Bad news for Harry Potter fans attending St. Edward Catholic School in Nashville, because the books have been officially banned.
Many of us have really fond memories of growing up with the Harry Potter books and movies. However, one Catholic school in Tennessee has banned the books from their school library because of the alleged supernatural dangers a reader encounters when reading J.K. Rowling’s words.
As the Tennessean reports, the ban came when it was decided that the spells, curses, and incantations found in the books were, as the school calls them, actual spells. Therefore, the fear is that a child reading the books might accidentally curse someone or summon a malevolent spirit.
Rev. Dan Reehil, a clergyman from the school explained the Harry Potter ban to the Tennessean, saying, “These books present magic as both good and evil, which is not true, but in fact a clever deception. The curses and spells used in the books are actual curses and spells; which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits into the presence of the person reading the text.”
The article goes on to explain that Reehil and the staff at St. Edward didn’t make the decision casually, either. They actually consulted with “several exorcists in the U.S. and Rome,” all who recommended banning the books.
And honestly, thank goodness for their intervention. How many times do we have to see a parent reading Harry Potter aloud to their child, accidentally hurling an errant Cruciatus Curse on a passerby before someone steps in to do something? And unless you’re a Supernatural fan and a Harry Potter fan, chances are you won’t have any knowledge of exorcising demons and evil spirits, so anything surly you conjure from the depths of the underworld just has to stick around until you can find someone to help.
Of course, this isn’t the first time a religious group has banned the books, nor is a Potter-ban something unique to members of the Catholic faith. However, the bans usually center around a general concern of making witchcraft and magic look too appealing to children. Seeing a group ban the books as a practical, albeit supernatural, safety hazard is definitely a first for this reporter.
So while the students of St. Edwards can’t visit the halls of Hogwarts at school, we can only hope they can travel to those wonderful, magical world of Harry Potter while reading at home. And hopefully, the school will lift the ban soon.
Source: Tennessean
We want to hear your thoughts on this topic!
Write a comment below or submit an article to Hypable.