Harry Potter

[twyrch]

I know there is a lot of controversy surrounding Rowling's books but I don't buy into all that. I own all of the books and have read them a couple times each. There is nothing wrong with the series and it is an enjoyable series to read.

If you get the chance, read the books. Open your mind to new possibilities. ;D

[Adam]

Sorry Twyrch,

I read the first one and thought it was awful. But that’s just my opinion.

[twyrch]

Adam said:

Sorry Twyrch,

I read the first one and thought it was awful. But that’s just my opinion.

*Shrugs* Well, to each their own. I applaude you for at least reading the first one. I had a deal going with my parents. I'd read the first 2 Left Behind books if they'd read the first Harry Potter.

They never kept their end of the bargain, but I have now read the whole Left Behind series. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

[Dred]

I've read the first four books and have enjoyed them. They were different from other stories I've read and I had seen the movies of the first two before I got into reading the books.

I plan on reading the 5th book before long.

If you are interested in a HP forum, this link will take you to something that is underway right now. It is still a pretty young forum but just an FYI for anyone interested. dahara.proboards41.com/index.cgi?action=logout

[twyrch]

Dred said:

I've read the first four books and have enjoyed them. They were different from other stories I've read and I had seen the movies of the first two before I got into reading the books.

I plan on reading the 5th book before long.

If you are interested in a HP forum, this link will take you to something that is underway right now. It is still a pretty young forum but just an FYI for anyone interested. dahara.proboards41.com/index.cgi?action=logout

Great! Thanks Dred. I'll have to check that one out. I'm a member of the Chamber of Secrets forum... but it's massive and impersonal.

I hope you enjoy Book 5. It's MUCH darker than anything she has written thus far, but it is extremely well written. She seems to get better with every book she writes.

I'm anxiously awaiting the Half Blood Prince, June 16th.

[Dred]

I'm looking forward to book 5 and 6. I have a hard time getting started in forums that are already huge. It takes a little time to get familiar with things and get on a roll. Not to mention the time it takes to check out everything.

I'm in another forum for Runelords that is pretty good size but lots of fun. The books are pretty creative and with a new concept of magic that I had never seen before.

[Child of Immanuel]

I used to be way 'into' Harry Potter. They're well written and engaging, but I don't feel comfortable reading them. They are good stories, however.

[AndyBrennan]

Well, I'll voice a seemingly minority opinion here. I've never read the books; I've borrowed two of the movies, and wasn't too impressed. I've gone round and round with a good friend on this issue and I'll reiterate what I've told him.

I think these books are fine with people our age, but the fact that they are clearly marketed at a young audience bothers me. Children don't know the difference between fiction and reality and that's a dangerous combination when you're dealing with witchcraft. The fact that primary school children are going to their public libraries to check out books on how to do spells is disturbing. I fear spiritual damage and for that reason I've chosen to boycott HP.

Twyrch mentioned that book 5 was much darker, and my good friend seemed to second that thought by telling me the books in the series did get progressively darker. When I hear that I am forced to bring Rowlingfs motives into question. I donft know, maybe shefs just trying to sell booksc

But like it was said, to each his own. This is just my opinion.

[twyrch]

AndyBrennan said:

Well, I'll voice a seemingly minority opinion here. I've never read the books; I've borrowed two of the movies, and wasn't too impressed. I've gone round and round with a good friend on this issue and I'll reiterate what I've told him.

I think these books are fine with people our age, but the fact that they are clearly marketed at a young audience bothers me. Children don't know the difference between fiction and reality and that's a dangerous combination when you're dealing with witchcraft. The fact that primary school children are going to their public libraries to check out books on how to do spells is disturbing. I fear spiritual damage and for that reason I've chosen to boycott HP.

Twyrch mentioned that book 5 was much darker, and my good friend seemed to second that thought by telling me the books in the series did get progressively darker. When I hear that I am forced to bring Rowlingfs motives into question. I donft know, maybe shefs just trying to sell booksc

But like it was said, to each his own. This is just my opinion.

Andy, the arguement you place is not new to me. Many conservative Christians feel exactly the same way. I have had this battle with my parents since the books were released.

As you say, each person is entitled to their own opinions and if you feel strongly about it, then great.

I would like to pose this question though...

How is the "magic" portrayed in HP any different from that of the Lord of the Rings (Tolkien).... The Chronicals of Narnia(Lewis)... The Time Trilogy(LaEngle)...

Rowling doesn't use "real" magic spells any more than these Christian authors. She uses a play on words derived from Latin because it sounds neat. Kids adore her books because it fuels their imagination, just like the Sword of Shannarra and The Hobbit did for me when I was growing up.

What makes her books any "worse" or more "dark" than some of the things Tolkien wrote?

I think the problem here is that the Religious Right took an article written by the Onion as the Gospel and ran with it... And then all the sheeple in the world that believe anything that comes out of the mouth of people like James Dobson and Jerry Fallwell.

But then, that's just MY opinion.

[Riothamus]

I haven't read Harry Potter, so I can't speak dogmatically; however, this article: www.decentfilms.com/commentary/magic.html addresses some of the very counter-points you raise. And this fellow's definitely not a religious-right Falwell-follower. He doesn't condemn the books outright; he just points out the need for discernment. Very good article. (By the way, I reccomend anything on the decentfilms site. The guy's great. And no, he's not a relative. )

[twyrch]

Riothamus said:

I haven't read Harry Potter, so I can't speak dogmatically; however, this article: www.decentfilms.com/commentary/magic.html addresses some of the very counter-points you raise. And this fellow's definitely not a religious-right Falwell-follower. He doesn't condemn the books outright; he just points out the need for discernment. Very good article. (By the way, I reccomend anything on the decentfilms site. The guy's great. And no, he's not a relative. )

I'll check it out. Thanks!

I hope this isn't like the publications our church used to receive that would critique the film and tell their view of everything "non-christian" about it.

It was rags like that which kept me from watching The Lion King until I was a Senior in Highschool. This group claimed the song, "The Circle of Life" preached evolution and that by watching the film, you were supporting the homosexual lifestyle because Elton John wrote some of the songs.... Please....

I will look at the site though. Sorry for the little venting there....

[dinadan]

AndyBrennan said:

Children don't know the difference between fiction and reality and that's a dangerous combination when you're dealing with witchcraft.

I'm not sure how to take that. Unless the child has something wrong with them, children very much do know the difference between fiction and reality--especially if they have good parents.

And, speaking as someone who knows a good deal about magick and witchcraft, you may be right that without that proper guidance children may wander down the wrong path; however, I'm not sure that I think it at all bad that children do learn something about the dark forces at work in the world. We Christians are at fault by teaching are children that magick and witchcraft are "silly" and "not real"--when the truth is that there are "powers and principalities in high places" that very much work in terms of magick and witchcraft. If we intentionally make our children ignorant of the fact that there are dark powers out there, we run the risk of (1) letting them believe that it's ok to play with those powers because they are "not real, and/or (2) making them impotent against such powers.

The Harry Potter books are very clear in terms of what is right and what is wrong--the "good" characters are always people with strong ethical and moral principles, while the forces of "evil" always use post-modern arguements to justify their use of dark magic (i.e. there is no such thing as "good" or "evil", there is only power and how it is used that matters). The moral and ethical universe contained in Ms. Rowling's books rejects that kind of relativistic thinking--something that is a very good lesson for children to learn, especially growing up in a world where relative ethics and relative morality are constantly being touted as the "virtue of tolerance" that allows for moral abiguity.

Now, I'm not going to do something that a lot of Christian Rowling supporters do and say that ther eis a Christian message in the Harry Potter books akin to those found in Lewis' Narnia books--because that just isn't so. The Harry Potter universe needs to be understood as its own self-contained imagined universe where Christianity is irrelavent to the issues within it--much like Anne McCaffrey's Pern novels. In my mind, that doesn't make the stories told in those universes "bad"...it just provides stimulation (much needed in this age of technocratic quagmire) to the imagination.

[twyrch]

dinadan said:

I'm not sure how to take that. Unless the child has something wrong with them, children very much do know the difference between fiction and reality--especially if they have good parents.

Dinadan.... Awesome defense. I wish I were as eloquent.

I have already told my parents that I plan on reading the stories to my son and helping him know and understand the forces that struggle for his soul. There is a spirtual battle going on in this world and you're right... Rowling takes the idea and packages it into something younger children can grasp and understand.

[dinadan]

Thanks for the compliement. All this philosophy training in logic and argumentation hasn't gone to waste!

I'm all about the J. K. Rowling. She's on my "Top 5 Authors I'd Like to Meet" list.

Which is, as follows (in no particular order);

J.K. Rowling
Stephen Lawhead
George R. R. Martin
J. Ardian Lee
Lloyd Alexander (I hope he's still alive...I should check.)

[Riothamus]

I hope this isn't like the publications our church used to receive that would critique the film and tell their view of everything "non-christian" about it.

Absolutely not. Greydanus is a member of the Arts and Faith Film Critics Circle, which is the farthest thing from Ted Baehr that you can imagine, short of being neo-Pagan