Harry Potter and the Bible: A...review?
Last time I was at the library, I stumbled across a book called "Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace Behind the Magick" by Richard Abanes, and I decided to check it out. I knew I wouldn't agree with it (not being close-minded here, just realistic), but I was interested to see the argument against Harry Potter. And while I didn't expect to agree with the argument, I was expecting there to actually be one. One that wasn't, at best, a stretch and, at worst, a misrepresentation of what the Harry Potter books actually contain.
I have to admit, I was disappointed.
Argument one seemed to be that the Harry Potter books were evil because Harry and his friends misbehaved. They...misbehaved? They're kids. Of course they broke some school rules...what kid hasn't at one point or another? This doesn't seem like a solid opening argument when you're condemning a book for being evil.
Next, the author of this book repeatedly pointed out that Harry Potter content very closely mirrors actual occult/pagan literature, and I'll give him that. If I were writing a book set in the modern world that featured an alternate society of wizards, I would probably research magic, and I would very likely draw from this research in my writing. However, it is important to keep in mind that J.K. Rowling's books are fantasy. At some point, you need to trust that your kids are smart enough to discern the difference between what is real and what is imagined. In support of his argument that although the books are "pretend," lots of children didn't seem to think so, Abanes cites letters and comments from young readers who say things like "I keep waiting for my letter to Hogwarts, but it hasn't arrived yet" or "I wish I could be a wizard and do magic like Harry." Ok...so some kids read the books, and it stirs their imagination, and they want it to be real. But then they get older...they read the books again...they recognize that it's pretend...and they smile in fond recollection of a time years ago when they first fell in love with that pretend world.
But what about those kids who read the Harry Potter books and start investigating the occult/paganism/Satanism, etc? I doubt that this issue is the epidemic that Abanes paints it to be, but yes, I'm sure it happens. Everyone is different, and where some people are drawn to Christianity, others will be drawn to Catholicism, some will tend towards Buddhism, and yes, there will be people who investigate Paganism...there will be people who want to become Satanists...there will be people who believe things that you don't. It happens. You should probably accept that and move on. Abanes doesn't want to move on, though, because he is concerned (and rightly so) by the fact that many Satanists become violent, dangerous, and even murderous. He even includes an example of a young man who became a Satanist and ultimately murdered a drug store clerk, then, later, his parents. The problem with including this example as proof that Harry Potter is dangerous? This young man was not led to Satanism through reading J.K. Rowling's books. He was a deeply disturbed young man who spent his entire life being abused and/or neglected. He sought help from his parents, counselors, and religious leaders after becoming very deeply involved in Satanism and beginning to feel like he was losing his sanity, but no one would help him. Harry Potter had nothing to do with what this boy did. In fact, I didn't see a single example of violent or dangerous behavior in the book that stemmed from a child's interest in Harry Potter.
My final objection to Harry Potter and the Bible is this: In his closing paragraph, Abanes points out the flaws in one woman's argument against banning Harry Potter, illustrating a number of times that she misquoted the Bible. That's fine...anytime someone is using a text to support or debunk an argument, they should use it correctly. But throughout his book, Abanes consistently misconstrued his "evidence" from Harry Potter, as well as from other, similar creative works that seem to offend him. I wonder if he would like to be the pot or the kettle.
I'm not saying that Richard Abanes, or anyone else for that matter, doesn't have a right to dislike a book or not want their kids to read it. Don't like what you feel Harry Potter represents? Then explain that to your kids and ask them not to read it. But I don't think that it's okay to condemn everyone who does like it and say that they're evil or furthering Satan's work, which is what happens in this book. Throughout the book, actually, up until the last three pages or so, where Abanes qualifies "a Christian must make sure that he always communicates concern rather than condemnation (Abanes, 272)..."
Ultimately, I think what bothered me most about the attitude of this book can be summed up by this quote: "Religion is like a penis. It's fine to have one. It's fine to be proud of it. But please don't whip it out in public and start waving it around, and please don't try to shove it down my childrens' throats." -unknown
Sources:
Abanes, Richard. Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace Behind the Magick. Pennsylvania: Horizon Books, 2001.
I have to admit, I was disappointed.
Argument one seemed to be that the Harry Potter books were evil because Harry and his friends misbehaved. They...misbehaved? They're kids. Of course they broke some school rules...what kid hasn't at one point or another? This doesn't seem like a solid opening argument when you're condemning a book for being evil.
Next, the author of this book repeatedly pointed out that Harry Potter content very closely mirrors actual occult/pagan literature, and I'll give him that. If I were writing a book set in the modern world that featured an alternate society of wizards, I would probably research magic, and I would very likely draw from this research in my writing. However, it is important to keep in mind that J.K. Rowling's books are fantasy. At some point, you need to trust that your kids are smart enough to discern the difference between what is real and what is imagined. In support of his argument that although the books are "pretend," lots of children didn't seem to think so, Abanes cites letters and comments from young readers who say things like "I keep waiting for my letter to Hogwarts, but it hasn't arrived yet" or "I wish I could be a wizard and do magic like Harry." Ok...so some kids read the books, and it stirs their imagination, and they want it to be real. But then they get older...they read the books again...they recognize that it's pretend...and they smile in fond recollection of a time years ago when they first fell in love with that pretend world.
But what about those kids who read the Harry Potter books and start investigating the occult/paganism/Satanism, etc? I doubt that this issue is the epidemic that Abanes paints it to be, but yes, I'm sure it happens. Everyone is different, and where some people are drawn to Christianity, others will be drawn to Catholicism, some will tend towards Buddhism, and yes, there will be people who investigate Paganism...there will be people who want to become Satanists...there will be people who believe things that you don't. It happens. You should probably accept that and move on. Abanes doesn't want to move on, though, because he is concerned (and rightly so) by the fact that many Satanists become violent, dangerous, and even murderous. He even includes an example of a young man who became a Satanist and ultimately murdered a drug store clerk, then, later, his parents. The problem with including this example as proof that Harry Potter is dangerous? This young man was not led to Satanism through reading J.K. Rowling's books. He was a deeply disturbed young man who spent his entire life being abused and/or neglected. He sought help from his parents, counselors, and religious leaders after becoming very deeply involved in Satanism and beginning to feel like he was losing his sanity, but no one would help him. Harry Potter had nothing to do with what this boy did. In fact, I didn't see a single example of violent or dangerous behavior in the book that stemmed from a child's interest in Harry Potter.
My final objection to Harry Potter and the Bible is this: In his closing paragraph, Abanes points out the flaws in one woman's argument against banning Harry Potter, illustrating a number of times that she misquoted the Bible. That's fine...anytime someone is using a text to support or debunk an argument, they should use it correctly. But throughout his book, Abanes consistently misconstrued his "evidence" from Harry Potter, as well as from other, similar creative works that seem to offend him. I wonder if he would like to be the pot or the kettle.
I'm not saying that Richard Abanes, or anyone else for that matter, doesn't have a right to dislike a book or not want their kids to read it. Don't like what you feel Harry Potter represents? Then explain that to your kids and ask them not to read it. But I don't think that it's okay to condemn everyone who does like it and say that they're evil or furthering Satan's work, which is what happens in this book. Throughout the book, actually, up until the last three pages or so, where Abanes qualifies "a Christian must make sure that he always communicates concern rather than condemnation (Abanes, 272)..."
Ultimately, I think what bothered me most about the attitude of this book can be summed up by this quote: "Religion is like a penis. It's fine to have one. It's fine to be proud of it. But please don't whip it out in public and start waving it around, and please don't try to shove it down my childrens' throats." -unknown
Sources:
Abanes, Richard. Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace Behind the Magick. Pennsylvania: Horizon Books, 2001.