Did you hear about the teacher who excluded Harry Potter from the classroom because he's a wizard?
He's not alone. There is quite a movement in America that regards Harry Potter as unsuitable reading for children. The religious fundamentalist argument against Harry Potter, is this:
It is stated explicitly in the Bible 'You shall not practice augury or witchcraft' (Leviticus 20 v26). There are several similar references.
As I say elsewhere, (in my article Censorship, morality and the law), I would not reject outright any moral teachings from the Bible, and if the teacher in question, or groups of parents, don't want to hold up Harry Potter as an acceptable book for children to read, I would recognise and respect that view.
Someone said to me that wizards and witchcraft might be explicitly banned in the Old Testament because the people needed specific guidance that they must not follow the path of darkness, which was witchcraft. The argument proceeded, that in our sophisticated society no one really believes there are actually wizards in pointy hats flying about the place and therefore we do not need to outlaw witchcraft, as such, any more and we can tolerate books like Harry Potter.
I might reply that elements within our 'sophisticated society' actually rely heavily on superstition, like horoscopes for example, and we are in just as much need as ever of guidance on treading the path between Good and Evil.
If we can leave aside the specific argument about wizards in pointy hats, and look at the general advice that we should avoid the path of darkness, I would have to say that Harry Potter seems to me to be an eminently acceptable book for children to read. It is highly moral, in the sense that good prevails over evil every time. No-one is encouraged to side with Voldemort and the powers of darkness. We all side with Harry and Professor Dumbledore. And Dumbledore, as the 'elder' wizard on site is presented as massively benevolent, avuncular and totally beyond reproach.
There have always been characters in children's stories who possess magical powers. The theme of opposing sides battling between good and evil recurs endlessly, no doubt because it is a message that is important to us all, that we must choose between opposing paths.
Hoyt Mueller, boy, age 16, from Fairfax Station, Virginia, United States, on 10th October 2008.
I decline to state my opinion until you understand my reasoning. I define Evil as anything that causes pain with the intent to cause pain and without remorse or necessity. If I had never heard of Harry Potter or the Bible and then read both and then had to decide which one was better suited to teaching a child right from wrong and how a person should act then I would, without doubt, choose Harry Potter. Harry Potter may have magic which is deemed Evil by the Church but the magic in the series is not like the witchcraft spoken of in the bible. That magic is EVIL because it is mean to cause harm. The magic of JKR's series is indifferent. The 'Good Guys' of the series never use the 'Dark Arts' which are also described as magics that are malicious and cruel. They use spells that disable the murderers they fight without killing them (making them unable to move or making ropes appear on their arms and legs). Though in the Bible if someone is a murderer they should not be incapacitated to receive fair justice. They should be pummeled with stones until death by an angry mob created to harm without necessity nor remorse, which is Evil. Ultimately, I believe Harry Potter is a book that teaches children to respect and love all of life (aka God's creations) not to pummel them with stones til' death. The Bible also essentially teaches you to be narrow minded and rather than accept or allow a way of life other than yours you should wage 500 year long war against them. so I think that Harry Potter is not evil.
Dominic, boy, age 16, from Los Angeles, California, United States, on 8th August 2008.
I get terribly angry every time I read that some religious nut out there is telling people that the Harry Potter series is evil. It is far from evil, he is fighting evil, end of story. But it's not the end of the story, is it? People are still going to say that it teaches satanism and that it's corrupting the minds of our youth. For a good laugh every now and then, I go to a heavily religious website and see what it says about Harry Potter. I'm not disappointed. The crazies who write that stuff have probably never read the books, as their claims of evil are not supported by accurate information.
Jeremy, boy, age 14, from Charleston, United States, on 12th July 2008.
Harry Potter is definitely not evil. Charlemagne's Paladins (his version of the Round Table, minus the evil guys) were 100% good, and one of them was a wizard who summoned demons on a whim. King Arthur's knights were good (except for Mordred and his cronies), but one of them was a wizard who served Arthur faithfully until his death. No one can say that King Arthur or Charlemagne was evil with getting sent to an insane asylum. So, compared to a wizard who summons demons for everything and is 100% good, Harry Potter is as evil as Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., or a fluffy bunny.
