Customer Reviews

There's Something About Harry: A Catholic Analysis of the Harry Potter Phenomenon

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The controversy and anti-"Potter" views over these marvelous books have been widespread. I say that the only evil that is being brought about is being captured in this book. Harry Potter is a wonderful way to allow kids to explore their imagination. The main thing in schools (I being a teacher) is having the students read. These books not only are a good source of vocabulary but are so perplexing that students cannot put them down. Allow the students to have creative imaginations and let us not strive to keep them contained in a truly unreligious world that we live in. More and more religious beliefs are stifling the very fabric of American society. I too am Christian. But magic and wizardry are not real and never will be. To say these books are evil is to denounce science. Let kids be kids and may the grown ups that run this world not forget that we were all children not so long ago.

While I admit, in our pop-culture world, the marketing of Harry Potter has reached an insane point, this does not take away from the fact the Harry Potter legend is as good as The Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, and many other fantasy tales that take us back to that feeling of childhood wonder. Catholics and other Christians who prefer to avoid Potter mania need to leave the harmless fairy tale alone. Harry Potter will no more destroy or alter a child's religious belief than Cinderella or Star Wars.

Before I read this book I felt that there was nothing wrong with the Harry Potter series if you took it for what it is: fiction. But I soon realized after reading this particular book and MANY others defending both sides of the argument, that they are a real danger. Although fiction, the Harry Potter series has a profound effect on the reader at the subconcious level. It may sound like total nonsense but these books provoke an almost insatiable desire to gain these powers for ones self, which then leads one to look into such things as Witchcraft and the Occult. It may seem far fetched, but it's incredible how much of an effect media like Harry Potter can have on an individuals starting at the subconcious level. It's completely undetectable, making it an even greater threat. This book is excellent because it raises awareness of this real danger not only for Catholics, but for everyone with a solid Christian faith.

I do have to say that I, myself am not a religious person, yet I hold no poor judgements towards people who do choose to follow it. With regards to Harry Potter, it is fiction. It does not dictate to children how to live their lives, or how to denounce their faith in their religion. I may not be a religious person, but I am an educated one, who is able to take fiction as just that; fiction, and i expect nothing more or less than entertainment from it. About all of this religious sceptisism surrounding Harry Potter due to its references to magic, and evil beings, why does the Wizard of Oz not suffer such scrutiny? It also intertwines its plots with witchcrafy, wizardry, and evil forces. I believe everyone who is critical of a piece of fiction, especialy Harry Potter, for portraying what they take to be un-godly, or anti-religion should take a good look at what this story is about. The Harry Potter series is about a boy struggling to fit in as he grows up into an adult, he just happens to be a wizard. What child in the world could ever be harmed by a book which can show kids it is ok to be different when growing up; how is this in any way evil I ask?

Whatever anyone's personal religious beliefs are, it's wonderful to finally have this book as truth in print to counter-point the insidious Harry Potter mania.

If you want a child to get more interested in reading... turn them on to The Hobbit and the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy by Tolkein. Turn them on to The Chronicles of Narnia (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew/The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe/The Horse and His Boy/Prince Caspian/Voyage of the Dawn Treader/The Silver Chair/The Last Battle) by C.S. Lewis. How about A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'engle?

All of these are wonderful alternatives for the imaginative mind.

On the other hand, Harry Potter encourages dangerous bases of thought. I'm glad that this book is here to educate those of us who don't ordinarily think in those terms. Catholic, or not... this book is worth the read!