Always Advent

Meme: Week, Month, Year, Half Your Life — more answers

Posted by claresiobhan on Feb 14th, 2008

Here are Number Two Daughter’s answers:

1 Day:

The Magic Treehouse

1 Week

The home of her friend Kim’s house

1 Month

The Starship Enterprise

1 Year

Hogwarts

Half her life

Neverland, because she will never get old. Then, when she’s ready for a change of scene, Middle Earth.

More answers:
Clare’s answers
Number One Daughter’s answers
SciFiCatholic’s answers

Harry Potter , Meme , Middle Earth , Star Trek , Tolkien
Comments(0)

SciFiCatholic’s take on “Dumbledore is gay”

Posted by claresiobhan on Jan 26th, 2008

A couple of insightful posts from D.G.D. Davidson at SciFiCatholic regarding the Dumbledore is gay furor from a while back:

From 10/22/07:

It is of course the business of a writer to know everything about her characters, including things that never make it into the final draft. Nonetheless, I find myself asking the question, why is Dumbledore homosexual? Such a detail is hardly necessary to explain his relationship with Grindelwald. I’m inclined, perhaps too cynically, to view this as another example of our tendecy today to sexualize everything, rendering platonic friendship nearly impossible, even in fiction. On the other hand, it may just be another bit of proof that Rowling is not exactly the master of subtlety. After all, homosexual attraction is the most obvious explanation for one man’s great love for another man.

the complete post for 10/22/07:
http://www.scificatholic.com/2007/10/star-trek-and-dumbledor e.html

From 10/27/07:

I have three great fears regarding what will happen as a result of Rowling’s comment. The first is that members of the homosexual subculture will see this as some kind of triumph, even though the books contain not the faintest hint of homosexuality. My other fear is that conservative Catholics will overreact and end up looking like a bunch of homophobic bigots. Both these fears have already become reality.

My third fear is that the Christian boosters of Harry Potter will unjustly feel betrayed even though Rowling made them no promises in the first place.

the complete post for 10/27/07:
http://www.scificatholic.com/2007/10/sci-fi-catholics-statem ent-on-j-k.html

Dumbledore is gay?

Posted by claresiobhan on Dec 23rd, 2007

All I have to say about this is “Bad writer! No biscuit!” Authors cannot, once their work is published, edit the story and add things they neglected to include before. If she wants to make Dumbledore “gay,” JKR will have to write a prequel, because I don’t buy it. Never in a million years would anyone read HP 1-7 and conclude that Dumbledore was homosexual. An adage used in screenwriting and playwriting goes like this: “If it’s not on the page, it’s not on the stage.”

It’s important to keep in mind, however, that being homosexual is a lot different from acting out homosexually. The former is a state of being that is considered disordered yet morally neutral, and one in which it is arguably more difficult to live the virtue of chastity. The latter is a mortal sin.

Fine. JKR wants to write about a character who is homosexual and basically sees the one homosexual episode in his life as a huge mistake. The courage of the chaste homosexual is always admirable. However, I’m not sure such a theme is appropriate for a story marketed as children’s literature.

The best thing I’ve seen on this topic comes from D.G.D. Davidson at SciFiCatholic, who understands both Catholicism and genre fiction. To read his highly intelligent, reasonable, and compassionate analysis, read on. I was going to post the link, but for some reason when I move the pointy finger icon over anything on Davidson’s blog, it disappears and I’m unable to link to it. So, in the spirit of “it’s better to ask forgiveness than to ask permission,” I just cut and paste the whole entry below. (I don’t think he’ll mind…) More links on this topic appear after Davidson’s article:

Saturday, October 27, 2007

The Sci Fi Catholic’s Statement on J. K. Rowling’s Recent Comment Regarding Dumbledore:

In light of the ridiculous controversy this has engendered, and in protestation against the Massachusetts Catholic school that recently banned the Harry Potter books, I decided it was time to make a statement. Snuffles was supposed to do it, but he says he finds the subject “too boring.” I know we’re late on this, but The Sci Fi Catholic is late on this sort of thing by design. This isn’t a news agency. We like to get our bearings and think a while before shooting our mouths off.

In case you’re not up on your inexplicably world-rocking literature news, J. K. Rowling mentioned at Carnegie Hall that she regarded the character Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, as a homosexual. Kind readers have provided me with links, so for the complete story, see this article at The Leaky Cauldron. Catholic blog The Blue Boar has an interesting statement and link. For a level-headed Catholic essay on the subject, Mark Shea’s post is a good place to go. For a good example of Catholics Behaving Badly, you might try enduring the lengthy and vitriolic arguments in the comments on that post, which at the time of this writing number 310, thereby making me insanely jealous.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Rowling’s statement has no effect on the actual novels, which contain no references to homosexuality or even hints.

Comments on Shea’s blog make it painfully obvious that many Catholics are in need of a reiteration of the Church’s teaching on homosexuality. Homosexuality is a “disorder” in the sense that a person in that condition has his passions ordered to an object other than that to which they properly belong. This is not a sin. When a person acts out in response to the disorder, that is a sin. We have no evidence whatsoever that Dumbledore has ever been an active homosexual. His merely being homosexual is not the terrible thing some Christian readers are making it out to be.

It is not a sin to use homosexual characters in a work of fiction or to depict them as intelligent and likable people, contra one of the commenters on Shea’s blog. As I know from experience, some homosexuals are in fact intelligent and likable people.

The media nonsense is going to die down in a few weeks. The novels will remain unaffected in content.

An encyclopedia of the Potterverse is slated for release sometime in the future and may contain this detail on Dumbledore even though the novels do not. Parents will want to consider that before buying the encyclopedia for their children.

I have three great fears regarding what will happen as a result of Rowling’s comment. The first is that members of the homosexual subculture will see this as some kind of triumph, even though the books contain not the faintest hint of homosexuality. My other fear is that conservative Catholics will overreact and end up looking like a bunch of homophobic bigots. Both these fears have already become reality.

My third fear is that the Christian boosters of Harry Potter will unjustly feel betrayed even though Rowling made them no promises in the first place. The books use Christian themes, but they have never given us reason to believe Rowling was writing them as an orthodox Christian. Nor should that be a matter of concern; a great many good books, for children or otherwise, are not explicitly orthodox Christian. Nonetheless, because so many feel disillusioned, I fear they will end up in the camp of Michael O’Brien and his ilk, who long to strap iron chains over Christians’ imaginations and subject them to arbitrary and contradictory rules that would reduce fantasy writing to mindless, artistically inferior rehashings of The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia. Rowling’s comment does not bode well for the future of Christian fantasy, which has already earned a reputation for producing soft-soaping knock-offs of its betters. It also does not bode well for the future of fantasy readers who are Christian, who as a result of this will become more cynical regarding fantasy literature. I predict Rowling’s statement will widen the rift of the Culture Wars, produce a further atrophying of the Christian imagination, and increase the exodus from the Church of young people who will not tolerate the oppression of their imaginations by the likes of O’Brien.

Davidson provides some good links, so until I can get the pointy finger working properly and give you a link directly to the article, just go to the SciFiCatholic October 2007 archives page:

http://www.scificatholic.com/2007_10_01_archive.html

…and scroll down a bit.

Other links on the Dumbledore is gay brouhaha:

This blogger seems to post on this subject quite a lot:
Cacciaguida
http://cacciaguida.blogspot.com/2007_10_01_archive.html#9220 899456316358412

Harry Potter posts from Mark Shea:
http://markshea.blogspot.com/search/label/Harry%20Potter

The “Outing of Dumbledore: A Catholic Response by Bill Donaghy, 10/28/07
http://www.catholicexchange.com/node/66886

In Defense of Dumbledore by Regina Doman, 12/21/07
http://www.catholicexchange.com/node/68303

Transcripts from the “Dumbledore is gay” talk:
http://eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com/175955.html
http://the-leaky-cauldron.org/2007/10/20/j-k-rowling-at-carn egie-hall-reveals-dumbledore-is-gay-neville-marries-hannah-a bbott-and-scores-more

new Harry Potter link

Posted by claresiobhan on Dec 21st, 2007

Regina Doman has an article at Catholic Exchange today:

“In Defense of Dumbledore” — http://www.catholicexchange.com/node/68303

I added this and one or two others to the massive stack of Harry Potter links I published earlier:

http://claresiobhan.stblogs.com/2007/04/16/slogging-through- scores-of-harry-potter-pagesso-you-dont-have-to/

Have fun!

Stuck in the Middle With Harry

Posted by claresiobhan on Oct 11th, 2007

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Recent National Catholic Register article by Carl E. Olson: “Stuck in the Middle With Harry“

Clare weighs in on Harry Potter, finally.

Posted by claresiobhan on Aug 27th, 2007

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I’ve purposely refrained from commenting much on Harry Potter until the whole story was published, but I’ve finally finished reading the 7th and last installment, and I do have a few comments, which I’ll post later (it is past my bed time now and I am tired from being up til 2:30 am last night finishing the book…)

But first:

Terry Mattingly has a Harry Potter article on Catholic Exchange: Final Harry Potter Wars? The comments are as interesting as the article: they are numerous and as usual come no nearer to any kind of resolution of the controversy. The “nays” strike me as shrill and accusatory, the “yays” seemed puzzled by the rancor.

Harry Potter article at CatholicExchange.com

Posted by claresiobhan on Jul 14th, 2007

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CatholicExchange is running a good article in the wake of the newest Harry Potter movie:
C.S. Lewis, Spiritual Warfare, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Good stuff!

Slogging through scores of Harry Potter pages…so you don’t have to!

Posted by claresiobhan on Apr 16th, 2007

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The 5th movie — Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix–comes out July 13, 2007.
The 7th and final book — Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows–comes out July 21, 2007 – a 12 million copy 1st printing.

Still not sure whether to let your kids read Potter? Try the links below, although I can’t guarantee they’ll make your decision any easier. Plenty of Catholic opinionists believe HP is fine as is, some say fine with reservations, some say it’s a definite no-no. Some of the links appear in more than one list, and I definitely have NOT read all the articles listed–there are so many, it would be impossible. Comments on the suitability/helpfulness of links welcome.

Clare’s Exhausting-But-Probably-Not-Exhaustive List of Harry Potter Links:

New Links: (added on 12/21/07) This just never ends, does it? :)

12-21-07 “In Defense of Dumbledore” by Regina Doman
http://www.catholicexchange.com/node/68303

8/19-25/07 “Stuck in the Middle With Harry” by Carl E. Olson
http://ncregister.com/site/article/3443

New Links: (added on 12/10/07)

http://www.catholicexchange.com/node/63740
C.S. Lewis, Spiritual Warfare, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by Marc T. Newman, Ph.D. 7/13/07

http://www.catholicexchange.com/node/64814
Final Harry Potter Wars? By Terry Mattingly 8/23/07

http://www.catholicexchange.com/node/67042
Harry Potter: No Innocent Fun by Fr. Thomas Euteneuer 11/6/07

http://www.catholicexchange.com/node/66886
The “Outing” of Dumbledore: A Catholic Response by Bill Donaghy 10/28/07

Dumbledore:
http://eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com/175955.html
http://the-leaky-cauldron.org/2007/10/20/j-k-rowling-at-carn egie-hall-reveals-dumbledore-is-gay-neville-marries-hannah-a bbott-and-scores-more
http://www.scificatholic.com/

The Original Huge Stack o’ Links:

General information about Harry Potter:
Answers.com article
Wikipedia article
Warner Brothers (official movie site)
The Harry Potter Lexicon

General information on JK Rowling:
JK Rowling Teacher Resource file: a big page of links, including essays on Harry Potter from secular sources
JK Rowling’s website
Answers.com article
Wikipedia entry

Interviews with JK Rowling:
Scholastic
KidsReads
Stories from the Web

Audio:
The Secrets of Harry Potter (podcasts by Fr. Roderick Vonhogen)
There’s Something About Harry: A Catholic Analysis of the Harry Potter Phenomenon (audio cassette featuring authors Patrick Madrid, Michael O’Brien, and Toni Collins)
The Trouble with Harry (audio cassette by Matthew Arnold)

Steven Greydanus, author of Decent Films Guide:
Harry Potter vs. Gandalf: An in-depth analysis of the literary use of magic in the works of J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis
Faith and Fantasy: Tolkien the Catholic, The Lord of the Rings, and Peter Jackson’s Film Trilogy

The Onion parodies the Harry Potter phenomenon:
“Harry Potter Books Spark Rise in Satanism Among Children”, originally published by The Onion and debunked at these sites: Snopes, Religious Tolerance, Break the Chain, and Truth or Fiction.

The Snopes article, updated 3/21/07, is particularly good, and closes with this quote: “If The Onion’s parody has demonstrated anything, it’s that we should be worrying about adults not being able to distinguish between fiction and reality. The kids themselves seem to have a pretty good grasp of it.”

(Note: if the Onion article were an actual news piece, it would be really bad: do not allow children to read it because it’s quite vulgar. — Clare)

Christian author and Harry Potter fan describes her persecution at the hands of Christian readers who took The Onion article seriously:
The Potter Parody That Got Out of Hand by Anne Morse

Other Onion Harry Potter parodies:
J.K. Rowling Ends Harry Potter Series After Discovering Boys
Infographic: New Harry Potter Film (11/16/05)
Children, Creepy Middle-Aged Weirdos Swept Up In Harry Potter Craze (12/5/01)
New Harry Potter Films Turns Children On To Magic of Not Reading (11/28/01)
Infographic: Wild About Harry (10/6/99)
Infographic: Pottermania Yet Again (7/2/03)

(Note: the Onion is sometimes very funny, but often not recognized for what it is: clever parodies and satire. The Harry Potter stuff is not the only material from the Onion that’s been mistakenly passed around the rumor mill as true. Also, the Onion is generally not suitable for children. — Clare)

Blog Threads:

Blog title: Pontifications
Author: the former Fr. Alvin F. Kimel, Jr. (formerly an Episcopal priest, now a Catholic priest)
The Gospel and Harry Potter (reprint of an original sermon by the author 6/29/03)
Can Catholics read Harry Potter and not to to Hell? (original post: 7/14/05)

Blog title: Open Book
Author: Amy Welborn
Pope Condemns Harry Potter!!!!!!!!!!! (original post 7/14/05)
HP=RC (original post 5/18/04)
Speaking of Harry (original post 7/14/05)

Blog title: Flying Stars
Author: Nancy (Carpenter) Brown
Harry Potter and the Catholic Family
Nancy Brown’s response to a Mercatornet article on Harry Potter

Blog title: JimmyAkin.org
Author: Jimmy Akin
LifeSiteNews Calls Kettle Black (original post 7/14/05)
Pre-16 On Harry Potter (original post 7/14/05)

Blog title: maureenwittmann.blogspot
Author: Maureen Wittman
The Pros and Cons of Harry (original post 2/27/06 — scroll down a bit)

Blog title: Catholic and Enjoying It!
Author: Mark Shea
various posts on Harry Potter

Michael O’Brien:
(Harry Potter and the Paganization of Children’s Culture, originally published Oct. 10 2001 in Catholic World Report)
Pope Benedict and Harry Potter (7/1/05)
Some Thoughts on the Harry Potter Series by Michael O’Brien (article originally appeared in the National Catholic Register, Oct. 22, 2000, now archived on the Catholic Education Resource Center) Note: He mentions at the end of the article that Ignatius Press has an entire section devoted to what well-known Catholic authors think of the Potter series, but I was not able to find such a section online.

Various Christian commentary on Harry Potter:
Character, Choice, and Harry Potter by Catherine Jack Deavel (Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture, vol. 5, no. 4, Fall 2002)
The Harry Potter Books: charming stories or a demonic plot?
Transcript of the Vatican Radio program 105Live, Thursday, July 14, 2005. Features Msgr. Peter Fleetwood’s interesting comments on the Harry Potter stories and the fact that it’s easier to understand and appreciate Harry Potter if one is English. (Note: last time I checked this link, it was broken. I’m hoping the transcript hasn’t been permanently removed from the Catholic Insider site, so I’m leaving the link here. — Clare)
No Catholic Consensus by Tim Ryland
Vatican official has kind word for Harry Potter’s magical world by John L. Allen Jr., National Catholic Reporter, February 21, 2003
Hogwarts Professor a blog by John Granger: “Thoughts for the Serious Reader of Harry Potter”. (Author of the books The Hidden Key to Harry Potter and Unlocking Harry Potter: Five Keys for the Serious Reader (both 2007, Zossima Press) and editor of Who Killed Albus Dumbledore? (an anthology of essays by various authors, 2006 Zossima Press). “Rita Skeeter Covers the Vatican” follows the papal flap over HP.
Matters of Opinion: The Perils of Harry Potter by Jacqui Komschlies (Christianity Today, October 23, 2000)
Harry Potter is Dangerous for Both You and Your Children, adapted from a sermon by Fr. Casimir Puskorius, CMRI, December 16,2001
Death stalks the halls of Hogwarts by Joe Woodard (4/13/07 on Mercatornet)
Nancy Brown’s response to the Mercatornet article
LifeSiteNews:
The Problem of Harry Potter

Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI:
Pope Benedict and Harry Potter 7/1/05 archived on Michael O’Brien’s site
The Cardinal Ratzinger Fan Club and The Pope Benedict XVI Fan Club)
Catholic World News and LifeSiteNews)
Pope Opposes Harry Potter Novels – Signed Letters from Cardinal Ratzinger Now Online (July 13, 2005 LifeSiteNews.com)
Scanned copies of the two signed letters by Cardinal Ratzinger (in German):
1st letter, 2nd letter.
Benedict XVI Opposes Harry Potter
(article title: “Pope Opposes Harry Potter Novels—Signed Letters from Cardinal Ratzinger Now Online”, 7/13/05, LifeSiteNews.com)

Articles archived on Catholic Culture:
First Things, January 2000)
St. Joseph Covenant Keepers)
The Trouble With Harry by John Andrew Murray (2000 St. Joseph Covenant Keepers Newsletter, published by Family Life Center International, Inc., St. Joseph Covenant Keepers)
Catholic World News, 2000 or Catholic World Report, April 2001)
Envoy Communications, Inc.)
Homiletic & Pastoral Review, June 2001)
Harry Potter at the Vatican by Dr. Jeff Mirus, 7/22/05 on Catholic Culture. Scroll down to read the article.
Has the Pope Condemned Harry Potter? By Dr. Jeff Mirus (Catholic Culture 7/16/05)

Archived at the website of St. Joseph’s Covenant Keepers:
And They Lived Happily Ever After by Vivian W. Dudro
Citations from Scripture and the Catechism on divination, magic, and sorcery
Harry Potter Gets Vatican Blessing? (article by “S.W.”, whom I assume is Steve Woods, containing a summary of his correspondence with Msgr. Fleetwood)
Harry Potter: Agent of Conversion by Toni Collins, Envoy Magazine
Harry Potter: An Entry Point into the World of the Occult/New Age Movement by Steve Wood
Phenomenon of Satanism in Contemporary Society by Giuseppe Ferrari with comments from Steve Wood
Restoring the Sense of Wonder. Interview with Michael O’Brien
Rome’s Chief Exorcist Warns Parents Against Harry Potter (originally appeared on LifeSiteNews.com)
Some Thoughts on the Harry Potter Series by Michael O’Brien
The Perils of Harry Potter by Jacqui Komschlies
The Trouble with Harry by John Andrew Murray, Dean of Students at Whitefield Academy in Atlanta, GA
What Parents Are Saying About Harry Potter

Articles archived at Catholic Educator’s Resource Center (CERC. Also goes by Catholic Education Resource Center):
Not Quite Narnia: The Harry Potter Books in Review by Jason Boffetti (Crisis, vol 17, no. 11 Dec. 1999)
Is Harry Potter Good for Our Kids? By Vivian W. Dudro (St. Joseph’s Covenant Keepers vol 6, no. 12 July/August 2000)
Some Thoughts on the Harry Potter Series by Michael O’Brien (National Catholic Register, October 22, 2000)
Harry Potter and the Paganization of Children’s Culture by Michael O’Brien (Catholic World Report, April 2001)
Tolkien and Rowling: Common Ground? By Michael O’Brien and Sandra Miesel (a letter to the editor by Sandra Miesel with a response by Michael O’Brien, Catholic World Report, July 2001)
When Harry Potter Goes Awry (Zenit interview with Michael O’Brien, 2001)
Some Thoughts on the Harry Potter Series by Michael O’Brien (article originally appeared in the National Catholic Register, Oct. 22, 2000, now archived on the Catholic Education Resource Center, www.catholiceducation.org) Note: He mentions at the end of the article that www.ignatius.com has an entire section devoted to what well-known Catholic authors think of the Potter series, but I was not able to find such a section online.