[HPFGU-OTChatter] Harry Potter and the Freedom of Religion -- longish

[Laura Ingalls Huntley]

alshainofthenorth:
<SNIP>
> And that was just the background. The main reason why I'm posting at
> all comes here: Considering that freedom to exercise your religion is
> one of the basic rights in a democratic society, does anyone think
> that Expressen went too far in making an issue of this?
<SNIP>

Considering  that freedom to exercise your religion is one of the basic 
rights in a democratic society, I think the Expressen has a very good 
point.

The administration in this case are clearly allowing their own 
religious beliefs affect the lives of their students, which is (IMO) 
clearly the student's parent's job. ^_~

Granted, we are talking about a private school, so (presumably) the 
parents have *chosen* to send their kids there, and institution is not 
receiving government funding for their religious discrimination. So, 
technically, I see your point.  However, ethically, I'm with the 
Expressen.

> Does it say explicitly somewhere that it's a basic human right to
> have Potter books in your school library? A principal is within his
> or her rights to make even stupid decisions concerning the running of
> their school (I'm sure that everyone has stories to tell about
> principals making bad decisions). At least one of the arguments was
> sound: Some children get nightmares from reading Harry Potter;

Well, plenty of children get nightmares from a lot of really random 
things.  Anyway, is this a boarding school?  If not, I don't see how 
what gives children nightmares is any of the principal's business.

> and she did make this decision in good faith.

Maybe.  She could have made it to get publicity.  Or, she could have 
made it because she *personally* disliked the books and was in a 
position to deny them to people in her power.  We really can't know.

Laura