Guest Post by Morbo
I have to say, I’m really disappointed. The last Harry Potter book comes out today, the fifth movie was just released, and what am I getting from the Religious Right? Nothing. Nada. Zip.
TV preachers and self-appointed fundamentalist guardians of public morality used to go crazy over these books. With the frenzy building for the release of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” I expected the Religious Right to be on full alert, warning America’s children of the dangers of witchcraft. But this time many are silent. It’s like they’ve given up in the face of the Potter juggernaut.
Just to make sure, I made the rounds of some major Religious Right sites on Friday morning. Here is what I found:
Family Research Council: Not one word about the book on the home page. A search for “Harry Potter” returns NO RESULTS.
American Family Association: The home page warns me that the Ford Motor Company is sponsoring a gay pride parade in Seattle. It contains nothing about J.K. Rowling’s twisted world of wizards, witches and werewolves.
Christian Coalition: No mention of Harry. I check the press releases and find the most recent one, hailing the Supreme Court’s decision on late-term abortions, dated April 18. I think this group has about nine dollars in its budget these days.
Vision America: The Rev. Rick Scarborough warns us that the Senate is trying to criminalize Christianity, bashes Islam and reminds us that liberalism kills kids. Harry and his seductive powers get a free broomstick ride.
700 Club: At last! The latest movie is reviewed by Ted Baehr, who runs a film review site for fundamentalists. He calls the film boring and writes of the series’ popularity, “Regrettably, however, this means that even more children will be lured away from God and His Infallible Word, which says that witchcraft is evil and abhorrent. Instead of dreaming about the joys that God gives us through Jesus Christ, they will be dreaming of casting spells, using magic spells, riding brooms, and rebelling against their parents.” Compared to the fulminating the Religious Right used to do over the Potter books and films, this is rather weak tea. (And Ted, I hate to break it to you, but kids were rebelling against their parents before Rowling came along.)
Focus on the Family: Another hit!
James Dobson blasts Harry on the FOF website — but only because The Washington Post inaccurately reported that the Ayatollah of Colorado Springs likes the boy wizard. Fumed a Focus press release: “Magical characters — witches, wizards, ghosts, goblins, werewolves, poltergeists and so on – fill the Harry Potter stories, and given the trend toward witchcraft and New Age ideology in the larger culture, it’s difficult to ignore the effects such stories (albeit imaginary) might have on young, impressionable minds.” Thanks for weighing in, Jim. Good to know you’re still insane.
Finally, I decide to do some real slumming, and here I hit pay dirt. Bill Keller, a TV preacher in St. Petersburg, Fla., offers a two-part type of “fan fiction” called “Harry Potter and the Search for a King,” in which Harry is persuaded to accept Jesus as his personal savior by Dudley after Uncle Vernon dies. (Keller’s name may be familiar. He’s the guy who recently opined that voting for Mitt Romney is the same as voting for Satan.)
Keller’s take on Harry Potter is so poorly written it’s amusing. Let me assure you his site it not a parody, nor did this piece originally appear in The Onion. If you choose to read Keller’s column, don’t worry about spoilers. I think it’s highly unlikely the seventh book will end with anyone converting to fundamentalist Christianity.
Today, children and adults all over America will run through a doorway to hell held open by Harry Potter, and the kook right apparently no longer cares. I have to say I’m impressed. Harry has vanquished the Religious Right — a villain far scarier than Lord Voldemort.