Author Michael D. O´Brien Critiques a Literary Phenomenon
COMBERMERE, Ontario, DEC. 6, 2001 (Zenit.org).-
As the film "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" opened to record
box-office receipts, ZENIT turned to renowned Canadian author Michael D. O'Brien
to comment on the phenomenon.
O'Brien's works include the novel "Father Elijah" and a critique of
the paganization of children's culture, "A Landscape With Dragons: The
Battle for Your Child's Mind," both by Ignatius Press.
Q: Many are critical of the Harry Potter books because they claim it is
dangerous to expose children to witchcraft and the occult. What is your reaction
to this?
O'Brien: I have read the four volumes of the Harry Potter series three times,
and with each reading the serious defects of the novels appear in clearer light.
The most obvious problem, of course, is the author's use of the symbol-world
of the occult as her primary metaphor, and occultic
activities as the dramatic engine of the plots. It presents these to the
child reader through attractive role models, such as Harry and Hermione, who are
students of witchcraft and sorcery. This has the
potential of lowering a child's guard -- both subconscious
and spiritual -- to actual occult activity, which is everywhere and growing.
Rationally, children know that the fantasy element in the books is not
"real." But emotionally and subconsciously the young reader absorbs it
as real. This is further complicated by the fact that in the world around us
there are many opportunities for young people to enter the occult subcultures,
where some of Harry's powers are indeed offered as real.
Q: Critics of Harry Potter see a big difference between authors such as Tolkien
and C.S. Lewis, who, they argue, use magical elements in a Christian way,
and the books of J.K. Rowling, where magic is presented in a Gnostic and pagan
fashion.
O'Brien: The differences are great, I would say absolute. The resemblance
between the works of Christian fantasy writers and Rowling is only superficial.
Yes, there is "magic" in both. Yet Tolkien and
Lewis repeatedly warn about the danger of magic throughout their novels.
Tolkien is especially clear on this. In his great epic "The Lord of the
Rings," and in his foundational work, "The Silmarillion," he
shows that powers that do not rightly belong to man always have a corrupting
influence on man. Only higher ranks of creatures in his imaginary world exercise
supernatural powers, and then only as a gift from God.
The evil characters in the tale have corrupted these gifts, or else -- in the
case of humans -- they have tried to seize them as personal possessions, only to
be deceived and finally destroyed by them. Moreover, the "magic" in
Tolkien's subcreation does not really resemble magic practices in the real
world. He makes efforts to explain this in his collected letters, where he
expresses some concern that his intention might be misinterpreted by readers.
In his fantasy series for children, "The Chronicles of Narnia," and in
his cosmic trilogy for adults, C.S. Lewis also repeatedly
demonstrates the seductiveness of powers that are not rightly man's, especially
when they are seized as a form of Gnostic quest for power.
Both of these Christian writers firmly underline the fact that defeat of radical
evil depends on humility, courage, love, self-sacrifice -- in short, our natural
human virtues.
Q: How does this differ from Rowling's approach in the Potter series?
O'Brien: Rowling's Potter-world is fundamentally Gnostic.
Magic is presented as an inherent faculty of human nature that only needs
awakening and formation through the pursuit of esoteric knowledge and power.
There is not even a whiff of divine presence, whereas Tolkien's and Lewis'
worlds are radiant with this unspoken presence. In Potter-world, magic is
portrayed as a morally neutral power, which in the hands of "nice"
characters serves the good, and in the hands of negative characters serves evil.
When the war between good and evil is portrayed as thrilling and highly
rewarding emotionally, a child reader will be imprinted deeply with messages
about the way in which the "good" characters defeat the evil.
Tolkien's central character, Frodo, defeats evil by fidelity to truth, by
rejecting unlawful power, and persevering in a state of weakness. Rowling's
central character defeats evil by amassing enough power to overcome his
archenemy, yet this power is the same as that of his opponent.
Simply saying that the Potter books show good as better than evil, is not
sufficient defense of the series. Rowling has radically blurred the lines
between good and evil, redefining some of both. The real question is, what is
the nature of good and evil as she has presented it, and as it is presented in
the film.
Q: Others see in the stories a classical children's tale, albeit with magical
elements, of good against evil. What positive elements are there in the books
for readers?
O'Brien: I can think of few works of culture, regardless
of how flawed, that do not contain some positive elements. But this is no
argument for giving gravely disordered material to our children.
In the Potter series there is an attempt to portray courage and loyalty in the
"good" characters. But courage and loyalty can be found in all
peoples, even those involved in the worst forms of paganism.
It is important to note that children read fiction with a different
consciousness than adults. This is something that has been overlooked by those
Christian leaders who have written pro-Potter commentaries. They forget that
children are in a state of formation, that their understanding of reality is
being forged at every turn.
Wholesome fantasy, regardless of how wildly imaginative it may be, reinforces
the moral order of the universe in a child's mind. Corrupt fantasy undermines
it. The Potter world is corrupt fantasy with a little cosmetics. The cosmetics
are the "values" woven into the tale by the author.
In modern culture we have all become accustomed to eating a certain amount of
poison in our diet; indeed most of us no longer even recognize the poison. I
believe that's why many educators and parents simply don't recognize the scope
of the problem with the Potter books.
Q: Would you say that the witchcraft and sorcery element is the only defect in
the Potter series?
O'Brien: There are other serious problems in these books, notably the question
of authority and obedience.
Harry's faults are rarely punished, and usually by the negative authority
figures in the tale. The positive authority figures actually reward Harry for
his disobedience when it brings about some perceived good. His lies, his acts of
vengeance, and his misuse of his powers are frequently ignored. The message of
"the end justifies the means" is dominant throughout.
Lip service is paid to a code of ethics -- never really spelled out -- but in
fact the undermining of those ethics is reinforced at every turn. Another
problem is the consistent use of repulsive details, lowering the child's
instinctive aversion to the horrible and grotesque.
For example, in one class the students are taught to cut up mandrake roots,
which are living human babies, for use in a potion. At the least, this can cause
a subconscious desensitization to abortion.
Q: In recent years there has been a surge of interest in themes related to the
occult. Why is this happening?
O'Brien: The phenomenal resurgence of interest in occult
"spiritualities" is a symptom of the bankruptcy of secularism. There
is an innate hunger in human nature for the sacred transcendent, for the holy,
wherein man finds his true identity and worth. When it is denied, a void opens
up within him.
If our particular churches are not offering the fullness
of the Catholic faith to the coming generation, if we are not giving the young
an authentic and vital spiritual life, they will go searching elsewhere -- and
the realm of the pseudo-mystical, which is so often connected to the diabolical,
will be waiting for them.
The Potter books open a doorway into that world. Articles have been appearing
for more than a year now, in secular and religious periodicals, providing
evidence that this series of books bridges the gap between normal children and
the world of darkness.
With the appearance of the film version of the first volume -- and this film
promises to be the biggest box office hit of all time -- an added dimension of
psychological influence is at work.
Any serious student of modern media recognizes the power of film to reshape
consciousness. By using both overt and subliminal techniques, it can override
the mind's natural critical faculty. It is also interesting to note that, even
in the books, Rowling's use of imagery and pace is actually derived from the
techniques of visual media.
Q: Is the interest in the occult among the young a sign of the lack of Christian
influence in modern culture?
O'Brien: Certainly the lack of truly Christian culture is part of the problem.
It is never enough simply to keep unhealthy influences from our children. The
primary task is to give them good food for the imagination, providing
opportunities to fall in love with the great adventure of existence.
By and large, modern culture has replaced the splendor and wonder of existence
with cheap thrills. The Potter series is a full-blown orgy of cheap thrills,
dipped in a little pseudo-morality. The morality is thin; the corrupt messages,
both overt and subliminal, are overwhelming.
But the Potter phenomenon must be seen within a larger context -- not only the
ideological confusions of the present sociohistorical era, and the unprecedented
power of the new media culture to reshape our understanding of reality.
Most urgently, we must recognize that the nature of the
spiritual war in which we are all immersed is changing rapidly, entering a new
phase of intensity.
Q: What should parents do to guide their children through the hazards of modern
culture?
O'Brien: First of all, parents need to recognize that
there is a problem. A majority of our Catholic parents are not yet awake to the
spiritual assault that is waged primarily through culture.
Culture defines us to ourselves, tells us what is of value, what is harmless or
dangerous, what is the real meaning of existence. We must recognize that the
times we live in are unique; the bombardment of our minds by powerful imagery
and messages has no parallel in human history.
A constant onslaught of indoctrination pours into our children's lives through
films, videos, books, music and all the other forms of social communication --
peer pressure being one of them. Parents need to familiarize themselves with
what's really going on in youth culture.
The sheer volume and complexity of this material, however, makes it impossible
to assess it all. For that reason, we need to pray daily for spiritual
protection for our families, and to ask God for extraordinary gifts of wisdom
and discernment.
We also need to ask the Holy Spirit for the development of
an inner barometer, or radar, which triggers a warning bell within us whenever
corrupt influences enter the family. Last but not least is the gift of courage
-- courage to firmly and lovingly resist the invasion.
Q: One consequence of the books has been to spark interest in reading among
children. Isn't that a positive sign?
O'Brien: While it is true that the Potter books are
hooking a generation on reading, I must say that this is a superficial defense
of the series. Will the 100 million young fans of Harry now turn to Tolkien and
Dickens and Twain?
Or will they go searching for more of the thrills Rowling has whetted their
appetite for? There is a lot of corrupt literature out there, well-written
material that may indeed stimulate a literary habit, as it speeds the
degeneration of moral consciousness.
Q: So you believe that literacy is not of utmost importance in the development
of a healthy child?
O'Brien: A discerning literacy -- the true literacy -- is of very great
importance in a child's formation. But literacy alone can never be enough. Is an
appetite for reading fiction a higher value than a child's moral formation? Is
any book better than no book? Would we give our children a bowl of stew in which
there was a dose of poison, simply because there were also good ingredients
mixed into the recipe? Of course we wouldn't.
Discernment is always needed in deciding what we give our
children. So why are we discarding this basic understanding when it comes to
unhealthy cultural material?
Reasonable Christian parents would not permit their children to read a series of
enthralling books depicting likable young people involved in drug-dealing, or
premarital sex, or torture. We would not give our children fiction in which a
group of "good fornicators" struggled against a set of "bad
fornicators."
We would not justify giving our children such books by
pointing out the characters' good qualities. Why, then, have we accepted a set
of books which glamorize and normalize occult activity, even though it is every
bit as deadly to the soul as sexual sin, if not more so?
Q: Some literary critics and scholars say that the Potter series is a valuable
contribution to culture. Why are they not concerned about the problems you see
in the books?
O'Brien: I'm surprised by the promotion of the Potter series in certain
Christian circles, even among some Catholic academics. Perhaps this is due to
their naiveté about the power of fantasy. Possibly it's an overreliance on
individual reason, as if to say, "I am so intelligent, and my child is so
intelligent, that we can enjoy the irrational and the corrupt without being
affected by it, and therefore it's not really corrupt."
This non sequitur is based on the mistaken belief that the imagination can be
safely contained within an airtight compartment of the mind. I'm guessing here,
but I suspect there is also a certain fear at work in their adamant and not
always objective reaction to criticism of the Potter series.
Is their overreaction caused by a fear of
anti-intellectualism, a fear of "fundamentalism," perhaps even a fear
of loss of credibility among other academics? I'm not certain. At the very least
it indicates a lack of understanding about the integral relationship between
faith and culture, between imagination and the world of action.
Consistently, the pro-Potter advocates extract details from the books that point
to some kind of "morality" in the series, actually more a set of
"values" -- to use the modern term -- than genuine morality. Their
approach is, I think, rather revealing. Any serious scholar should know that
empirical "evidence" for any theory can be found by dipping
selectively into a large body of source material, and that this can be highly
misleading.
When a scholar operates from an a priori need to find supportive data for his
gut attraction, truth gets lost in the process. And this is the crux of the
problem for all of us: Regardless of whether we are impelled by a gut attraction
or a gut repulsion to the world of Harry Potter, we must ask ourselves if we are
thinking according to principles, or are we articulating impressively as we let
ourselves be driven by feelings.
If Catholic intellectual life becomes dominated by visceral likes and dislikes,
we may very well find ourselves contributing to a dark future for Western
civilization. We may even help form a race of super-impressionists incapable of
right discernment. This is a profoundly disturbing trend. The fruits of it will
be even more disturbing.
More detailed assessments of the Harry Potter series can be found at the Web site of the Catholic Educators' Resource Center, at www.catholiceducation.org and also at www.studiobrien.com.
Popular Culture Enjoys an Autonomy, Explains Massimo Introvigne
TURIN, Italy, DEC. 6, 2001 (Zenit.org).- What
does one of Europe's leading experts on new religious movements and sects think
about Harry Potter?
ZENIT approached Massimo Introvigne to find out. He is the director of CESNUR,
the Center for Studies on New Religions, an international network of
associations of scholars working in the field of new religious movements. He has
just published a book on Osama bin Laden.
Q: Many are critical of the Harry Potter books because they claim it is
dangerous to expose children to witchcraft and the occult. What do you think?
Introvigne: As both a Roman Catholic and a social scientist, I regard this as an
extremely interesting, yet dangerous, form of fundamentalism, a subject matter I
have considerable interest in.
Fundamentalism, in general, consists in denying the autonomy of culture --and of
the secular sphere in general, including politics -- claiming that there should
be no distinction between religion and culture.
Fundamentalists, from a Catholic point of view, are not wrong in their diagnosis
of a modern illness, that is, separation or divorce between religion and
culture. It's their cure that is wrong.
Vatican II -- and Thomas Aquinas several centuries before -- teaches that
religion and culture should not be separated; at the same time they should not
be confused, because they are not one and the same. When Vatican II mentions the
autonomy of the secular sphere, its operative word is "distinction,"
something different from both secularist separation and fundamentalist
confusion.
Fundamentalism is rare among Catholics, but the anti-Potter crusade is an
example of how Protestant fundamentalist ideas are getting disseminated in
certain Catholic milieus as well.
There is little doubt that the Harry Potter books and movie are prime examples
of a social production of popular culture that -- unlike, say, in the 17th
century -- is not controlled, nor determined, by the Church or the Christian
community.
Secularists would say not only that this is always good and positive, but that
we should judge contemporary cultural products leaving entirely aside Christian
moral values.
Fundamentalists reject, or even burn, all products of contemporary popular
culture, because their modes of production, languages and styles are not
intrinsically Christian. If we honor the Catholic teaching on the autonomy of
the culture, yet retain the right to judge its products based on our own values,
we cannot dismiss contemporary popular culture as a whole and should judge on a
case-by-case basis.
It is an obvious fact that modern popular culture often uses the language of
magic. This goes back to classics such as "Lord of the Rings,"
"The Wizard of Oz," "Mary Poppins" and "Peter
Pan," not to mention much older stories such as Cinderella, Snow White and
Sleeping Beauty.
The authors of what we call "supernatural fiction" do not necessarily
believe in magic. Most of them don't. For instance, Bram Stoker, the creator of
one of the ultimate novels of supernatural fiction, "Dracula," also
wrote a book called "Famous Imposters" against all sort of
superstitious and magical beliefs. Stoker was an Irish Protestant, married to a
pious Catholic wife.
Most children understand that magic is used in fairy tales and juvenile
supernatural fiction as a century-old language, and that this is fiction, not
reality. If we dismiss the use of magic as a language, we should at least be
fundamentalist to the bitter end, and go against "Mary Poppins,"
"Peter Pan" and "Sleeping Beauty," and insist that
Cinderella puts a burkha on.
By the way, this is what not only the Taliban but even ruling Wahhabite puritans
in Saudi Arabia do: All the titles and stories I have quoted were forbidden in
Taliban Afghanistan, and most are in Saudi Arabia.
Of course, regarding magic as an acceptable language does not mean that we
should not go on and examine what stories are told with this language.
"Harry Potter," just as "Sleeping Beauty" or
"Cinderella," pass this examination in my opinion with full flag,
because the human values they teach are good natural values.
Q: Critics of Harry Potter see a big difference between authors such as Tolkien
and C.S. Lewis, who, they argue, use magical elements in a Christian way, and
the books of J.K. Rowling, where magic is presented in a Gnostic and pagan
fashion.
Introvigne: It seems to me that there is a big confusion here between the author
and the text.
It is not necessary to read modern secular theory of interpretation -- such, as
say, Umberto Eco -- in order to realize that they are two very different things.
It is enough to read classic philosophy in to distinguish between "intentio
auctoris" and "intentio operas."
We all know that Tolkien was a good Church of England Christian. But I challenge
anybody who would know nothing of Tolkien's biography to find explicit
references to Christianity in "Lord of the Rings." This is a typical
alternative universe, where the rules of the game are simply not the same with
respect to human history.
There have even been some idiots trying to create a religion out of Tolkien's
books. This is, of course, silly: Tolkien's world is fictional, and should
remain as such.
On the other hand, Pamela Travers, who wrote "Mary Poppins," was a
loyal disciple of occult master George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff, but this does not
means that "Mary Poppins" is occult propaganda. Quite simply, the
private beliefs of the authors do have a certain influence on their work but do
not often translate into explicit references.
If anything, Tolkien's world is much bleaker and problematic than "Harry
Potter." But again, it's fictional, and what really counts is the lesson we
learn from the characters and their moral struggles.
Q: Others see in the Potter stories a classical children's tale, albeit with
magical elements, of good against evil. What positive elements are there in the
books for readers?
Introvigne: Just as in Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" -- which I would
however recommend for children a bit older than the average juvenile reader of
"Harry Potter" -- there are precious values for the postmodern world
we live in.
First, there is a clear distinction between good and evil. Second, this
distinction is not black-and-white -- a trademark of both cheap popular culture
and fundamentalism; rather, the good characters are continuously in danger of
being overcome by an evil within themselves.
This is what makes these characters both believable and educational. By the way,
I believe that not including specific references to Christianity in a fictional
universe, even by an obviously Christian author such as Tolkien, is the right
thing to do. Young readers should not be confused between fictional worlds and
Christianity, the latter being very much part of reality.
Q: In recent years there has been a surge of interest in themes related to the
occult. Is the interest in this area a sign of the lack of Christian influence
in modern culture?
Introvigne: This is partially true, but many simply repeat that "the occult
is on the rise" based on press cuttings, without any real familiarity with
the existing large body of social scientific literature on this subject.
While it is true that some occult groups are growing, but remain small, they are
still very small if compared to Christian denominations. In the European Union,
members of occult or esoteric movements are less than 0.1% of the populations.
This is also true in the U.S.
The fact that the media offer a large coverage of these groups does not mean
that they are, in fact, large. Some beliefs are on the rise, particularly
reincarnation, but this is not a pure "occult " belief -- it is found
in some contemporary fiction, but rarely.
On the other hand, concluding that the occult is on the rise because of the
popularity of TV serials such as "Charmed," "The X-Files" or
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is, again, a confusion between fiction and
reality.
These shows have a large following in Europe, yet occult movements are actually
experiencing a decline here. There is, thus, some empirical evidence that a
decade of heavy fictional magic on TV did not translate in increased membership
for occult movements -- if one ignores, as he or she should rightly do, the
propaganda utterances of the leaders of these movements themselves, some of whom
try to exploit "Harry Potter" or the TV serials for their own ends,
and relies on social scientific literature rather than on anecdotal evidence.
Q: One consequence of the Potter books has been to spark interest in reading
among children. On the other hand, some worry about the creation of imaginary
worlds and the difficulties this can create for children in distinguishing
reality and fiction. What should parents do to guide their children?
Introvigne: I believe that "Harry Potter" worked its real magic in
winning back children to books from TV. Only "Harry Potter" induced my
8-year-old daughter to say that she preferred to read than to watch TV -- we
were very surprised. This is surely good.
On the other hand, we did not leave the situation unchecked and constantly
discussed "Harry Potter" with our daughter, making sure she understood
that magic there is fictional, whilst good moral values are real and should
prevail also in the real world.
Parents should ideally do this -- and we know it's difficult -- with most
products of contemporary popular culture, graduating them according to their
children's age, rather than enclosing their kids in a fundamentalist ghetto.
I wouldn't like a Catholic version of the Taliban regime, and quite frankly
prefer my Cinderella to go to her party without a burkha.
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