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Is Harry Potter Good or Bad?

I have been very closely following the debate on the morality of the Harry Potter books, and it has sparked my desire to create my own site expressing my personal views on the issue. Feel free to agree or disagree, and in either case, feel free to give me your opinion by e-mailing me at airie2005@hotmail.com. And don't worry, if it's heated debate you're looking for, I won't deny you it...'cause I'm always up for proving people wrong.

I like Harry Potter. The plot intrigues me and the way in which the story is written draws me in...when I read Harry Potter, just as when I read any fictional book, I enter a whole new world entirely separate from reality, and quite frankly, I like it. After all, the entire point of any fantasy book is to bring the reader into another world, is it not? As an avid reader and un-published author, I know this fact only too well...but when some people cannot seem to grasp this and try to tell those of us who know the facts that we're going to hell, I get mad. And when I get mad, I argue my heart out...that said, I'm going to be frank: anti-Harry Potter people sicken me. Those who simply do not like the book, I can deal with, but those who think that the implications of Harry Potter are Satanic really irk me not only because I believe they are wrong, but because of how far they will take their crusade. Just the other day, I was watching the news and a story came on about a local church planning a Harry Potter book burning. A book burning!! What is this world coming to? I'm sorry, but I don't know nor have I heard of a single person who has turned to witchcraft upon reading the Harry Potter books. Besides that, the "witchcraft" practiced in the Harry Potter books is fantastical magic not any sense comparable to the reality of witchcraft in this world. Furthermore, I know Christians have good intentions (or at least they think they do) when they condemn witchcraft and anyone who practices it, but I really wish they would learn to tolerate it. Paganism, Wicca, etc. is in all respects a religion, just as Christianity is. Christians seem to have accepted for the most part Jews and Muslims...why can't this range of acceptance reach to more religions? Although I am a Christian, I am not a strict Christian by any means...and I wish that those who are strict Christians would drop that "high-and-mighty" attitude (through which they essentially boast how right they are and how wrong others are) and get their heads out of the clouds of ignorance. Ignorance may be bliss for them, but it's hell for others. Strict Christians (who are, of course, the ones who condemn the Harry Potter books) are, in my opinion, often times worse in their actions than, say, Wiccans, in that they can't tolerate anything different and they try to force their own views upon society as a whole...a big no-no, in my opinion. So-called "witches" can be and often are nice people, and I wish that people would start judging by character rather than religion or anything else of that sort, such as race or gender.

Now, besides the tolerance issue, I still find a number of points by which the Anti-HP people are wrong and ways by which they've taken their crusade too far. For example, my high school marching band was planning to do a Harry Potter show this year, something we were all VERY excited about...until the Anti-HP people decided to rain on our parade. Apparently, the idiot brigade thought that playing music from the Harry Potter movie would impress the ways of the devil upon all those in the marching band and those watching the show. Besides the utter stupidity of this argument (it's MUSIC, for God's sake!...I mean what, is the clarinet line sending a subliminal message telling us to worship the devil?), um, hello, church...that's the wrong argument to put towards a public school, part of the state (I think we all recall the fundamental separation of church and state, something protected by the Constitution). Still, my band director is pretty new, and terrified of controversy, and now we're doing a show called "Fantasmic!" which is a show at Disney World. Which brings me to my next point. Apparently, Disney magic is just peachy-keen with the Anti-HP folks...as is Lord of the Rings magic, seeing as we performed a LotR symphonic suite at our last band concert. Hmmm...what's wrong with this picture? Obviously, the Anti-HP folks' beef is not with magic as a whole, but with specifically Harry Potter magic, something I can't figure out. After all, the entire Harry Potter world is part of a fantasy, as is the magic. Anyone who can't recognize that has either never read the Harry Potter books or already had their mind made up about them before they read them, and that therefore invalidates any and all of their arguments.

In any event, I entitle those of you who oppose Harry Potter to your beliefs, as wrong as they may be. Yes, I try to convince those who are against Harry that they are wrong, and try to open their eyes to the fact that Harry Potter is a fantasy, but the fact remains that I can't go about telling other people what to believe. In that same way, I find it highly offensive when someone tells me either what I believe is wrong or when they tell me what I must believe. Instead, I go about figuring that out for myself, and once I've come to a decision about my beliefs, no one can try to change them for me. What's more, no one can tell me what I am to do, wear, write, say, or READ...that's for me to determine. Because of this, I am thoroughly disgusted with the Anti-Harry Potter people who are trying to ban the HP books...you don't see me trying to ban the Bible, so you don't go trying to ban the Harry Potter books. It is true that the Bible is not found in school libraries, but this is, of course, because of the fundamental separation of church and state. It really irks me when those who are trying to ban the Harry Potter books from schools argue that they must be censored because of the religious implications (which, I must reiterate, are nothing of the Satanic, Pagan, or Wiccan variety)...do they not recall that an argument based on religion holds no water with an institution of the state? The Harry Potter books are not meant to be nor are they religious books, whereas the Bible is, and because of this the HP books are allowed to be in schools and the Bible is not. Incidentally, if the Bible was allowed to be in schools, so too would any religious text...I'm sure Christians would go wild about that; their children being informed of other religions. So to sum up on this paragraph: Harry Potter is not a religious work, the Bible is; don't talk about what's sinful and what's not to the STATE, don't berate other religions...I know that by the standards of Christianity they are wrong, but, really, by the standards of any religion every other religion is wrong; and most importantly, don't try to tell other people what is acceptable for them to read and what is not...that's their decision to make, not yours.

What's the deal here? Are you trying to turn us into Russia, going so far as to attempt and sometimes succeed at censoring Harry Potter books? Now, I don't mind if a parent doesn't want their child to read the Harry Potter books; that's their decision--but when you go so far as to try and stop EVERYONE from reading it, that's crossing the line. The way you people are sucking away other people's freedom is disgusting, and I won't stand for it. And really, how far are the ten-year-olds you're trying to protect with your bans going to read into the symbolism of the Harry Potter books that you've interpreted (misinterpreted, mind you)? Besides that I'm sure J.K. Rowling had absolutely no intent of encouraging children to join the occult when she wrote her books, the oh-so-impressionable kids reading Harry Potter aren't going to notice any sort of Satanistic symbolism in the books...after all, it takes a well-educated adult to see that far underneath the surface of the plot, so how in the world is a child going to recognize that symbolism? They aren't. All the kids are going to see when they read Harry Potter is an amazing fantasy world with magic comparable to the kind of fairy tales, and a hero their age who is fighting for the side of good, working to destroy evil...and quite frankly, that's about all there is to see. How does that make Harry Potter un-Christian?

And here's another thing for you Anti-HP folks to ponder:

The other day, I was reading the newspaper, and came across an article in the Religion section that pointed out how HP promotes Christianity. The man who wrote the article said that when he first read the books, his intention was to prove to his daughter why she shouldn't read them...but boy, was he in for a surprise. He didn't find anything in the HP books that made him think them inappropriate or un-Christian (ooh, did he not see the word "witchcraft" in there? Witchcraft!! Evil!!). On the contrary, he found a whole lot of Christian symbolism, similar to that which is in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" and "A Wrinkle in Time". He pointed out that the stag in book 3 was evidence of this...the stag is often a symbol of Jesus. What's more, it was a "stag that looked like a unicorn," which is important seeing as a unicorn is also a symbol of Jesus. Now, Harry Potter doesn't openly ask you to convert to Christianity, but nor does it give any reason for one to become a Pagan or Satanist--frankly, if anything, the HP books denounce that kind of behavior. Harry Potter promotes the struggle against evil, and its theme is "doing the right thing, not what's easy," J.K. said. Why should we ban a book with these two positive messages? Because people are narrow-minded and can't see things for what they really are...or, even worse, they refuse to.

So there you are, Anti-HP folks, I've accused you of being narrow-minded, I've accused you of being intolerant, I've accused you of ignorance, I've accused you of being stubborn morons stuck in your ways, and I've accused you of being a disgrace to this world...and I've backed it all up, too. As for you, you take things so far as to sell shirts with Harry's glasses in a pool of blood (now there's a gory image) and burn books...despicable. And where's all your evidence? The Bible says that we shouldn't practice witchcraft...um, hello, we're not. And as for Harry...he's fake; a character in a book. I think his nonexistence will prevent HIM and his gang from going to hell. Don't try to tell us that daring to dream and imagine is going to send us to hell, because I beg to differ. In parting, though, I beg you to consider where the Pro-Harry Potter folks are coming from before trying to bite their heads off and tell them they're going to hell. After all, it is really quite offensive, and to tell the truth, I don't think an act as simple as reading a children’s book has condemned our souls to hell. Really, just because we read Harry Potter doesn't mean we worship him; on the contrary, there are quite a lot of Christian Harry Potter fans...kindly old women in my church included.

-Erika

(From banning the books to burning the books...how far will it go, and when will it stop?!)

**Just a quick side note that references Christianity-promoting symbolism in the Harry Potter books that was posted in a story review on death-curse.com by JennyElf:

Harry - Leader of the Army

Potter - God/Good (Hebrew)

Weasle - Mustalid (snake killers)

Basilisk - rep of devil

Parseltongue - like Eve.

Phoenix - Christ Symbol. (weeps for Harry, keeps him alive)

Goblet of Fire - So much like the Holy Grail.

James - Brother of Christ

Godric - Godric's Hollow - a real saint and a real place associated with a stag, British.

Hedwig - Biblical name, Saint

Serpent Snakes - reps of devil

Albus - Holy Man, purity, virgin

Links-

http://www.the-patronus.com/ - Christian and pro-Harry Potter site that explores the Christian lessons entwined within the magical world of Hogwarts.

http://www.godinharry.cjb.net/ - essays on the Christian lessons in the series.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2000/001/29.37.html - Christianity Today gives their insight into Christian themes in Harry Potter.

http://www.death-curse.com/fiction/story.php?no=1860 - Harry Potter fans argue for the series and rally against those trying to censor their reading and "save their souls". Be sure to read both the story and the reviews.