But let's speak generally for a minute: what about "questionable" books, plays, movies, etc. Do they have a place in education? Well...I have mixed feelings. Obviously, some materials are so evil and perverse that no one, adult or child, should ever be exposed to them. The Marquis de Sade springs to mind. The lawyer husband of a good friend of mine was adamant that Silence of the Lambs was such a channel for evil, no one should ever watch it. I respected his opinion enough to steer clear. The devil cannot attack us directly through our reason, but our imagination offers him an open entrance if we fill it with evil images and pictures. He can draw on them forever as a source of temptation and seduction.
On the other hand, films can also be used to teach. I generally don't go to R movies, but a number of years ago I rented Philadelphia because it was being shown at a nearby Catholic high school that was always shilling for "tolerance" for homosexuals. The movie is a brilliant piece of propaganda for the "gay" lifestyle. Watching it with young adults and discussing the elements used to undermine the truth and promote the lie could be a valuable lesson in discernment.
The same can be true of books. I can see using Harry Potter as a lesson in how authors distort images and teach moral relativism and, of course, the occult (which has been discussed so often I'll not belabor it again.) Consider how the unicorn image is reversed from a symbol of Christ to a symbol that supports evil. Voldemort consumes the blood of the unicorn to strengthen his evil, but in medieval art, the unicorn is a Christ image. Christ's blood is the source of our salvation. And this isn't the only image in Harry Potter that is turned upside down. It's confusing and sowing confusion is a tactic of the enemy.
The series is also a study in moral relativism. The students at Hogwarts can justify anything for their "good" ends. Unfortunately, rationalization is endemic to frail, fallen humanity and Harry Potter defends it throughout the story -- especially in his relationships with his stereotyped relatives. In general the books preach gnosticism. Some characters, the magical ones, are higher than the unenlightened "muggles." They have special knowledge (of the occult) that makes them better than others. The ideas presented are seductive and it is not surprising that the books attract.
The heart of man longs for the spiritual and his curiosity tempts him to seek forbidden knowledge, for example about the future. It's not surprising for a faithless age to seek spiritual consolation in the wrong places. Harry Potter can be used to dissect these truths and recognize the seductive reasoning that makes man vulnerable to evil. The books also illustrate that the devil can appear as an angel of light. As Thomas Aquinas says, man always seeks the good. So, of course, there is good in the story. But evil is also portrayed as good when it's used to achieve a good end. That is a moral impossibility, an evil masquerading as good. That's a useful lesson for youngsters to learn if they, in fact, learn it. But that requires guidance for impressionable young minds that tend to read uncritically and soak up ideas like a sponge without filtering out whatever poison is in the glass.
So the question for parents is, do you have enough time to teach using Harry Potter? If you don't, what will your kids learn reading the series on their own and uncritically?
My final point is -- There is so much out there to read and study; we all have to make choices. Is it worth is to pass up the better and best to focus on Harry Potter and other questionable books like the Twilight series? That's a question parents need to reflect on and consider while monitoring their children's choices and teaching them to be critical thinkers and critical readers.
Part of me feels like the whole HP hooplah is a calculated effort by the enemy to detract from more wholesome fantasy books like LOTR and the Narnia series. As adults, we should be taking inspiration for our spiritual battles from heroes like Frodo, Aragorn and Lucy Pevensie (and of course, the Saints - but I'm speaking of fiction here), not Harry and his crew of morally ambiguous friends.
ReplyDeleteI tend to think that all the fuss about Potter is a distortion both of the books and also of how literature functions. You simply can't have very interesting stories that have no bad guys. Moreover, the worse the bad guys are the more they are likely to achieve their badness by corrupting good things.
ReplyDeleteNow the unicorn is more than an image of Christ. In fact I would say that the use of it in that way may actually be late rather than early. The unicorn is more an image of purity and goodness and thereby it acquires its force to be an image of Christ. We'd have to do a study to be sure. But Voldemort drinking the unicorn's blood is obviously an attempt to grow strong and the only strength that evil can have is derived from a distortion of the good. So it's not necessarily a Christ theme at all.
I do think that the series is too grown up for youngsters. The early books aren't too bad but as the story gets darker I think a certain level of maturity is necessary to be present.
I actually don't think there is that much that would appeal to the occult in it. Magic is a capability of some people and not of others. So it is a kind of innate talent and not a deal with the devil. You have to accept the premises of the fictional world and not import other extraneous stuff that isn't there.
As such magic is a special talent and they have to work hard at Hogwarts to learn how to control that talent. That's certainly not a bad lesson. The fact that occasionally the good guys stoop to less than perfection and sneak out and around and stuff is just what kids that age do. Sorry it's not anything more sinister. I know parents don't approve but I remember sneaking about now and then when I was a kid. It's generally part of growing up and if you didn't do it they you were a goody-goody two shoes. That isn't really a recommendation but it is to point out that neither is it some terribly sinister bad teaching.
Critical thinking is certainly something we need more of in the world. We are awash in propaganda of all sorts, but much of it motivated by moral relativism. The blind don't seem to see that in that direction monsters lie. We live is a rapidly degrading and pathetic society that thinks that because they can text on a cell phone they are a superior form of life. That's really too bad because it is so wrong headed. The education people received as recently as my grandfather's day in the early 20th century is simply no longer available. Instead we pretend we're education when in reality we are merely indoctrinating. That needs to change, but don't hold your breath.
I'm going to be critical of the Harry Potter series but I'm only going to read 3 of the 7 books before I share my disappointment.
ReplyDeleteAnd Chudah, "the enemy"? JK Rowling wrote an entertaining story for young readers. Nobody's trying to corrupt your children. Or is she the enemy because she doesn't worship in a Catholic church and write about how glorious that feels? That would be a work of FICTION now!
Allison, is it not possible to have a civil discussion about the merits of Harry Potter without engaging in an ad hominem attack against Catholics? And how many books in a series does one need to read to address problems which are repeated from book to book?
ReplyDeleteIt's surprising to me how defensive Harry Potter and Twilight fans get if you dare to critique the books. As an English major I took a course in literary criticism. People can disagree about the merits of a work without engaging in nasty polemics.
I have not read Harry Potter but I am just not sure why people are enthusiastic about reading modern novels when there are a number of excellent books out there written by GREAT CRITICAL THINKERS such as Chersterton, Knox, etc., let alone Saints and early Church Fathers. Do you really have time for Harry Potter? I'd rather read Orthodox seven times.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Mary Ann, you might want to read this article. I'd like to hear what you think! http://www.remnantnewspaper.com/Archives/2011-0715-ferrara-tucker-mcdonalds.htm
Mary Ann, notice that Allison fails to mention that many other Christians, who are not Catholic, dislike the Potter series too. It is somewhat similar to how some secular writers all of a sudden are protecting the Pope, whom they dispise otherwise, against the supposedly "wickely anti-Catholic" lady who is running for U.S. President. They think we do not catch on to their hypocrisy, but catch on we do.
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