W ITH THE release of the new Harry Potter movie a week and a half ago, there is no doubt that a mad dash for accompanying paraphernalia will soon ensue. Children will make several-page wish lists of items their parents should scour toy stores for over the next few weeks before the winter holidays. Undoubtedly, when school starts back up after New Year's, the kids will want to bring in their prized possessions in order to compare their Harry Potter collectibles to those of their classmates. Schools and parents should not discourage this continuing Harry Potter obsession, but rather embrace it for all the good morals and values the stories can instill in our impressionable youth today.
All over the world, church leaders are stepping up their fights against Harry Potter, claiming that it encourages witchcraft. In Herfordshire, England, Reverend Mark Stibbe, a vicar at St. Andrew's church, has gone so far as to record cassette tapes explaining why parents should not allow their children to watch the newly released movie. Rev. Stibbe's tapes are being sent to churches around the country ("Anti-Potter backlash grows," news.bbc.com, Nov. 20). Stibbe and his wife refuse to let their four children read the books or see the movie, claiming that he was "alarmed" after reading the first book of the series himself. The reverend also has 5,000 copies of a leaflet, "Lifting the Lid on Harry Potter," which will be published and distributed in the beginning of December. This sort of extreme action is absurd and should not be taking place because of a children's movie.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Code of Canon Law states, "God created man a rational being, conferring on him the dignity of a person who can initiate and control his own actions." According to the code, children possess this rationality at seven years old. With this said, children should be allowed to decide if they would like to enrich their minds and imagination through the Harry Potter phenomenon.
Parents and priests alike are concerned that reading the books or seeing the movies will turn children toward the occult. Some believe the images of death, evil, hatred and, most of all, magic, might turn children against the Bible and toward witchcraft. This is absurd. Harry Potter is a fantasy series. It is full of imagination and creativity, not evil and sin. If images of evil can be found to be so abundant within the pages of the novel, and throughout the movie, then so too can the good morals and ideals that the series' author, J.K. Rowling, intends for children to pick up on.
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Like most fairy tales, Harry Potter represents the battle of good versus evil. As usual, good wins. Not only do Harry Potter fans follow the fantasy rooting for the good guys, and shunning the evil ones, but Rowling has made it easy to distinguish just who is good and who is not. Thus, parents should not worry that children will come out of the movie wishing that Harry had lost all and that the evil wizards triumphed - that is not how the fantasy storyline of the series directs their empathy.
Harry Potter fans do not view him just as a good guy but also as a role model. He is kind, generous and helps build self-esteem in those around him. He shows empathy toward other students who are weak or hurt and stands up for what he believes - for what is right. Harry Potter embraces all ideals that parents try to instill in their children from day one. Discouraging the idolization of Harry Potter confuses children about whether Harry embodies the wrong moral values and will only confuse them.
Harry is not the only character in the series to which the fans can look for moral guidance. Almost all students at Howgwarts show a great deal of respect and admiration for the wiser and older wizards of the school. They follow the rules and actually do all of their homework. This is exactly the same as what we ask of students in schools of the real world. Seeing examples of interesting, fictional characters following rules and still leading cool lives could result in positive reinforcement of the rules which children are asked to follow in their own schools.
It must be remembered, at all times, that Harry Potter is a fictional character, and his life is based on a fictional story. Actual witchcraft or wizardry is never taught in the books or in the movies. Children should be encouraged to follow Harry Potter's adventures in order to enrich their imaginations and to encourage the enjoyment found in reading. Harry Potter lives in a fantasy world, his stories are make-believe and should be taken at face value for their entertainment purposes. The series is in no way going to corrupt today's youth and send them running from their local churches into the occult.
(Alex Roosenburg's column normally appears Mondays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at aroosenburg@cavalierdaily.com.)
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