#  What do Christian protests about Harry Potter books teach us? | Religion News Service 

 





June 28, 2017

 

 

(The Conversation) On Monday (June 26), Harry James Potter — the world’s most famous wizard — will celebrate his 20th birthday. His many fans will likely mark the occasion by rereading a favorite Harry Potter novel or rewatching one of the blockbuster films. Some may even raise a butterbeer toast in Harry’s honor at one of three Harry Potter-themed amusement parks.But not everyone will be celebrating Harry’s big day. In fact, a vocal group of Christians – [usually identified as “Bible-believing” or fundamentalist Christians](http://web.b.ebscohost.com/abstract?direct=true&profile=ehost&scope=site&authtype=crawler&jrnl=15431223&AN=33294729&h=7TLyJG5R2oXdCzI4R86xYgsL/hpu3pGRmnZPwlmswh62VOBros1hjyiUm2U2yx8Gx3tsXa3setpoptjkquAYbA==&crl=c&resultNs=AdminWebAuth&resultLocal=ErrCrlNotAuth&crlhashurl=login.aspx?direct=true&profile=ehost&scope=site&authtype=crawler&jrnl=15431223&AN=33294729) – has been resistant to Harry’s charms from the start. Members of this community, who believe the Bible to be literal truth, [campaigned vigorously](http://www.ala.org/bbooks/top-100-bannedchallenged-books-2000-2009) to keep J.K. Rowling’s [best-selling novels](https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/ten-years-later-harry-potter-vanishes-from-the-best-seller-list/)out of classrooms and libraries. They even staged public [book burnings](http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=93727&page=1)across the country, at which children and parents were invited to [cast Rowling’s books](http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2002/02/ljarchives/harry-potter-book-burning-draws-fire/) into the flames. These fiery spectacles garnered widespread media coverage, sparking reactions ranging from [bemusement](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1735623.stm) to [outrage](https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007945).Source: *[What do Christian protests about Harry Potter books teach us? | Religion News Service](http://religionnews.com/2017/06/26/what-do-christian-protests-about-harry-potter-books-teach-us/)*

 

 

 



 

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