I just put in an order for the new Harry Potter today; the first deliveries should reach Kiev in about a week. My navel is puckering and unpuckering in excitement at a frightening rate. This is possibly too much information for you.
Regardless, a healthy percentage of the Christians reading this have just deposited me in a bin marked either 'misguided' or 'worldly.'
Enough bytes have given their lives already to endless debates over the ostensibly pagan nature of Harry Potter and his alleged ability to turn nice kids into warlocks. I'll confine my remarks to something I wrote the other day on a blog I frequent:
If your child's grasp of Christianity is so tenuous that Harry Potter can turn him to the dark side, then you have failed in your covenant duties as a parent. Further, Hogwart's is little more than a fanciful adaptation of British public school life. I think a much greater threat than children turning to witchcraft is that they may develop a desire to wear knickerbockers and speak in fruity little English voices. Now THAT is something to fear.
Dave Kopel has written an interesting review of John Granger's book: The Hidden Key to Harry Potter. The premise of the work is that J.K. Rowling is heir to the tradition of the Inklings-- the Oxford dons (including Lewis and Tolkien) who wrote some of the only worthy fantasy in modern Christian literature. I'd have to read the book to be fully convinced, but it was an interesting alternative view.
Plus I learned that Rowling is a Presbyterian. Which demonstrates the truism that liturgical Christians are the only believers that write decent fiction.
Posted by Discoshaman at juin 21, 2003 08:34 AM | TrackBack
Love that Presbyterian comment!! LOL We bought the book this morning, and Nathaniel is half way through. I love to see a nine year old not wanting to put a book down!
Posted by: Carol at juin 22, 2003 12:12 AMCarol! Now don't you go and give anything away, okay! I'm seriously limiting my online time because I don't want to read any spoilers. When we tried to pre-order the book here a couple of months ago, the local English language store said not to worry--they are getting a bunch in the day after the release. John paid for a copy a few days ago, and we're getting "It could be a week, it could be a month. . ." comments. I'm on pins and needles!
Btw, tomorrow we'll finish up HP 1 with the kids. *grin*
Posted by: The Duchess at juin 22, 2003 01:14 AMFinally, an intelligent comment on HP! :D Loved it so much I read it out loud to my hubby.
Posted by: Andrea at juin 22, 2003 04:05 PMgreat post....sensible stuff...
Posted by: Darren at juin 22, 2003 04:37 PMWhich bookstore was that? I know the guys who run Dinternal and the Globe so if it was one of them, let me know and I'll put you in touch. If it wasn't one of them, you might want to check them out...
Posted by: The Liberal Media at juin 23, 2003 11:37 AMHiya, Lib Media... :)
It was the Stoned Baboon and Bukva that gave us the run-around and said a month or so.
The Duchess was actually mistaken though, I'm on the list at The Globe, and they're going to call me when it comes in. But no money has changed hands yet. They're saying in about a week, which is fine by me. They're a good bunch at the Globe, btw.
Where is Dinternal? I thought I knew every English-language bookstore in this village. :)
Posted by: Discoshaman at juin 23, 2003 12:55 PMDinternal's in an apartment over on Muzeiny Pereulok (sp?) - you know, over there by Dynamo stadium and the Dnipro hotel. Not very well advertised (they mostly do textbooks, but have some other stuff that's pretty good); usually have a sign out on the street during the day when they're open, then you have to find your way into a courtyard and up to the second floor.
Posted by: The Liberal Media at juin 24, 2003 10:55 AMDinternal's in an apartment over on Muzeiny Pereulok (sp?) - you know, over there by Dynamo stadium and the Dnipro hotel. Not very well advertised (they mostly do textbooks, but have some other stuff that's pretty good); usually have a sign out on the street during the day when they're open, then you have to find your way into a courtyard and up to the second floor.
Posted by: The Liberal Media at juin 24, 2003 10:55 AMThis does beg the question, why are liturgical Christians such good writers?
Posted by: Adam Tinworth at juin 24, 2003 08:30 PMAdam Tinworth-
I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the subject. I noticed on your blog that you've been thinking along similar lines...
I think part of it is mundane-- simply a factor of higher education levels, a more urban environment and sadly, oftentimes a more liberal group of people among liturgicals than non-. This is of course because the term encompasses not only Reformed and some evangelicals, but also mainliners and Catholics. Catholics are the most theologically liberal denom in America. Sadly, liberals also tend to write much better than conservatives.
However, I don't think demographics account for all of it. I think also it stems from a basic aesthetic retardation among many evangelicals and fundamentalists. Ironically, they've bought into certain gnostic tendencies that denigrate the physical in favor of the spiritual. Because of this, beauty is no longer seen as a good in itself, whether it be architecture, music or literature. This is especially ironic given that it was the Reformation which helped liberate Christianity from this dualism...
They also have a real problem with fiction in general, I think because of a tendency toward radical literalism. There's a basic suspicion of fiction among many, including some close to me.
I'm looking forward to your thoughts, as mine are still forming in this area.
Yours,
the Discoshaman
What don't you understand? Potter, what God is shapping man into something better. In this case is some one "working witchcraft" in a school for scorcery. It dosen't get more satanic than that.
Posted by: Israel Hurd at juillet 1, 2003 04:11 PM