Ananel said:
The latter point should be considered carefully, Star. By that token, one has no business reading the greek myths in world lit. They, too, have a religious core as you might recall, and with the growth of the reconstrucntionist religions, it's an active one at that.
If it's taught in a special class, religion should be allowed. But they want to use Harry Potter in an
English class, despite it's flaws in the grammar and the fact that it doesn't give justice to Mark Twain, who should be read in Rowling's place.
I don't think religion ought to be taught outside of a special class designed specifically for religions.
As to satanic elements, folks, don't take the wiccans who love this series too seriously (and that happens to include Rowlings ravings sometimes). Take this from someone who actually has done a little research into occultic practices: Aside from the potential line that it kiddiefies occult practice, making it seem more palatable to youth (something that should be countered easily by good, involved parenting [the horror! Parents actually involved in their children's lives!]), there is little credence to it being called satanic. It uses little to nothing of 'proper' occultic tradition. It just makes use of generic fantasy archetypes of wizards. There's nothing technical in it, and your kids won't actually be learning evil spells.
Wizards, yes, but it has true occultic rituals (the brooms, the sacrifices, the mutilation; lord Voldemort is very specific), and it has very occultic mystical creatures, including the spirits that roam the hallways.
It also has proper wand measuring system as well as selective system, four houses = four elements, part of the Wicca rituals of magick and elementals. It has dark and white magick, and several small things, such as the Philosopher's Stone, are the core basis behind Wicca.
So even though Harry Potter is a fantasy-based wizard, Hermoine is very Wicca-like and several of the books points are very realistic in the realm of the magickal.
Rowling did her research, if she wasn't dabbling in it herself.
Anyone trying to seriously learn spells from a Harry Potter book is an idiot. I know it's rude to say it that way, and I'm sure that people dissaprove of me being so judgmental, but I'm not taking that back. If we're going to consider raving nutters like Aleister Crowley to be true magi, then Harry Potter is the most limp, insipid hack job the field has seen since the "Teen Witch Kit" hit the shelves of a Barnes & Noble.
Ah, but I've met many a great children who will read the false spells and go, "I wonder if that could work" and then do their research on
real spells.
I've been hexed three times by some elementary grade Harry Potter fanatic who got mad because I said the books were "a great starting point".
And all things considering, do you know the stories of Veggietales?
Well, Veggietales is a children's franchise designed to lure children into Christianity. It has bouncy fun vegetables who play multiple roles in modernized or childrenized versions of the bible stories, such as Larry the Cucumber playing a silly, ditzy Joshua and a ping-pong playing, cheeze-curl loving Pirate who throws Jonah off the deck (and saves his rubber floatie).
These aren't the
real bible stories. Most of them aren't even
based off of bible stories, such as I Can Be Your Friend and The Rumor Weed. But they still have biblical principles, Christian morals, and teach, very blatantly, what a Christian is.
I hope you can see what I'm getting at.
JustJack! said:
Out of curiousity, how do you feel about the LotR trilogy? It involves the practice of magic. Is this an evil, occultish attempt to corrupt our nations youth as well?
A difference between Harry Potter and LOTR, Lord of the Rings doesn't show people how spells
could be cast. Gandalf lifts his wand, says some mumbo-jumbo, and fire comes out.
Harry Potter actually teaches how to work your wand, how to make potions (although a lot of that is just made-up plants/chemicals/stuff substituting the real stuff), which spells are black and which ones are good; what makes magick Dark or Light, how to do curses and hexes (with some mumbo jumbo, but Gandalf never cuts off a body part), and yadda yadda.
Plus that, and Gandalf's form of magic is more or less the very same Moses used, and the Lord of the Rings story is Harry Potter done Christian style, not Wicca.
