Harry Potter is 'the wrong kind of hero' according to the Vatican

[YomMamasHouse]

The Vatican condmened JK Rowling's Harry Potter today describing the teen wizard as "the wrong kind of hero."

In a lengthy article in the Vatican's official newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, headlined: "The double face of Harry Potter" it said it was wrong to compare Rowling's books with the other childrens greats such as Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia.

The attack comes after the Potter series was also slammed by Pope Benedict XVI who said the seven books contained "subtle seductions" that undermined children's religious development by blurring the line between good and evil.

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Harry Potter

Harry Potter is the 'wrong kind of hero' according to the Vatican

In the new attack the L'Osservatore pointed out how many have tried to compare JR Tolkein's Lord of the Rings and CS Lewis Narnia books with the Potter series but says there is nothing similar between them.

It said that despite the "superficially apparent common points" between Harry Potter and the heroes in Tolkien's and Lewis' stories, Rowling "transmits a vision of the world and the human being full of deep mistakes and dangerous suggestions, even more seductive since it is mixed with half-truths and compelling story-telling."

Both Tolkein and Lewis were Christians with Tolkein being a child convert to Catholicism - Rowling's religious beliefs are not known.

L'Osservatore added that in the Lord of the Rings the "fables can depart from the physical world and the universe created, but not from the moral order: we can imagine a universe illuminated by a green sun, but we cannot bulk to the temptation of presenting as positive a reality in which the moral and spiritual structure are inverted or confused, a world in which evil is good."

But it added this was not the case for Harry Potter - whose seventh adventure The Deathly Hallows came out last year - L'Osservatore said:"This is exactly what happens in Harry Potter.

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pope benedict

Pope Benedict XVI has also slammed the Harry Potter series

"Despite several positive values that can be found in the story, at the foundations of this tale is the proposal that of witchcraft as positive, the violent manipulation of things and people thanks to the knowledge of the occult, an advantage of a select few: the ends justify the means because the knowledgeable, the chosen ones, the intellectuals know how to control the dark powers and turn them into good.

"This a grave and deep lie, because it is the old Gnostic temptation of confusing salvation and truth with a secret knowledge."

L'Osservatore did admit that Potter was "rich in Christian values, he is an industrious and scientific magician.

"But the main characters of the great fables never become magicians, and the seductive power of magic has always had grave and destructive consequences: the stories of Tolkien and Lewis describe the rejection of magic and power, not of a certain magic and a certain power, but of power and magic as such.

"There is nothing more antithetical to Harry Potter than Tolkien's young Frodo or Lewis' Pevensie siblings."

Tolkien and Lewis portray "the extraordinary discovery of true Christianity, for which the main character of history is not an exceptional human being, like in the ancient paganism or in today's ideologies, but a person who says yes to the initiatives of God's mysteries."

Instead, L'Osservatore says: "Harry Potter shows a pale disregard for the 'muggles', the common human beings who do not have magic."

In Rowling's stories "...we are told that, at the end, some things are not bad in themselves, if used for a good purpose: violence becomes good, if in the right hands and [used by] the right people, and maybe in the right dose.

"Thus Harry Potter proposes a wrong and malicious image of the hero, an unreligious one, which is even worst that an explicitly anti-religious proposition."

L'Osservatore also said that the Rowling books pointed towards a "new age spirituality" one of Pope Benedict's pet hates.

It also said that the Potter books had led to an "unhealthy interest" from youngsters in Satanism which should be "reflected on and be of concern."

[uBeR]

Was Superman especially (or at all) religious?

[פֿяαιп βαмαgεפ]

Harry is a naughty boy.

[Damascus]

That article was worse than reading about the Zapper encouraging gun use

[YomMamasHouse]

Originally Posted by Mahatma Gandhi

I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.

Agreed. <3 Gandhi

[Ihmhi]

Dude, he's not even a member of these forums. Or alive.

Anyway, does anyone even listen to the Vatican anymore? Most "Catholics" today sin left and right anyway, and church attendance is down worldwide. Give it a couple of generations and the Vatican will be EuroDisney II with an animatronic, midget Pope singing "It's a Small World" in Italian.

[Etzell]

Originally Posted by Ihmhi

Dude, he's not even a member of these forums. Or alive.

Anyway, does anyone even listen to the Vatican anymore? Most "Catholics" today sin left and right anyway, and church attendance is down worldwide. Give it a couple of generations and the Vatican will be EuroDisney II with an animatronic, midget Pope singing "It's a Small World" in Italian.

You beat me to it.
"OH NO! THE VATICAN SAID SOMETHING! ...Wait, what?"

[YomMamasHouse]

It is kinda sad that people like the Pope still live in the fantasy world of mystical powers and evil vs good. Although you guys are still right, a few more generations of education and the Pope and his ilk will be laughing stocks. Hopefully.

[Circuitous]

Originally Posted by uBeR

Was Superman especially (or at all) religious?

Yeah, sorta.

In his early days, at least, he was 100% good guy and pro-America.

'Course then everyone wanted to show the "dark side" of superheroism, and, well, you know how that goes.

[ekiM]

So, the Harry Potter series espouses values not in line with Catholicism. Well, shit.

[פֿяαιп βαмαgεפ]

Originally Posted by Etzell

You beat me to it.
"OH NO! THE VATICAN SAID SOMETHING! ...Wait, what?"

[uBeR]

Originally Posted by Circuitous

Yeah, sorta.

In his early days, at least, he was 100% good guy and pro-America.

'Course then everyone wanted to show the "dark side" of superheroism, and, well, you know how that goes.

Yes, but Superman was unreligious, like Potter, and Superman is the epitome of heroes.

[YomMamasHouse]

Don't let the Vatican know that or they will label him the Antichrist along with other heathenish, religiously tolerant people like Napoleon.

[ekiM]

"Kal-El", anyone?

[uBeR]

So? And my name is Benjamin.

[Circuitous]

Originally Posted by uBeR

Yes, but Superman was unreligious, like Potter, and Superman is the epitome of heroes.

Right, he had no clearly explained religion, but he also didn't directly defy the religion in question (in HP's case, witchcraft and whatnot). Basically he was a religious gray area, but he did enough good deeds that any "good" religion could apparently be satisfied.

Also, Superman wasn't hugely popular in a time when the church desperately needed some attention, so I suppose it doesn't really matter.

[uBeR]

OK, well in any case, I disagree with the Vatican that one need be religious to be heroic.

[Circuitous]

I figured we all did.

[uBeR]

Well, we can't rule out everyone. There are some sensitive people on this forum...

[Zydell]

Imho the vatican is much more dangerous than Harry Potter.