Posted on 11/19/2001 7:07:32 AM PST by Phantom Lord
There are over 110 million of the HP books in print and I have not heard of any instances of kids practicing actual witchcraft based on the Harry Potter books. Why hasn't there been an extraordinary number of kids flying on broomsticks or even of children jumping to their death while attempting to fly a broomsticks? The answer is because an 8 year old has more sense than those who, in the great tradition of misinformation, have wrongly condemned a good series of fantasy books.
I have seen more incorrect charactarizations of the stories than I could shake a stick at. Some have said that the books are anti-adult. That is blatantly wrong. Adults are both good and bad in the books and all the teachers at the school maintain their authority at all times. Also, the parents of Ron Weasley, who are very fond of Harry, are portrayed as loving parents who strictly enforce rules with their children. I could go on and on but, unfortunately, the only ones who would listen are those whose eyes are actually open.
By the way, I saw the film this weekend and it was excellent! And I haven't even tried to fly a broom or curse anyone yet. Imagine that!
The issue with Harry Potter is that something that many people consider "bad" is presented as something good, positive, heroic and glamorous. So then the question is whether or not it is so clearly fantasy that children will not be tempted.
As someone who grew up loving fantasy, sci-fi and stories about magic, I have to say that there is a danger in this sort of thing. It can become a temptation for children--it's very glamorous and exciting, and could possibly make it more difficult for a child to resist being led into Wicca, particularly since in our society we are bombarded with this idea that Wicca is just like any other religion.
I never was tempted into Wiccan practices, but I also never knew anyone who practiced it, nor was I ever exposed to anything like that in "real life." But I can imagine that if I had known anyone who practiced it when I was a kid I would have been more tempted by it just because of the things I had read that made it seem good, attractive and exciting.
I think it also can introduce some confusion about right and wrong for children, because here is something that their church or parents might denounce, and yet it's being presented in a movie as something wonderful and good. Even though it's fantasy, it still has a message to convey.
And no, I haven't read Harry Potter either, but it is true, is it not, that Harry is being taught to be a wizard? This is something that neither Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, nor Snow White, nor any of those main protagonists in classic fairy tales and fantasies ever did.
Just some things to think about...
-penny
What has been the results of these REAL witchcraft spells being used? What has happened to those that the spells have been put on? Clearly, if these spells are REAL then there is hardcore evidence and proof available for you to submit here for review.
I'll be waiting for your submissions.
This isn't too far fetched. A few years back The VIllage Voice had an article about how Girard's pursuit of Kimball in The Fugitive was likewise, part of a homoerotic obsession.
And I suppose when those kids manage to get hold of the unicorns hair, the pheniox or griffin feathers for their wands, those "real spells" will work, just like in the book. We will have a plague of invisible children, levitation and broom riding, I am sure.
If the goal was truning a generation to "the craft," the author sure could have included some good ol' fashions spells that don't need the ingredients from mythical creatures to perform correctly, one would think. Candles and ouji boards are so much easier to get hold of then dragons scales.
You forget about Balaam's Ass:
Numbers 22: 27-30
27 And the ass saw the angel of HaShem, and she lay down under Balaam; and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with his staff.
28 And HaShem opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam: 'What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?'
29 And Balaam said unto the ass: 'Because thou hast mocked me; I would there were a sword in my hand, for now I had killed thee.'
30 And the ass said unto Balaam: 'Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden all thy life long unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee?' And he said: 'Nay.'
Welll then I'm sure this is a great, up-to-date critic of HP. /sarcasim
And a word, be it wizard or what ever certainly doesn't make something evil. If that were the case the gal who built my new (sigh) is evil because she named her company Computer Wizardz. I wonder if this guy uses the wizards on his computer to help him do things. Good Grief!
King Arthur is trained by a Wizard in the Sword in the Stone.
I'll think of more...give me a minute
It should be banned as horrible writing, not as being evil. The parents were doing the right thing for the wrong reasons!
It seems to me the issue is whether or not presenting "good magic" (which is basically how Wicca is presented) is okay as long as it's clearly fantasy. When a story is presented about murder or other things that are obviously evil, it is presented within the story/movie as something evil. When you watch a movie about a murder mystery, the story is about how to catch the bad guys, and murder is presented as a bad thing that must be punished and that also often leads to horrible consequences.
The problem here is that what we see as "clearly fantasy" and what the children see as "clearly fantasy", unfortunately, the fundamentalists don't see as "clearly fantasy".
The issue with Harry Potter is that something that many people consider "bad" is presented as something good, positive, heroic and glamorous. So then the question is whether or not it is so clearly fantasy that children will not be tempted.
No, the morals are the same. The methodology is different, but the resulting morals are the same.
As someone who grew up loving fantasy, sci-fi and stories about magic, I have to say that there is a danger in this sort of thing. It can become a temptation for children--it's very glamorous and exciting, and could possibly make it more difficult for a child to resist being led into Wicca, particularly since in our society we are bombarded with this idea that Wicca is just like any other religion.
Of course. That's why the Fundamentalists are the only ones getting bent out of shape over it. To many children, there's nothing "glamourous" or "exciting" about the Bible. There's no personal gratification in the Bible, which turns a lot of children off. Plus the fact that it's just too damn long and full of confusing words in middle-English, and the end result is you leave children wanting something easier and nicer to absorb.
I never was tempted into Wiccan practices, but I also never knew anyone who practiced it, nor was I ever exposed to anything like that in "real life." But I can imagine that if I had known anyone who practiced it when I was a kid I would have been more tempted by it just because of the things I had read that made it seem good, attractive and exciting.
I knew of someone in high school that was "tempted" into Wiccan practices. Probably one of the nicest girls I've ever met, too. Sure, she was gothic, and garnered a lot of weird looks from other people, and even got accused of being a "satanist" a few times by some of the rather insecure kids at that school. She also had a 4.0 GPA. I never saw her do anything "wrong"; she stayed off of drugs, didn't perform gratuitous sexual activities, didn't spend her time chanting "satanic" verses, and didn't make anyone's life miserable.
I think it also can introduce some confusion about right and wrong for children, because here is something that their church or parents might denounce, and yet it's being presented in a movie as something wonderful and good. Even though it's fantasy, it still has a message to convey.
...and apparently the only people getting that message are the Fundamentalists. As usual.
And no, I haven't read Harry Potter either, but it is true, is it not, that Harry is being taught to be a wizard? This is something that neither Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, nor Snow White, nor any of those main protagonists in classic fairy tales and fantasies ever did.
I suppose you've never read The Once and Future King, eh?
This is the case with nearly every anti-Potter person. I mean, would a prosecutor try to find a man guilty only on gossip, with no hard evidence?
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