In the Harry Potter debate people often site the use of magic as wrong and reasons why Christians should stay away. Some people recognize the link of this type of magic between LOTR and Narnia. the “good” magic, or even the Chronicals of the Wizard of OZ (NOT the movie)
However, how are we morally supposed to view things that just use other words for magic and witches, such as Star Wars, or even Louis Lowery’s “Giver” series or Bridge to Teribitthia or Scott Westerfied’s “Midnighters” or “Uglies” series? Is the use of other words, other explanations or other means for the not-necessarly evil or good driven supernatural ok?
Dear Meggie,
Cordial greetings.
As regards the Harry Potter novels you should be aware that not all who feel compelled to critique these books and to appraise them unfavourably are wide-eyed and uniformed fundamentalists. On the contrary, several respected Catholic commentators including Gabreile Kuby, Steven Wood, Vivian Dudro and Matthew Arnold have offered well-grounded criticisms respecting the defects of these culturally unwholesome books/films. Thus it would be mistaken to assume that any man who resists and censures the Potter phenomenom is to be suspected of being a slightly dippy and unintelligent fool. Apart from being downright uncharitable it demonstrates that those who respond in this manner somehow feel threatened when they are confronted by the arguments of the opposing viewpoint. Otherwise why resort to ad hominem attacks and and the use of scurrilous language against one’s antagonist? Even if a man feels that the Potter critic is irrational, reactionary and prejudiced, he still has a right to be accorded respect and to be addressed in a courteous manner. After all, hurling abusive epithets is no subsitute for informed debate and discussion and only serves to underscore the weakness of one’s own position.
For me and myriads of others the problem with Potter is not merely the fact of fantasy question. Rather, the crucial issue is Rowling’s symbol world of the actual occult as her *primary *metaphor and occultic activities as the engine of her plots. Moreover, it presents these to the young reader via attractive role models, Harry and Hermoine, who are students of witchcraft and sorcery. Now many of us are of the opinion that this is just too close for comfort and the attempt to minimize and rationalize the unmistakable correlation between Potters magic and witchcraft and its real life counterpart is wholly unconvincing, although you will hear many specious arguments by those desperate to vindicate the Potter series. Indeed, it is the striking resemblance between the two that so many Catholics find problematic and disturbing, especially when it is remembered that Rowling’s primary target group for her books are impressionable young people who’s minds are yet in a state of formation. Therefore many parents think it perfectly reasonble to ask if they can really afford to take the totally unnecessary risk of stimulating their child’s interest in the occultic subcultures. As Ed says in his post above, they may end up in the local bookshop’s New Age section and even find an unhealthy interest aroused in Wicca or magic, who knows where it might just lead. As I have remarked so often on these boards, even one precious soul lost to the occultic subcultures is one precious soul too many; it is a precious soul for whom our Lord died so I am sure He is concerned.
Those of us who are parent’s are called by the Church to be pro-active in fostering a vital Christian culture for our children. Thus anything that frustrates this objective (books, TV programmes, music and computer games with unwholesome and questionable content must be firmly repudiated). This has nothing whatsooever to do with being overscrupulous or with being a moralistic fuddy-duddy, but it does have everything to do with rearing our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and shielding them from subtle harmful influences that could lead them away from the path of virtue - perhaps permanently. Would we want that upon our consciences?
The Harry Potter series of books/films are insiduously brainwashing our children with the moral illiteracy and relativism that now so abounds in our irreligious Western world, where moral degeneracy is all too plainly evident. This is a plea to give this culturally unwholesome and potentially dangerous material a very wide-birth indeed.
Please forgive the homily, but this is a topic about which I feel most strongly, hence my passionate tone. Do consult those commentators to which I have refered above as they present very cogent arguments against the Potter books/films.
Warmest good wishes,
Portrait
