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At_His_Feet
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This must be one of the most polarizing issues for Catholic families.
I have two sets of very good friend with opposing views. One family LOVE HP and the other are very concerned about the more occult-ish aspects of HP. Or more accurately, thing which could lead people down that path.
Thus far I'm a fence sitter! I love that kids are reading again, but...
I would love to hear other people's opinions, without anyone feeling that they are being judged.
Tricia
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Tricia
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Dawn
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Hi Tricia,
Here are a few recent HP-focused threads where you'll find plenty of opinions and discussion:
Catholicism and HP (contains spoilers)
HP and the Culture of Life - spoiler
If you're buying HP7 how many
Hope that helps! 
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Cay Gibson
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Tricia,
I was just reading this out of "Honey for a Child's Heart" by Gladys Hunt last night and thinking it needed to be shared. You gave me the invitation.
Hunt writes about her personal experience with HP (she has read the first 4 books) and writes on pg. 36-37):
"While it is true that we don't want to encourage children to explore witchcraft or engage in casting spells, these books do not promote any such actions. J.K. Rowling has created a series of books aboout a parallel world, using imagination devices..., a fast-moving plotline, and likeable protagonists. The books satisfy the love of mystery and magic in everyone. This is fantasy. Bravery, courage, loyalty, humility, and the fight between good and evil are themes in these books.
"What about the witchcraft element? I suggest parents read books 1-3 with their children and talk about the stories. It is a good opportunity to talk about witchcraft and what the Bible says about it. Read Deuteronomy 18:9-12 and ask your children why God forbids the practice of sorcery. Disarm any potential danger of the stories by talking about them. And then have fun reading them together."
(I want to mention that this is almost exactly what Nancy Brown says in her new book "The Mystery of Harry Potter".)
Hunt continues:
"My favorite illustration about this situation came from librarian Kimbra Wilder Gish, who recounted the story of Sleeping Beauty. Remember the witch at Beauty's birth predicted that she would prick her finger on a spindle when she was sixteen and fall asleep forever. Her frightened parents banned every spindle in the kingdom, or so they thought. On Beauty's sixteenth birthday she wandered intot he attic room of the tower, saw an unfamiliar spindle, and curiosity caused her to prick her finger and thus fulfill the witch's prophecy. How much better it would have been if the king and queen had warned Beauty about the potential danger of spindles in her life and thus avoided her tragedy?"
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Caroline
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Hi Tricia! My dh and I read them (and love them!), but our oldest is only 3 so it will be awhile before we have kids reading them. I would recommend reading them yourself, if you can, before your children do. The series gets darker as Harry ages, starting around book 3, and it may a bit mature for a 7 year old (and possibly your 9yo). I hope this helps.
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folklaur
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Love HP here. My dh, dd17, and I have read all seven. My 8ds has read the first one.
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Sarah
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Although, I love my "sisters" here on the forum we can disagree at times. 
We have decided not to read HP here in our house. I have taken the idea here that it could be (I'm not saying it IS) a door to the occult and could lead down paths I wouldn't want my kids to explore. Someone pointed out that many of the things HP is associated with ARE known paths toward the dark side (books that are often shelved next to HP at libraries and such).
So, we decided that we just wouldn't go there. I've told the kids that many of our friends/family have decided to get into HP and I've told them not to be judgemental.
We decided that there are jillion other books we won't even have time to read.
Here's a link with some articles.
Harry Potter articles
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Karen T
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I would never have let my kids read HP without my reading them first, but I would recommend reading it firsthand before making a decision. Other books which many people have no problem with I tossed after reading myself (the Lemony Snicket books come to mind first - not that they are great literature to begin with!)
I do think in many cases kids have been exposed to HP too young. They are not for kids under about age 8-9 at the earliest IMO, and as the series progresses, I'd recommend they be even older.
Also, since HP are fiction, they are generally shelved in the fictional section of the library which is sorted by author name, not subject matter, so I doubt they would be near books on the occult, at least on a routine basis.
I read recently that the whole "story" about kids who began casting spells, etc after reading HP books was entirely made up as an internet joke, and then quickly became "fact" as it was passed on by email. There is some newsletter or something that apparently spoofs things like this; I wish I could remember the name and link to it.
Oh, I did find it at Snopes
The publication was called The Onion.
Sarah, I'm not picking on you, but just wanted to give my perspective and reasons.
Karen T
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KackyK
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Just a side note about Lemony Snicket (I'll admit, never read...just skimmed) but just yesterday at the library a young girl there who is a regular volunteer and off to her 2nd or 3rd yr of college said that when she took the SATs, every vocabulary word on the test she remembered from the Lemony Snicket books. She said it was great because he (I assume she meant the author) had explained the definitions of the words so "great" in the book.
Anyways...like I said...just a side note.
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Cay Gibson
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I just spent my lunch time reading this: Regina Doman Speaks on Harry Potter and the Grieving Mother thanks to Maureen Wittmann for the link.
There are spoilers in the post, fyi. As you all may know, Regina lost her little boy a year ago last month. She writes:
"I understand how death can rebalance your focus, how it can make you recognize what's truly important, what your true mission is."
and here:
"The vulnerability of Harry was so real for me. But by far the best scene was King's Cross. It was just enough of a foretaste of heaven to comfort me: it reminded me in many ways of C.S. Lewis's Great Divorce. The solace of that scene was the *purpose* of it all. It's hard to see the reasons for things. But at King's Cross (as JKR said, wonderful name) Harry begins to get an inkling of how things might begin to make sense. That scene, more than anything else, confirms to me that Rowling is indeed a true Christian. With suffering and death, it is only in the presence of the King's Cross that there is any consolation or hope of redemption at all."
Now I'm off to embrace my own mission.
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JuliaT
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Cay, thank you for linking to that blog post. It was beautifully written.
As far as HP goes, I have the first book but I have never read it. I have no desire to read it. Not because of anything evil that may lie in it's pages or of any fear that my children may be disillusioned by its words, but all of the hoopla that has accompanied each book has put a damper on any interest that I may have in reading the books.
My children are too young to read these books so it hasn't been an issue for me. But I suppose I will have to read them if my children show an interest. Then I will make my decision.
Blessings,
Julia
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http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Juliainsk
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organiclilac
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Just saw that Michael O'Brien has another column out on the HP books now that the series is finished. You can read it here.  Warning: spoilers abound!
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Tracy, thanks for sharing the link, that was an in-depth read.
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Leonie
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Lovely - thanks for sharing. While I hate to disagree with Micahel O'Brien  , I have to say that I, instead, see the same symbolism and heroism and love in the HP books as I do with Narnia, for example. I am with Regina Doman - I cried, I cried especially as a mother. I felt the solace, saw the nobleness, the hint of Heaven..
There has been so much for me and the kids to discuss after reading these books, as there has been with many other good books.
As I said on the other HP threads, I think we each make decisions for our family, based on prayer and on our knowledge of the family. And I respect everyone else's choices. HP for us has been an excellent time to share literature and deep discussions.
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folklaur
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I have to tell you guys, I am once again so thankful to have found these forums! Even when we disagree here, it stays civil. I was in the middle of a HP discussion on our local Catholic homeschool email list yesterday, and it got so ugly so fast, with personal attacks, etc. 
Thank you all so much for being nice even when there is a disagreement. I wish everyone was like that 
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Kristie 4
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Hi.
We also did not do the Harry Potter books till last month. For us, or I should say for me (as dh was fine with them), it was that I just wasn't at a point where I was sure about them. I hadn't done alot of research, actually no research, but my children weren't begging to read/be read them so I figured I had lots of time, as well as so many other books to choose from.
Then, after talking with some friends and husband, I decided that ds12 could read them. He then read the whole series in approximately 8-9 days. He inhaled them- he loves fantasy, myth, and folktales and these were up his alley.
Now my verrrrrrrry reluctant 10yo reader has been reading the first book. She has read 12 hours in the first ten days (that is as much as she usually reads, with much encouragment (read pushing ) in a year. She talks to me about it ALL the time, and now I am reading the first one.
However, she and my son listened to Book 6 unabridged on tape this week and Hannah cried and cried and cried at the end of it. She is quite an emotional young lady, but she found it so hard. But my great hubbie sat with her and talked about the hard things in life (we work with street people with lots of addictions etc.) and it was a very good talk. My 12yos who read them himself did comment when he got to Book 5 that they had some 'hard stuff' (as in sad/dark etc.). So we talked about it with him, and he believed he could handle it and would talk with us as he needed to- he was a great help when his sister was upset.
This may read to you that we just let our children completely loose- we don't, but we do like to give the older ones room . We just know that Ar can think through alot as he reads a very broad spectrum of books and is a great solid kid!!
Sorry for the long post....
(By the way, they have hooked me- I am half way through the first book)
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Angie Mc
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cactus mouse wrote:
I have to tell you guys, I am once again so thankful to have found these forums! Even when we disagree here, it stays civil. I was in the middle of a HP discussion on our local Catholic homeschool email list yesterday, and it got so ugly so fast, with personal attacks, etc.
Thank you all so much for being nice even when there is a disagreement. I wish everyone was like that |
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I'm with ya, Laura. I'm grateful that this community consistently is both "tough on the topic" while at the same time is gentle with people. Loving both God and at the same time our neighbor has a lot to do with courtesy and kindness...DON'T YOU THINK? (I couldn't resist  .)
Love,
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Kristie 4
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I hope I didn't offend anyone...Angie??? I didn't mean to offend anyone, just give a glimpse into the process at our little house.
I am so grateful here on this forum for all the different ideas people have and how each one is respected. I attend a protestant church, so am not a practicing Catholic. But it was for this very reason, the respect, diversity, and honoring one anothers thoughts on a topic (not to mention all the great ideas, wisdom and ladies ) that I was led to join this forum.
Hope I didn't step on anyone's feet -my head is a little muddled after having three teenage guests for the week to )
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Angie Mc
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Kristie 4 wrote:
| I hope I didn't offend anyone...Angie??? |
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Oh my, no, Kristie! In fact, you set a fine example of exactly the type of courtesy and respect I find so dependable here. I'm the one who needs to offer an apology for not being clear. You see, Laura/cactus mouse and I are in the same local group so my post combined my appreciation for this board with a wink and nod of understanding about some local group challenges. I'm sorry for the confusion.
Love,
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Willa
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We read them.
I read one of them several years ago so I could see what all the fuss was about (I think it was Chamber of Secrets). Nothing really seemed alarming about it, and I left it around the house to see if any of the older kids would show any interest. My daughter read it and was decidedly underwhelmed. Coming in on the second book, she found it confusing and strange. My son thought it was all right but wasn't all that interested.
My husband would rent the videos as they came out, from Netflix, and watch them with the older kids.
Finally my daughter, who was 16 last year, started checking out the whole series from the library, since she had rather liked the movies. At that point she liked them much more than her earlier impression (I think they get more gripping after about #3). Her brothers who could read, read them too.
I just read the rest of the series a couple of weeks ago, so I could catch up. Now DH is reading them. Then there won't be any possibility of being a spoiler inadvertently in this house : ).
The kids knew we weren't opposed to the HP series, since we had read a couple of the books and watched the movies with them. We try to bring them up to read good literature and to be able to discern and discuss problematic bits.
It certainly does seem to be an area where Catholics can differ widely (and legitimately, since it's a matrimonial sacrament type thing, judging what is best for their particular children). I like to hear good arguments on both sides, personally.
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Willa
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Alcat
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I recently read books 1-4. My ds 9 wanted to read them, and we were reluctant to let him, given the original Catholic response to them was negitive. My opinion is that the books are great fun- for teens and adults.
The series gets too dark in books 3-4, to let my son begin reading them. I wouldn't want him to only be allowed to read book 1 or 2, and wait many more years before we would allow him to read the rest.
It's my opinion that Harry wrestles with virtues and emotions that are much better suited to a teen crowd- its is too complex for my young kids. The books will make for excellent discussion with my kids when they are older.
Another issue I have with HP for young children is that it reads like a movie. What I mean is that when the book picks up momentum is doesn't stop until the end of the book. In Redwall books, LOTR, or Narnia, you have quiet places in the books (not just at the end) where the characters reflect on the events. HP was (for me) continually intense through each book.
I also had a problem with my son reading about Harry's life with his muggle relatives. It was very abusive. I think the abuse was supposed to be exagerated like Lemony Snicket, Mother Goose, or Dickens.... maybe I'm wrong.
Otherwise, I can't wait to read the rest. It was lots of fun. I love Cay's post from Gladys Hunt- it's spot on!
Alison
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4Real Forums : Living Literature
Topic: Harry Potter???
