Forbes.com released an article on the book burnings of Harry Potter.

It can be found here. It's the usual hubbub about evil witchcraft and Harry Potter's promotion of it.

Favorite line?

Ray Bradbury, a longtime opponent of censorship, said this about one of the men that organized a book burning:
"He sounds like a stupid man. He just shoots off his mouth, and he should just go somewhere, sit down and shut up."

It made me laugh. hahaha

_________________________
DeaLunae

That's insanity, and people who do that are being very unreasonable, especially that they didn't read the books, they just burn them because they're about magic, what does those people have against Harry Potter books? it's not promoting witchcraft and wizardry as it is promoting other life morals such as bravery, wisdom and friendship.
Anyway, Writing generally has four purposes 1- To Express.
2- To Infer.
3- To Entertain.
4- To (something I can't remember
right now and which is not
important here)

I think that all of you would agrre with me that the Harry Potter books are written to entertain not to change people's life style and thus these book burning processes are very unreasonable things to do.

Excellent points, DeaLunae and MIKOH!

While this stupidity ticks me off no end, and I could go on forever about it (and have, on the thread about that stupid Georgia woman), the first thing I thought when I read this article?

Publicity.

These guys are getting their names in the national news. They are getting the name of their church in the national news. If they truly felt this strongly about something, seeing it as evil, they would shun it, not make a point of burning it. They're doing it for attention. More attention, more fruitcakes, more fruitcakes, more parishioners, more parishioners, more butts in the seats, more butts in the seats, more $$$$$$$$ for the pastors, more power in the evangelical community. Simple as that. The book-burning is a symbol of their insatiable greed. There's nothing holy about it, and true Christians will shun them. Only hate-mongers will be attracted by this gesture.

There are far worse books out there they could be burning, this is to get attention because HP is so popular.

That's my take.

VERY good point Aethonon...

if they think the books are THAT bad they'd stay away from them completely and not publicise that they hate them... doing this COULD cause people to stay away from because they are lunatics also...

some people on this planet just need to get a life lol

Mmm. Tommy Turner...isn't he a Rugrat? Oh, wait, maybe it's Timmy Turner from Fairly Odd Parents I'm thinking about... Ah, too much Nickelodeon, sending me I'll have to move my nephews onto CBeebies or something...

But the similarity is kind of uncanny, don't you think?

This in particular really made me snort -



Yeah, God has been blessing you with not getting your church turned into a drive-thru for another year. What a buttwipe, honestly How come God blesses him for burning a book then, yet he fails to save the children who died in that Amish school shooting a while back?

Grrrrrr.....ah, don't get me started....I'll be here all day and I'll only end up offending someone again....



I think that just about sums it up. Let's just hope that the people who laugh and ridicule the book burners always outweigh the nutbars.

Someone should bring it to these nut jobs attentions that book burning is exactly the same as what hitler did and ask them if they really want to follow in his foot steps.

Urgh. You're right Darcy - that's practically what that Taylor guy said. He wants to share Jo's world platform. What a parasite. I have such a problem with this I can't even get it into words. This can't be about gimmicks! It makes me sick.

Lozza, I'm hesitant to say this out loud, but you may find some of them don't have such a problem with following in Hitler's footsteps. I mean, it all comes from a belief that you have a right to decide what others should believe, and if once you've accepted that stance, the path towards being a mini-Hitler is pretty open. He must have started in a very similar place, but circumstances and abilities were favourable for him, so he managed to become a world class mass murderer. The root of the problem is still the same though, and that's very dangerous.

This nonsense about the whole book burning incident just burns me up! I mean come on people don't you all have anything better to do with your time than to sit around and talk about how "evil" HP books are or how they are going to teach kids to turn to satanism? These people that go on and on about this seriously have no clue about what the real dangers are out there in the world that they should be concerned about other than a series of books that are extremely popular worldwide. Some people just do not like it when something of the HP caliber is such a hit and is so popular amongst everyone that they feel they need to insult it.
I'm wondering something though, it seems as though all of this hatred towards HP (book burnings, banning from schools and such ) seems to happen more in the United States than in other places worldwide. Do other countries also deal with this as well? Or is it just because the United Stated being as liberal as it is feels that they need to act this way? Just curious on this one...Any thoughts?

Well, it's mostly the USA, but the series has also been banned from a school in Kent, England, and also from all schools in the United Arab Emirates. No country has banned the books in their entirety. People in the UAE love the series as much as people anywhere else do. But that's the trouble with having religion be a part of politics--in the UAE the government follows Islamic principles, and Islamic principles are not in favor of anything to do with witchcraft, so to a degree they can dictate. This ban is even in place in schools which are private and don't depend on government funding.

Does it strike anyone that this book-burning business is a rather cowardly act? I mean, what is really involved? It's not like these blowhards have to go out there and put their lives on the line protesting anything, like black people did in the South for Civil Rights. They don't have to go out there and wash the feet of the poor, like Jesus did, or make sure vulnerable people are cared for and about, like Jesus did. All they have to do is is hate, and isn't that the easiest and most cowardly thing to do?

I've loved reading the intelligent opinions of everyone here!

it was Tommy Pickles!!! haha




you know what Louise, I recieved a comment from a peer the other week that is much along the same lines as what this guy said. I will give a rough outline of the conversation, we were talking about Abortion.

Tom: I understand that you don't agree with abortion, but it must be beneficial in some cases?
Other: No, absolutely not!
Tom: What about if the woman/girl is raped, is abortion appropriate then?
Other: No, that would be interfering with God's will.
Tom: God's Will? You think that a young girl or woman being raped is God's Will?
Other: Well.. yes... Only God knows what that girl will grow up to be, and we have no right interfering with that.
Tom: Ok, think that if you want, but tell me this: Why is the man raping an innocent girl part of God's will, but the raped girl's choice to have an Abortion is not considered God's Will?
Other: What exactly is it that you are asking?
Tom: I am saying that you can claim a rape case is God's will, but say an Abortion is an act against God's will.... Why cant Abortion be apart of God's plan... What I am asking is: Where does God's Will begin and end, and what happened to human kinds free will?

** At that point the person stormed off**

Im sure you can gather a sense of my thinking from that conversation. And you can imagine my disbelief from this mans words you speak of.



I would like to see you go into full stride sometime, it would be great to have a discussion about this. Perhaps the Great Hall? I have read and heard of your's and others discussions in the Evolution, Creationism, or Intelligent design thread, and I would like to be involved in a similar discussion as well!



Absolutely right!! And as long as there are sane people, like ourselves, we can always nip it in the bud... let hope we arent outnumbered!

~Albus

I'm actually all stoked up and ready to fire for a good old debate on a lot of these issues because I've missed some of the debates we used to have around here, so if you'd like to get some of the old threads, like 'The Bible and Organised Religion' in the JGAFL forum, or the Evolution one in the GH, by all means, be my guest Though on second thoughts, it might be an idea to move that first one into the GH forum...mmm....anywho...

I'd better not comment on that conversation, Albus, though it really did get my blood boiling in more ways than one...only because I don't want to drift too far off topic here, and because I'd rather keep touchy subjects like religion in a secured place, like the GH, where things won't get out of hand



Yeah, I heard about that, Darcy. *shakes head in disbelief* Very, very generally speaking, religion isn't as big a thing over here as it is in the US, and consequently the fuss generated over "satanic" Harry Potter is proportionatly much smaller. I don't think I've ever seen more than perhaps one or two articles on it, and I've certainly never heard of anything as primitive as book burnings. It just seems as though the people in the US who object to the books are much more vocal - I'm not sure why. Whether it's because they're more religious, or just because they're more media-orientated, they just seem to get themselves heard more. I think Brits tend to be a bit more reserved, especially with highly personal issues as religion.

Count me as the exception rather than the rule



Mmm...I'm not sure I'd call it cowardly, exactly. Just a waste of time. They're not changing the world, they're just making butts of themselves. Yes, they're getting headlines, but everyone is just laughing at them, so I really don't understand why they bother. All they're achieving is an increase in CO emissions which are contributing to global warming. So, as an act of environmental-friendliness, I think we need to shut these bozos up. Maybe we should camp outside their churches and wave anti-pollution banners - the threat to the ozone layer is far more credible than the perceived threats to their kids from these "evil" books, so personally, I think we have a much stronger leg to stand on

I don't think that they are burning books because of the Nazis. The people doing it are just ignorant, and they want to try and send a message that they will have none of it. Which is comepletely ludicrous. People complaining about and item under the first ammendment (in the U.S. at least) is usually just a meaningless publicity stunt, because it solves nothing.

There was also another time they burned things because they offended. And that was the Beatles. And what did they do? Oh that's right... They became one of the biggest bands on the face of the planet!

So yeah, burn your books. All this controversy is just going to make this world even bigger, and more people are going to be drawn to it.

I mean, if you have some super religious right-wing nut telling you that something is bad, what are you going to do?

Personally, I would do the opposite.

All burning books does is waste paper. Ray Bradbury should know all about burning books, he's a good man. I just don't see the point in burning books. -shakes head-

But. I mean, not to be opressive, but if this priest doesn't like Harry Potter, then he can just...ignore it. I mean I don't care what he tells his paritioners. They come to hear him, and if they buy into his one sided, self-righteous views, sucks to be them. What I can't stand is that this priest feels himself the one correct person on the planet. That if he dissaproves or has an opinion, that all others most conform to his opinion, for their own sake. So much for diversity of thought.

Thats ridiculous. Give it a freakin' break, (Sorry) but come on.

If you dont like it:

1) Dont read it
2) Dont look at it
3) Dont ruin fairly good books for nothing
4) Get a grip on yourself and grow up.

I mean seriously, get a life, its just a made up story that someone has devoted a fair bit of there life to and you destroy their work? Give it a break.

That's insanity at it's worse to put it lightly.... Give me a break. If your promoting hatred then how can you call yourself a religious figure at all! These people miss the entire point of the series, which is a struggle between the forces of good and evil, and we all know good always wins! This is a positive message and if they can't accept that then they have a real problem.

All the Hp fans will turn to satanic insane lunatics! We will march in the streets trying to curse who ever stands in our way!!

Oh come on, let`s be reasonable, they didn`t even read the books! Honestly, this isn`t the only thing i read about Harry Potter being a "occult" book.

"The younger Turner, Tommy, says that while he hadn't read the book, the cover alone showed him it promoted wizardry"
I will suggest young Turner Tommy to get a life! I am so fed up with this kind of people!

People that have these kind of ludacris ideas are just totally ignorant! If they have not even read the books how can they even judge literally "a book by its cover"? That is just absurd! These kinds of people need to get a clue and definately need to get a life.

This bogus stuff reminds me of the small minded ignorant people who live in my town They too being the bible beating hypocrites that they are, think that HP is all about satan worshiping and anyone that reads them will go to H-E- double hockey sticks, to put it mildly. You even mention the word HP around some of these retards and they go off.

Ok for example right before Christmas my mom and I were out finishing our Christmas shopping for my kids, well I found this cool little game made by a company called "Fly" it's called the Interactive Marauders Map and it has this little electronic pen called a "Fly Pen" that comes with it. Well I could not find any of the fly pens on the shelf so I went and asked an associate if they had any in stock. Well while the guy was looking to see if they did, some fat toothless redneck said to me " Harry Potter don't you get sick of hearing about Harry Potter?" And I said coldly "No I do not and neither do my kids" as I *rolled my eyes* and then the 2 ton tubbo has the audacity to say " I get so sick of Harry Potter devil worshipping...." and he went on to say some nasty cuss words and some other retarded things and then I said " Well if you don't know anything about Harry Potter then shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you" at that moment I stormed off.

It's attitudes like this that are displayed in public view that really show just how ignorant people can truly be. Get a life people! Go home and watch your Wheel of Fortune and read your Readers Digest!

That is all of my ranting for now.

Marcey

Wow! That is so narrow minded that I am just astounded. I can't believe the audacity that some people have to butt their noses where they don't belong.

When I want your opinion, I'll give it to you; period.

When someone makes an opinion based on hearsay, then that person stands fall flat on their face when they actually stop to see the facts, regardless of what it's about.

When I started reading that article the first thing that came to my mind was: "Are they really talking about the hp series?"Because there is absolutely nothing "occult" about them and it surely does not "promote witchcraft and wizardry"... give j.k a break already ...she doesn't deserve this ..she didint wrote these books for kids to become satan's pupils and slaves. ..plzzz..I mean hp is a world of dreams and fantasies...I also tried (like this girl in the article) when I was smaller to use the Wingardium Leviosa spell on my bird when his wing was broken and he couldn't fly..I new It wouldn't work but as I said it HP is a world were our dreams and fantasies become reality...We kids, teens, as well as adults are aloud to read them...its just our right as human being the liberty of speach remember!!! "le droit de la parole" like you say it in french...anyways I just had to add my reply I was just shocked and astonished by the "audacity" of these peoplelike u said it SnakeCharmer74....


I feel better now that I have expressed myself...you should be ashamed of you who are foolishly burning a great piece of art

The fact that there are individuals who are able to convince others that Harry Potter books promote "the occult" and wizardry shows how many people are susceptible to manipulation and brainwashing. Clearly any well-read individual can see how the Harry Potter books alone do not lead one down the path of becoming a wiccan. As for young kids pretending to be characters of Harry Potter - it is no different from kids leaving cookies and milk for Santa Claus. There is nothing wrong with using one's imagination and believing in what is good even if it is magical. The fact of the matter is there are plenty of people who love Star Wars and are also morally sound (maybe even Christian) people. Imagination is a powerful aspect of human intelligence and it has always been used to emotionally appeal to a person. It is clear Harry Potter teaches important lessons on love, compassion, bravery tolerance etc through imagination.

I find the fundamentalist Christians have the tendency to "recruit" supporters by creating controversy and playing to the emotions of those who are ignorant on certain issues (Harry Potter, or homosexuality etc). The only cure of this type of manipulation is spreading knowledge. I feel confidant children (and adults) who get into the habit of reading because of enjoying Harry Potter are less likely to be convinced by outrageous arguments of those like the fundamentalist Christians.

Just my thoughts on the subject.

Diana

While I agree with the general tone of most of the comments here because I think the Harry Potter books are the most brilliant literature to hit our libraries in many many years, I do want to point out that it is certainly fair to say that the series promotes witchcraft and wizardry.

Books about dolphins promote dolphins, books about muppets promote muppets and books about Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry promote witchcraft and wizardry.

Mainly it comes down to how you feel about witchcraft and wizardry. I for one think the world needs a little more magic.

I feel fairly certain that a true follower of the Pagan or Wiccan faith would disagree with you, CornishPixie. The books promote a certain idea about witchcraft, but it's certainly not an accurate one. For example, we could argue that Star Trek promotes space travel, but space travel as we know it (pardon the unintentional pun there ) certainly bears no resemblance to the kind of utopian ideal seen on the Enterprise. This misconception is at the heart of the problem that fundamentalists have with the books - stemming from the fact that most of them haven't even bothered to read one.

It depends on how one chooses to view the books. I think they promote friendship, family, loyalty and courage rather than the magical aspects which, to be fair, are actually quite a small part of the books. I think if you were to sieve everything throughout all six books down to constituent parts, the actual magical content (spells, potions etc) would probably amount to less than 10%. The vast majority is about relationships, mystery, problem solving and so on.

Most fundamenatlists I know take very seriously anything that mentions witchcraft, whether that be the fantasy witchcraft of Harry Potter or The Mists of Avalon or the witchcraft of a reality-based model like Wicca,etc... This stems from a very literal interpretation of certain Bible passages.

I can't speak for all devout followers of the Pagan or Wiccan faith, but I do have two fairly close friends who are Wiccan who agree that the Harry Potter novels promote witchcraft to the extent that the world they offer is based in witchcraft/wizardry. It's not such a leap to imagine that some people who read the novels would be captivated by the world of witchcraft/wizardry found within Harry Potter, realize that such a world doesn't exist outside of the novels, and then seek out the world of witchcraft/wizardry that actually does exists outside of the novels (ie, Wiccan, etc...).

I couldn't agree with you more that the books also promote the other things you mention in your post, Louise - friendship, family, loyalty courage...but I can still understand why people say they promote witchcraft.

Blesed be!

You know, I got to thinking, where are they getting these books that they're burning? Are they going to the local bookstores and stealing them, are they going to the library and checking them out then going to burn them, or are the actually going to the store, paying money for them, then burning them!?!?!

I'm assuming if they are the radical Christians they are being as honest as possible and actually buying them.

Doesn't their act actually line JK's pockets more? Isn't that a sign of ignorance to buy something only to destroy it? Kind of like all those people who went out to buy Dixie Chicks CD's only to run them over with a steam roller because of their policitical faux pas.

I can see if you read it, didn't like it, and decided to burn it. Kind of. I can also see reading it, not liking it, and donating it to the local library or just throwing it away.

But to go out and purposely buy it to burn it...?

Who else thinks this makes sense.

Tom, I would love for you to PM me about your abortion conversation.

Well, I suppose it depends on how one interprets 'promote'. I'm quite sure JK rowling isn't on a mission to convince people to convert to Paganism or to become Wiccan.

But I understand that a book that deals with elements of it can somehow 'promote' it, in the sense that it makes people aware of it. That's exactly what advertising is, isn't it? Visibility promotes products and companies, and it certainly works.

However, I think it's silly that people think that the scale on which witchcraft is 'promoted' is enough to qualify it as purposefully promoting it*. I mean, the magic in Harry Potter is very far removed from how real witchcraft is practised, whereas friendship, loyalty and love are dealt with very realistically.

Also, there are thousands of books with Christian themes, or in which characters are Christians themselves and it plays a part in the story - must they be burned because they promote Christianity? Christians shouldn't forget that they also 'promote' their faith. These people are probably the very same ones who would throw Bible verses at anyone who disagrees with them. I have a huge problem with that.

*And even then - why is it wrong to 'promote' something? Most books and movies etc. 'promote' some idea. If you don't want to read it or watch it, don't, but we can't go back to a situation where there is no such thing as freedom of speech. Book burning though? That's barbaric.

And McKenzie, I've oftened wondered about that! I don't get it either!

Well, that's the thing, IMO - the vast majority of people don't think it's wrong to promote a magical world where a great deal more than magic is going on. Just like most people don;t think it's wrong to promote an outer-space world (Star Wars, Star Trek) where a great deal more than space travel is going on.

Ironically, most of the themes found in Harry Potter are Christian-type themes.

For my part, it makes more sense to say to the people who are offended by these books - "Yes, we can see how you think they promote witchcraft. But we don't have a problem with that. They promote a lot more than that. So if you are bothered by it, feel free not to read them" than to say "Are you kidding, they don't promote witchcraft?"

Of course, I am not a fan of any type of book censorship.

Again, I think it depends on the definition of 'promote'.



I think Louise said it very well here.

I mean, I certainly don't think Harry Potter promotes witchcraft with the same intensity as the Bible promotes Christianity, or the Koran promotes Islam. So there's definitely a spectrum, and it's not reasonable to ignore that. Fundamentalists are fundamental precisely because they fail to see things in perspective - their definition of promote is definitely different from mine or yours, so if we were all to agree that the books promoted witchcraft, it still won't mean that we agree on the subject.

When people say 'Harry Potter promotes witchcraft', two questions arise. What does it mean to promote something, and what if it does?

I suppose if the answer to the second question is that it doesn't matter at all, the first question is moot, which I think is what you're saying, CornishPixie?

I would agree, to some extent, but it isn't quite as simple as that.

Like I said, there's a spectrum when it comes to promoting something, which ranges from simply mentioning it to indoctrinating it. Because the latter is extremist, I think it still is very important to distinguish between the different ways of 'promoting' something.

Fundamentalists ignore the existence of a spectrum of opinions - they see the world in black and white. That means that if we were to strive towards moderation, it is important that in no situation that spectrum was ignored. That is why the first question (what does it mean to promote something) can never be moot. Because there are different opinions on that, and because moderates believe in the bigger picture, it is important to acknowledge the existence of differing opinions. The alternative is ignoring that people can differ in their opinions, and that is extremist in itself.

So, the question of whether Harry Potter promotes witchcraft is still very valid, simply because it exists. If Harry Potter promotes witchcraft, The Da Vinci Code promotes the Louvre museum, by your definition. That's fine, but I still believe that neither of the books were meant to advertise it, just like Star Trek wasn't meant consciously to promote space travel. (I almost slipped a split infinitive in there ) Therefore, by my definition of 'promote', Harry Potter does not promote witchcraft.

We agree on what the books are essentially about, but because of our different uses for the word 'promote', we seem to disagree on that. Very interesting, because our differing opinions on the use of a word obscures the real issue. This is a very good example of why preserving the fine nuances of a language is important. Watered down meanings of words lead to disagreements about things that people really agree on. If the question could be reformulated to address the real issue, we would probably agree.

The best I can do is: Harry Potter does not indoctrinate people. Its real value lies in the themes (like love, friendship, loyalty and equality) that are addressed, and if it sparks interest in witchcraft, it was not meant to do so purposefully - in other words, JK Rowling did not write the books for that sole purpose. Whether it is wrong to do so purposefully is an entirely different debate and has, I feel, nothing do to with the Harry Potter books themselves. It is an overarching issue that must be decided on outside the story.

I wasn't trying to be difficult - sorry if I came off that way. I don't for a second think the HP series was written in an effort to lure people into witchcraft. I think of the word "promote" in its most basic sense, and I think that a story in which witchcraft and wizardry feature can, in the most basic sense, be said to promote witchcraft and wizardry.

I think when two sides argue - in this case the HP foes and the HP friends - there is often a kneejerk reaction to deny everything the side you think is wrong says. In this argument I felt like it was disingenuous of me, as an HP fan, to say "Those people are mad - HP in no way promotes witchcraft" when in fact I could see how they might think it would.

While I respect Louise's argument that the misconception of fundamentalists about the inaccurate world of witchcraft represented (promoted) in HP being the crux of the problem between friend and foes, my own experience with fundamentalists (and having been born, lived and raised in the Southern US for 40 years, I have a bit) leads me to believe otherwise.

If it mentions witchcraft (fantasy or reality and whether they have read it or not) , it's evil to them. Period. Because the Bible says so.

The crux of the problem with HP foes and HP friends is that the foes are fearful and want to protect children from the things they are afraid of and the friends think HP is great for kids on a number of levels. Lucky for us all that the foes seem to be failing rather spectacularly at their task.

Mmm, I can't argue with that. The problem is that they don't read things to decide for themselves. They are so completely blinded by their faith that they don't even bother to ask questions anymore, or to seek information for themselves. They rely on a book that was written thousands of years ago and expect it to relate to modern life when it quite clearly doesn't. So they rely on religious leaders to interpret it for them, and believe so completely in everything they're told that to me, they seem like little more than automatons - brainwashed, indoctrinated people who are simply beyond the reach of reason and sense and won't even consider that there may be an alternate explanation or interpretation of something they've believed in their whole lives. They're just afraid to question, and fear is the biggest motivation in all these book burnings. Well...that, and jealousy over someone else's success probably has a big part

Extremely dangerous people, all in all. I am just so very grateful than common sense usually does prevail in the legal ruling made in cases such as these, and I sincerely hope that it continues to do so.

Terrific post, Louise. It expresses my sentiments exactly.

In a way it makes me think about what DD says - making the choice between what is right and what is easy. It's extremely easy to let someone or something else do all your thinking for you and make all the hard decisions for you and put everything into neat little black and white boxes. But that way of living rarely leads to truth. And for me, truth and right go hand in hand.

Thank goodness book burners are a true minority - regardless of the media attention they sometimes garner.

Aw, thank you I've enjoyed yours too!

I loved what you said about Dumbledore, and it's so very true. You know, I think that could be a major part of the problem here. They're terrified that their kids might actually learn some morals and life lessons from a book that isn't the Bible. And heaven forbid anyone think outside the box a little

I mean, I don't know what they're so afraid of anyway. Reading HP doesn't preclude them from reading the Bible too. Unless they're worried about conflicting interests...and if their faith was that strong, then there wouldn't be any conflicts, would there? But they're worried - hence their faith can't be that strong. Kind of an interesting conundrum for them to deal with there, huh?

Quite a conundrum, indeed!

The other real shame is that the vast majority of people who like the Bible also like Harry Potter. I count myself among that number although I will admit, without shame, that I have read the HP books many more times than I have read the Bible!

It's the fanatics of any religion/mode of belief who give the entire lot a bad name. It's certainly not Bible-lovers (or Koran-lovers or Bhagavad Gita-lovers, etc..etc...) I find problematic, but I do have a problem with extremists who believe that their way is the only way.

HP is first and foremost an extraordinary story of good and evil. It's thematic and didactic elements are very "Christian" and could be studied from a Christan perspective to great effect. To miss that opportunity because of the witchcraft element is truly short-sighted. But fanatics, by definition, are short-sighted.

You know, I use Dumbledore (naturally) often when I argue the positive and mature natured themes of Harry Potter with those who oppose it. After reading another book, about the Series, my favorite moral theme is one of the Lemon Drops. You may remember me posting this in the "Radical Jk Rowling" thread. I proposed that Gonzalo find the underlying themes associated with the Lemon Drops... I have no worries of him finding the answer here.

I, as I have said before, am completely against book burnings, especially Harry Potter books. For one to say they are evil surely must not have read the first chapter of the first book.

In the first chapter, we meet Dumbledore. He is waiting outside Privet Drive to place Harry on the Dursley's doorstep along with Minerva McGonagall, who had awaited Dumbledore all day long. In this chapter, Dumbledore defines himself for the whole septology. By eating the Lemon Drops (sherbert lemons in the UK version), Dumbledore shows he cares not of a thing's origin, but whether or not it is good. This insignificant bit of information shows that Dumbledore likes and respects what is good... no matter its origin.

This is just one, one small little piece of morality that has stuck with me. This is in the first chapter... imagine all the life lessons one can learn from the entirety of the seven books.

I could go on for hours about why the book sshouldnt be burned... but as they say... "im preaching to the choir"..

~Albus

Our society is so infatuated with technology and video games, and the internet that people have lost touch with the written word.

There are very few books out there that are so completely immoral and ilicit that don't offer a moral that it's not worth it to be banned.

I remember when I was in school there were some mothers who wanted to ban the Diary of Ann Frank because it talked about a boy and girl on the same bed together.

Forget the fact that there was limited seating space in such a small area, or that they were in hiding and didn't think too mcuh about that for living in such fear.

Book bannings and burnings have been going on for so long and will continue. However as long as it violates my civil rights I will stand against it. No one is being forced to read it, and if they are then you can talk.



Because we have discussed this before I'm going to assume you're talking about the zealots and not Christians in general, correct?

Yes, that's true. I wouldn't say that people are totally out of touch though, I don't think they'll ever be really because there are always going to be times when technology won't keep you occupied and books will always be more portable and immersive than video games because they don't constantly need re-charging or their batteries changing! Books will always have a richness about them that technology could never have.



Well...yes, for the most part. But I don't want to get into all that again here...I've talked about my feelings on the subject before and I just seem to get people's backs up, so I've learned that it's better just not to get into it anymore.

Thank goodness! Much as I LOVE the Internet and gadgets and computers that do cool things, it's wonderful to know that good old fashioned books will always be there.

And fundamentalists will appreciate it, because burning books is much more environmentally friendly than burning electronic equipment.

Nah, ok, it's not really that funny. Sometimes laughing is all you can do to survive the madhouse, though. But it is sad that people have so little imagination - both when reading Harry Potter and the Bible. And anything else too. I can't think of any angle from which it is beneficial not to have imagination. It's very Dursley-ish, too. I find it very ironic and highly amusing that Jo built into her story, unconsciously at the time, all her own worst enemies personified.

Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Will people ever get it?

That is so true. I have read since the age of 3 (if not sooner) but people get all shocked and shaken when I express something that is a bit different than the norm.

For example, my son and I were discussing what we would wish for if we ever came across a genie and he granted us one wish. Alexander said he would wish for more wishes. I told him that would be silly because most genie's wouldn't do that. I said that I would wish that whenever I needed money I would only have to reach into my pocket and pull out the exact amount that I needed.

My parents were listening and were just scornful about how we lived in a fantasy world and needed to face reality. My question to them was, why? Why can't I escape for a few moments with my 10 year old son? Why can't we discuss something so obscure and so fantastical? I mean, I can see when people live in fantasy worlds and refuse to face reality at all, but a few moments of my life isn't going to kill me.

Are people afraid we're going to think for ourselves if we allow the simplest pleasures? Why aren't people banning sports, whose players sometimes use sex to sell their products? Or music, or movies for the same reason? Why just books? Is it because we can allow our minds to wonder and each person thinks of something different.

I can't count how many times I have read a book and then watched the movie based on it and thought; 'that's not how I pictured it at all'.

How many of us have watched the movies so many times that we know the lines by heart, in multiple languages but when we read the books we still cast the characters in our own image?

If you want to live in a mundane world with no color, no imagination, far be it for me to argue. But don't make me live in that same world. I enjoy unicorns and leprachauns and knights rescuing maidens and evil sorcerers riding the back of fire breathing dragons.

I don't want to lose that; not for myself, not for my children, and not for their children. Burn your books all you want...leave mine alone.