I can agree with part of the sentiment that you espouse in your article here, namely that people should not be trying to lead their lives based on the behavior of their favorite characters in their favorite books. However, I do think that good quality childrens’ books in particular can be a positive influence on the developing morals and ethics of young children. Of course, this works better when the adults in their lives help them think about those books and the choices the characters in them made, and how those same ideas should impact the decisions they make in their own lives.

I further want to address the Harry Potter books in particular. Many people on the conservative side of the spectrum have denounced these books because of the use of magic in them, particularly after J. K. Rowling made the announcement that Dumbledore was gay.

First of all, to address the issue of magic. The genres of science fiction and fantasy, by their very nature, take place in universes with different rules than ours. Authors use those different universes to tell a story. The important thing in evaluating the appropriateness of a work of science fiction or fantasy is not the technical aspects of how the universe works (can good characters use magic?, can one travel faster than the speed of light?) but the moral aspects of how the universe works. Does good triumph in the end? Are virtuous characteristics like honor, courage, love, and loyalty eventually rewarded? Or does raw power triumph? Do you need to get nasty and play by the bad guys’ rules in order to succeed? These are qualities to look for that will shape a child’s thinking. I will point out that C.S. Lewis’ books contained good characters who used magic, as did J.R.R. Tolkien’s. Now that my eldest is reading the Harry Potter series, I have discussed the aspect of magic with her and made it clear that she understands that while it is okay for the good characters in those books to use magic, the rules are different in our world. She is perfectly capable of understanding the distinction between fact and fiction and knows that God doesn’t want us using magic in our world. So when you see young Harry Potter fans spending all their hard earned cash on buying fake wands and spell books, blame their parents, not Rowling.

As to Dumbledore being gay. Yes, I was disappointed with Rowling when I first heard the news. However, the more I thought about it, the less it troubled me. There is nothing in any of the books to indicate that Dumbledore ever acted on his homosexual preferences. Does homosexuality exist in our world? Yes. Are there otherwise morally good people who struggle with feelings of homosexuality? Yes. Does simply having the feelings make them bad? No. Dumbledore is a character who (according to the author) has these feelings but apparently never acted on them. And, knowing what we know of his background by the end of the series, perhaps this characteristic of him isn’t entirely surprising. Was his behavior influenced by his feelings? Arguably, yes. But as the seventh book makes quite clear, Dumbledore knew himself to be a deeply flawed human being who made a number of bad choices based on the brokenness of his family in his youth. At the same time, he did much good in the world, and more to the point, he sought to do good and tried to be humble in his pursuit of doing good. And most importantly of all (to me) was that out of his personal brokenness came a steadfast faith in others. He chose (to a fault at times) to see the best in other people (I’m thinking particularly of Snape and Filch, although there were plenty of others). Through his faith in these people, they managed to lead somewhat normal lives (within the wizarding world) despite their deep flaws, and in at least one case, experienced some kind of personal redemption (small “r”, not meaning to imply in a Christian sense here). Those are all important traits that children can learn from. For my own kids, I haven’t mentioned the “gay” issue. However, if they should hear it from some of their friends some day, I’m prepared to discuss it with them in a way that will teach them compassion for people who struggle with homosexuality while not compromising our held beliefs that homosexual behavior is contrary to God’s will.

Finally, as to the politics of the web site. Not that you have suggested this, but I want it to be clear that I in no way think we can blame J. K. Rowling for how some of her fans interpret her stories. I think her books come across as supporting a conservative world view. Personal responsibility and standing up to evil are important themes in the books. For every instance where some of her fans point out bad “conservative” behavior (their example of Sirius being tortured) I can point out bad “liberal” behavior, like the idiot ministers of magic and their complicit media who consistently refused to acknowledge the existence of an enemy determined to destroy them. To be honest, I have no idea what Rowling’s politics are. I do find plenty of material here though, with which I can encourage my children to grow into responsible, mature, and compassionate adults.

“but I want it to be clear that I in no way think we can blame J. K. Rowling ”

Where did I even mention the woman’s name?

I laid the trouble squarely on the extremists, left-wing wacko that created the site.

Every said, except for Warner’s excellent work, is a bit over the top. Some people just can’t separate fantasy from reality, so the former creeps into their lives. BTW, that’s a sidebar to the fact that the group is nuts and if aliens were living around us, state that they agree with their viewpoints.

…he is more than just a Harry Potter character, he is President of the United States.