Harry Potter Harmful To Children?

[aflac duck]

If anything, It's just teaching kids the meaning of friendship and love. Sounds kinda lame, I know. But how many times have the trio saved each others behinds and harry being protected from Voldemort because of his mother's sacrifice?

Edited January 9, 2009 by aflac duck

[Amanda_the_awesome]

It is just a story. It can not harm anyone.

[Ten 'Til Midnight]

Wow.... I did it all wrong. Maybe instead of pounding my eardrums out with Ozzy, Slayer, Metallica and other metal during my youth, I should have waited a few years down the road and read the Harry Potter books to gain access to the occult? This is as absurd and rediculous as the purple Teletubby leading children to being homosexual back in the 90's. People really need to get a grip...

[Benz]

a few years back a kid in my maths class killed himself because he believed that when you die you get to change your past however you want and add stuff in. so he thought god would let him start life again at 11 and go to a hogwarts like school and everything.

[isis-999]

My kids read them and it didn't make them want to get into witch craft or anything like it, It was just another fiction book to them..

[Stormcrow]

I think they're wonderful. A lot good has come from Harry Potter, I think. Children are reading, they're learning how to accept people regardless of their differences, and so much more. People that want to blame Harry Potter for teaching people witchcraft or trying to make children turn into Satanists are ignorant at best. There are many different mythological and religious view points in the book, and God is referenced heavily in Deathly Hallows, and it is obviously about good contouring evil, love against hate. How is any of that harmful? It is in no way anti-religion/anti-God, it's a good teacher, I think, because many modern books and movies/TV shows lack the morals children used to learn in fables and folk tales that have long sense disappeared in this new age of violence and war. :/

[Queenofthefairies]

I find harry potter great, although there are some words in it that some children should not be exsposed to but hey.....

when i say words i mean swears....

<QueenoftheFairies>

Edited January 30, 2009 by Queenofthefairies

[TheResearcher]

I find harry potter great, although there are some words in it that some children should not be exsposed to but hey.....

when i say words i mean swears....

<QueenoftheFairies>

Oh please, the moment a child goes to school they encounter swear words. Much worse than what any parents probably imagine. A few naughty words in a book is nothing significant in comparison to exposure in schooling systems. You'll find c**t, w***er, s**t, ****, b**ch in common and regular use throughout schools; and I think it's getting worse. At least, that's exactly how it is here in England.

[+HerNibs]

I think they're wonderful. A lot good has come from Harry Potter, I think. Children are reading, they're learning how to accept people regardless of their differences, and so much more. People that want to blame Harry Potter for teaching people witchcraft or trying to make children turn into Satanists are ignorant at best. There are many different mythological and religious view points in the book, and God is referenced heavily in Deathly Hallows, and it is obviously about good contouring evil, love against hate. How is any of that harmful? It is in no way anti-religion/anti-God, it's a good teacher, I think, because many modern books and movies/TV shows lack the morals children used to learn in fables and folk tales that have long sense disappeared in this new age of violence and war. :/

HN

*donotmakeatwilightcrack*

*donotmakeatwilightcrack*

Well, hey, at least they aren't reading Twilight.

DAMN - no self control.

[Queenofthefairies]

Oh please, the moment a child goes to school they encounter swear words. Much worse than what any parents probably imagine. A few naughty words in a book is nothing significant in comparison to exposure in schooling systems. You'll find c**t, w***er, s**t, ****, b**ch in common and regular use throughout schools; and I think it's getting worse. At least, that's exactly how it is here in England.

I realise this! when i read the books i was shocked that they were in there at all! some childen younger than ten would be seeing these words....i'm not against Harry potter i was just making a valid point

<QueenoftheFairies>

[TheResearcher]

I realise this! when i read the books i was shocked that they were in there at all! some childen younger than ten would be seeing these words....i'm not against Harry potter i was just making a valid point

<QueenoftheFairies>

Indeed, when I read the final book I was surprised there were swears; it seemed odd since there were none in any of the prior books (at least none that I can remember). Children shouldn't be exposed to bad words, but in reality it's not so perfect ... unless a child is extremely restricted and isolated from anyone by age ten I doubt any child wouldn't have encountered 'bad' words. When I was ten I knew commonly known swear words but not the worst such as c**t. I didn't use them but I was still tangibly aware of them ...

In a perfect world there wouldn't be swear words, but unfortunately the world is far from perfect

[Queenofthefairies]

Indeed, when I read the final book I was surprised there were swears; it seemed odd since there were none in any of the prior books (at least none that I can remember). Children shouldn't be exposed to bad words, but in reality it's not so perfect ... unless a child is extremely restricted and isolated from anyone by age ten I doubt any child wouldn't have encountered 'bad' words. When I was ten I knew commonly known swear words but not the worst such as c**t. I didn't use them but I was still tangibly aware of them ...

In a perfect world there wouldn't be swear words, but unfortunately the world is far from perfect

there were a few in the prior books as well, the half blood prince there was one, if i remember. YES you are correct there is no such thing as a perfect world, i'm just surprised that it got by the censors

<QueenoftheFairies>

[SV-001]

ok that **** of a vid was stupid.....i do agree that shows such as charmed and buffy and harry poter ect. does have a slight affect on ppls curiosity for the occult and wicca and other paranormal related subjects but it doesnt mean all these things are bad like the vid depicts it as.

if they took their time to study wicca and many other spiritual teachings they would understad how it works and not automatically associate it with the devil. im not a big fan of religion...together with politics they bring the ppl of this world further apart.

[Stormcrow]

HN

*donotmakeatwilightcrack*

*donotmakeatwilightcrack*

Well, hey, at least they aren't reading Twilight.

DAMN - no self control.

XDDD Uhg, you are so right. That book is disgusting, and all of the dreadful things it teaches children is just... pathetic. Whoever published it should be taken out of business.

(Before I get slammed, I might as well add just a few of the demoralizing things Twilight goes over: Stalking, teenage pregnancy, dropping out of school/not pursuing a career or higher education, expecting everything handed to you on a silver platter and then getting it, inner beauty pales to outer beauty and good looks, bad attitude can get you anything you want, and I can go on... and on... and on. But that was just to justify the above statement, as someone is sure to defend such a disgraceful piece of crap.)

there were a few in the prior books as well, the half blood prince there was one, if i remember. YES you are correct there is no such thing as a perfect world, i'm just surprised that it got by the censors

<QueenoftheFairies>

Well, it's much better than what you'll find in some books. Really though, there are probably... four-six swears in all seven, much less than the average person is going to in counter in one day. A sad truth, but it's just becoming an accepted part of society.

Edited January 31, 2009 by Ebonykrow

[Queenofthefairies]

Yeah i know

<QueenoftheFairies>

[Drago]

I always laugh at these people. Several times I've done it in faces.

You should hear what the Fundamentalists have to say about the His Dark Materials trilogy. It literally made me sick that such uneducated ignorant verbal and textual slop could be vomited up about such an excellently written and executed tale of morality.

Or that fear of such drivel could turn such a good book into such a terrible film.

Edited January 31, 2009 by Drago

[Stormcrow]

I always laugh at these people. Several times I've done it in faces.

You should hear what the Fundamentalists have to say about the His Dark Materials trilogy. It literally made me sick that such uneducated ignorant verbal and textual slop could be vomited up about such an excellently written and executed tale of morality.

Or that fear of such drivel could turn such a good book into such a terrible film.

XD I was just talking to my friend about His Dark Materials. My senior year we had this joke about the whole thing, because living in the Bible Belt we often heard people make the suggestion the book should be banned. So me and a couple of friends would always shout (randomly, sometimes in the middle of class), "Oh my God, I read The Golden Compass and... I'm still not atheist!" Admittedly, I didn't finish the first book, though I'll eventually try to one day. It started reading like a futuristic storyline, and they always throw me off, so I wound up getting lost...

[Plainbob13]

Come on. Everyone know Harry Potter is a gateway magic. At first kids are doing simple levitation spells, then the move on to the hard stuff. Potters evil i tell you! EVIL!

[Drago]

XD I was just talking to my friend about His Dark Materials. My senior year we had this joke about the whole thing, because living in the Bible Belt we often heard people make the suggestion the book should be banned. So me and a couple of friends would always shout (randomly, sometimes in the middle of class), "Oh my God, I read The Golden Compass and... I'm still not atheist!" Admittedly, I didn't finish the first book, though I'll eventually try to one day. It started reading like a futuristic storyline, and they always throw me off, so I wound up getting lost...

Thing is, the book's not anti-God. God and Satan never come into it. The series is a warning against blindly following organized religion and/or authority instead of thinking for yourself and making your own decisions. It comes off as very critical of the Catholic church and many of their practices/policies specifically, but mostly it just rags on blind obeisance and the results of allowing religion too much of a control over our lives.

It's not futuristic so much as retro, very nearly steampunk. Think of a world that was technologically locked in the late nineteenth century, and forced to make due with the limitations of that technology for further development of technology. You get airships and balloons instead of jets and helicopters, for example. They do have a few 'futuristic' concepts in the series, but for the most part, they're revealed to just be on par with technology we have today.

And the Panserbjorn are just plain awesome. I love those guys, even if they have a very small part in the overall scheme of the series. The series has so many sad/depressing moments though, sometimes it was hard for me to keep reading.

Edited January 31, 2009 by Drago

[Mattshark]

four-six swears in all seven, much less than the average person is going to in counter in one day. A sad truth, but it's just becoming an accepted part of society.

It has always been accepted. Chaucer has a lot of swearing in it.

[behaviour???]

Harry Potter was a fiction which gained world wide support.....Now all the flames have extinguished and Hogwarts...This is no longer a relevant topic

Thanks

B???

[Noteaph]

Did you know that Harry Potter was officially sanctioned as good family entertainment suitable for Catholics by the Pope. THE POPE...are you going to sit there and tell me some conspiracy theorists know more about the religious implications of a film than the freakin' pope?!?

(puts on his tin foil hat)

The pope...and the Vatican is the most deviant and evil element on this earth. This is the source of the biggest deathnumber of any other aspect of our reality, including viral diseases. Remember their role in our history, research the facts. The Catholic church is a direct blaspheme onto G*D,

for the ´Chruch` is higher than G*D in their idealistic, satanic (thats right, I said satanic) view.

And you base your acceptance on a possibility on wether the pope condones something or not? Shocking IMO

If the pope condones something, I would definately steer clear from it. Radzinger is an ex Nazi, HitlerJugend. The Vatican worked together with the Nazi warmachine, do you not remember? They culled the South Americas, Africa, which are still havuing to suffer to this day, being kept under control. The Vatican is the wealthiest element on this earth also, still, Africa is dying.

Which true good acts have the Vatican braught? Can anyone answer that?

No, no, dont be guided by this filth, Potter series has brought the Occult into the mondaine.

Children from 6 to 16 are hyped into using the occult, nothing wrong with that? I beg to differ.

Salus populi suprema lex

Edited January 31, 2009 by Noteaph

[+HerNibs]

The pope...and the Vatican is the most deviant and evil element on this earth. This is the source of the biggest deathnumber of any other aspect of our reality, including viral diseases. Remember their role in our history, research the facts. The Catholic church is a direct blaspheme onto G*D,

for the ´Chruch` is higher than G*D in their idealistic, satanic (thats right, I said satanic) view.

And you base your acceptance on a possibility on wether the pope condones something or not? Shocking IMO

If the pope condones something, I would definately steer clear from it. Radzinger is an ex Nazi, HitlerJugend. The Vatican worked together with the Nazi warmachine, do you not remember? They culled the South Americas, Africa, which are still havuing to suffer to this day, being kept under control. The Vatican is the wealthiest element on this earth also, still, Africa is dying.

Which true good acts have the Vatican braught? Can anyone answer that?

No, no, dont be guided by this filth, Potter series has brought the Occult into the mondaine.

Children from 6 to 16 are hyped into using the occult, nothing wrong with that? I beg to differ.

Salus populi suprema lex

Seriously?

The bible has vulgarity, sex, occult, incest, murder, rape, genocide, masochism, etc.

I'd rather my kids read Harry Potter. Good guys win.

HN

[+HerNibs]

If you raise good kids, kids that can tell right from wrong, kids that have empathy for others, kids that understand tolerance and kids that understand kindness, then what they read won't matter.

A kid that understand kindness travels better than hate can pick up any book, watch any movie or play any game and know what is right and wrong.

I have good kids. Perfect? Far from it. Have pulled some really boneheaded stunts. Been in trouble, paid the price. Nothing too serious, but still stupid.

Today they are grown and good human beings. They understand fantasy IS fantasy but they are also smart enough to take away messages from fantasy. Tolerance, understanding, good must win.

It's the upbringing that molds a child. A parent gives the guidelines and tools to teach the child to make reasonable decisions. Yes, there are people who have mental disabilities that can cause them to make poor or dangerous decisions, they tend to be the exception. Society is responsible for helping these individuals.

Harry Potter cannot "make" a child do anything. It can spark an interest in another area of life but in order for a child to take that spark and begin burning people with it, a parent has failed in their job.

My kids were interested in the occult. BEFORE Harry Potter. They are also interested in genetics, history, astronomy, WoW and a myriad of other things. They take away bits of knowledge and have enriched their lives and learned even more lessons of tolerance. My niece now considers herself a wiccan. Oh, wait, she read Harry Potter as well. Guess that explains it. Wait...she read Harry Potter after her decision...hmmm...

Stop making excuses about the behavior of a few damaged children. Stop blaming everything else in the world for OUR failings. Somewhere out there, there are parents raising children to fear, hate and abuse others. Using religion, race and fear as their justification. THEY are the problem. Not Harry Potter.

HN

[Stormcrow]

Thing is, the book's not anti-God. God and Satan never come into it. The series is a warning against blindly following organized religion and/or authority instead of thinking for yourself and making your own decisions. It comes off as very critical of the Catholic church and many of their practices/policies specifically, but mostly it just rags on blind obeisance and the results of allowing religion too much of a control over our lives.

It's not futuristic so much as retro, very nearly steampunk. Think of a world that was technologically locked in the late nineteenth century, and forced to make due with the limitations of that technology for further development of technology. You get airships and balloons instead of jets and helicopters, for example. They do have a few 'futuristic' concepts in the series, but for the most part, they're revealed to just be on par with technology we have today.

And the Panserbjorn are just plain awesome. I love those guys, even if they have a very small part in the overall scheme of the series. The series has so many sad/depressing moments though, sometimes it was hard for me to keep reading.

Oh, I know that they don't come into play, but at the end of Compass Asriel dies (and many people considered him to be a God of sorts, so when he died readers interpreted it as "killing God", which supposedly made readers atheist). People can be down right ridiculous sometimes... But, it's no secret that Pullman himself is atheist, and also anti-organized religion--but I don't believe for one second that he tries to make his readers believe the same way.

It was the airships that turned me off in the beginning, because they just didn't seem to flow with the setting. I'll try to look past that though, because I guess it's a reasonable assumption for the time. *Shrug*

Mmm, sad/depressing parts are my favorite. ;D I love seeing characters in epic turmoil. (Admittedly, I'd rather see my own suffer, but we'll make due wherever we can. )

It has always been accepted. Chaucer has a lot of swearing in it.

True, but how many young people read Chaucer for fun today? (I'm assuming you mean Geoffrey Chaucer.) I think cursing, today, has become more apart of society just because censoring it from literature, television, theater, etc is too difficult--and children are going to grow up with it anyway. I think it's nice to practice modesty, but yeah, swearing is hardly the worst thing a kid could encounter in reading a book. I have read it, but I'd be willing to bet that the language in Twilight is worse than Harry Potter.

Edited January 31, 2009 by Ebonykrow