I guess I have to finally say something on this subject, because after some of what I've read this week, I'm embarrassed to be a Catholic Homeschool mother. Let me just preface all I say with many in my HS group consider me a heathen, Harry Potter is one of many reasons. It used to bother me, but I'm pretty sure that my confessor would disagree with them, so who cares.
I'm what many call a "Bad Catholic Homeschooler". I wear jeans, I run errands while listening to my Ipod, I watch TV, and enjoy some of it, I stay up some nights drinking a beer with my husband while playing our Wii, but none of that is as bad as some find Harry Potter. I too, used to be Anti-Harry, before I read the books. I had been lulled into the Michael O'Brien Way of thinking, after all he had some good things to say, and I, a former punk music loving young mother had been raised out of the church, what did I know. So I blindly followed, shame on me! I banned Dragon Tales, can't confuse the kiddies, I talked badly about Harry Potter, I just wanted to fit in with my homeschooling peers.
Then one day, I happened to be the day that the Sixth Book came out, something happened. Our town turned into Hogsmead. I had no idea what that was honestly, but we had some friends who walked through over, and they brought up the alleged comments by then Cardinal Ratzinger. These friends are Catholics, but "Sunday" Catholics. They were not interested in Harry Potter, frankly, but thought it was concerning that the Pope would speak on such a trivial thing. I tried to soften the blow a bit, but without having read the books, I pretty much looked dumb.I then decided to borrow the books from my niece and read them. At least I could tell everyone how bad they were.
I read them all in a matter of three weeks. They were great, nothing in there even hinted of "join the occult" . Wait, then, maybe I missed something. I had my husband listen to the audio books with me. Again, nothing illicit, certainly nothing as offensive as some Catholic children's books we have been given over the years.
For years I had tried to be a "Good Catholic Homeschool Mom", no pants, only good Catholic music and film, shun culture basically. I failed and was not happy. Thank goodness I have a few good priests to turn to for direction! We as Catholics are given FREEDOM. We can choose good. We can learn, through formation what is good. I am not to live a cloistered life, I am to live in the world, but not be of it. I have chosen to read the Harry Potter books, I have chosen to not let my children read some of the books, based upon age and maturity. I respect my many friends who do not allow many of the things I allow.
I guess the thing that has bugged me the most about the way Harry Potter, and many other issues related to culture are handled is the meanness with which those who have chosen to keep them out of their family act. There are teenagers in our HS group who are not allowed to talk to me, I am clearly a bad influence. My kids have been taught to be respectful, and if we are with friends who do not allow certain things, they go out of their way to not mention them. We have to ask ourselves if the energy being used to slander the name of many good people, like Nancy Brown, could be used to bring more people to heaven with us? Is the behavior causing other to be lead away from God or the Church? If it is, that is truly sinful. Oh, and By the way, I still ban Dragon tales, because it is just plain dumb, and that has nothing to do with Dragons.
Now I'm off to play Wii Sports while listening to rock music with my kids. and continue being an embarrassment to my homeschool group.
1 comment:
Deb, that is an excellent, excellent essay. Thanks so much! I liked this sentence:
For years I had tried to be a "Good Catholic Homeschool Mom", no pants, only good Catholic music and film, shun culture basically.
That, I think, is the worst sin of the anti-Potterites, even moreso than the horrible way they treat us. The Catholic Church owns culture. Even in its most degenerate modern manifestations, Western culture is still basically the culture that sprang to life with the rise and spread of Christianity during its first centuries.
To "shun culture," as these people tend to do, only discredits the Faith. It makes us all look like puritanical, swotty little nancy boys afraid of our own shadows. I am so very glad that there are good, wise homeschoolers like you, Nancy, and many others, who live, as you so rightly said, in the world, just not of it.
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