[CATHOLIC CAUCUS] Harry Potter and the Paganization of Culture [Absolutely Chilling!]

Studiobrien ^ | Februrary, 2010 | Michael D. O'Brien

[mlizzy]

Michael D. O'Brien is an incredible Catholic painter as well. See his site for more (in the sidebar).

[goodwithagun]

I regularly attend mass at Holy Name Cathedral in Steubenville, with the exception of this past week. Due to Mother’s Day travel, we attended mass Saturday evening at St. Augustine’s in Barberton. It was an absolutely beautiful church and the priest mentioned nothing about healthcare being a basic human right. Cheers!

[Judith Anne]

God bless you! ;-D

[mlizzy]

Thanks a lot John. You know, our priest told the kids that were to be confirmed (and their parents!) — via a speech — that he read the Potter series, and found nothing wrong with the books. Now this is a priest, years later, that can’t even SHOW UP for daily Mass. He just blows it off. Not “on fire” spiritually, I guess ...

[nina0113]

As a Christian, I must say that I find the Potter series to be rather benign.

Exactly. Where were all these critics when Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine were writing about kids using Ouija boards to summon demons? Nowhere in sight. The anti-Potter hysteria is driven by jealousy of Rowling's financial success. The New York Times resented her so much that they tweaked the way their Bestseller list is calculated so as to kick her off it.

[mlizzy]

This is a Catholic Caucus thread, Plutarch. As such, your image/comment is not appropriate.

[mlizzy]

Michael D. O'Brien is a successful Canadian Catholic writer/painter. I can assure you, he's not jealous of Rowling's financial success. In fact, he comes to her defense, if you read the piece. And please be aware this is a Catholic Caucus thread.

[mlizzy]

Is is possible for you to change the title of the thread to:

[CATHOLIC CAUCUS] Harry Potter and the Paganization of Culture [Absolutely Chilling!]

[mlizzy]

Many thanks!!

[mockingbyrd]

I’m with you. Didn’t like O’brien’s books either. And his descriptions of his struggles while reading the books makes him sound hysterical.

[mlizzy]

Sounds more to me like hiding behind "caucus" so you don't have to defend your ideas. I am Catholic. This guy sounds like a loon.

It's not "hiding." When Fr. Corapi in on the television, for instance, I will ask my sons to walk the dogs. Who wants to listen to the barking of dogs during something spiritually enLightening? As far as Michael D. O'Brien being a "loon;" you might want to read up on him first ... Link.

[PetroniusMaximus]

“Shall we burn JK Rowling at the stake?”

And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?

But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.

[Plutarch]

This is a Catholic Caucus thread, Plutarch. As such, your image/comment is not appropriate.

Okay, I guess I need to have my screen set to News/Activism, so I don't stray into any Religion threads.

Of course, this thread has a cultural topic, which is what suckered me in. I'll leave now, but maybe someone can distinguish a meaningful difference between Wizard of Oz and Harry Potter. IMO, one is just as pagan as the next.

[mlizzy]

I’m with you. Didn’t like O’brien’s books either. And his descriptions of his struggles while reading the books makes him sound hysterical.

Which books of his did you read?

[nina0113]

So only Catholics who agree with you are welcome? Maybe there should be a special “MLizzy Caucus” designation.

[nina0113]

Can this be re-designated a “MLizzy Caucus” thread?

[Mrs. Don-o]

My boys and my husband and I read all seven. The first couple were entertaining, at points witty, enriched with the welcome themes of personal courage, self-sacrifice, the battle of Good against Evil, etc.

By volume three (Prisoner of Azkaban) and four (Goblet of Fire) it started to seriously fail as a read-aloud. For readers who might have jumped into the series late, Rowling had to repeatedly recapituate what what happened in #1 and #2, which does slog things down, and then Rowling starts jerking the reader around with plot-twists that I think abuse the younger readers'sense of continuity of character.

By #7, Rowling actually discards the rules of her own "sub-creation" (to use Tolkien's idea) and lets her main characters do things which are against the foundational laws of morality of her own fictional world. Specifically, Dumbledore colludes with Snape in his own death (which is either suicide or murder), Good guys use two of the Unforgivable Curses (Minerva uses the Imperius and Harry uses Cruciatus) and, if I remember rightly, these violations are treated as having no significance whatsoever.

That's the problem, to my mind. They use use the Unforgivable Curses almost casually, as if there were nothing very remarkable about it. No internal or external debate about it beforehand, no complications of conscience or consequence afterwards.

I'm not so simple-minded that I think Good Guys can't do Bad Things, but in the fictional/mythical world --- just as in our own world --- Bad things remain implacably, inescapably Bad, and have their tragic consequences. But in the book, Dumbledore's death at the hands of Snape (morally wrong, and one could say, even worse, mythically wrong) and Harry and Minerva's use of Unforgivable Curses never even get a rebuke, still less a consequence.

I don't think this is nit-picking. I think Rowling is effectively giving the message that if you're on the Good Side, you can do whatever seems necessary; even if it's evil for others, it's not evil for you; and the evil does not corrupt you.

Now, that's a troubling message.

I wouldn't read these books again.

[mlizzy]

So only Catholics who agree with you are welcome? Maybe there should be a special “MLizzy Caucus” designation.

That's a personal affront, I believe nina, which is against Free Republic's rules "making it personal" ... and there's many who like to post threads under Catholic Caucus protection ... not just me ... and if you go to Catholic Answers, Real Catholic TV, etc. and so on, you'll find, they don't publish harsh commentary against Catholicism. That is because the original Catholic message is then lost ...

[nina0113]

The point is, you repost that Caucus reminder to anyone who disagrees with you, without bothering to find out if they’re Catholic or not. If anyone’s “making it personal”, YOU are.

[Little Ray]

I have read the entire series and, as far as I can tell, there is no paganism in Harry Potter. In fact, there is no religion of any kind in the Harry Potter books. Just fantastic beasts, and trite, simplistic magic. I suspect this is deliberate on the part of the author, in an effort to keep her potential customer base as large as possible.
I am saying this as someone who has actually made a modest study of the occult. (No, I don't practice, never have, and never will. Yes, I'm Christian.)
Whatever the Harry Potter series is, is is sure as heck not Lord of the Rings or even The Hobbit. I don't know why anyone takes them seriously.

If I were going to condemn something, I'd condemn “romantic vampire” books as corrupting drivel. But I'm not in the habit of wasting my time with drivel.