Objections to Harry Potter?

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SouthernShalom

Wed, Jun 27 2007, 9:51 am

Does anyone here object to these books?

TzenaRena

Wed, Jun 27 2007, 9:53 am

I don't let my kids read it.

SouthernShalom

Wed, Jun 27 2007, 10:11 am

Do you read them?
I have never read them but I don't like all the witches and sorcery that I have heard is in them.

chocolate moose

Wed, Jun 27 2007, 10:21 am

I don't know that much about them, but I'm not sure the Jewish Press wrote favorably about them, when they first became "all that".

TzenaRena

Wed, Jun 27 2007, 10:25 am

No, I don't. for some reason I have no yetzer harah to do so, although I have read every single Yair Weinstock and Chaim Eliav novel that my daughter brought home cover to cover. Wink

I agree with you Southern shalom, I don't like the sorcery stuff either, for sure it's not compatible with Torah hashkafa.

Ruchel

Wed, Jun 27 2007, 10:28 am

No problem with them, although the last ones become less children oriented.

TammyTammy

Wed, Jun 27 2007, 10:56 am

For those who object to HP on the grounds that it contains sorcery and magic, I have a question:

All the characters in the books are not Jewish. Sorcery is permitted to non-Jews... it's only prohibited to Jews.

As such, do you also object to books that have non-Jewish kids cooking on Saturday or eating non-kosher food, or engaging in activities that are otherwise permitted to them but forbidden to you? And if you don't, then why is Harry Potter (and sorcery) different than eating ham or playing ball on Saturday (presumably in non-Jewish books, no one has an eruv)?

Tammy

amother

Wed, Jun 27 2007, 11:08 am

Quote:

I don't let my kids read it.

Do you let your kids read any non-Jewish books though?

I let my dd read books like enid blyton but I don't know about harry potter. It is not so much the witchcraft (that is obvious fantasy) but it does have some quite adult themes (death, boy/girl relationships) that I would be hesitant about.

But compared to books like the dark materials series by philip pullman, harry potter is relatively harmless.

SouthernShalom

Wed, Jun 27 2007, 1:10 pm

But should I let my children become intrigued and influenced by this?

TammyTammy

Wed, Jun 27 2007, 1:37 pm

SouthernShalom wrote:

But should I let my children become intrigued and influenced by this?

What, exactly, are your concerns?

Are you worried that your child will want to be a sorcerer when he grows up? I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Are you worried that some themes may not be age-appropriate for your child? That's a valid concern... depending on your child. You have to know your kid and know what she/he is capable of handling.

Or is it something else entirely?

Tammy

tweety99

Wed, Jun 27 2007, 1:41 pm

its better than reading romance novels!

harry potter is the only non jewish book that I read.

personally I see nothing threatening about it. ok it has a slight bit of unstnius business in it but thats totally not the main story line of the book.

justanothermother

Wed, Jun 27 2007, 1:47 pm

No, only because I read my children's books before letting my kids read them and I cannot even imagine slogging through the series. I tried the first few pages and it was torture.

TammyTammy

Wed, Jun 27 2007, 1:51 pm

justanothermother wrote:

No, only because I read my children's books before letting my kids read them and I cannot even imagine slogging through the series. I tried the first few pages and it was torture.

Fine, but then the problem is not with the content of the HP series per se... just the fact that you can't screen it first.

That's fine. DH and I used to screen all of our kids books before they read them. We don't anymore... just simply because we can't. All three are voracious readers (so are we, but we just can't keep up with them) and they are getting older. We still *monitor* what they read, we can't always pre-screen it first.

Tammy

southernbubby

Wed, Jun 27 2007, 2:29 pm

Years ago I attended a kinnus in CH and one of the workshops was given on chinuch by a menahel with a very long white beard (sorry I don't remember his name) that said that Harry Potter was NOT assur. That doesn't mean that he recommended the books but when he was asked how a book about witch craft could be permitted, he answered that it was understood by the reader to be fiction.

TzenaRena

Wed, Jun 27 2007, 2:30 pm

SouthernShalom wrote:

But should I let my children become intrigued and influenced by this?

I don't. There's no need to bend over backwards to prove that it isn't necessarily so bad, it's not a mitzvah, just a trend! One can live without it.

There is much better stuff to fill children's heads with. Let their reading material be selected for positive, Torah/chinuch content.

Personally, anything that I felt needed screening, I wouldn't get involved with.

SouthernShalom

Wed, Jun 27 2007, 4:42 pm

edit

Last edited by SouthernShalom on Thu, May 15 2008, 10:52 am; edited 1 time in total

TammyTammy

Wed, Jun 27 2007, 4:54 pm

SouthernShalom wrote:

Yes I am concerned that my children might be influenced by the witchcraft part. There are kids and adults out there who practice it as a religion,it is called wicca. Actually it is pretty popular right now in the world.

The witchcraft in the book has *nothing* to do with wicca.

Quote:

Along with the whole goth trend. I wonder how many jewish children have been influenced by this.

The book has nothing to do with the goth lifestyle either.

Quote:

It is out there and I am just as concerned about it as I would be by missionarys trying to convert my kids.
Why should I let them read the stuff and be comfortable with it. Would you let your child watch "The Blair Witch Project" or other movie full of sorcery etc ? It is the same thing only it is on paper.

Sigh.

Firstly, I *did* let my kids read HP. All six books. I'm not worried that they are going to start becoming wiccans because the witchcraft in the book is clearly fantasy and fictional.

I won't let them watch Blair Witch because at the present it's not age-appropriate. Not having seen it, there may be other issues as well... but as for the magic part -- no, I see no reason to "ban" it.

Just to give you another example: I won't let my kids see The Omen because it is too scary for them at this age. But I'm not worried that if they see it that they are going to tattoo "666" on their heads and become satanists.

Tammy

southernbubby

Wed, Jun 27 2007, 5:23 pm

It doesn't look like the religion in Harry Potter is wicca. I say a portion of one of the videos and there was an x-mas tree and Harry was apparently of the x-tion belief. The boarding school that the stories portray sent the students home for x-mas.
Even if wicca is a popular trend, I wonder how many of them were actually inspired by Harry. Jewish parents have a lot to be concerned about today but I have never seen even one Jewish parent worried about their child becoming a witch (other than behaviorly!).

SouthernShalom

Wed, Jun 27 2007, 5:49 pm

edit

Last edited by SouthernShalom on Thu, May 15 2008, 10:58 am; edited 1 time in total

mimivan

Wed, Jun 27 2007, 6:46 pm

TzenaRena wrote:

SouthernShalom wrote:

But should I let my children become intrigued and influenced by this?

In my mind, it's like empty calories for the neshama...
but if I had a child who really insisted, I would talk to a mashpia
(my kids are below reading age so it isn't yet an issue)

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