HP morally questionable? Discuss...

[nera at rconnect.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 17140

>Big snip about morality of HP books. 
> Those are just some superficial observations; I'd be interested to 
hear more
> from others.
> --
> Rebecca J. Bohner
************************
IMHO, ALL books are morally questionable, including and maybe 
especially, the Bible. If not, what would the religious scholars 
debate for centuries? You can find immorality in anything, if you 
search hard enough. You can also find a great moral teaching in just 
about everything, if you search hard enough. 

When my son was about age 10 and wanted to watch "The Simpsons" on 
tv, I watched it with him and we discussed it afterwards. Bart and 
Harry, both do things that adults view as "bad behaviour". Children 
get a chuckle out of the things they do because, in their minds, they 
would love to be brave enough to fracture the rules, but in reality, 
their consciences get the best of them. 

I think a lot of the things that Harry gets away with fall under the 
heading of "the greater good". If your baby sister has crawled out 
onto the road and you are the only one to see her... yet your mom has 
told you to NEVER go into the road, under ANY circumstances, what do 
you do? Your mom told you to sit on the couch and not to move until 
she gets back, but the curtains are on fire. What do you do? These 
are the kinds of situations that children often face. They need to 
know how to make "wise choices, not always safe choices", meaning 
that sometimes, you even have to make a choice that breaks a rule, in 
order to do the greater good.

I think there is a good balance between the rules that Harry gets 
punished for breaking, or reprimanded for ... and the ones he gets 
away with, as it is with most children. How many parents have had eye-
opening chats with grown children about all the things that they "got 
away with"? I have told my parents things that I did when I was 
growing up that quite shocked them. They also told me about knowing 
some things about which I was positive they had no knowledge! I think 
that JKR has painted a very realistic world for us. It would be dull 
if Harry was perfect all the time. It would be worrisome if he never 
got caught in the act, too. As usual, good job, JKR!

Doreen, CPW