We can get all self-indulgently philosophical about Harry Potter and make valiant efforts to display how erudite or morally superior we are – but the bottom line is that some truly worthwhile literature has been on the verge of being banned over time. So my opinion is pretty simple: If you don’t approve of the book (or you consider the books to be crap, as I do) then don’t read the Harry Potter books. Don’t let your children read them if you have reservations.

But book banning or book burning are NOT options we ever want to consider, for our own sakes.

proof, please? i’ve been following these books for years, and that includes visiting the author’s website, and reading every interview i was able. i have never, ever read or heard of her saying this.

she has been asked about her religion, and you know what her answer is? that if you have read the bible, then you have an idea how her book series ends. you have to remember this woman is writing books that are in a way mysteries, and no mystery writer will give away her ending. this woman has been writing these books for years, and she refuses to answer any religious questions on the grounds it will give away the ending! that does not imply she denies God or Jesus either.

RE this Eph 5:11 KJ2000 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

What does this have to do with Harry Potter books? The advice is good, but you are probably shooting it at the wrong target. Which puts you in the dark then.

Rather than wanting the Bible in the schools, what you want is for the religious background of historical figures and the impact religion had on them to be included with their stories. If Abraham Lincoln went to church and it had a great impact on him we should know about it. If GWB found great solace in peoples prayers, then it should be explained adequately to the student.

A lot of those early independents were also Masons etc. Those stories are also kindly brushed aside.

To extoll the values of HP because it induces children to read is a utilitarian argument; Christians are not utilitarians. We don’t believe that the end justifies the means.

Left Behind has been equally well read; why aren’t school districts breaking their neck putting THAT is tn eschool libraries and on book lists?

The Bible is the most purchased book in literature; why aren’t public schools encouraging the reading of THAT?

Those of you who defend HP are free to do so, but you are defending a worldly piece of literature and attacking a woman who says tha Jesus is Lord against a woman who denies Him; I question your priorities, values, and sanctification.

Eph 5:11 KJ2000 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

Can anything be more clear than that?

Delwyn Campbell
Eph 6:11

It was people like her when I was growing up in Tennessee that had me convinced for a long time that adults were malicious towards children. I had no other explanation for the behavior of people like her because it was unthinkable to me that a grown person could actually BELIEVE such nonsense.

I just choose not to watch them anymore.

oh yeah, that reminds me. there’s also that focus on Harry doing what is right, instead of what is easy. i think that message alone is worth reading the books for.

What too many people don’t notice about the Potter books are the big lessons they teach.

1. Love is the most powerful magic.
2. Good is frequently bombarded by evil.
3. Sometimes one has to fight evil in order for good to prevail.
4. Help your friends.
5. Making the right decision is frequently very difficult and doing so shows high moral character.

Christian themes, in my opinion, are all over the books. Kindness, compassion, love … they are all there. Though I agree that a parent has the right to ban whatever he or she feels is harmful to his or her children it infuriates me that people like Ms. Mallory have not even bothered reading the books to see what they are about. Not only do these books teach kids some great lessons with regard to good and evil and love IT GETS KIDS TO READ! Like voracious animals they read. That in and of itself is huge.

I feel sorry for Ms. Mallory and others like her.

wow, just goes to show how different people’s perceptions can be. i’ve read the books and am waiting for the last one, because i’m eager to see how the love that Harry has and Voldemort doesn’t defeats Voldemort. the books have a theme that LOVE is the weapon which Harry needs, regardless of his magic or any other ability. it’s reinforced over and over, especially in the sixth one.

IMO, there are too many lessons in the books to deny them because of the magic.

I am so thrilled to see you commenting here, I could just turn cartwheels.

Mamapajamas,

You wrote, “If this mother were simply asking that HER kids not be exposed, I would support her. But what she is asking is that everyone else be locked out as well.”

How do you propose that this mother prevent her kids from seeing these books once they are in the school library? The 9th Circuit ruled awhile back that parents do not have the right to limit their children’s exposure to objectionable, sexually themed questions. Would a parent be able to trust their wishes about these books were respected in a school?

Once the books are in the library (thanks to this mom’s tax contributions), is there a way that both pro-Harry and anti-Harry parents can be happy? Again, she is not advocating that the books be banned from the community or the country. She is merely saying, “Don’t use MY MONEY to give MY CHILDREN books that contradict our religious beliefs.” If you think Harry Potter is such a wonderful tool for your child’s learning — go buy the books yourself or take her to the public library and check them out.

I think something else needs to be noted here. This is the sort of debate that the MSM and educrats love. With the MSM, it gives them an excuse to run another of their “Right Wing Christianist Theocrats on the Rampage” stories. And educrats who have screwed up public schools get a chance to divert the public’s attention once again.

I have read only the first Harry Potter book, and did not like it (boring theme, shallow characters, and predictable storyline). However, this is not a book review, and I personally would have no objections to it being available in a public school library. Nor would I object to my son reading it when he is old enough (although I hope he prefers the Lord of the Rings trilogy if he reads fantasy).

As Spunky pointed out, Mallory is simply standing up for her convictions. And the issue of what is kept in public school libraries – in fact, what is taught in public schools with taxpayer money – is open to every citizen. I am sure that educrats and the MSM would prefer that we leave the decisions to them (these two groups constantly try to intimidate others into silence), but why should we? Supporters of Harry Potter books might want to concentrate on making the case for the books rather than against Laura Mallory.

Just for the record, I am a secondary school mathematics teacher (grades 6-12) with ten years of classroom experience.

La Shawn said, “In the scheme of things, what Mallory is doing doesn’t matter that much. There are more important things going on in the world for Christians to worry about, and the Harry Potter books are so far down the list, they barely register.”

I may not feel the same calling to speak out in this way, but she may look at blogging in the way that some look at her appeal to the library, “Fruitless and of little value.” But we are each called to a life of obedience in Christ. Better to make sure that we are doing all that we are supposed to do, than condemn another for the call that they feel God has placed upon them.

Engaging in a dialogue about the merits of HP is fine, but a dialogue that questions her decision to speak out has no place in a country that honors the freedom of the indiviual and taxes all of us to pay for public education. Her “jihad” is costing her time, money, and in many ways her reputation. Yet, she is willing to keep going. That kind of a woman earns my admiration not my scorn. In the end, she may not change any opinions at the the court of law or public opinion, but if her calling is indeeed given by God she will most likely stand before a holy God and hear, “Well done my faithful servant enter now into the joy of my rest.”