an absolutely amazing mailing list called Harry Potter for Grownups where people are writing entire HP histories and lexicons, tying it into mythology, history, etc. Rowling herself is a Narnia fan, and there are a lot of parallels between the books that are being discussed over at FictionAlley.org. They are very deep books. All you have to do is learn a little bit behind some of the characters' names: Lucius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, Arthur Weasley, Alastor Moody, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, to name a few. Those alone will tell you that this is a complex series of books written by an incredibly culturally literate author. I'm 25 and have never accepted that these are children's books. Take the first one out of the library ('cause that way it's free and I can keep my job) and check it out. I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Interesting fact about Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: It had SEVEN MILLION copies in its first American printing alone. Average number of copies in a given author's first printing: about 25,000-35,000. The New York Times created a children's bestseller list because so many people were complaining that these books took up 4 of the top 10 spots on their bestseller list (a practice I don't personally agree with). It's more or less the biggest phenomenon in publishing since movable type. I learned in library school that J.K. Rowling is the third bestselling author in UK history, after Shakespeare and Agatha Christie.

[Senusret I]

Thanks for the advice, but I don't anticipate reading them any time soon. Nothing personal, I'm just not feeling the genre anymore.

[hipshimmy]

I live in NYC and I hang out in the village. I have met people down there who are "out of the broom closet". Unfortunately, I also have met people who worship the man down under. They both seem to think Harry Potter is that same children's fiction that has been put out for years. The witches I have met seem to think it is show good prevailing over evil. I didn't hang around the others long enough to see what they think about Harry Potter. My take on it is that the movie is not based on a true account of actual events and neither is the book. I can promise you that. I think the book encourages children to read and that's it. I rather have children reading fiction than playing a video games and watching violent programming. When they pick the book up, it is in the fiction section. All you have to do is tell the kids it is make believe. My mother always told me that the stuff was made up and I believed her. I knew what the word fiction meant and that movies are made for entertainment purposes. Most kids know it is just a book made into a movie. What is the big deal?

[Choo-ChooAKA]

I've read all of the Harry Potter books and I loved them. They were fantastic. I can't wait for the movie premier next month and I've been on pins and needles in anticipation of the next book. My interest was kindled when I began reading it to my kids. Unfortunately, at ages 5 & 6 (at the time) they would inevitably fall asleep long before I was ready to put the book down. I finished the entire series on my own before I had finished that first book with them.

Just as an aside: witchcraft has nothing to do with devil worship or magic. True practitioners of the wicken tradition, from what I know of it, are worshippers of mother earth. Harry Potter is a fictional "magic" character. Rowlins chose to call him a sorcerer in order to capitalize on all of the, really erroneous but entertaining, myths we've been fed about witchcraft. If you're worried that your kids may be somehow corrupted by the book, read it with them in order to help them interpret it. This might be a good time to investigate with your child exactly what the Wicken tradition is and what Pagan rituals involve - a good lesson in rejecting mass interpretation and looking for the truth beyond what's given. Additionally, terms associated with "witchcraft" will lose their mystery and therefore their power (an idea explored in the books - a name gaining power simply because of the fear surrounding it) to scare your kids.

Withcraft/sorcery, phoney baloney, whatever you chose to call it. It's not that serious. I look at the series as one about human beings with all of our good, bad, and ugly faces. We, unfortunately, cannot do magic so my kids naturally emulate the protagonist (Harry, the good guy) in the ways they can: by exhibiting humility, being loyal to their friends, and showing courage in the face of danger (which could simply mean speaking their mind on the playground).

Wonderful book. Lighten up you silly muggles!

[Bamboozled]

TO ALL MY FELLOW HARRY POTTER FANS:

Don't forget the release of Book 5, The Order of the Phoenix, at midnight on June 21st! I pre-ordered mine on Amazon months ago, so you know I can't wait to get started. Anyone else feel me?