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/
“Christ never taught revenge or oppression. He never forced or coerced people to faith. His teachings are to love and forgive as He has loved and forgiven us.”
What about his Father...THE Father?
that bugged me too...
Four more posts.
Oh, get a grip. You obviously haven’t even read the material.
The EVIL wizards tormented everyone, including muggles.
The good wizards fought to protect everyone, including muggles.
They have an entire division dedicated to protecting muggles.
Many of the wizards have muggle parents, who are shown nothing but love and respect.
I suspect you failed to see the sarcasm.
I’m a Christian and I despise Harry Potter, not so much because I believe it’s evil as I believe it’s boring spoon-fed media-hyped garbage.
That said, I like Pope Benedict more and more every day, and I’m not even Catholic!
What are you saying, that no piece of art, no piece of literature, no creation of man, is worthwhile unless it invokes the gospel? By that standard, the latest piece of kitsch by Thomas Kinkade is fine art because he paints a Christian fish in the corner, but a Monet is garbage because he didn't.
Does that extend into scientific and technical fields as well? You have one set of plans for a bridge that follows proper practices and principles of engineering, and one that may not, but hey, the designer included quotes from scripture in the CAD drawings! Which bridge are you going to drive over?
But is the Bible the whole Word of God? It's a large text, but not THAT large. The Bible is a compilation. And that compilation was done by man (instigated by Constantine).
The History Channel actually had a fairly good program entitled: "Banned Books of the Bible". They were not necessarily banned because they contradicted the canon (some were), but there was no way to weave them into the narrative that is the Bible without compromising the flow they wished to establish. Either because they [other books] focused too much on other players and not the primaries. Such as Mother Mary rather than Jesus. Went off on a tangent, or because they were written too late after the fact, were simply unknown at the time, or any number of other reasons.
Do you think maybe you can go about defending the damned books without resorting to dumb “harry potter-speak”?
Many of us don’t know what a “muggle” is and don’t much care either.
I wasn’t responding to you.
The person I WAS responding to thinks she knows what a muggle is.
Jesus did not comment on the subject to my knowledge. Jesus preached compassions and forgiveness. If I understand your implications correctly, I believe you may be assigning the statements of of some Christians to Jesus, but Jesus himself did not condemn people for sins.
Lets put it this way-— I have a low opinion of the Potter movies and books. If your child is exposed to them then a very strong counter balance of conventional religious education is needed. This looks like your situation
But for too many children they get the Potter but no Moses or Jesus and no bible stories for children
If that is so, then I don't see how Jews avoid damnation. For that matter, the vast majority of everyone who has ever lived and died is doomed to Hell.
Can you reconcile that with the idea of a loving, merciful deity?
Dismaying trash
Instead of having imaginations stimulated by warlocks witches and wizards, children should have imaginations stimulated by bible stories for children. Bible is old and reliable guide to proper behavior
Yet Rowlings and others want to compete with that....and they fail and confuse young minds but get stupid rich in the process. I'm sure the pagans that govern the EU are very pleased with this
What do you think of the wizardry portrayed in Lord of the Rings, or in Narnia?
Not as bad due to Christian author. Christian themes buried in Tolkien tales
There is a fierce competition for children's minds these days. In the past Christianity had the upper hand as far as what tales and narratives children got inculcated with. These days it is pushed aside by aggressive hucksters such as Disney and Rowlings
Plus these days we have movies which is a much more powerful indoctrination medium than ye old Sunday school where the children get read bible stories and read bible stories and learn .... Not nearly so high impact as a stupid Potter movie with shape shifting wizards goblins etc etc
If an author claims to be a Christian, and many, if not most readers see a Christian theme in a story, what qualifies you to claim otherwise.
I am particularly interested in how you interpret the ending of Harry Potter as unChristian or anti-Christian. What specifically about going willingly to one’s death in order to save one’s friends and defeat evil is unChristian or anti-Christian?
You haven’t read any of the books, have you?
People find Christian themes in Potter books and movies? My own take is Rowlings is a loose cannon and writes what she will write. No deep references to anything. She is over interpreted and people see stuff that she never intended
I am particularly interested in how you interpret the ending of Harry Potter as unChristian or anti-Christian. What specifically about going willingly to one’s death in order to save one’s friends and defeat evil is unChristian or anti-Christian?
Harry Potter cannot end too soon. I can find more Christian themes in Winnie the Pooh, Alice in Wonderland and Barbar the elephant
If there are Christians issuing death threats to her, then those “Christians” are like Islamic Fundamentalists and her comparison is perfectly valid. She’s not comparing ALL Christians to Islamists, that’s silly. She’s Christian herself.
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