[oakcon]

Maybe its just too late at night, but Harry Potter seems to be an accessory after the fact for most of these people.

[GOP Poet]

Yep. The truth hurts and creates resentment when it is spoken.

[Drammach]

Hopefully, the wing-nuts on both sides will be so busy with each other, they'll stop bothering those of us that just wish to read entertaining fantasy/fiction.

You see, it's just a book, meant to entertain.
Fiction.
Fantasy.
Nothing more nor less than that, no agenda.

Write a popular novel, make money.
What could be more basic than that?

[DeFault User]

Mr. O’Brien was basted and roasted nicely on a previous FR thread. About the worst epithet was “narrow-minded”.

A few agreed with O’Brien’s position, which is ok. But I don’t think we got into calling anybody a Nazi.

[the invisib1e hand]

We just report alternative news that mainstream media refuse to report or distort.

The truth is now "alternative news."

Reality is now an "alternative lifestyle," I suppose, and the billions that are Catholic are, I guess we can conclude, a "fringe."

Goebbels would be jealous.

[the invisib1e hand]

The author, North America's foremost Potter critic, has written many articles that analyze in detail the Harry Potter novels. Here he reflects on the significance of the series as a whole.

Shades of Salman Rushdie.

[kingu]

Sorry, somehow I just don’t find that there’s going to be any divine inspiration to call anything that promotes personal literacy as much as the Harry Potter series has done. My daughter grew up reading each and every novel, and stood in line each midnight (or waited at home eagerly for me to return from doing it when she was younger), and sat and read the books cover to cover.

That LifeSiteNews gets reaction to their articles is understandable. After all, I think you’d be hard pressed to find a more read series on the planet outside of religious texts. And personally, I find the series to be an inspiration story of good fighting against evil, of the dangers of betrayal, of the power of love.

But some can see nothing beyond the fact that there are witches mentioned, and people point wands.

The reason why these articles don’t reach much traction in the press is that they read like crackpot extremist articles that is for the most exclusive of audiences. The biggest humor, of course, is that they’re most widely distributed on the same medium that distributes more pornography than any other.

So, yes, the Pope can tsk all he wants at the series. What of it? I believe that Pope Benedict is a religious authority to top all authorities, but I don’t ask his opinion as to which website, novel or newspaper to read. If I picked out choice passages on this website, I’m sure I could convince anyone to believe it is something to imperil someone’s soul.

[DieHard the Hunter]

> Harry Potter Fanatics Lash Out at Pope, Michael O’Brien, LifeSiteNews Over Criticism of Novels

Umm... they have *so much time* on their hands that they can afford to get their knickers-in-a-twist about a fictional character like Harry Potter?

Crikey. They live a sheltered life.

Just wait until they get hooked into “Alice in Wonderland/Thru the Looking Glass” — that experience will seem like the Ultimate Wedgie by comparison!

And when they eventually graduate to “Mary Poppins”, *that* will be like a Full-on Gynch-Pull...

And if a Full-on Gynch-Pull doesn’t cure ‘em, the mind boggles what will happen when they encounter Douglas Adams and “The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”...!

Just to be on the safe side, I’ll order extra bandages and pennicilin now, in case there is a run on supplies. Y2K taught me valuable lessons about being Prepared, ay!

[Caramelgal]

A list of the most important children's books, published at least 90 years ago

This is a pretty comprehensive list of the great classics of children’s literature and I read many of these as a child.

Some more contemporary classics include:

Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) and The House at Pooh Corner (1928) by A. A. Milne
Little House In The Big Woods (Little House on the Prairie) (1932) and sequels
The Hobbit (1937) by J. R. R. Tolkien
Pippi Longstocking (1944) by Astrid Lindgren
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) & The Chronicles Of Narnia (1949-1954) by C. S. Lewis
The Cat in the Hat (1957) by Dr. Seuss
Where the Wild Things Are (1964) by Maurice Sendak
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) by Roald Dahl
Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret (1970) by Judy Blume (while not appropriate for young children, as an adolescent teenage girl, I very much identified with Margaret and reading it allowed me to open up a frank conversation with my mother about puberty and religion in a very positive way and Christian focused way.)

Note how many of these are in the genre of Fantasy and feature witches, faries or other "magical" beings. There are also some great works of Science Fiction and several of these classics feature animals that talk.

Another theme that repeats in many classic works of children’s literature, even those that are not fantasies, is that of the orphaned child or a child or children or young adult, in great peril, facing great hardships or on epic quests, fighting and prevailing against evil protagonists who are often adults.

Children like reading such stories. Why? I think because children often feel helpless and powerless and these stories place them in a world where the grownup adult is not the focus and is not always in charge. It gives them opportunity to think about making choices and the consequences of those choices and in dealing with adversity – the things they will have to deal with as they enter puberty and adulthood. And isn’t that what the Harry Potter books are all about?

I would not discourage any child from reading any of these books. I would however, encourage their parents to read them also, and talk about the themes with their child. It’s a great opportunity to foster a love of reading and literature and more importantly a way for parents to instill and reinforce their standards and morals on their children.

I really don’t think that Harry Potter influences children to become witches any more than Wonderful Wizard of Oz or The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe does.