Harry Potter winning over critics

Interesting article!! :)

Interesting stuff. I hope it continues to be true.

Thank goodness! Im glad people of my faith are finally getting their heads out of their rear ends, so to speak. And...is it weird if I want to read Harry Potter

Um, my last comment got cut off. It said, "Is it weird if I want to read Harry Potter

Er...never mind. I can see this isnt going to work. xD

ministryXmalcontent - lol!!! :)

FINALLY! It took them long enough. All these years we fans have been telling all the haters to read the books before they judge them and deem them "unsuitable." And now 12 years later theyve finally taken our advice. This article is just repeating what we fans have known for years.

Cought up at last, have they? Well, it is their choice to be thickheaded slow. Its quite common for the representatives of organized religions (no offence intended to more progressive thinkers among them). At least now some of them got the message thankfully.

cooool.

Two things that annoyed me in the article: one, that when they said "religious critics" they meant just Chistian clergy members, as if Christianity is the default religion, and failed to look at how other religions respond to HP. Two, one womans anti-semetic assertion in the article that Jews are "unappealing bankers" and "small minded people," by comparing them to Goblins and the MoM. Im not going to go into my "stereotypes are the first step to genocide" rant, but yeah, take the article with a grain of salt. What it is is a bunch of fanatical professors trying to make HP to be some examination of the New Testament.

its about time!!! jeez

I as much Christian as nay one else here and understand and know Christ teachings. That is what makes us Christians. We believe in Christ and His teachings. Harry Potter is literature I hope some day to see the books being counted as one of the classics. Yes, Harry Potter has moral issues with in the story most good literature does. That is what makes them good and something people can relate to. How ever as all of us who believe in some form or type of God, there is one thing we all have is free agency. With this in mind it matters not if one church leader or not approves of the reading of these books. If you as a reader find truth with in the books you read then seek that truth and feel it in your heart. Your heart will tell you that what you read is good or bad. Anything that motivates you towards God and not away can not be evil. As it is said good can not be of evil and evil can not be of good. It is one or the other. No one can have two masters for you will either love the one and hate the other. If we learn from Harry Potter it is our choices that makes us who we are. We either follow the light or we follow the darkness. Since many of us agree Harry Potter does not lead to darkness then it must lead to the light. It is only those who already follow the dark will be lead to the darkness. It all depends what is inside you already when you read these books in what direction these books will lead you. The path you were already on will dictate to you what path you will continue to be on or perhaps if you need a change of heart then that too can happen. It is more likely however, that Harry Potter will lead you to the light and not away from it. Anyways, that is my feeling on this matter.

About time! But what I dont get is why all the people in the article need to connect HP to their religion, instead of just accepting it for what it is, a fantastic story. I guess it is good if connecting it to their religion makes them feel better about reading it, but I just dont see why they cant just enjoy it. The other thing is I dont understand why religious people dont like books that might put their religion in a bad light or have a different view on things, even if those books are a really good or a very interesting read, for example the His Dark Materials series.

Well, a lot of interesting points made in this artical but the two main lessons that should be taken from this story are ... 1) Take the trouble to read/get to know/think about something or someone before you pass judgement. 2) Theyre good books. Sit down put your feet up, chill, and just simply enjoy!

This was a very interesting article indeed. I can see why all the religious leaders made such comments because i had an expereince when i was younger that left me confused, i was in sunday school a few years ago when my teacher started talking about tv shows and books that had anti christian views, he included Harry Potter in them. This made me very confused and angry, and when i asked him why he replied saying because it had witchcraft and that was very bad, i argued that we werent actually performing the spells but just reading about them, he kept his ground and ended the discussion. A few days later i asked my youth leader what he thought, and his answer made me happy. I was only 11 at the time so i was worried that i was doing something wrong, but he reassured me that reading Harry Potter was fine. So it really disgusts me when people pull all that "Harry Potter is corrupting our childrens minds crap" so im glad its getting better. Oh and i agree with Roxy2005:)

Somehow this socalled appease by Christian Critics sounds a lot like the authors who have been claiming JKR stole titbits of their writing. Once the drabbles of a Jo Average from Somewhere Scotland became a world wide hyping hit everone seems eager to jump the bandwagon a claim his or her part in the succes construction, including the pope. the argument for praising HP look as stupid as the arguments for condemming it.

Somehow this socalled appease by Christian Critics sounds a lot like the authors who have been claiming JKR stole titbits of their writing. Once the drabbles of a Jo Average from Somewhere Scotland became a world wide hyping hit everone seems eager to jump the bandwagon a claim his or her part in the succes construction, including the pope. the argument for praising HP look as stupid as the arguments for condemming it.

I wonder if theyre only doing this because the Vatican gave Half Blood Prince Two Thumbs Up?

I agree with stephaniee, at one time I was confused about HP also until I saw someone who I know has strong Christian convictions and he said read the books and judge for my self at the time this was when book 4 had just come out and so I got 1-4 and read them all in a very short time. I have never wish I had never read them and have read all the HP books many times and feel very much it has made a difference in my life for the better. Just wish more people understood why HP is so important to me and is a part of who I am. I feel strongly it has made me a better person and a more rounded person. I view things so much clearer having these stories being a part of "my soul" if I may so boldly say. How could something who has changed so many lives for the better be even thought as in a bad way? I do not understand it . I can except if people just dont like the books because it just is not to there taste or liking but to deny us who do like the books it is wrong to say we are being lead down the wrong path. Until you have read every book with open minds and hearts you have no right to say other wise.

Yeah, malteselover, I agree. Theyre still just as crazy. I thought the thing about the Jews was mean. Personally, I could care less who "approves" the books. Ill read whatever I want, thanks. They make it seem like the world rests in the descisions of these people. They really dont have as much power as they think they do.

Oh and Gryffindor_Seeker_7, I also agree with you because I think we need to stop trying to stereotype the books, and just read them and enjoy them and their message, not only look at what may or may not be religious about them. And seriously, I just reread His Dark Materials and they are such fantastic books, and I was literally laughing because I thought... this is what everyones scared of? Its just saying that in a hypothetical universe some all-powerful church is mean and taking over. I cant believe people feel threatened by it. Oh and also, a lot of people say that reading about spells is not bad, but doing them would be, and Ive never understood why. I think it would be rather exciting, certainly nothing to condemn. People are just afraid of what they dont understand.

Interesting article. Its good to see some religious critics finally seeing some of the values of the HP series, though it annoys the hell out of me whenever they claim these values are Cristian values. Do all religious people translate books they like as having some kind of religious nature? - "a lot of that conversation was about to what extent Rowling was going to make this a Christian book: was Harry going to die and save the world?

Ugh. Got cut off. - "a lot of that conversation was about to what extent Rowling was going to make this a Christian book: was Harry going to die and save the world?

*Sigh* I give up. For anyone whos interested, wikipedia The Death of the Author to see why a lot of the critics mentioned in this article are missing the point.

Hey, yeah, jojoinpink54, people are afraid of the unknown, what they dont understand, and what they cant do, like Petunia in Snapes memory in DH, and that is completely unnecessary. I suppose they are right to be cautious, but they shouldnt be scared and hate it, if it isnt doing them harm.

I almost feel as though these people think we are waiting for them to say this, thinking they are doing us a big favor or something. Which is kind of silly, because believe it or not, most of us never really cared what they thought. But Im glad people are finally starting to acknowledge it as a good book. And yeah, Gryffindor_Seeker_7, people are afraid of the unknown or what they dont get, and it makes them act stupid. Kind of like the witch hunts.

Exactly, jojoinpink54. Its a shame really. And I guess I really only cared what those people said because I was afraid of people, even people I know, believing them and thinking Harry Potter is bad.