Harry Potter in Schools

[sweetusagi76]

No: HPFGUIDX 33720

I saw this on CBC Newsworld (kind of like the CNBC of Canada) the 
other day and in all the discussion about the literary merit of Harry 
Potter, forgot to post this!  It does tie into Kimball's Judeo-
Christian worldview thing a bit.  

On Wed. (I think) there was a news article on CBC Newsworld 
concerning Harry Potter being included in the curriculum of a 
parochial school in Saskatchewan.  There is a debat between some 
parents (of children who are not yet old enough to attend school) and 
the school board over the inclusion of Harry Potter in the reading 
curriculum.  These parent are opposed to the HP series being included 
in a Christian curriculum because they feel it promotes witchcraft, 
which they feel has no place in a parochial school.  The stance of 
the school board (which includes the priests and nuns of the parish) 
believe that there is nothing wrong with the inclusion of HP because 
it shows the battle between good and evil.  They also believe that it 
is good because it promotes reading and is interesting to the 
children.  

I personally don't agree with the parents.  For one thing, their 
children are not currently participating in this curriculum and who 
is to say that HP will no longer be included once their children are 
in the school?   For another thing, I am quite strongly against the 
banning of books.  HP is not inherently bad, there is no foul 
language (unless you count "damn" and "bloody hell", which are easily 
replaced) and no sexual connotations in the books.  This is a book 
that is published to be enjoyed by children (When I was in the 6th 
grade or so we had to read a book about nazis, not for history class 
either!!)  And finally, I don't feel that HP promotes honest to 
goodness witchcraft.  I have read many books, some on Wicca (which is 
a form of modern day witchcraft) and the witchcraft in HP has nothing 
in common to the modern day practice of witchcraft/Wicca.  JKR did 
take many things from mythology and medievel beliefs, but the magic 
of HP is completely fictitious and have no basis in real life.  It is 
up to the parent to explain real and pretend to their child, IMO, 
because children cannot always discern the difference (though 
children are inherently intuitive).  That's what parents are there 
for.  

Angela