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SEPTEMBER 5, 2006 at 8:29 PM
Posted by GERI
Source: CBC via YubaNet via Moreover
Additional controversy seems to be popping up once again in reference to the Harry Potter books and the Vatican. This time, chief exorcist, Rev. Gabriele Amorth states
that fictional character Harry Potter is the “king of darkness, the devil” in an interview with Vatican Radio last week.
Rev. Amorth goes on to compare the Potter characters to Stalin and Hitler, and says:
You can tell by their behavior and their actions, from the horrors they committed and the atrocities that were committed on their orders. That's why we need to defend society from demons.
You may remember that last year in another interview on Vatican Radio, Monsignor Peter Fleetwood, an expert on New Age and former official at the Pontifical Council for Culture said that:
...I remain firmly convinced that the Harry Potter novels are very well written. They are written on the classical plot of good versus evil in the standard way that the old myths were written. The characters are built up around that: the goodies and the baddies so to speak, and I can't see that that's a bad thing for children, when goodness, and the people on the side of goodness are portrayed as the ones who will eventually win. Harry's enemies resort to all sorts of evil things, and they are the ones who loose in the end. I don't see what's wrong with that, and I can't see that does any harm to children.
It would seem that personnel from the Vatican cannot agree on Harry Potter.
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Witch
Points: 580
*SlytherinEmpress* says:
wow, i think the Vatican is digging way to much into this. Hypathetically speaking if Harry Potter was real, and there really were wizards and witches about. That would still not impact the amount of people still following the church.
WOOT!!
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 12:23 PM EST
Witch
Points: 816
Y:h. says:
Aha. Sure. Harry Potter characters. Hmhm. Evil. Of coooooourse. Well, he still believes that Adam and Eve were the first people on earth and that thanks to them there are now billions of people in the world, huh?
I never thought about Harry Potter being discussed by the pope and his littel men, running around and doing everything he wants.
Naaaah. Harry's not evil. Okay, Harry's an idiotn, but hey, the others aren't (especially Ron ;) ^^)
They did take too much of the incense.
So long.
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 12:26 PM EST
Witch
Points: 797
magically delicious says:
Rev. Amorth goes on to compare the Potter characters to Stalin and Hitler, and says:
You can tell by their behavior and their actions, from the horrors they committed and the atrocities that were committed on their orders. That's why we need to defend society from demons.
I respect someone's right to voice their opinion but this is insulting and appalling in many ways, and I'm a Christian. If they aren't willing to read a children's book to understand what it's about, they shouldn't be making completely extreme comparisons to murderous, downright PURE evil dictators who killed millions of people in the pursuit of power. Ridiculous. It's a children's book and they are worried about nothing!
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 12:31 PM EST
Wizard
Points: 962
ronald's pet wolf says:
I'm not Christian but I have respect for such a high religious authority but I think that:
1) He should read the books before such a comment.
2) People respect him so he shouldn't take bad advantage of his powers.
3) He should respect other people's opinions.
4) I agree that religiously, Christian beliefs state witchcraft is evil but Harry Potter isn't meant in that way; if he read it, he would realise the characters are good, they're not morally evil or anything, the only reason Harry or any of the goodies fight is to conquer evil.
5) If Harry's the devil, what Voldemort? God? I don't think so ...
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 12:41 PM EST
Auror
Points: 2231
Harry's Detour says:
The thing that bothers me most about those who condemn HP is that they have never read the books. They make assumptions off of the story's idea: a young wizard. They hear witchcraft and panic, without ever realizing the hero story exemplified in the books. IF they had read the books, they would call LV, not Harry, "the devil" and "evil".
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 12:45 PM EST
Professor
Points: 1083
JDPotter says:
Good grief! I am sick of people saying that Harry Potter is evil! Grow up! It's an innocent book!
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 1:31 PM EST
Auror
Points: 2655
BeachWizard says:
The most irritating thing about the article is that he most likely has never cracked open one of the books. Hitler and Stalin were REAL people... they did evil unimaginable things. The Potter world is complete fiction, not real. What part of that do they not understand? Why not go after those violent video games... the ones that have the kids reenacting killing, rape, etc. JK got thousands and thousands of children/teens to pick up a book and read!!!! They really need to sit down and read the book before they start spouting nonsense and using their postions to sway people's opinions.
(Okay... I'll get off my soapbox now... sorry that just really irritates me to no end.)
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 1:38 PM EST
Witch
Points: 920
Vampire_lover28 says:
An excerist of all people shouldn't be judgeing Harry Potter. He probably hadn't even read it, if he can read at all.People like him make me mad. But at least I think that it sounds like this Fleetwood guy does think it is so bad.
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 1:41 PM EST
Azkaban's Most Wanted
(Moderator)
Points: 13598
Lord Zimkel says:
Hehe. Thestral Eyes (STALK!), when I first spotted this topic in the news here I couldn't wait to see what you were gonna say.
"Everythings EVIl and the DEVIl and blar blar blar...seriousely, get a brain and move in to this century and away from the flippin dark ages."
Well put. Their opinions really haven't advanced that much since the dark ages, not really. It may seem as if they have, to the naïve and unobservant perhaps, but I don't allow myself to think for one minute that the religious men of to-day within the Vatican are any different from those who were in charge a thousand years ago.
"That's why we need to defend society from demons."
Statements like that only harden my view that many, or most, of those within the Vatican are no more than Christianity's very own fanatics; their wings clipped by modern society. If it weren't for the people, and how far we have come, I am convinced that the Roman Catholic Church wouldn't have come very far, and we'd all be standing in line awaiting our turn at the stake.
OH NO! I just declared myself a Lord, I guess I'm gonna be at thr front of the line :P
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 1:51 PM EST
Auror
Points: 2419
Gwenyth says:
I think that it is hilarious that the Vatican cannot agree whether or not they condone HP. Oh geez.
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 1:52 PM EST
Healer in Training
Points: 2661
nubian_weasley01 says:
I just don't get it... I just don't see it. I understand the pope saying that LV is evil... but Harry?! nothing can be farther from the truth. Every other fantasy has magic in it but they don't call them "evil" (i.e. Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Cinderella).
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 2:09 PM EST
Haldir's Horcrux
Points: 6269
Corvis says:
Sorry to say, but someone may want to actually read the books before making such powerful comparisons. Invoking a comparison to Hitler is insulting to anyone who finds the books moral. I read these to my kids, as many parents do, but I wouldn't read them Nazi propaganda. This opinion is very highly insulting. I'm glad that there are others in the Vatican that vouch for the story itself.
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 2:21 PM EST
Witch
Points: 724
Hogwarts-Phoenix says:
What is the world coming to. They are just children's books with no hidden meaning We could go on forever over analysing every book and making them have some sort of politically incorrect meaning. The world has gone mad!!
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 2:25 PM EST
Professor
Points: 1102
Fire Phoenix says:
Well has this rev. Gabriele Amorth read the books! I don't see any part were harry is really evil or has no normal behavior on persons in the books he is more good than bad (I would say a normal human!)
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 2:39 PM EST
Head Girl
Points: 487
crazy_purple_hp_freak says:
Oh dear, not one of these again... *rolls eyes*
It seems that, like the ordinary people, the Vatican can't agree on HP either... (same with Da Vinci Code..heh) I respect all the different opinions and everything but I don't see why one of these opinions should be made to influence all of the fans as a whole community..?
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 2:43 PM EST
Squib
Points: 136
devils snare says:
This is the funniest thing i have ever heard,
Soon their going to be burning people who read it for being witchs, I mean come on, All the bad things that are going on all over the world and there worried about a fictional book???
Its very sad!!
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 3:09 PM EST
Order of Merlin, 3rd Class
Points: 1550
the_girl_who_lived89 says:
This is SICK!! He dosen't know what he is talking about or who!
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 3:15 PM EST
Witch
Points: 991
Dementor Exterminator says:
The devil??? What planet is he living on?? Of course Harry isn't the devil! Just because it's about magic doen't mean it's evil or whatever! I seriously think that some of us Christians take stuff like this too far. (But of course i must respect it.) It's ridiculous. And what's Harry got to do with Hitler? Nothing. He's nothing like him.
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 3:21 PM EST
Seer
Points: 15207
Brittany Radcliffe says:
OH
MY GOSH!!!!
im SO sick of hearing all the Harry Potter is the Devil CRAP that it is.
im not even going to say more than that because i will get mad.
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 3:39 PM EST
Reform Snapist
Points: 3586
misamanda says:
Actually, this Amorth person is acting a lot more like a Nazi than are the people he's accusing.
It was typical of Nazis to put down various forms of art that they found "degenerate" (this applied to pretty much anything they didn't like, or that was from a non-Nazi worldview, or that was 'modern' art in style, etcetera). They would claim that this art was evil.
Too bad.
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 3:43 PM EST
Harry's Soul-Mate
Points: 3337
Lea says:
Oh, dear....
You know, when I first saw the news I thought "Why would the Pope need an exorcist?!"...
Then I got it: oh, silly me, she works for him!... And then I actually read the article and here's what I have to say:
Your Sanctity, this lady exorcist is wasting your money. If she thinks the enemy she's supposed to fight and chase out of people's souls is Harry Potter, I doubt she's going to be much useful!.. My suggestion would be to fire&replace her a.s.a.p.
P.S. She hasn't even read the book she's fighting against: she is clearly mistaking Harry to Voldemort -in other words, mistaking the hero to the villain! -the good guy to the bad one! ...Umm.... maybe your Holiness should verify if she's read the Holly Book properly??...
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 3:53 PM EST
Half-Blooded Fooch
Points: 2447
fooch48 says:
THis kind of comment doesnt even deserve a response.
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 3:56 PM EST
Hogwarts Founder
Points: 3481
Godric Gryffindor says:
The Pope Exorcist should try reading the book so he knows what he's talking about. The book is centered on love defeating evil, i don't get it why he says that. He just see words like "Wizardry" or "Dark Lord" Popping in the book and he assumes that the book is possesd by the devil? This is outrageous.
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 3:58 PM EST
Hermione's Twin
Points: 5063
*Miss Hermione Granger* says:
Ah yes.....this again! WHAT is so bad about a book? I don`t get it...I really don`t. A FICTIONAL character the devil..... uh huh? I am a christian but I think this is too much.......
*Jamie*
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 3:59 PM EST
Prefect
Points: 392
A_Mom_Like_Molly says:
And they wonder why people are flocking to get away from the church. It is just absolutely rediculous for anyone to think that fictional characters could have anything to do with "satan." Seriously, can the people at the Vatican be that horribly disillusioned? When John Paull II was still alive, he encouraged children to read these books! He knew what they were and what they could do, bring an entire generation away from the television and back to the libraries. It really makes me insane to read these kinds of statements.
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 4:03 PM EST
Order of Merlin, 3rd Class
Points: 1596
Truska says:
Since when was the good side going to lose...do they really think that JKR would do that. They obviously have no idea about the Harry Potter Universe. Voldemort is going to die...good will win.
You can tell by their behavior and their actions, from the horrors they committed and the atrocities that were committed on their orders. That's why we need to defend society from demons.
I mean, get real! There are no demons in Harry Potter. Try reading the Darren Shan books...then they'll find demons. How dare they insult Harry Potter.
Posted Sep 6, 2006 at 4:19 PM EST
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