Harry Potter as Banned Books

We’ve all heard the arguments and read the long articles on Leaky main. How Laura Mallory tried to get Harry Potter censored in Georgia. How people claim that HP is the work of the devil and is trying to turn children to the occult. I read those accusations, then I think back to when i first read HP. My own mother bought me the first three books in a set because she had heard from a friend of hers that the books were wonderful. Clearly my mother was not worried that I would begin to dress in black and become a devil worshipper. So what is it about HP that so many people are threatened by it?

One of the biggest reasons that I see, which is not brought up very often, is that HP is so popular. That’s right. It’s so popular, and so well liked that it has become a global phenomenon. JKR is not only a bestseller, she is a world renown author. Her books are sold in multiple languages and countries and are heralded as some of the greatest literary works of all times. There is an entire fandom devoted to her series. We have analyzed and picked away at what she has written; we searched for hidden meanings; we were brought together through these books, these written words.

The written word is a powerful thing. Those who are against it can only see that it was powerful enough to unite such a far flung, global community over the internet. the internet has long been seen as a benevolent yet evil thing. The possibilities are endless as we dive into cyberspace. We can connect with someone on the other side of the world without ever being able to know if a single word the person shows us through Skype or AIM is truth or false. Yet we allow ourselves to make these connections.

I can only say that my belief is that the are afraid that such a powerful series could only be the work of the devil. Yet I say to them, do you not believe in God as the highest power? Why is something so powerful not the work of our Father?

I am not going to bring religion into this. But logically speaking, if these devout religious folk believe God to be the highest power, then why is such a powerful series deemed to be the work of the Devil? There is evil in the books, but it is balanced out. Good ultimately wins out in the end.

In other news, here’s a fun little quiz for y’all to try over the weekend. My favorite kind of chocolate is dark, with mocha filling (really any sort of coffee-flavored filling will do) .

face=”Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif” style=”color:black; font-size: 14pt;”> What Your Taste in Chocolate Says About You

color=”#000000″> You are sophisticated, modern, and high class. Your taste is refined, but you are not picky. You are often the first to try something new. You are energetic and quick to act. You are open minded, and you easily adopt new social causes. While your heart is in the right place, you often can’t follow through with your dreams. You love the feeling of accomplishment. You enjoy doing what’s important. You feel lost when you have to do frivolous tasks or hang out with shallow people.

The Chocolate Oracle