Harry Potter :: essays research papers

During this day and time there are many cool fads that catch on quite quickly and leave quickly as well. Lately there has been one fad that has caught on and it doesn’t seem as if it is going to leave anytime soon. This fad has caused much chaos and controversy throughout America. This fad is called Harry Potter. It seems as if everyone has his or her own opinion on it. Harry Potter started out being a book by J. K. Rowling, intended to entertain children. But somehow it has gotten dragged through the mud and made into a bigger deal than it was until the name Harry Potter is commonly heard on everyday news. The media and many adults are claiming that these books and movie are evil. Robert McGee, associate pastor of the First Baptist church of Merritt Island of CA Says â€Å"I’ve read the Potter books and they are wonderfully written but were not talking about the Smurfs here. Children are leaning the elements of witchcraft in the context of being told it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.† Many of the spells that are used in the movie and books are real spells from the religion Wicca from Great Britain. Roger Coleman, a Wiccan minister of the Church of Iron Oak in Palm Bay, said he found very similarity between his religion and the witchcraft in the series. This is believed to bring children to want to try witchcraft. A video was by The First Baptist church of Merritt Island has started a Potter movie of their own. The one-hour video has been shown to hundreds of people in 11 churches across Brevard County CA. The truth, according to the video, is that â€Å"children as young as kindergarten are being introduced to human sacrifice, and the sucking of blood from dead animals.† On the other hand though many people believe that the books are harmless and are meant to make children use their imagination. Kristin Kendall, an 11-year-old from Port St. John said, â€Å"most kids can tell the difference between fantasy and reality. I’ve read all four books, they are all pretty good. I like the mythical creatures like the unicorn.† Judith Krug ALA spokeswoman said the Potter books are Challenged for two main reasons. â€Å"The complaints are based on the feeling that evil pervades the works and the belief that if young people read these books they’ll forget everything their parents taught them and immediately become witches and warlocks.