My Mom says I can't b/c "it goes against christian values!!!You won't understand the difference!!!!" Is there ANYTHING I can do to convince her to let me read them???
2006-12-21 06:16:11 · 22 answers · asked by myheart20061018 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
Ok People!! I Can get to a library, but not without my mother knowing about it. My friend has the books. She keeps saying I can read them. I've already read The Chronicles of Narnia and The Hobbit (which I didn't really like). My mother is more likely to shoot me than read the books(but I've seen the first movie 100 times) Any more Advice??
2006-12-22 04:53:11 · update #1
She's wrong, in my opinion and in the opinion of many others.
You can do one of three things:
1) Don't read the books.
2) Read the books and hide it from her. Read it in the library, etc.
3) Do some research to support your argument that the books are about good fighting evil, which supports rather than going aagainst Christian values. (The part about magic is just fiction just like the fantasy elements in many Christian works, from Spenser to C.S. Lewis.) I don't know which Christian leaders your mother would respect, so I can;t do the research for you, but I bet you'll be able to find some who have said Harry Potter is alright to read. Frankly it is just a few wackos who think otherwise -- I'm betting your mother hasn;t read the books and is just going by something she has heard.
I don't know how old you are. Personally, if No. 3 doesn't work, I think you should do No. 2 -- read the book in secret. I think intellectual and artistic curiousity should be satisfied, and that no belief can be real unless it is tested by knowledge and experience.
2006-12-21 06:24:37 · answer #1 · answered by C_Bar 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
well, this can be a sticky situation. ask her what values specifically the book supposedly "goes against". if she can't give you some logical, clear reasons, explain to her that you think it's unfair to you not to be allowed to read the books just because the church thinks it teaches witchcraft. the fact of the matter is, the series is fiction, which means it's not true. it is the reader's responsibility to understand the difference this book and reality. not only this, but you should analyze the story a little bit in order to form your own opinion (because obviously your mom doubts you can do this, so prove her wrong). the book basically is about good guys versus bad guys, and i don't know when it became a sin to write a book or make a movie with that theme. if she completely refuses to let you read it i say you read it anyway on your own - w/out her knowing. you might consider it to be more of a sin to lie to her, but if you think that, you probably have your morals straight, for the most part. by preventing you from forming your own opinions, she isn't doing much to help you learn "the difference" between the book and christianity (even though the book is not religion so it's not even logical to compare the two). anyway, good luck.
2006-12-21 06:40:28 · answer #2 · answered by jamoncita 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Tell her that:
1.) Harry Potter is fiction, not a guide to becoming a witch or wizard.
2.) Reading books that might not support your faith are often a way to strengthen your faith. I was able to read the Da Vinci Code, critique it, and rate it a powerful work of... fiction.
Ask her if she has read the book, and if so, why she believes it is an attack on Christianity.
Is Lord of the Rings agains Christian values? Remember, Gandalf is a wizard. He can do magic. And there are also evil things in that book. So LOTR responsible for spawning a generation of Satan followers?
2006-12-21 06:38:03 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
What other similar books have you read? When I want to read a book that my parents won't let me, I find out why then prove to them that I have read all of the components elsewhere. Magic? Cite Shakespeare, The WIzard of Earthsea, the Fairly Oddparents TV show. Evil? Basically any plot line. Just tell her that you can tell the difference, and if you find it saying anything blasphemous then you will stop reading it! I swear to you, Harry never asks the devil for his magic powers, so it should be all right so long as you know the difference, right? Just don't go reading it behind her back- then she won't trust you later, and you could get quite punished and all that.
2006-12-21 07:25:49 · answer #4 · answered by treehuggingveganhippy 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
How about a book like King Fortis the Brave or Chronicles of Narnia? Both are fantasy and are written at the Harry Potter level, but they are also books that any Christian parent would be proud to have their child read.
2006-12-21 06:24:24 · answer #5 · answered by Caveman 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Explain to her that you do understand the difference and that you know that Harry Potter is fiction. Tell her that just because you read it, you're not going to become a witch or wizard or anything of that nature.
Also explain to her that Harry Potter teaches the value of friendship and the true power of love. Nothing more Christian than that!
Good luck.
And if all else fails, check it out from the school library and hide it, though I won't recommend this option.
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2015-01-28 15:47:53 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think you should discuss it with her that Harry Potter does not at all go against Christian values. It is simply an amazing fictional book filled with fictional magic that is not mean't to corrupt any innocent minds. It's not like its forcing you to become a witch or wizard; its to be read for pleasure and enjoyment.
2006-12-21 14:07:56 · answer #8 · answered by Alyssa 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Children, obey your parents, and you will live a long life. Don't obey and the consequeses will not be good. It is so much easier to obey, really it is. Then you do not have to sneak around, you do not have to think up lies on top of lies and keep them straight, and you will know that you are a person of integrity- a very important thing to have not only when you get older, but now. Set yourself apart, and do not conform to this world and the pressures. There are plenty of other good books, go read them.
Please obey your parents, honey, it is the right thing to do.
Remember this one thing- YOU are the one that has to earn your mom's trust in the bigger future issues, if you sneak and read it now, it will be a very VERY long time before she trusts you again. Anyone who tells you to go against your mom, does not have to deal with the consequenses, you do....is it worth it in the long run????
2006-12-21 06:27:18 · answer #9 · answered by Northville 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
God, I hate it when people are that narrow-minded.
If you can, go to the library and read it, doll. I believe preventing a child from developing her own sense of Christian values is against Christian values. The last I checked, there's no commandment that says, "Thou Shalt Not Readeth Harry Potter!"
2006-12-21 06:35:48 · answer #10 · answered by willow oak 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋