Harry Potter Haters

Let me first begin by saying the folks of Landover Baptist have a GOD complex. Check out the line that says "The Largest, Most Powerful Assembly of Worthwhile People To Ever Exist. Unsaved Are NOT Welcome!" Huh. Where to begin? These people believe themselves to be 'most powerful', more 'worthwhile' that anybody that has ever or will ever exist (appartenly), AND in the true Christian spirit (note the heavy sarcasm please) are keeping the unsaved out of the church. To top it off, they believe in BOOK BURNING.

I HATE HARRY POTTER HATERS.

Okay, so hate is a big word and I suppose I don't really mean it, but COME ON! Since the beginning of time, magic has been a part of story-telling - especially in children's stories. Almost ALL of the fairy tales (note the classification) use magic: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, etc. Is this group burning those beloved classics? I have such fond memories of watching The Wizard of Oz every year it was on TV with my entire family. I guess nothing says family to the folks of Landover like a good book burning of what was actually a POLITICAL SATIRE. Oh, but we can't leave out the WORST SINNER OF THEM ALL - SHAKESPEARE!!! GASP! Such HORRORS in The Tempest, The Winter's Tale, and Macbeth! BURN, BURN, BURN those classics of literature!

I cannot believe they are taking this wonderful story - that tells a classic tale of Good v. Evil - and distorting it. There is NO RELIGION in Harry Potter. None. No God, but no Satan either. ON PURPOSE. Yet, it's still an allegory. Think - dare I say it? - David v. Goliath. I mean, Harry isn't WORSHIPING Voldemort, he's trying to FIGHT him. Hello? Have these folks READ this book? And Voldemort isn't Satan. I dare say we have real people out there closer to "Satan" than Voldemort. Voldemort is all about Power - sort of a wizard terrorist. OH - WAIT A MINUTE - the folks of Landover are the 'most powerful' so maybe they're feeling a little threatened by this big book that teaches you how to work with your friends and trusted adults to fight what is most powerful.

Think of all the positive lessons in Harry Potter: working with your friends, adults can be on your side, if you face what you fear you can overcome it, that power used for evil purposes is BAD. Duh - these Baptists (and like-minded individuals) should be embracing this book - not burning it.

Sure, it can be very scary - LIFE can be scary - just watch the freakin' news. And we all had our moments of fear when reading Cinderella or The Wizard of Oz (bad witches and flying monkeys - big time fear factor). But we survived. We learned. And we loved those stories.

Sure, people die in the books. People die in real life. And what about the classic children's book The Bridge to Terabithia? Somebody dies in that book and it remains, to this day, one of my favorite childhood books.

J. K. Rowling isn't encouraging kids to worship Satan. She is telling a story about a boy (now young man) who is facing major challenges in his life. And by telling this story she arms young people with the belief that with courage and good friends you can tackle anything.

Let's also keep in mind that Rowling, practically single-handedly, made reading cool again! Millions of young people are excited about reading and actually leave their game-boys and DVDs (surely Satan's toys) for the time it takes to read the story. And if that book is fun, reading other books might be fun too!

So to Landover Baptist and others of their ilk I say focus on what's really potentially evil to your children: closed minds, closed hearts, and closed books.