Why Are Harry Potter Books Being Banned?

Whether or not you agree with the banning of Harry Potter books, you can probably agree that this issue is quite an interesting one.

Religious

Looking carefully at the reasons why Harry Potter books are being banned reveals that religion is at the center of the controversy. Christians believe that the Bible says that witchcraft and wizardry are evil, and that we are not supposed to meddle in these forces. Parents and educators do not necessarily think that their children are going to start practicing witchcraft, but they do not think that witchcraft should be portrayed as a good and fun practice to their children.

Of course, this is going to vary state by state. You will still find Harry Potter books even in Catholic schools in some of the more liberal states. When you travel to the more conservative regions of the country, you might find them banned from public schools. It really is going to depend upon where you are.

Another reason that religion is playing a big role in the banning and allowing of Harry Potter books is because of Daniel Radcliffe, the star of the movie. Only about a year or so ago Radcliffe announced that he is an atheist. He said that this is probably not going to help the fact that many Christians are already against these types of books and he was correct.

Morality

Even if your system of morality is not based on a religion, you still might take objections that are similar to the religious objections. Even if you are not a Christian who believes that the Bible says that witchcraft and the like are morally wrong and related to the devil, you might still worry about your child getting too comfortable with these Wiccan practices. We are not saying that you are or are not correct in your thinking; we are just giving you another reason why these books are becoming banned.

Of course, it is still hard to pull away from the religious component of this matter because it still is the force which brings these issues up.

Scary

Another reason why the Harry Potter books are becoming more of a hot topic issue in regards to being banned because as the series progressive, the stories become much darker. The story lines are not as light and fluffy as in the first few tales. As the children in the novels progress, their lives become more adult-like, but in ways that can potentially be too scary for other children to deal with.

Decide for Yourself

We do not want to give away the plots of the stories to you, in case you are planning on reading them. However, you should be aware of how intense the story lines get. Even if the books are not banned at your child's school or library, you may want to check them out to make sure they are appropriate for your little ones.