Author JK Rowling's Harry Potter boy wizard blockbusters have been banned by a conservative Christian school in Melbourne because they "promote" witchcraft.

The five books in the Harry Potter series will not adorn the library shelves of the Maranatha Christian College in Doveton and Endeavour Hills because of the school's policy on fantasy.

Principal Bert Langerak, who said he has read the latest children's bestseller, said the school's policy on fantasy recognised books that portray evil as good.

"The Potter books portray and promote witchcraft as normal," he told Melbourne radio station 3AW.

"It's a problem because as Christians we would say witchcraft and that kind of thing is not good, and yet Rowling portrays it as being good."



the poor people at that school :blink:

i hope i offend no one else but those people wen i say
narrow minded ignorant berks!!!

None taken. I'm Chrsitian, and I think it's so absurd how narrow minded religions can be about this. For crying out loud! Read the book and you'll see it has nothign to do with promoting Satan!

i'm a christian too. and i'm a huge fan of Harry Potter.

i think it's obsured that some people will pick at anything for the sake of it. Harry Potter is marvelous. and anyway it's not all that different from the real world. they have magic they can either use it for good or bad. we have money we can either use it to buy food for third world countries or for bombs for war.

i think it's stupid saying thta Harry Potter is an evil promotion. like they said on the radio. just because J.K.Rowling sells 2million Harry Potter books itdoesn't mean that all of sudden there are 2million wizards in the world. some people take the bible way too literally.

well that's my view anyway. :sorcerer:

Ahhh conservative middle Australia, despite all it's protests it is much happier pretending that it lives in a fictionalised version of the 1950's... How wonderful...


Harry Potter a legjobb konyvek a vilagon, es Dan a nagyon, nagyon szep fiu...

Please to not fall for Principal Bert Langerak tricks. He wants his name in the paper. Think about it!

Why did he just name the Harry Potter books and not some other fantasy book?

And why did he notify the papers about this ban within the first month of the book release? Could it be because now everyone is taking about Harry Potter?

Even this forum has he as a subject.

DAT IS THE STUPIDEST THING IV EVER HEARD!Its fiction, it dosent promote or teach you anything, cause its FICTION! Fiction is called fiction cause ITS NOT REAL~!

I think i'll be sending him a gift. THis site let him read what We the fans have to say. I'm christian. My church loves it!!! I mean they read it at sunday school. (Well for the more mature kids like 11 year olds and over)

Just what i'm saying.

I agree with you Rosse

there really is a difference between what's bad and
and what's not real. All these Christians thinks it's
bad. But wasn't J.K. Rowling christian herself??

I really dont think he read the 5th book. Yes, the 5th book is alot more darker than all the other books(hence the dark blue American cover), but it does NOT promote witchcraft or the dark arts! Have you seen any kids going out in the streets trying to cast spells, or have any parents heard their kids say "I want to join the occult."? I dont think so. Just for the heck of it, I would bring the 5th book to the school, and read it in the library. That way, I would show them their ban wouldnt stop me from reading it :) . I would love to see what they would do if someone did that..hehe.. :whisle: .

I agree!! It's giving Christians a bad name. Harry Potter isn't even about the magic, magic just happens to be in it! Rowling's not promoting any witchcraft. She just incorporates it into her story as an extra element. If anybody takes it seriously, obviously THEY are out of their minds. It's not as if kids everywhere are going to start looking up research on how to do magic. Furthermore, there have been plenty of stories about magic and whatnot, why should the Harry Potter series be taken so seriously.

I really wamnt to strangle that principal. I mean, honestly, Harry potter is a book. It is a fun to read, interesting book, and it isnt telling us all to become satatist, so what is that guys deal? Other religious schools dont ban them, I know mine certainly doesnt.

Just another annoying person trying to ruin poeples fun.

seriously, i dont see what the fuss is about with these christian schools. a very confusing lot. i wonder, which spell from the books had put their lives in grave peril. :lol:

This is retarted. theses Fundlamentalist Christians are just ignorant, grandiliquent people who dont read in the first place. They don't realize the difference between REality and Fantasy, Real Life or a BOOK!!!! I hope i dont sound anti-christ because i am a christian as well. Right now God is looking down on this woman and shaking his head. JK Rowling is a fictional novelist. Not a witch making a bible for Sorcery.

Oooh...poor people! Having to live without Harry Potter! That would suck! lol. (I would never go there!) :rolleyes:

If they are going to ban the Harry Potter series, they might as well ban all books that have any kind of magic in them...I read an editorial about this...the author of the editorial basically said that Harry Potter backs up almost everything that the bible says (good vs. evil, etc.) Besides, it isn't like if you read the book you are suddenly going to go and worship the devil.....People can be so narrow-minded. >:( Oh well, as long as there are still people like us who are outraged by this, the world will be ok. :mrgreen:

I don't think that that is right I think its absolutley looney, I 'm chritian and I have read all 5 of the books multiple times none of them talk about Satan so they shouldn't worry.

I just had a conversation about this... I'm a christian but seriously... come on... I don't think god just felt like 'letting Rowling live' and 'letting her write those books'. Indeed some Christians go too far.