As some people might know, although Harry Potter is very popular, there are some
people, especially some Catholics, that find the books as blasphamy because of
the sorcery mentioned in the books. These people even burn Harry Potter books
because of its contents. In the eve of the release of the sixth installment of
the books, I wanted to see what people thought about this?
Though I don't read Harry Potter and eventhough I'm a Catholic, I find that
these people are going overboard.
Actually, it's not the Catholics who have a problem with the books, it's the
conservative Christian groups that are largely Protestant *snicker* (Sort of
like, since they didn't get their Inquisition, they're taking it out on
children's literature)!
I'm Catholic, too, and I think the real controversy stems from how much people
believe that the books are factual as far as magic is concerned. Anyone who has
read the books knows that they're about as "factual" as C.S. Lewis
Narnia Chronicles or Tolkien's Hobbit. HP is fun, and it gets kids to read.
If parents have worries about children suddenly wanting to become satanists
because they read the books, they should take the time to discuss what is fact
and what is fiction. the "fact" is that HP deals with coming-of-age
in a hard world and that there is a constant struggle between good and evil that
requires people to step up to the plate. The fiction is that spells and
wizardry are ways to solve your problems. (*~.^*)
And I agree that burning books is pushing it too far. Once you start banning
some books, you start down a slippery slope that'll lead to something a
oppressive as Stalinist Russia.
I don't approve of book burning ever. A book, even a bad book, it is a record
of something. It is important to know what people think and what people find
entertaining. I've read the first three books and they are O.K. and yes they
deal with magic. However, they are more about overcoming your losses and
dealing with your fears. It is totally ridiculous to react that way to fiction
books. Oh well, I figure it is good publicism. People with intelligence are
able to determine that large religious organizations have an agenda when the
attack certain issues. For example, the Catholic church may be trying to
distract people from the crimes and neligence some of its priests are guilt of.
It also may be picking on books because it knows it does have enough power to
take on any real issues like ethnic genocide. God's authority doesn't do you
any good in politics unless you have some other authority to back it up.... Just
look at history... Divine Right worked in reference to people who had money and
military power at there backs. The Catholic church losts its power when it lost
the military backing of its knights after the Crusades.
I think one reason they are going against the Harry Potter series is that it has
became too popular (after all, why not ban all the other books that are similar
to HP? such as those talk about magical powers and stuff), younger fans, the
kids that are obsessed with HP may want to believe that there's such magic in
reality, but they are just kids, and they are allowed to imagine and dream...
I agree that banning or burning HP books is too extreme, in fact, it's not
necessary at all.
I think people like that are ridiculous. I have read all the Harry Potter books
and I love them. It is the parents responsibility to make sure their children
realize the books are fantasy and not real. My daughter will be allowed to read
them because it shows that things in life can be hard but you can overcome them.
Instead of getting on the books for the "sorcery," I think they should
be focused on how the Harry Potter books stress doing the right thing even when
it's not the easiest thing. Despite all the horrible things that have happened
in Harry's life, he manages to still be a good person. These books actually
teach kids some morals, something that is all too rare.
I think it's ridiculous. I'm a "church-going Christian" as some would
say, I read the Bible, etc, but I think that the way the book-burning people are
acting is worse than anything the Harry Potter books could have said or
indicated. It makes all Christians look bad. While I don't think that the books
are particularly appropriate for really young, impressionable kids, I have
nothing against them--in fact I really like the stories. Whether or not the
books are read should be entirely up to the individual reading them or the
parents of the little kids wanting to read them.
yes you are so right, i be catholic as well and well if i might say that is just
wrong..............if they don't like it then they don't have to read it and can
let the rest of the world enjoy the books!!
Quote by wolfcoA book, even a bad book, it
is a record of something.
haha. I wouldn't mind if Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot got wiped off this
Earth. =P
But seriously though, the burning of literary works is a display of ignorance
and the desire to remain ignorant. They focus only on their unstinted belief in
age old fallacies and fail to realize the great impact on child literacy that
the Harry Potter books has brought.
If people burn books because they're fiction and include magic, they should
start with the bible. C'mon, cutting seas in half and resurrections? That's more
magic than any Harry Potter book could ever contain.
everybody has their own opinions right? I mean hating something is okay, but I
think book burnings are just a little overboard... its a waste of paper
anyway>.<
That's just plain stupid; they're just wasting money. But that's their problem.
Of course, if someone spent the effort and time into writing that book, one
shouldn't destroy it or any of its copies, no matter how evil or blasphemous
they see it as. Besides good and evil is just based on point of view and/or
general belief. It's not really universal, so to speak.
And we must remember that the many connotative meanings to the burning of books
isn't exactly something that should be ignored. There are many dangerous ideas
behind the incineration of books. My persional interpretation to this is that
burning books is symbolic to the destruction of culture and civilization itself.
I don't think Harry Potter is leading people to become Wiccan, but it is
softening people up to the idea. Also, on a related note, I used to be an avid
HP fan to the point I didn't go to church for a while -.-
I'm catholic, and I haven't heard anything about that. . .I mean I know some
people don't like HP, I just didn't know that some people would go that far. .
.I go to a Christian (baptist) school and they won't let us bring the books or
anything related to HP to school, but they did that to Pokemon too ^^; I believe
that people have a right to their own opinions, and they can burn the books if
they want to; it's their right, as long as they don't try to force their
ideas/morals/etc. on others, I don't mind or care about what they do (but I do
think that that's a bit overboard. . .)
Well, I have to agree with you. Burning the books for heresy? Heh, wow. On the
other hand, though, I wouldn't mind burning some of the merchandise... Have you
seen how much Harry Potter crap there is around? It's getting ridiculous...
That really weird if you ask me and oddly funny . Why?
There are SO MANY books out there that are going against god and they go and
attack Harry Potter!! Honestly, they have nothing better to do ?
Burning Harry Potter books reminds me of the burning of witches during Dark and
Middle Ages, accusing witchcraft as a threat to exert power over
Europe.
well with lots of popular books there's bound to be someone who finds something
in them that they don't like... there are plenty of other novels that deal with
sorcery, but these groups just concentrate on HP because it's popular... i don't
think that HP is leading people to become satanists because to little kids
especially, they see harry potter as defeating the bad guys... not becoming a
devil worshipper. XP
Quote by dutchforceIf people burn
books because they're fiction and include magic, they should start with the
bible. C'mon, cutting seas in half and resurrections? That's more magic than any
Harry Potter book could ever contain.
oh my... that
statement made me laugh a little... no offense towards anyone!
i agree, it's going totally overboard by targeting hp and resorting to burning
books!
and these kids are so much smarter than the adults who these books banned or
burned because they know full well that it's fictional, but the main points that
these kids grasp are the struggle and triumph of good vs. evil and the power of
friendships.
i remember watching a special on j.k. rowling and she said that when a parent
accused her of trying to turn kids into little witches and satanists, she just
said that it was utter nonsense and show me where that happened. and j.k.
rowling also noted that the kids are so much smarter than that! we should give
them more credit.
Mmmmm... My opinion is that they are just fanatics who are a little too into
religion and need to realise that it is a childrens book not meaning to tempt
children into serious witchcraft or anything.
Also it is stupid to burn books. They are like gold mines of peoples stories and
imaginations. They teach, entertain and entral people around the world and the
worl. Let the 'experience' new things.
While I do like TV and vidio games (to a degree), I find these much more o a
worry than books. Like they are a moral pinical in our human development
lol.
If you are actually a true catholic and follow every teaching of the church,
Harry Potter is a blasphamy. Since it goes against the bible. So many of my
friends who are catholic never read the book.
However, I think burning the books is a little too extreme. After all, it is
just a children's story book. You don't find people burning Cinderella or Snow
White.
You read the book for enjoyment value. You don't need to agree with the book's
idea.
I have read all the Harry Potter books from 1 to 5 and is reading 6 now. I think
the books is pretty stupid. But hey, it passes time.
I don't see how Harry Potter is blasphemous. Burning HP books is just outright
Spanish Inquisition fanatical crap. It's a story interlaced with morals and in
my opinion a book that gets kids to read is great. With all the shit on TV these
days (reality shows etc.) and almost downright retarded internet spelling it's a
step in the right direction having people reading again.
As some people might know, although Harry Potter is very popular, there are some people, especially some Catholics, that find the books as blasphamy because of the sorcery mentioned in the books. These people even burn Harry Potter books because of its contents. In the eve of the release of the sixth installment of the books, I wanted to see what people thought about this?
Though I don't read Harry Potter and eventhough I'm a Catholic, I find that these people are going overboard.
I agree that they go overboard by burning Harry Potter books. All they are there for is peoples reading enjoyment. It's isnt meant to go against God!!
Actually, it's not the Catholics who have a problem with the books, it's the conservative Christian groups that are largely Protestant *snicker* (Sort of like, since they didn't get their Inquisition, they're taking it out on children's literature)!
I'm Catholic, too, and I think the real controversy stems from how much people believe that the books are factual as far as magic is concerned. Anyone who has read the books knows that they're about as "factual" as C.S. Lewis Narnia Chronicles or Tolkien's Hobbit. HP is fun, and it gets kids to read.
If parents have worries about children suddenly wanting to become satanists because they read the books, they should take the time to discuss what is fact and what is fiction. the "fact" is that HP deals with coming-of-age in a hard world and that there is a constant struggle between good and evil that requires people to step up to the plate. The fiction is that spells and wizardry are ways to solve your problems. (*~.^*)
And I agree that burning books is pushing it too far. Once you start banning some books, you start down a slippery slope that'll lead to something a oppressive as Stalinist Russia.
These people are nuts. Its a fictional book. These people don't seem to realize this.
I don't approve of book burning ever. A book, even a bad book, it is a record of something. It is important to know what people think and what people find entertaining. I've read the first three books and they are O.K. and yes they deal with magic. However, they are more about overcoming your losses and dealing with your fears. It is totally ridiculous to react that way to fiction books. Oh well, I figure it is good publicism. People with intelligence are able to determine that large religious organizations have an agenda when the attack certain issues. For example, the Catholic church may be trying to distract people from the crimes and neligence some of its priests are guilt of. It also may be picking on books because it knows it does have enough power to take on any real issues like ethnic genocide. God's authority doesn't do you any good in politics unless you have some other authority to back it up.... Just look at history... Divine Right worked in reference to people who had money and military power at there backs. The Catholic church losts its power when it lost the military backing of its knights after the Crusades.
I think one reason they are going against the Harry Potter series is that it has became too popular (after all, why not ban all the other books that are similar to HP? such as those talk about magical powers and stuff), younger fans, the kids that are obsessed with HP may want to believe that there's such magic in reality, but they are just kids, and they are allowed to imagine and dream... I agree that banning or burning HP books is too extreme, in fact, it's not necessary at all.
I think people like that are ridiculous. I have read all the Harry Potter books and I love them. It is the parents responsibility to make sure their children realize the books are fantasy and not real. My daughter will be allowed to read them because it shows that things in life can be hard but you can overcome them.
Instead of getting on the books for the "sorcery," I think they should be focused on how the Harry Potter books stress doing the right thing even when it's not the easiest thing. Despite all the horrible things that have happened in Harry's life, he manages to still be a good person. These books actually teach kids some morals, something that is all too rare.
I think it's ridiculous. I'm a "church-going Christian" as some would say, I read the Bible, etc, but I think that the way the book-burning people are acting is worse than anything the Harry Potter books could have said or indicated. It makes all Christians look bad. While I don't think that the books are particularly appropriate for really young, impressionable kids, I have nothing against them--in fact I really like the stories. Whether or not the books are read should be entirely up to the individual reading them or the parents of the little kids wanting to read them.
yes you are so right, i be catholic as well and well if i might say that is just wrong..............if they don't like it then they don't have to read it and can let the rest of the world enjoy the books!!
haha. I wouldn't mind if Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot got wiped off this Earth. =P
But seriously though, the burning of literary works is a display of ignorance and the desire to remain ignorant. They focus only on their unstinted belief in age old fallacies and fail to realize the great impact on child literacy that the Harry Potter books has brought.
If people burn books because they're fiction and include magic, they should start with the bible. C'mon, cutting seas in half and resurrections? That's more magic than any Harry Potter book could ever contain.
everybody has their own opinions right? I mean hating something is okay, but I think book burnings are just a little overboard... its a waste of paper anyway>.<
That's just plain stupid; they're just wasting money. But that's their problem. Of course, if someone spent the effort and time into writing that book, one shouldn't destroy it or any of its copies, no matter how evil or blasphemous they see it as. Besides good and evil is just based on point of view and/or general belief. It's not really universal, so to speak.
And we must remember that the many connotative meanings to the burning of books isn't exactly something that should be ignored. There are many dangerous ideas behind the incineration of books. My persional interpretation to this is that burning books is symbolic to the destruction of culture and civilization itself.
I don't think Harry Potter is leading people to become Wiccan, but it is softening people up to the idea. Also, on a related note, I used to be an avid HP fan to the point I didn't go to church for a while -.-
I'm catholic, and I haven't heard anything about that. . .I mean I know some people don't like HP, I just didn't know that some people would go that far. . .I go to a Christian (baptist) school and they won't let us bring the books or anything related to HP to school, but they did that to Pokemon too ^^; I believe that people have a right to their own opinions, and they can burn the books if they want to; it's their right, as long as they don't try to force their ideas/morals/etc. on others, I don't mind or care about what they do (but I do think that that's a bit overboard. . .)
Well, I have to agree with you. Burning the books for heresy? Heh, wow. On the other hand, though, I wouldn't mind burning some of the merchandise... Have you seen how much Harry Potter crap there is around? It's getting ridiculous...
That really weird if you ask me and oddly funny
. Why?
There are SO MANY books out there that are going against god and they go and
attack Harry Potter!! Honestly, they have nothing better to do ?
Burning Harry Potter books reminds me of the burning of witches during Dark and Middle Ages, accusing witchcraft as a threat to exert power over Europe.
Some habits never change.
well with lots of popular books there's bound to be someone who finds something in them that they don't like... there are plenty of other novels that deal with sorcery, but these groups just concentrate on HP because it's popular... i don't think that HP is leading people to become satanists because to little kids especially, they see harry potter as defeating the bad guys... not becoming a devil worshipper. XP
oh my... that statement made me laugh a little... no offense towards anyone!
i agree, it's going totally overboard by targeting hp and resorting to burning books!
and these kids are so much smarter than the adults who these books banned or burned because they know full well that it's fictional, but the main points that these kids grasp are the struggle and triumph of good vs. evil and the power of friendships.
i remember watching a special on j.k. rowling and she said that when a parent accused her of trying to turn kids into little witches and satanists, she just said that it was utter nonsense and show me where that happened. and j.k. rowling also noted that the kids are so much smarter than that! we should give them more credit.
Mmmmm... My opinion is that they are just fanatics who are a little too into religion and need to realise that it is a childrens book not meaning to tempt children into serious witchcraft or anything.
Also it is stupid to burn books. They are like gold mines of peoples stories and imaginations. They teach, entertain and entral people around the world and the worl. Let the 'experience' new things.
While I do like TV and vidio games (to a degree), I find these much more o a worry than books. Like they are a moral pinical in our human development lol.
But yeah... I donno if that made sense.
If you are actually a true catholic and follow every teaching of the church, Harry Potter is a blasphamy. Since it goes against the bible. So many of my friends who are catholic never read the book.
However, I think burning the books is a little too extreme. After all, it is just a children's story book. You don't find people burning Cinderella or Snow White.
You read the book for enjoyment value. You don't need to agree with the book's idea.
I have read all the Harry Potter books from 1 to 5 and is reading 6 now. I think the books is pretty stupid. But hey, it passes time.
I don't see how Harry Potter is blasphemous. Burning HP books is just outright Spanish Inquisition fanatical crap. It's a story interlaced with morals and in my opinion a book that gets kids to read is great. With all the shit on TV these days (reality shows etc.) and almost downright retarded internet spelling it's a step in the right direction having people reading again.