Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. Today we’re going to be discussing
something a little bit more..controversial than usual- taking a trip all the way back
to the late 90s / early 2000s and uncovering WHY ON EARTH Harry Potter became (for a time)
one of the most banned media franchises in the world. Over the past few decades
the Harry Potter books have helped shape the imagination of millions of chi*ldren
worldwide. Millions lined up at midnight release parties, dressed up as Harry,
Ron and Hermione for Halloween, and proudly shouted out their Hogwarts
house for all to hear. But for some, these things were never an option. What’s the deal?
Let’s dive in to it.
If you asked most people to describe Harry Potter, they’d consider it to be fairly innocuous.
The books and films follow the life of a young boy who figures out that he’s a wizard,
steps foot in to a magical world, and shortly thereafter begins attending a magical school.
It’s here that he builds new friendships, faces a variety of hardships / challenges,
and ultimately finds himself facing off against a tyrannical dark wizard by the name of Voldemort.
The books also explore a variety of inoffensive themes consistent with
many other works of literature. These themes include (among MANY others)…
Coming of Age: exploring this theme through emphasizing the challenges
and obstacles that Harry and his friends navigate as they grow up.
Good VS Evil: exploring this theme by placing emphasis on the struggle between Harry and
his friends, who represent good, and the main antagonist, Lord Voldemort, who represents evil.
And particularly:
Friendship and Loyalty: The series explores the theme of friendship and
loyalty through the relationships between Harry,
Hermione, and Ron. The three friends stick together through thick and thin,
and their friendship is a major source of strength and support for Harry throughout the series.
But with all of the above mentioned- my point is this:
Harry Potter is, on the surface, about as unobjectionable as works of fiction come.
Or…..is it?
In the late 90s / early 2000s, the Harry Potter books started getting banned EVERYWHERE.
Several states in the US (including Arizona and
New Mexico) BANNED Harry Potter from schools and libraries.
In India, the Harry Potter books were banned after
being brandished "a threat to chi*ldren's moral upbringing."
In Egypt, the books were banned by religious authorities who deemed
the books "anti-Islamic" and a "threat to national security."
In Saudi-Arabia the books were banned because they were “un-islamic” and haram.
And in Russia, the books were banned in many schools and libraries due to
concerns about the promotion of "Western values."
I should also mention that the extent to which the books were banned in different countries
varies. In some cases, the books were merely banned from specific schools or libraries,
while in other cases, the books were banned in the country altogether.
In some EXTREME cases- the Harry Potter books were even subject to mass BURNINGS- with
thousands of copies of the popular books being set alight as spectators looked on in excitement.
So, just what is it about the Harry Potter books that was so contentious? How could so many
different global cultures have such a big problem with these books? What did all of this stem from?
In truth, there are a few different answers as to why the Harry Potter books have been so
controversial. I’m going to start with the MOST significant contributor to the book’s notoriety,
and work backwards. Following that, I’m going to
explain WHY some of these criticisms are unsubstantiated and unjustified.
Religion
Put quite succinctly - one of the main reasons for the ban is the religious belief that the
books promote witchcraft and the worship of Satan. Many religious groups, including Christians and
Muslims, believe that the practice of magic is a sin and that the books' depiction of magic and
witchcraft is harmful to chil*dren. They argue that the books encourage ch*ildren to practice
magic and worship Satan, and that this is a dangerous message to send to young readers.
There are many references to witchcraft in the bible- with almost all of them directly
condemning it. And provided that one of the key thematic elements of Harry Potter IS witchcraft,
it’s not surprising that it’s been condemned by various religious groups.
For example: Deuteronomy 18:11-12 condemns anyone who "casts spells, or who is a medium
or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord,
and because of these detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations
before you", and Exodus 22:18 states "Do not allow a sorceress to live".
The books are also accused of Idolatry due to the practice of magic. In many religions, Idolatry
refers to the worship of someone or something other than God as though it were God. The first
of the biblical Ten Commandments is explicit in its prohibition of idolatry: “You shall have
no other gods before me.” Idolatry is directly perceived as a sin AGAINST god- an abandonment of
him- and so it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that religious groups would take issue with this.
And from a different (but still religious) perspective,
other religious groups criticize the books for promoting a secular and humanist worldview,
which is of course in opposition to their religious worldview. They see the books as
promoting a worldview that places human beings at the center of the universe, rather than God.
The Occult
“The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs
and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing
phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism and their varied spells.
It can also refer to supernatural ideas like extra-sensory perception and parapsychology.”
Given that one of the central elements of Harry Potter is magic,
it’s unsurprising that Harry Potter would be inevitably linked to the Occult- a term which
refers to supernatural forces outside of the scope of religion and science.
Critics have argued that the books' portrayal of divination, astrology, and other occult practices
is dangerous and could lead to an interest in the occult among chi*ldren. They also argue
that the books' portrayal of ghosts, demons, and other supernatural entities is inappropriate.
The main argument behind this piece of criticism is that Harry Potter magic is
synonymous with Occult magic- which is that it’s supernaturally driven. But,
what we’ll discuss in a minute is that this is entirely unfounded.
Violence
One of the lesser reasons for the Harry Potter books being banned is that they
promote violence. Critics have argued that the books' portrayal of battles and violence
between wizards and witches is too graphic and could encourage chil*dren to engage in
violent behavior. They also argue that the books' depiction of death and suffering
is inappropriate for young readers and could lead to emotional trauma. This one
is (in my opinion) very insignificant when compared with the other criticisms directed
toward the books. Particularly as violence is prevalent in all sorts of works of fiction.
The Defence
The primary arguments AGAINST the Harry Potter books is
that they are sacrilegious- promoting witchcraft, magic and the supernatural.
But the issue with this is that JK Rowling has always been consistent
in her stance that the Harry Potter books do not deal with divine intervention- but
are instead entirely secular. The term Secular refers to ‘attitudes,
activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis’.
Instead, she has expressed that the magic in Harry Potter is the product of science and not
religion- entirely indedepent from the alleged intervention of gods or supernatural forces.
One of the largest assumptions made about Harry Potter is that it is somehow related to Wiccanism
- a modern pagan, witchcraft religion- but Rowling has since confirmed that this is not true.
In short, the magic and perceived ‘supernatural’ forces in Harry Potter are a secular phenomenon
driven by science and are NOT influenced by any kind of supernatural forces or gods.
And though the Harry Potter books have now been (for the most part) unbanned across
the globe-largely due to significant public protest-there are still people and places that
have turned a blind eye to the undeniable evidence AGAINST the Harry Potter book’s ties to religion.
At the end of the day, the Harry Potter books are innocuous works of fiction that
explore prominent and relatable themes, teach valuable lessons,
and most importantly- promote reading and the exploration of one’s own imagination.
And that’s it for this video! Did you grow up with Harry Potter? Or was it
BANNED in your country, state or public library? Leave a comment down below.
Until next time
Remember
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live