'Evil' Harry Potter banned

[Ulrikke]

SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) -- An Australian Christian school has banned the new best-selling adventure of teenage wizard Harry Potter, saying the book promotes evil witchcraft and magic.

Bert Langerak, principal of the Maranatha Christian School in the southern city of Melbourne, said on Wednesday none of the five books in author J K Rowling's blockbuster Harry Potter series was welcome on the school's library shelves.

"We would deal with, say, Macbeth and Hamlet, because evil there is being portrayed as evil and not as being good, whereas Harry Potter is on a quest to become the best possible wizard and that's being applauded by the author," Langerak told Reuters.

"And us poor muggles are being put in a bad light," he added, using the name by which the book refers to non-magical people.

[Theja]

I still haven't seen a Harry Potter's movie, except for a few reviews or ads here and there.

I'm glad my children did not ask for the book that is the rage with some people at this time.

[ANDY-J2]

Christian fundamentalists in both Australia and America have banned several works which they regarded as being of a demonic nature including the chronicles of Narnia by the arch satanist C.S.Lewis.

[Fear_nam_Beanntan]

The day after the new book came out, my priest offered to perform an exorcism for the parishoners who had bought it. He was joking, of course.

[Sharp_Kid]

It's not just Australia and America.
A small town in Somerset England, has banned any of the Harry Potter movies from being shown in the towns cinema.
How pathetic.

[Scottie_Brooke]

My grandparents warnes me of this Harry Potter junk. I am so sick of seeing him advertised and showing in movies! One time, my soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend Brendan wanted me to see it. My mom acted like Harry was no problem...boy, she doesn't know! I knew Harry was trouble from the start without my grandpaernts telling me.


Scottie_Brooke

[Ulrikke]

I think parents – and other responsible parties – are the ones in charge of monitoring what children should and should not read, watch and listen to. In the Harry Potter series case, I personally never heard reports of children saying they want to engage in witchcraft/black magic and evil because of these books they read, neither has the author herself – I recently watched an interview with her in which she stated the same. However, the influence that these books will have on this generation – if any – remains to be seen, since this is truly another reading phenomenon.