Hell hath no fury than parents who want their children to be formed by Harry Potter in Catholic schools.
And now for more of the story:
And now for more of the story:
Parents complained of priest who banned Harry Potter books
- Associated PressSep 6, 2019
A collection of Harry Potter books, by J.K. Rowling. (Credit: Bizuayehu Tesfaye/AP.)
NASHVILLE, Tennessee - A Tennessee priest who banned Harry Potter books from a Catholic school’s library was accused by parents of causing their children psychological and spiritual harm.
The Tennessean obtained a 2017 letter from 14 St. Edward Catholic School parents, urging the Nashville diocese to remove Father Dan Reehil.
The letter, with 50 bullet points, said Reehil is a toxic narcissist who hates Pope Francis and views himself as “a soldier of God.” It said “Our school, however, consists of children, not soldiers.”
Diocesan spokesman Rick Musacchio said Reehil’s views, like that of the retired, more liberal pastor he replaced, both have a home in the Church.
The letter, with 50 bullet points, said Reehil is a toxic narcissist who hates Pope Francis and views himself as “a soldier of God.” It said “Our school, however, consists of children, not soldiers.”
Diocesan spokesman Rick Musacchio said Reehil’s views, like that of the retired, more liberal pastor he replaced, both have a home in the Church.
Reehil didn’t respond to the newspaper’s interview requests. In an email, he said he removed J.K. Rowling’s books because they contain “actual spells and curses.”
26 comments:
Awe, the little snowflakes feelings are hurt. Did the pastor say he hated Pope Francis? If not, did they leap to that conclusion because the pastor is orthodox? Are the parents cheapskates? Could they just buy the books instead of publicly proclaiming their cheapness?
Sound like the parents at St. John the Evangelist in Valdosta. They actually have sponsored Harry Potter events and designed "Hogwarts" t shirts for the students. My, how Catholic!
Father McDonald,
I bit off topic but I thought you might like to see Cardinal Brandmuller's comments on the Amazon "Synod":
https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-significance-of-cardinal.html
Our parish school expects the children not to watch television.
"...actual spells and curses"...
These spells and curses are as effective as the power of abalone to guide you in a relationship, amethyst to ease away day to day stresses, black tourmaline to "seal the room with a protective shield that dispells low vibrational energy," and jade which "opens you up to prosperity and abundance." (All from EnergyMuse.com if you'd like to know more.)
No one ever hurled a curse or a spell and turned anyone else into a newt. No one stabbed a voodoo doll with a pin and cause someone to have a headache. No one, including Miss Cleo, fortune teller, who died of colon cancer in 2016 at age 53, could control the forces of nature.
"Actual" curses and spells? Nope.
Anonymous@3:30 PM
The things you mention in your comment amount to silly and irrational belief and superstition. As far as curses and spells, there are indeed those who suffer affliction and oppression due to demonic influence and activity. This is much more common than a person being possessed. The devil does have his power and is ever ready to employ his angelic capability to malevolent ends whenever and wherever he is given an opening and is able to. This is why it is so dangerous to leave the safety of the Church or ignore her teaching and then delve into occult practices or become involved in some way with those who do.
God, however, in his great mercy does not leave us to deal with the Evil One and his minions alone, but has provided and does provide us with the means of protection from the harm he and his agents seek to inflict in their nefarious designs and intentions.
George - I very specifically referred to the pastor's concern that there are "actual spells and curses" in the Harry Potter books.
There are also spells and curses in Macbeth, Cinderella, Snow White, and other fairy tales. There are, in many of those tales witches, goblins, trolls and assorted other malefactors, all claiming to have the ability to cast curses or spells.
Shall we ban Greek mythology with its necromancy and love potions and soothsayers?
The devil is very real. Harry Potter, fairy tales, and/or Greek mythology are not endangering children.
You are all missing the point - these parents are cheapskates and likely fake catholics too. They should put their kids in public school where the kids can get all the Harry Potter books they want! And lot’s of LGBT nonsense too!
George...regardless of some comments here, I think we have a choice. Everyone has an opinion and everyone has a choice. As for me, I have the option of listening to experienced exorcists who have gone on the record condemning the whole Harry Potter phenomenon or I can listen to the "experts" who mock them in these comment boxes. No hard feelings experts, but I'll listen to the exorcists.
Actual spells...
"ACCIO" bring what ever item you name. ACCIO chips - you don't have to get off the couch!
"ALOHOMORA" unlocks doors. No more keys locked in the car!
"BRAKIUM EMENDO" heals broken bones. No more trips to the emergency room!
"LUMOS" Lights the tip of your wand. No more flashlights needed!
"OCULOS REPARO" Repairs your glasses. No more trips to the eye glass shop!
"SCOURGIFY" Cleans things. No more Windex, Comet, or Oxy Clean!
"WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA" Makes things float. Ivory soap, beware.
Yes, of course, the danger of "actual spells".....
I am always suspicious of things being banned, especially books. That conjures images of book burnings and angry idiots waiving fists (much like Antifa ). Of course the teacher could discuss the books from a Catholic perspective.
Most of these comments reveal a good bit about our current state of mind and I think goes to the heart of the latest post about the lack of awe and reverence shown at Mass today. Most of us simply cannot stand the idea of humility and obedience...especially humility. We ALL seem to know best. We MUST argue: "But..." We ALL have to have the last word. We ALL need to take those we disagree with down a notch.
Look at how pride has become such a popular buzzword. "Gay Pride" "School Pride" "Take Pride in Yourself" . Just look at our pope culture, awash in pride. Look at the civil rights movements...devolved from "We Shall Overcome" to "I don't take nuthin' from nobody"
We are a prideful people. And pride comes before...well, if we can't bring ourselves down a notch, our Creator certainly can!
Anonymous @ 2:54 AM
I definitely take note of and heed what exorcists have to say. Demonic activity, whatever form it may take, is what they have observed, studied, and gained much knowledge in.
There are references to this sort of thing both in Scripture and in the Catechism. Young people especially need education on the dangers of dabbling in the dark practices of the occultic realm.
Harry Potter, spells, curses, cultural diversity, separation of church and state, abortion rights, one-world government, tolerance, immigrant right, free medical marijuana for everybody, fisting instructions, MTV, respect for all religions, races and sexual persuasions, Hollywood worship, Michelle Obama’s healthy lunches, Janey has two mommies. It’s all there in our government schools, which are open to all. Any Catholic parent who chooses to “educate” their children in this way is committing child abuse.
I think it's worth noting that most secular universities have "Banned Book Day", in which their bookstores (no profit motive here) display and promote books that have been banned at one time or another by various political or religious entities. And yes, some of the titles are laughable (Huckleberry Finn, for example).
However, it also reflects the cultural pride of rebellion we Americans imbibe from our earliest years. We are so intoxicated with every notion of freedom that we seem to forget that true freedom is not the ability to do as we wish, but the strength to do what we should.
It is not unusual for a young person in their late teens or early 20's to feel "empowered" by reading a book that someone has told them they should not read (providing you can find young people who actually read). We, as older adults, should not be so eager to bite the bait.
“Our pope culture, awash in pride” — LOL
You have every right to laugh. I meant to type "Our POP culture awash in pride."
Banned is such an emotionally charged word. Was the book truly banned, or did a priest simply decide that is would not be included in the catholic schools curated literary collection of books? The headline has a bit of negative spin with CATHOLIC PRIEST BANS HARRY POTTER!
If the priest has removed the Potter series from his school library, he has banned them from that school library.
Look, the priest is the pastor and has the authority to remove, ban, or whatever you want to call it the Harry Potter books. I still think the parents are cheapskates
Well, one thing we DO know: If something is banned and you go ahead and defy the ban, you are automatically cool. And in today's world, cool outranks faithful every time.
Ignoring a silly ban imposed by a well-meaning but misinformed pastor is not "unfaithful."
When Catholics take a stand against a silly issue like Harry Potter, they undermine any moral authority they might claim when trying to take a stand against something that is genuinely harmful. When you want to discourage Harry Potter, you sound a silly as those who wanted to ban Huck Finn. You put yourself in the camp of those knee-jerk evangelicals that want to ban and burn everything that isn't explicitly about Christianity. That is a mindset far removed from Catholic tradition, in which we can draw out what is good and noble from even pagan sources.
I am a father of four young boys. I work hard, skimping and saving to put them through Catholic school. I converted to the Catholic church in 2014 and have a deep love for the TLM and dove deep into Catholic history and theology.
However, I have been a fan of harry Potter books since I was a child and will be happy to share these stories with my own children. There is nothing in those books contrary to the Catholic faith. They are pretty neutral and don't really mention the truly supernatural at all. All of the fantasy and magic in those stories are more like natural phenomena unknown to our science than they are like the cosmic spiritual battle for our souls between heaven and hell. The magic mechanic in those stories is something natural to the beings who possess it and there is no recourse to demons or spiritual energies. "Magic" in these stories is just something some people are born with. Its a fantastical settings to explore themes of good vs. evil in the physical realm, love, friendship, and combating prejudice. These are not inconsistent with Catholic values.
As mentioned above, the "spells" are just Latin-derived words that make no reference to spiritual forces at all. Also, as mentioned above, why not exclude Lord of the Rings, Narnia, all pagan mythology, or anything else that invokes "magic"?
So now the exercise of caution undermines the Church's moral authority?
The "Church" has not ruled on Harry Potter. These are the prudential judgements of individual pastors. There are pastors who have endorsed Harry Potter as well, so it is inconsistent to reject their moral authority when this is not a settled doctrine.
mordacii,
What pastors have endorsed Harry Potter? Seems like a strange thing for a priest to do. Did they also endorse the Wizard of Oz?
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