Fiction: Stop Voldemort

Dort wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man auch am Ende Menschen. 

(Where they burn books, at the end they also burn people.)

-Heinrich Heine

“It’s a good thing when children enjoy books, isn’t it?” asks writer Judy Blume (1999). Though Blume has penned controversial young-adult novels, like Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, she poses the question on behalf of J.K Rowling, whose Harry Potter series has come under heavy fire from Christians groups concerned that the fantasy novels promote, or desensitize children to, the occult. In fact, Rowling's novels, like several of Blume's,  have even been banned from many schools and libraries across the country. “Reading is a good thing.” the Christian Answers Network (n.d.) answers, “but not all is as innocent as Potter fans would have others believe.”

According to  the Christian Answers Network, the issue with the Harry Potter novels is that "witchcraft is not fantasy; it is a sinful reality in our world." Such groups cite biblical passages like  Deuteronomy 18:9-14, which deems detestable the imitation of sorcerers and witches. While some protest in fear, others do so because they believe they've had personal experience with witchcraft or magic. Here is an excerpt from A Letter from an Ex-Witch Writing about Harry Potter, an open, anonymous letter posted online:

I am writing this urgent message because I was once a witch. I lived by the stars as an astrologer and numerologist casting horoscopes and spells. I lived in the mysterious and shadowy realm of the occult. By means of spells and magic, I was able to invoke the powers of the "controlling unknown" and fly upon the night winds transcending the astral plane.

While such pleas seem deserving of little comment to the non-magical among us (or "Muggles" as Rowling would call us), Blume (1999) insists that the real danger lies "not in the books, but in laughing off those who would ban them." Blume asserts that the movement against Rowling's novels follows a tradition that has been on the rise since the early '80s. The movement, which began with religious conviction and spread into the realm of political correctness, puts pressure on educators and librarians to keep controversial books out of the curriculum and off the shelves. But, when one considers the socially condemned themes in many works of literature, a manifestation of such book-banning beliefs would leave our libraries lacking and our children unversed in some of the greatest novels of our times. Whereas Harry Potter is targeted for promoting Satanism or the occult, Blume notes that Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time has been accused of promoting New Ageism and Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn condemned for exposing children to racism. It such themes are truly unacceptable for young learners, it seems to me that we may next be deleting chapters from history books. "I can imagine next year's headline," Blume concludes, "'Goodnight Moon' Banned for Encouraging Children to Communicate With Furniture.' And we all know where that can lead, don't we?"

References

Anonymous. (n.d.) A letter from an ex-witch writing about Harry Potter. Retrieved from http://www.pacinst.com/witch.htm

Blume, J. (1999). Is Harry Potter evil? Retrieved from http://www.judyblume.com/censorship/potter.php