Australian college bans Potter

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A Christian college in Australia has become the latest institution to ban the Harry Potter books for putting "evil" wizardry in a good light.

Maranatha Christian College near Melbourne said the books promoted wizardry as normal - not a message to which students should be exposed.

A string of other schools around the world have taken the same step in recent years.

Principal Bert Langerak said: "As Christians, witchcraft and the occult are considered evil.

"It has been widely publicised that many children have tried to cast spells as a result of reading the books, and that is not a view we want held."

The college's librarians decided the stories were unsuitable but they had no complaints from students or parents, he said.

"As a mature reader I can see the difference between fantasy and reality but some children cannot and this is where it becomes dangerous," he said.

He added: "We would deal with, say, Macbeth and Hamlet, because evil there is being portrayed as evil and not as being good."

Since Potter became the world's favourite children's character, there have been concerns around the globe about his influence.

In 2001, 60 Australian Seventh-Day Adventist schools banned the books from classrooms over concerns they might encourage children to experiment with the occult.

A cultural organisation tried to get them banned throughout Russia while 13 US states also tried to have them removed from shelves.

A US judge recently overturned a ban by an Arkansas school district after rejecting arguments that Harry Potter encouraged witchcraft.

Shredding party

A pile of Potter books were burned in New Mexico in December 2001 by a religious group who claimed Harry was "the devil",

A preacher in Lewiston, Maine, marked The Chamber of Secrets' release by holding a party in which he shredded copies of Potter books.

The books were successfully removed from private schools in the United Arab Emirates because the government said the story was contrary to Islamic values.

The latest book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, was released to a worldwide frenzy on 21 June.

It sold 5.8 million copies on its first day in the US and UK alone - and topped the best-seller list in France, despite only being published in English.

That is retarded it is just a book, no worse than many of the cartoons our children are subjected too like all these japanese anime ones, they are overly violent and our children take notice of that, I see many children acting on them and pretending to beat people up. Atleast the violence in Harry Potter cannot be acheived by our children it is not like they are going to pull out their wands and curse one another...........completely retarded.

How very true. The cartoons that are on tv now are horrible. There is so much violence in everything now. Oh now... we must ban these HP books... but let me go out and buy my child the newest toy gun or sword. Please....

And I can just see all of us HP fans, banning together, and getting fake wands and starting to "threaten" to use a spell on people. Sheesh...

i can't believe that. destroying HP books??? as a HP fanatic, i think that that's blasphemy! Harry Potter is not in any way shape or form "evil" or "occult", on the contrary, in many cases it preaches equality for people of all backgrounds (dumbledore admitting "mud-bloods", 1/2 giants and werewolves to hogwarts)

This like many other thing like banning the pledge of alligiance to the american flag is just so idiotic, I would rather get rid of things like boring non-fiction then harry potter .... but theres not much can do to stop people from hating things they dont like....

I agree with you, Miniluv. The HP books teach so many good lessons. They "preach" tolerance" to all people.

And like hagrid isn't big stated... our American pledge of the allegiance has been banned from so many places. Pepse has put a picture of the Two Towers in NY that were destroyed in it, and took out "One Nation Under God" because they didn't want to offend anyone.

So... what's next. Let's see, they burn our HP books. Ummmm... I know, they will get all the Dr. Suess books and start banning those, because they are evil as well.... right?

well the Grinch definitely is EVIL .. he has an evil grin .. you never know ..


ineli

Oh... most definately. He want's to ruin Christmas!!!
Bad... evil... mean old Grinch!!!!

Absolutely I am amazed that they have not banned Dr Seuss already saying that they would promote the use of hallucinagenics...... It is such a 16th century attitude lets burn the witches they are evil, oh your not a witch well lets burn you anyway!!!!!! Just waiting for the torch and pitchfork to come back into style now.

I wouldn't be surprised.

Okay, you're overreacting. It's just a couple of fools blinded by their religion that are banning HP. The rest of the world is on Harry's side. Actually it's usually politics not religion that sets books on fire... at least in the last 300 years**... so what are you concerned for? The Churches don't have power as they once had. They can hate HP, but they can't stop other people reading it, and more they're banning - more fans HP will earn.

Maja... we're JOKING!!! That's all... having a little fun at the expense of people who do the most idiotic things. *take a deep breath and laugh with us* It's no big deal.

Maja laughs ;-)

Whewie. See... we are just having fun!!!
I just find that people who have this "fear" over the HP books, and need to ban them, burn them, etc... I just don't know what to say. It's so funny that religion needs to just step in and try to be a part of things like this. SEPERATE YOURSELVES!!!
If you don't like the books... don't read them. Don't promote them. Don't buy them. But leave all of us alone!!!

I completely agree KJ, it is not like we are running around sacrificing goats and mutilating midgets. Then people would have something to complain about and have a reason for acting idiotic. Maja, we are just being sarcastic and having fun picking on stupid people it is all for fun.

Oh man... I can just see it now. We can be like a 3 ring circus.

"Come one... come all. Step right through this tent and take a seat. Ladies and gentlemen, and children of all ages... Harry Potter fans present an original act that has never been preformed before a live audience. Follow our spot light over to the center ring, where KJ and Phoenix have a goat with a midgit atop it... and they are preparing their knives. They will each throw, blindfolded, and make these sacrifices to the tribute of all Harry Potter fans throughout the world. Watch, behold and prepare for the magical journey!!!"

Oh man... what a thought!!! I'm so bad. And it's all your fault, Phoenix.

yeah all phoenix's fault..... bad phoenix, bad......

As a Christian mother I say HP is wonderful! My boys & I love the series & have read the first 4 books together. We still dont haven't read the latest- that is because we are in the currently in the midst of reading The Chronicles of Narnia series. We are on book 7 now. When we finish, I have promised to get The Order of The Phoenix.

Ahoy you folks,

Why can't the world leave a poor bloke like Harry Potter alone?

If only our politicians were more like the one with the glasses and wand.

Long live the majesty of wizardry and other paranormal activities!

There is wild rumour monkeying aroung town that Harry Potter is Mrs Thatcher in drag. Is there any evidence in circling around this cheap piece of tittle tattle?

Yours

Preston the great.

i have some friends (they are protestant) who wouldn't touch the HP books. they say, they cannot accept all the witchcraft, the dark wizardry and the wand waving .. due to their religion ..


i can accept that, i just think it's a pity, since they miss some awesome literature ..

ineli

ok,they can't accept that....huh?
i mean if they would accept it, would they start waving wands and say magic words?

hey, lets stay a little more tolerant here .. nobody is forced to like HP ..

ineli

Yes, Nion... we have to accept that not everyone wants to have the same likes and dislikes in this world. It is what makes us all individuals. But, it is sad that they think that the HP books are filled with evil. They aren't, and they teach so many good lessons... along with being fun at the same time.

I think everone is right that no one is forced to read hp or anything but, reading fiction books is supossed to higher your reading level i think that hp should be promoted to kids instead of being taken away from them, there only handicapping our children of better reading standards.

here here, hagrid isn't big. I totally agree with you that the books should be read by all kids. But, it isn't like that. Parent's have every right to say what their children can and can't read. My mom just retired from being a 3rd grade teacher for 40 years, and she has read HP & the Sorcerer's Stone to her class every year since it's release. None of the parent's complained.

Hold the phone i didn't mean that parents must give the kids hp books i meant to say is they should think about what benefits the book can give children..