I really thought we were beyond this kind of thing, but I guess I was wrong. It seems that another school has decided to ban the Harry Potter books from its school library because of concerns that young readers of the series may just start practicing black magic because the J.K. Rowling books make it look cool or something. This time around it’s St. Edward Catholic School, a pre-kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school in Nashville.
It seems (and I’m not making this up) that the Reverend Dan Rehill consulted a group of exorcists who advised him to purge his school’s library of all the Harry Potter books.
According to the Washington Post, Rehill explained his decision this way:
“These books present magic as both good and evil, which is not true, but in fact a clever deception,” he explained. “The curses and spells used in the books are actual curses and spells; which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits into the presence of the person reading the text."Apparently, many of the parents paying to have their kids educated at St. Edward do not agree with the development and are disturbed that they were allowed no input into the decision to remove the books. The Post quotes a portion of the email that Rehill sent to parents after the fact:
“The books use nefarious means to attain the goals of the characters, including the ‘good’ characters,” he wrote, arguing that an act cannot be considered morally good under Catholic theology if it is accomplished through questionable methods. The Harry Potter books, he claimed, “promote a Machiavellian approach to achieving the ends they desire with whatever means are necessary.”
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| St. Edward School, Nashville |
Rebecca Hammel, the superintendent of schools for the Nashville Diocese, does not seem to agree with the pastor's decision, but she admits that because the Church has no official position on the Harry Potter books the pastor has the right to remove them from his school's library. St. Edward is the only school in the Diocese to have done so. (See Post news article for details.)
I don't see anything good coming for anyone involved in this situation: parents, students, the school, or the pastor. Parents are probably second-guessing the school's leadership; students are not being allowed exposure to other points-of-view; the school is receiving negative publicity that can only hurt it in the short term; and the pastor has pretty much made a fool of himself.
This is just so 1950s.
Yes, I heard about this on Facebook from a friend who lives in Memphis and is an Episcopalian. Herself a big Harry Potter fan, she was scathing about this decision. I think you summed it up quite nicely in your concluding paragraph, Sam.
ReplyDeleteThis kind of thing really bothers me, Cath. I think it's silly, but more importantly, it's just not fair to the students. Over-sheltering a young person does them no good, and usually has the opposite effect.
DeleteI find it always a little strange when this kind of thing comes up because it often has the reverse effect.
ReplyDeleteI really think that authors welcome this kind of thing because it often generates the kind of publicity they would otherwise have to pay a fortune for. And if I were a kid, the first books I would want to read are those banned by some self-righteous group of adults. Human nature...
DeleteThey banned the books because they actually believe in "evil spirits" ?? wow. And you know the books being forbidden is only going to make kids want to read them more! Curiosity.
ReplyDeleteExactly right, Jeane. As I just mentioned up above to Jenclair, if I were a kid I would jump all over any banned books just because some adult wanted me not to read them. What could possibly be better?
DeleteI can't believe people are still banning Harry Potter books. It's so crazy; it just makes me shake my head.
ReplyDeleteAt the risk of offending anyone who reads this, I can't believe that anyone still believes in evil spirits that will respond to chants, incantations, and the like. That just blows my mind.
DeleteExactly!!
DeleteRidiculous! I cannot understand why this debate is still going on.
ReplyDeleteI do have to say that I don't always agree with the books the librarian at my daughter's elementary school buys for the library. Book selection is such a subjective thing. Personally, though, I don't think elementary school kids should be reading books like THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. Just my opinion (not that anyone's asking for it).
I totally agree that books should be age-appropriate for the younger kids. Where I start to worry is when individuals (or tiny groups) take it upon themselves to decide what others should be reading, thinking, or getting themselves exposed to when the age of the reader is not the question.
DeleteI'm just generally against censorship unless someone can show me a legitimate reason that it is necessary.
I think the pastor was right , you are what you eat. If you put junk in your body you get fat and feel bad. The same goes with these books what are they implying or what is the influences these books are portraying , while some think there harmless it can portray to a child that it'd ok to cast spells or fool with magic . Children role play from cartoons or movies example superman or wonderwoman . These are my thoughts no offense to anyone.
ReplyDeleteNo offense taken, I'm sure. It's just a matter of opinion. I see them more as a rather innocent fantasy that children will not have much of a problem separating from reality. They are entertainment, and although I found them boring, I can understand why children of a certain age love escaping into them.
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