In Poland, the Catholic Church is very much against Harry Potter — sort of like religious conservatives here.
Why?
We all know the standard reasons: wizards and sorcery are simply forbidden in the Bible. It’s that simple.
Yet K pointed out the “real” reason Potter worries the Polish church. I read the BBC News article opening to her:
The seventh and final Harry Potter book has broken sales records on both sides of the Atlantic, selling 11 million copies in its first 24 hours.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sold 2.7 million copies in the UK and 8.3 million in the US. (BBC)
She responded, “See, that’s why the Polish church is so scared of Harry Potter. That’s real power.”
I don’t know if you’ve read the HP books, but they’re fairly complex in their criticism of establishment institutions, privilege, and intolerance — all of which the Roman Catholic Church and evangelical Christianity would prefer to preserve.
I haven’t read any of the books. Perhaps I should, given the age group I’ll be working with. On the other hand, the genre has never really excited me that much. Still, if it generates so much controversy, there must be something to it!