Posted on 03/17/2008 7:44:22 AM PDT by Terriergal
By John-Henry Westen
EDINBURGH, March 12, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The newly released edition of the Edinburgh University Student newspaper, the oldest student newspaper in the UK, includes an interview with Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. In the interview Rowling claims to have received death threats from Christians opposed to her novels, calling Christian 'fundamentalists' "dangerous" and comparing them by inference to Islamic fundamentalists.
Asked if there were not some Christians who dislike the book 'intensely', Rowling replied, "Oh, vehemently and they send death threats." Questioned about the 'death threats', she added, "Once, yeah. Well, more than once. It is comical in retrospect. I was in America, and there was a threat made against a bookstore that I was appearing at, so we had the police there."
While she said she could stomach critics, she had little time for Christian criticism. "But to be honest the Christian Fundamentalist thing was bad," she said. "I would have been quite happy to sit there and debate with one of the critics who were taking on Harry Potter from a moral perspective."
Many Christians who have opposed the Potter series have done so after reading comments by Christian reviewers pointing out their moral and spiritual dangers. The opponents, who have been relying on the reviewers criticisms, have often avoided reading Rowling's lengthy Potter narratives, and Rowling uses such cases to paint Christians as if they were insane.
"I've tried to be rational about it," she told the paper. "There's a woman in North Carolina or Alabama who's been trying to get the books banned-she's a mother of four and never read them. And then- I'm not lying, I'm not even making fun, this is the truth of what she said-quite recently she was asked [why] and she said 'Well I prayed whether or not I should read them, and God told me no.'"
The interviewer notes that at that point "Rowling pauses to reflect on the weight of that statement, and her expression one of utter disbelief." Rowling then continued, "You see, that is where I absolutely part company with people on that side of the fence, because that is fundamentalism. Fundamentalism is, 'I will not open my mind to look on your side of the argument at all. I won't read it, I won't look at it, I'm too frightened.'"
"That's what's dangerous about it, whether it be politically extreme, religiously extreme...In fact, fundamentalists across all the major religions, if you put them in a room, they'd have bags in common! They hate all the same things, it's such an ironic thing."
Michael O'Brien, one of the most prominent Potter critics, has carefully read and analyzed the Potter books critiquing the spiritual and moral problems with Rowling's works. O'Brien commented to LifeSiteNews.com about Rowling's mockery of Christians who avoid her works.
"Regrettably, there is a strange new form of self-righteousness at work in the world-a psychological state of mind that is common to post-modernists such as J. K. Rowling," said O'Brien. "One of its symptoms is their inability to discuss on a serious level the truth or untruth of their cultural products. They avoid the real issues and instead take the 'ad hominem' approach-personal attacks against those who raise critical objections to the disorders in their books. From the vaccuum of real thought arises the dreary habit of classifying as a 'fundamentalist' any critic who bases his arguments on religious or spiritual grounds."
Added O'Brien: "This term is used against bomb-throwing terrorists, sweet grandmothers praying silently before abortuaries, and anyone who preaches the fullness of the Christian faith in church and media. It has become the utmost smear word, a weapon that is proving quite effective in silencing opposition. If you don't have an argument yourself, you just switch tactics and cry 'fundamentalist!' Supposedly all opposition will then collapse."
In previous interviews Rowling has said Christian criticism of her works come from the "lunatic fringe" of the church.
Prior to being elected Pope, then-Cardinal Ratzinger expressed an opinion opposing the Potter books. He sent a letter of gratitude to Gabriele Kuby who authored a work explaining the dangers of the Potter story, especially to young children. Made available by LifeSiteNews.com, Ratzinger's letter to Ms. Kuby stated, "It is good, that you enlighten people about Harry Potter, because those are subtle seductions, which act unnoticed and by this deeply distort Christianity in the soul, before it can grow properly."
Father Gabriele Amorth, chief exorcist of the Vatican also condemned the books warning parents, "Behind Harry Potter hides the signature of the king of the darkness, the devil." Father Amorth criticized the novels for glorifying magic, which he explicitly refers to as "the satanic art", and for presenting disordered perceptions of morality in the supposedly heroic main characters.
See related LifeSiteNews coverage:
Pope Opposes Harry Potter Novels - Signed Letters from Cardinal Ratzinger Now Online
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/jul/05071301.html
Harry Potter Feature Page:
http://www.lifesite.net/features/harrypotter/
I think JR Ward is fabulous (if you’re into dark stuff) and I’m on a Loretta Chase “read all her stuff jag” as well as Nalini Singh.
An example - the magicians of Egypt were able to perform some signs in answer to the miracles God did through Moses, i.e., the serpents.
I am a Christian and I equate her work with Satan.
Yes, but one side is there for the right reasons. One got there because of wrong reasons. It is just coincidence that the result is that both are opposed to the same thing.
That’s like saying the kid who gets the math problem right because he works out the problem correctly is the same as the kid who does incorrect math but accidentally (and coincidentally) writes down the correct answer.
Nice try, but it’s a specious argument.
It wasn’t a joke, and I’ve read the entire series. If you think I’m missing something, please enlighten me.
Do you advocate that witches be put to death?
Exod.22 [18] "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."
This is “fantasy”. In the Harry Potter world, magic is a talent one is born with. It has no source. It’s like another branch of science or a technology.
Yo have quite a vivid imagination...and it’s a little disturbing.
I like to say that even a blind bird can find a worm.
So far, Tolkien's work has held up for 50-plus years, so it may well attain "classic" status in the long run. This might be because he was a master storyteller, as well a much better wordsmith than Rowling is. His works have depths which reach back into his extensive knowledge of Norse and Teutonic mythology, Christian theology, and European languages.
Whether Rowling's output has the sort of richness that Tolkien's evidently has is up for question. I certainly have not seen it. As to Harry Potter becoming a classic, well, for that it's too soon to tell.
That is really a sick outlook.
I guess all fathers who love their sons, or uncles who love their nephews are gay. Any teacher who loves his students is suspect, as well.
And any teenage boy who spends any time with another male in an enclosed space is gay.
My husband and son will love that. I guess I should worry when my son is locked in his room watching war movies or playing war games with his friends.
Does this go for girls, too?
I had better put an end to all those nail polish/hairdo parties my daughter has.
“NO more friends, children!!”
I’m not the one who proclaimed that Dumbledore was homosexual. She was. Is that part of my vivid imagination?
Interesting. What do you make of white witchcraft, as in Lord of the Rings or Narnia?
How old are your children?
“Rowling taking cues from another popular author:”
Who’s that?
Just curious, other than the Bible itself, is there anything on earth that you don’t equate with Satan?
um... well I guess if someone calls in a death threat you can assume it’s representative of all Christian fundamentalists then?
Rick Warren said the very same thing about Christian Fundamentalists, being one of the big ‘enemies’ of the 21st century along with Islamic Fundamentalism.
Sorry, not buying it.
But I have talked to many Christians who have read the books and seen NOTHING of the gospel in them. They may be entertaining books but they are just as gospel-void as the Purpose Driven Life.
I have so much to do today, but I found this in under 30 seconds:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15127464/
In the case I cite above, this mother asked that the books be banned from public schools because they are "evil" and "promote witchcraft". If you do a search for her name, she is clearly doing so for religious reasons.
The ALA says that the Harry Potter books are the 7th most challenged books in libraries: http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.htm
I read three books and didn't like them, so I can speak about them as someone who is familiar with them. I will say that all of the people in the news that I have read about who have tried to ban the book have been Christian and have reportedly tried to do so because the books offended their religion.
As a Christian, my faith is not so weak that a book could change it, and it is disturbing whenever I see people like the woman mentioned above - if she doesn't want to read it or allow her kids to read it, fine. But she and others have tried to ban it and keep it out of the hands of other people.
Which is exactly the tact that Islamic fundamentalists take. I can't handle this, so you can't, either. It's wrong, no matter who does it.
I started reading the first one and got about four pages in and it really creeped me out already by then. Cyrano has read at least a few of them. They are well written I agree, which is why the creepiness of the first few pages of the first one got to me.
I’m sorry, I just don’t get the fascination with morbidity that came across there, especially from Christians.
lol
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.