J.K. Rowling Gets Death Threats Over Harry Potter
J.K. Rowling with
'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'
Photo: Cate Gillon / Getty Images
Sometimes, though, the stark difference between mild-mannered European Christianity and extremist American Christianity is made so obvious and clear that it begs to be held up high as an example to all. That's what we have now in the negative and critical reactions to J.K. Rowling's popular series of Harry Potter books. British Christians send her polite letters asking her not to do certain things; American Christians send her death threats.
Rowling says her success has been "the experience of a lifetime." But it also has brought an intense level of pressure, scrutiny and criticism. In the United States, her book tours have attracted thousands of screaming children, but also death threats. Some Christians have called for the books to be banned, claiming they promote witchcraft.
Source: USA Today (via Unscrewing the Inscrutable)
This is not to say that only American Christians have been critical of J.K. Rowling's books, but there is a big difference in the sort of negative reactions she's gotten from American Christians as compared to those from British Christians:
On criticism of the books from Christians in Britain and the United States:
"I had one letter from a vicar in England -- this is the difference -- saying would I please not put Christmas trees at Hogwarts as it was clearly a pagan society. Meanwhile, I'm having death threats when I'm on tour in America."
Source: Daily Herald
There are lots of Christians in America who enjoy the Harry Potter books and who don't see anything dangerous or unChristian about them. Some even argue that the Harry Potter books are a Christian allegory. At the same time, though, all the outrage over and attacks against Harry Potter come from the Christian community. These aren't "fake" Christians and some liberal believers might like to argue, but genuine and sincere Christians who honestly see Harry Potter as an assault on Christian values and traditions. They are so committed and convinced that some are willing to push for legal prohibitions and, as we see now, even violence.
Where do you suppose the bulk of the problem comes from: Christianity or being American? The latter may seem more likely given how other Christians elsewhere aren't making threats of violence and murder. If being American were the problem, though, why aren't American Muslims, Jews, Hindus, or atheists making threats? The role of Christianity here can't be completely incidental. One way or the other, American Christians need to take a serious look at what is going on in their religion to cause such events — and what they can do to prevent them.
More: Contemporary Literature Guide Mark Flanagan has reviews and trivia about all the Harry Potter books.
Comments
I posted an article on Dawkins at Digital Journal that you might be interested in. The article can be found at:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/210063/The_Dawkins_Defeat
I also have a series of posts on my blog about Dawkins, The God Delusion, and atheism in general at:
http://www.michaelkrahn.com/blog/richard-dawkins
Where do you suppose the bulk of the problem comes from: Christianity or being American?
Being an American Christian. The evidence is clear.
Everyone knows that this isn’t the whole of Christianity. Just some bad apples.
The Atheist Experience TV List gets mail from around the world. Inevitably we tend to get letters with a recurring theme from other countries asking us what is wrong with Xians in the U.S. and why are they so “nuts”?
I’m sure it’s some emergent phenomenon with our history/society/religion. But it’s probably way to complex to peg in a single article or post. However, it’s a U.S. Christian situation for sure.
American Kristians are freaky, fascist terrorist fanatics. They give me the creeps with their armageddon wet dreams.
Let’s grant the absurd claim that the Potter books are promoting witchcraft. So what? Witchcraft has as much power over reality as “The Secret”, astrology and prayer. Let kids put on pointy hats, mutter some bad latin and see that NOTHING happens (just like when they pray or make a wish on a shooting star).
Is there any evidence of kids actually thinking they can summon a pratronus? Kids deserve a bit more credit than that.
Or is the threat from the book itself? That the existence of a book with wizards and witches is a threat? What about Tolkien and the entire fantasy genre?
Of course, these are the same ID10TS that think that Dungeons and Dragons is satanic.
Todd, I agreed with EVERYTHING you said! I’d like to add that I actually feel sorry for these people because they live in such a paranoid and deluded world.
I’m reminded of the gun control advocates who are fond of comparing European murder figures with those in the US. We’re different. I’m not at all sure why, but I am sure that taking our guns away would have no real effect. Fundamentalist religion seems to play a part, as well as the ignorant assumption that “we’re number one!” Discouraging, isn’t it?
You wonder if it’s being American OR being Christian? It’s a combination of both. Americans have too much freedom to express themselves. I’m an American but I thought that freedom of religion also ment freedom FROM religion. ( Who cares what they think anyway? )
I work with a right wing Christian bigot. She feels threatened by everything. To avoid being exposed to evolution, archeology (the world was established by God 6000 years ago, and dinosaurs romped with men), and other religions, they home school their kids. She boycots anything having to do with gays, and thinks that bi’s, trans, and gays are the same thing. She fears everyone and everything that isn’t like her. She even thinks those outside of her particular denomination are not true Christians, and tells them so. I pointed out to her that golf and skiing (which she does) are not in the Bible. You should have been there! Ha!
I maintain the difference between ignorance and stupidity is that the ignorant can be taught. I haven’t made up my mind about people who CHOOSE
I work with a right wing Christian bigot. She feels threatened by everything. To avoid being exposed to evolution, archeology (the world was established by God 6000 years ago, and dinosaurs romped with men), and other religions, they home school their kids. She boycots anything having to do with gays, and thinks that bi’s, trans, and gays are the same thing. She fears everyone and everything that isn’t like her. She even thinks those outside of her particular denomination are not true Christians, and tells them so. I pointed out to her that golf and skiing (which she does) are not in the Bible. You should have been there! Ha!
I maintain the difference between ignorance and stupidity is that the ignorant can be taught. I haven’t made up my mind about people who CHOOSE TO BE IGNORANT.
“I maintain the difference between ignorance and stupidity is that the ignorant can be taught. I haven’t made up my mind about people who CHOOSE TO BE IGNORANT.”
Interesting theory. Ignorant means unaware, unknowing. i’m ignorant all all matters relating to sewing. But i could learn it, or at least learn about it. For what you describe, i have used “willfully ignorant”. One who refuses to learn. Stupid is a more hurtful term, so i might go with that!
People choose to be ignorant all the time. Ignoring is the essence of the process.
Anyone who owns a gun for protection is ignoring the fact that a gun can only protect against someone stupid enough to give themselves away. Guns are assault weapons, they do not protect from being blindsided by a bullet in the back. bulle
But John… most criminals are quite stupid… so, having a gun does give one an edge… I’ll personally take any edge I can get…
… my journey to non-xianism… ok, atheism… was in small part due to a family of Young Earthians with whom I was having dinner after church one Sunday…
… I was actually arguing on behalf of God having created the world in an instant… that instant being the “Big Bang”… given that a larger explosion would have resulted in matter being scattered too far & wide to form planets, stars etc… & a smaller explosion would have resulted in total collapse not long after… I thought for sure I’d hit on the secret we’d all been seeking… the ultimate “god did it” answer…
… my bubble was burst when the head of the household announced… “The Big Bang never happened.”… The End…
… he later schooled us all with dinosuars co-existed with man, fossilization takes place in very few years, the Grand Canyon was runoff from the flood… etc. etc…
… yes, they home-schooled their brood…
… this moment solidified in my mind that religion was a poison & danger to society… & so, I went on to really read the bible to see what it actually said happened… what I realized was, it was a mish-mash of fables & fantasy… further study of the origins of said book, solidified its status as a book of bronze-age legends…
… so, thank you xian fools for being so adamantly stupid as to push me to actual study (not just reading the many ’scholarly’ writings I was used to truning to for interpretation of ’scripture’)…
… sometimes I can’t believe it took so long to wake up & smell the coffee…