StColette Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 Kilroy there wasn't one about the opinion of the Papa, I can just see this thread turning into a debate sooner than we think lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piccoli Fiori JMJ Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 I got one of the books for Christmas a few years ago and I didn't want to read it because it was so long But I have read a few of them, they are okay... but I see how it can be seen as bad... I know soetimes reading is an escape and when you escape to "Harry Potter Land" I dunno, its a little different... Not exactly as it should be... I am rambling off into vaugeness... I'll stop... Apparently they will be interviewing J.K. Rowling on Dateline NBC... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 I never said I know better than Papa. And I respect how he feels about the books for children. I'm just saying that as an adult, I think I can choose for myself. Tis all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thy Geekdom Come Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 [quote name='Carrie' date='Jul 13 2005, 09:36 AM']I'm reading the next book. The books are fiction and I'm adult enough to realize that. I like the Harry Potter series. [right][snapback]641820[/snapback][/right] [/quote] Exactly. People need to stop saying that it's one side or the other. We look at the plot and read the storyline. We don't go through trying to learn the spells. The occult is real, yes...and Harry Potter is fiction, not real. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Adam Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 Just because the Pope has an opinion does not mean we necessarily need to follow it. For one the Pope used to debate the theological meaning of "Church" (which I'm reading) with another Cardinal. The man is wise, he is the Pope, his words should be taken to heart, but one does not have to agree with every opinion. He has his opinions about beer, but I don't agre with them, does that make me a rotten person? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thy Geekdom Come Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 [quote name='Brother Adam' date='Jul 13 2005, 10:59 AM']He has his opinions about beer, but I don't agre with them, does that make me a rotten person? [right][snapback]641911[/snapback][/right] [/quote] Bad example Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissScripture Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 (edited) In my opinion a lot of Harry Potter is a rip off of Lord Of the Rings...without the meaning behind it. So, esentially a shallower story. I read the first 2 Harry Potter books in a deal I'd made with a friend (she'd read 2 of my books) and I had just finished Lord of the Rings. There were so many times that I could match the events with things that happened in Lord of the Rings. I don't know, I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't settle for something that's ok, when there is something better out there. Edited July 13, 2005 by MissScripture Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole8223 Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 I'll stick with Ratzinger....he's no fool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 I actually did an entry on this very subject on my [url="http://www.xanga.com/item.aspx?user=LittleIrishRose&tab=weblogs&uid=296869279"]blog[/url] recently. I've read all the Harry Potter books and I admit I enjoyed them (it's kind of a guilty pleasure thing). But when I read what Pope Benedict said about Harry Potter, I really had to stop and think about it and consider whether or not the books should be read. I think it's important to point out that the main problem that the Holy Father has with the books is how they affect children. Children are very impressionable and oftentimes (especially when they are very young) are not able to distinguish clearly between what is real and what is not. Therefore, I think it's very important for parents to be aware of what their children are reading/watching/doing, etc. Now this is a series of books that (though it is fiction/fantasy) deals with issues of the occult. Let's face it, the occult is real, there are evil things in the world, Now is Harry Potter automatically going to make a child turn to the occult and become a witch? No, not necessarily. But if the child is not aware of the very real danger of the occult, it may spark his or her interest in it and wish to explore it or it may give him or her the impression that the occult is all just "cutesy magic stuff" and is harmless. Both are dangerous opinions to hold. If a child isn't grounded in the Faith, if he or she doesn't fully understand the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, what's real and what's pretend, then I don't think parents should let the child read Harry Potter. I don't let my younger siblings read them. I guess you have to ask yourself, do you really want your child to read something that he or she is not mature enough to handle, that could be potentially damaging to his or her soul? I think it's good that Pope Benedict takes these things into account. [quote]Just because the Pope has an opinion does not mean we necessarily need to follow it. For one the Pope used to debate the theological meaning of "Church" (which I'm reading) with another Cardinal. The man is wise, he is the Pope, his words should be taken to heart, but one does not have to agree with every opinion. He has his opinions about beer, but I don't agre with them, does that make me a rotten person?[/quote] No, you don't have to agree with all of his opinions (as long as you don't go against the teachings of the Church). But I don't think it's wise to brush his thoughts and opinions aside. I think there's a great deal of wisdom and truth in his words that should not be ignored. And as for whether it's okay for adults to read, well, I'm still wondering about that myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole8223 Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 Good points Colleen. An earlier post made me think.... Would you read a book about homosexuals engaging in sin? Or about abortion and how it makes things better? Of course not....so why read a book about spells and the occult, even if it is not a true story, it is a sinful topic.... Maybe I am being too extreme for some, but I would liken it to reading a book with pornographic content in some sense...because of the nature of the occult and how harmful it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musturde Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 Jp2 agreed with them and people consider him a saint. Pope Benedict has his view. Just because Jp2 died doesnt mean his opinion died also. I suggest that in a home with parents not raising their kids to know better than to trust a set of morals set in any book then yes, I agree with Pope Benny. The Harry Potter books and fictional books strengthen imagination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 [quote name='musturde' date='Jul 13 2005, 01:02 PM']Jp2 agreed with them and people consider him a saint.[right][snapback]642089[/snapback][/right][/quote] I don't remember John Paul II ever saying that. I know that there was a priest who worked for the Pontifical Council for Culture and the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue and made an off-the-cuff remark about liking Harry Potter, but I don't believe John Paul II ever made a statement about the books. [url="http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2003/feb/03020703.html"]http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2003/feb/03020703.html[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Didacus Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 I think this statement is very well said: [quote]And if some of our institutions seem not to fit the template of the times, why it is they, and not the template, that seem to us disordered and strange. ( Postman, pp.79-80[/quote] of course from:http://www.lifesite.net/features/harrypotter/obrienpotter.html ANd I would like to know this panel's comments on this: [quote]The problem is not the presence of magic in a book, but how magic is represented.[/quote] Is it to say that all magic in novels must be portrayed as evil or disordered? Is it possible to show magic in a novel in a positive light? My own thoughts are that magic should be portrayed as neutral at best, considered in all as a simple tool like science. If magic is portrayed in any light tending towards salvation or good in itself, this is very difficult to accept if at all acceptable. The article's comments states: [quote]Supernatural powers, Lewis repeatedly underlines, belong to God alone, and in human hands they are highly deceptive and can lead to destruction.[/quote] Just put that in the mix... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philippe Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 i dont even know what occult is, how can i be affected by it if i think its imaginary honestly im not gonna go try these spells to me its just like abra kadabra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash Wednesday Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 [quote]a classic case of arrogant 'I have a pope in my belly' thinking.[/quote] :rotfl: Meh, I think the books are overrated anyway and have never interested me. The pope was offering support for someone raising their concerns about these novels -- I'd like to read Ms. Kuby's book to get a sense of the whole discussion at hand. This is like that whole rock music thing. People shouldn't get in such a tizzy over it -- they should show some willingness to hear why the pope (or then-Cardinal Ratzinger) has had concerns and what those concerns were. I do agree with the notion of fostering a proper sense of good and evil and cultivating a young child's relationship with God and perhaps being aware that it's still in a tender stage. So that seems to involve not just "don't read this, don't read that" -- I would think it would also be about offering a child good alternatives to interest them and having an active positive parenting role, too -- raising them in a solid faith, since there's a lot of junk out there worse than Harry Potter. But I'm sure that the parents on here know that, and I'm not a parent. So maybe my commentary is from someone with no authority on the matter. But that's how I would approach it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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