Witches, Warlocks, and Gays OH MY!?

Question

I am not a huge fan of the Harry Potter books, but I do like the films. My question is this...why is every one so up in arms that one of the main characters is gay? I think it is stupid! Christian groups are so up set that Dumbledore is gay, but I thought they did not read the books because it promoted witch-craft? AHHHH I am Christian and I am tired of the ignorance, and the petty causes Christians fight for, are there not more pressing issues in the world other than a gay fictional character in a book they are not supposed to read? Christians wonder why people look at us like inbred, ignorant, boarder line retarded, jerks! Please tell me I am not the only one who feels this way!

Answer 1

Sorry, I thought you were describing my Halloween party this weekend...

Answer 2

You're probably not the only one who feels that way. But usually - when people are fed up with their religion - they move on and find a different one that works better for them.

Religion is simply a tool we use to understand and get closer to God. I don't think which religion matters.

My Minister is a huge Harry Potter fan. In fact - a Harry Potter book was our "book of the month" - a few years ago - because he felt it had a lot of great Spiritual messages. My minister is gay. And I haven't talked to him - but he's probably quite happy that such a positive character has been named as gay - and maybe a little sad - that it wasn't a known fact in the books.

I'm not gay - and I'm not that much of a HP fan at all. But - I'm really glad that I fit in at my Spiritual Center. That's important to me.

Christians are doing what Christians need to do in order to feel okay about themselves. Very often - I've observed - that means they live strictly by their interpretation of the Bible. Being gay (even for a fictional character) cannot be promoted or accepted - because the Bible says it's wrong. Christians live by the Bible. They choose to do so - and it works for them.

If you no longer want to live that way - move on.

Namaste!

Answer 3

The media blows this up waaaay out of proportion. If a kid reads books 1-7 all the way through, it is unlikely he or she will pick up on Dumbledore's sexual orientation, because he keeps it where it belongs--private. He doesn't make overtures to Harry; he doesn't betray trust like some Catholic priests do. He is an admirable character with a painful past for which he has done his best to make amends. He showed restraint and good judgment in knowing his own limitations. Dumbledore is one of the most admirable characters in the series, and the postmortem "gay" revelation does nothing to sully this in my view. People just don't recognize a well-drawn character when they read it but latch on to superficial things. It is just like real life--the loud, salacious gossip gets the front page and crowds out the real story. Rita Skeeter is VERY real...

Answer 4

I'm not a Christian, but I agree.... Just seems that Christians are fighting petty wars over FICTIONAL books and ignoring the more important things in life. Why are so many people worried about homosexuality? They use the argument that they don't want their children thinking it's "ok". Which is silly... that's laying the blame on everyone else to teach their children. And when that child grows up, they're going to think for themselves anyway, whether the Christian parents like it or not. All of this is very silly and does make some look very ignorant (I can't say all because I know several Christians who would agree with you on this point).

Answer 5

Yes, I do find it quite petty, as if we were rather ignorantly obsessing about realigning pictures on a sinking ship! It is why I'm so glad that most evangelicals did not boycott, but rather continued to remain silent, if not promote the recently released movie called the "End of the Spear", based on the true story of the pilot, Nate Saint, and the return trip of Saint's son attempting to reach the natives of Ecuador for the gospel of Jesus Christ. The one who played both Nate and the son later on, Chad Allen, has identified himself as being gay.

In other words, it's not the characters' personal or depicted lives, like Dumbledore's, that we should be so concerned about regarding any movie or story, especially if they are such an animated and prominent character, or do such a good job of acting, like Chad did! No, rather, it's the message, and what it promotes. Right?

Answer 6

Personally, I do not care if Dumbledore is gay. It is a moot point. Rowling just put it in there to make Christians mad, and get even more publicity.

I read the first Potter book, and put it down. Not because of the "evil messages in it".....because the writing was juvenile and crappy. I much prefer superior fiction of Weis and Hickman, and am saddened by the loss of Jordan. Her ideas are sound, but her execution lacks the daring style of other fantasy writers.

But Rowling is proof that writing for the ignorant can sell better when it is dumbed down for the unwashed masses.

Answer 7

It's like I said in a discussion with my friend last night. When reading the books, I didn't pick up on Dumbledore being gay, because I didn't care about the sexual orientation of the characters. I wanted to see Voldemort get a beat down.

I don't like the fact that she has to explain outside the books that he's gay. You want it in the series? You should have made it more blatant in the book, in my opinion.

and the books are 10 times better than the movies.

Answer 8

I'm trying to figure out what the big deal is. It's like when the Catholic church was so up in arms about Dan Brown's book (and later movie with Tom Hanks) the DaVinci Code. Where are these books found in any library. THE FICTION SECTION!!! What part of the definition of "fiction" is the church missing?? I was always taught that books were supposed to expand your mind (horizons, imagination, etc), vocabulary, literacy, and make you think on your own. And they are good and fairly inexpensive entertainment. Personally, I don't see the problem with Dumbldore being gay. Like someone else said, it wasn't obvious when you read the books so why is it such a big deal now?? What difference does it make? Unless there are more books to come and JK Rowling is setting the stage for bigger "issues" in the books??

Answer 9

the problem started out when christians tried to take over the Harry Potter story line. they like to make everything warm and fuzzy to children that they know will read the books and watch the movies. they read Harry Potter with an emphasis on WWJD. unfortunately for them, Harry Potter deals with everyday life, even if magical, and that is where christianity parts company--christianity is already in the realm of make believe and it has no room for more fairytales, especially fairytales dealing with real problems and successes in life. They do not like seeing gay people in positions of authority or in postitions that influence children. christians are the most petty of people. christianity and other revealed religions should be banished from the earth.

Answer 10

I am probably missing something, but who in harry potter is gay?

I guess I missed that announcement about Dumbledore.

A persons priories are all messed up if they think that gay story book characters is worth burning books over.

Answer 11

You definitely are NOT the only Christian who feels this way.

Most Christians probably feel that way, but it's the inbred, ignorant, .... etc ones who make all the noise and get all the attention and give the rest of us a bad name.