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This study, focusing on differences between fundamentalist (biblical) and liberal Christian families' perceptions of Harry Potter, explores scriptural literalism's influence on parents' decisions to allow their children to read the series. Parents completed quantitative and qualitative measures assessing theme perception, scriptural literalism, and perception of Dumbledore's principled reasoning. Children completed similar measures. Results suggest that liberal and biblical parents view the series through different religious lenses. Compared to liberal children who admired Dumbledore's moral flexibility when allowing the protagonists to break rules, biblical children were more likely to value the result but question the means. Results are presented in light of their implications for moral education in pluralistic societies in which many families hold strong but divergent religious views.
"When compared to the high standards of the Bible - standards all human beings should live by - the entire lot, including Harry, Ron, Hermione . . . and even Albus Dumbledore leave a trail of filth and moral stench unworthy of children's literature" (Wohlberg, 2005, p. 154).
Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling's international bestseller series, has sparked debate among those believing the series promotes Satan through a magical and moral world leading children to the occult (e.g., Abanes, 2001; Kjos, 2007; Wohlberg, 2005) and those maintaining the series promotes virtues through opportunities for complex moral reflection and discussion (e.g., Neal, 2001; Whitney, Vozzola, & Hofmann, 2005). Specifically, many fundamentalist Christians express concern that Harry Potter desensitizes children to magic, undermines Christian values by exposing children to protagonists who frequently lie, cheat, and break rules, and challenges the Christian worldview as Harry overcomes evil by relying on himself rather than God.
On the contrary, moral educators and researchers generally maintain that the books foster virtues such as courage and friendship (e.g., Bridger, 2002; Whitney et al., 2005), creating opportunities for moral instruction as Rowling "places Harry and his friends in ethical dilemmas requiring them to think in complex ways about right and wrong" (Kern, 2003, p. 25). Similarly, some Christians suggest that the books are Christian allegory (Granger, 2004; Neal, 2002) and can be used to promote spiritual insights, teaching children Christian values and morality (e.g., Burkart, 2005; KiIlinger, 2004; Neal, 2001) and serving to "open the door for talking about . . ....