The Gadfly “To persuade and reproach” - Socrates, The Apology
Vol. VII, Iss. I
The Sleeping Horse: Households If I were still in grade school, at some point in the recent past I would have been assigned a “What I Did Over the Summer” paper. And if I were still in grade school, it would begin like so: Over the summer I grew … It took a long time, but after 21 years I figured one thing out: in order to grow, a man must be challenged and exert himself in completing the challenge. Whether he succeeds does not matter. Even if he fails, he should learn something about himself and about life. To most college-aged students this seems like an elementary lesson to have learned as recently as this past summer.
But because God did grant me this grace, I figure I should try and use this knowledge to help others. The place that I see the most potential to use this lesson at Franciscan University is among our beloved households. Households are our bread and butter, a primary recruiting tool, and just a plain awesome idea. So, why not make them better? It is at this point that I challenge all households and all University students, faculty, and staff. Over this semester I am going to present some challenges/questions. Hopefully discussion will precipitate the growth and ma-
turity of our souls. The format is as follows: I present a question at the end of each article and everyone floods The Gadfly email inbox with responses. At Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism I learned that “you can’t give both sides of an argument in an article if one side is unwilling to voice its opinion,” and so I will do the part of raising hard and challenging questions, but this conversation requires all of you. Hopefully we will all benefit from challenging ourselves by seeking the truth in charity, and the awesome idea of households will become an even Continued on page 4
Harry Potter and the Naysayers of DOOM For Harry Potter fans all over the world, this summer marked the long awaited conclusion to the seven book series with the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Much deserves to be said about this final novel, but I think a more pressing issue needs dealt with first, namely, the ongoing complaints from Christian Potter naysayers. To be quite honest, I think the criticisms made from this group of people make little sense, especially in light of the largely Christian inspiration behind the stories (more on that in the next issue). Therefore, while I lack the space here to deal with every particular argument, in what follows I will address all of the major criticisms that I am aware of. Magic and the Occult? Concern about the magic in Harry Potter is probably the most common objection raised by Christians. In dealing with this problem, it’s helpful to cite three interesting points repeatedly made by the author J. K. Rowling herself in interviews: (1) “I don’t believe in witchcraft”; (2) “ninety five percent at least, of the magic in the books in entirely invented by me. And . . . I’ve used bits of what people used to believe worked magically just to add a certain flavor, but I’ve always twisted them to suit my own . . . plot”; (3) “Not once
has a child come up to me and said, ‘Due to you, I’ve decided to devote my life to the occult.’ People underestimate children so hugely – they know it’s fiction” (2002). This is precisely how I’ve always felt about magic in the books as well: no real life Wiccans or occultists actually use wands, broomsticks, or the kinds of magical spells used by Harry and his friends. In fact, even large popular neopagan/witchcraft websites (e.g., Witchvox.com) admit there is no connection between their own “magick” and the fairy tale “magic” of the books. This is often recognized by various former Wiccans and Christian ministers to occultists as well (see “On Harry Potter and Wicca” at Internetmonk.com). Yet if such is the case, why do some Christians still have problems? One obvious difficulty is that frequently critics haven’t actually read Harry Potter, instead merely going off opinions of others (who also often haven’t touched the books). Therefore, let’s consider just a few of the more influential critical voices. One comes, ironically, from a 2000 story by the satirical newspaper The Onion, where it was reported that Harry Potter is connected to a rising interest in witchcraft and Satanism. All of this was and still is untrue, yet emails continue to circulate among Christians quoting this spoof report. Thus, Snopes.com aptly observed: “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” (see their Urban Legends page “Harry Potter and Satanism”). Another popular critical source is the supposed disapproval from Cardinal Ratzinger in the Kuby letters of 2003. Most people first heard about these in 2005 with news stories titled “Pope Opposes Harry Potter Novels.” However, closer analyses by numerous wellrespected Catholics—including Fr. Peter Fleetwood, an official from the Pontifical Council for Culture—have shown the silliness of this whole fiasco: (1) these personal pre-papal letters carry no doctrinal weight; (2) it is not clear that Ratzinger authored them; (3) there’s little reason to think he’s even looked at the Potter books themselves (for the full story, see John Granger’s “‘Pope Opposes Harry Potter’? Hardly” at HogwartsProfessor.com). Finally, there are outcries from the “leading exorcist in Rome,” Fr. Gabriele Amorth, suggesting the books have “the signature of the king of the darkness” (2006). How could this “expert” on the occult not be telling the truth, right? Well, believe it or not, even Fr. Amorth isn’t perfect. I’ve heard from a personal Continued on page 3
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Letter from the Editor
Staff: Happy staff people go here! (dance dance)
Sometime readers, avid fans and devotees (we know you’re out there), Franciscan students, faculty, and staff: this is for you. The Gadfly is back and our goal is to encourage open discussion of campus and cultural issues and to provide a place to examine, praise, or even chomp hard the sleeping horse. Your submissions
are welcomed heartily – from Latin masses to caf food, suffering in love to your thoughts on The Gadfly, send it in. And if you want to go even further, take a bold step and be part of the hippest staff in town! We look forward to hearing from you. ~The Editor in Chief
Emily Davis (ED)
QUO VADIS?
Callie Langworthy (CL)
RUN SO AS TO WIN
John Mario Levri (JML) Chris McAnall (CM) Mark Schreck (MS) Sarah Bartley (SB) Business Manager Manuel Garcia (MG) Layout Editor Cate Shultis (CS) Editor in Chief
** Please note that the views held in the articles do not necessarily express the views of the whole staff. Interested in joining our staff? Email us at notestothegadfly@gmail.com
~Mission Statement~ The Gadfly is an attempt to “bite the sleeping horse” in the spirit of Socrates. It is a student publication whose purpose is to facilitate discussion concerning campus and cultural issues as they pertain to students of Franciscan University. It aims to be a forum for open, well-thought out, and honest discussion towards the end of knowing and loving truth in its most robust sense.
Advisor: Dr. John White Advisor Extraordinaire
“Hope you enjoy life. It goes by fast.” These words, like an epitaph, are written on a card in my room. The card was given to me by my coworkers at the end of the summer, and from the jumble of vague and pleasant goodbye messages, these words haunt me. The realization that life does, in fact, “go by fast” struck me this summer, and now I wonder – where am I going? As I write this, I am sitting in an unattractive airport in Washington, DC, with the majority of my worldly possessions strewn about me. But even here, with boarding pass for a plane to Valencia in hand, the question must be asked – where am I going? In the homily he gave for the opening Mass, Fr. Terry referred to the story of Alice in Wonderland, from Lewis Carroll’s book. Following is the section to which he referred: [Alice said] “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat. “I don’t much care where –” said Alice. “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat [emphasis mine]. The grinning cat makes an important point: we might as well choose any path if we don’t know, or care, where we are going. The theme for the school year is “Run so as to win.” The runner thinks always of his or her final destination, even when it is still quite distant. “I
do not run aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing,” said Paul. And again I have to ask myself – where am I going? Am I running aimlessly to Spain, simply satisfying my wanderlust? It is incredibly easy to do things just… because. While at home, it may be easy to get used to watching TV every night simply because it is on, while at school it may be easy to go to Mass every day because it’s something that one’s friends do. But the Christian life is all about intensity, about having life abundantly. Think about the famous words to the church at Laodicea: “Because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth,” or the exhortation in 1 Peter: “Above all, let your love for one another be intense.” And again, there is Paul: “I do not run aimlessly.” The very image of the runner is telling. Christians are not called to stroll to heaven. We are not called to meander towards our perfection. We are called to “run so as to win.” So what am I doing in this airport? Am I running away? Perhaps, but more than that, I am striving for adulthood and independence. Though it may not be the very best way, I am running towards a personal goal: the maturity of a Christian adult. So this semester, I will make living a purpose-driven life my goal, and I urge you all to do the same. In all your activities – school, friendships, spirituality and sports, I encourage you to do more than “try hard” or “do your best.” Run to win. ~ED
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St. Paul, patron saint of journalists and newspaper staffs, pray for us. “Harry Potter…” continued from page 1
priest friend that many Catholics in Rome think he’s a bit crazy regarding some of his assertions—remember, this is a man “convinced that the Nazis were all possessed” (2006). More importantly, none of his Potter statements suggest he’s actually read the books and can fairly compare their magic with actual occult practices. Additionally, he’s not the only exorcist speaking about Harry Potter. Fr. José Antonio Fortea, another wellknown exorcist, carries a different opinion: “The books in themselves are not bad. They are merely literary fantasies in the manner of stories that have existed in Europe since the Middle Ages. I am neither in favor of condemning nor prohibiting them” (2007). Despite all of this, I don’t mean to take lightly the negative reactions of Christians who have read the books or seen the movies, especially those who were formally involved in witchcraft. However, in light of all that I’ve read and researched, I do want to propose that perhaps such knee-jerk negative responses are merely psychological and due only to surface level similarities between the books and witchcraft. I sincerely believe a closer examination of the actual magic used in the books reveals just how different and harmless it really is. It’s also worth mentioning that Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and Lewis’s Narnia both received their fair share of Christian critics in their own day (and continue to in some small circles), only to slowly be vindicated over time—I truly think the same will happen with the Harry Potter series. Rebels without a Cause? Another argument I hear from time to time is that the books don’t set a clear moral example: the children are often rebellious, breaking school rules and disobeying authority figures in the stories. As Fr. Peter Fleetwood has noted, however, this is a common ploy in English children’s literature, so it needs to be understood within that context. In light of this, it’s significant that the children often break rules only for some greater good in the fight against various forces of evil. This is something that can quite easily be aligned with Christian morality. Additionally, it’s worth noting that when they do break rules for the wrong reasons, the children are sometimes punished. Even when they do not get in trouble, such events don’t necessarily imply that these actions are being praised by Rowling. Rather, it only shows that the kids are imperfect and still in need of further transformation, just as we all are in life. I cannot emphasize enough how clear this is, for the values and virtues that actually are consistently encouraged as praiseworthy in the books seem quite Christian to me: love, sacrifice, and always doing what is right.
Godless? Finally, a more recent criticism (or acclamation if you’re an atheist like Lev Grossman) points to the so-called godlessness of the Harry Potter books. For Christians such as Michael O’Brien, the entire series is “all about Homo Sine Deo, man without God” (see “Harry Potter and ‘the Death of God’” at LifeSite.net). However, I think Mr. O’Brien needs to remember that these are fantasy novels. Consider the countless number of stories recognized as a part of fairy tale canon in our culture—how many don’t mention God? I’d venture to say well over 90%. Does this mean they’re anti-God? No. Does this mean no wisdom, morality, or spiritual truths about God can be drawn from them? Of course not. So I ask, why make such a big deal about Harry Potter, especially considering the centrality of themes like love, sacrifice, and doing what is good? Plus, if we’re going to be fair as Christians, shouldn’t we demand a more precise image of our ‘personal’ and ‘Trinitarian’ God in fictional stories? Such a move would discount the seemingly impersonal Ilúvatar, Middle Earth’s creator who’s never really mentioned in Lord of the Rings. It also means that Lewis’s divine imagery falls apart, lacking the properly Triune expression—sorry, but there’s no ‘Holy Spirit’ in Narnia. Then again, maybe we should simply recognize all of these for what they actually are: fantastical stories that give symbolic expression in an imaginative way to various elements of Truth, but never the whole (as if any finite creation could ever do this anyways!). It seems to me that many Christians simply don’t recognize their prejudices when it comes to what they choose (consciously or unconsciously) to read more literally and what they read more symbolically. In conclusion then, I’ve yet to see a good reason as to why the Harry Potter books are anti-God or anti-Christianity. Instead, I’ve actually found the books to be deeply enriching and full of Christian themes and symbolism. If you’re interested in me elaborating upon this, stay tuned for a follow-up article (coming next issue) where I will examine the Christian faith of Rowling herself (did you know she’s a fan of C. S. Lewis and G. K. Chesterton, amongst other things?), while also showing some of the many ways in which her religious beliefs have clearly influenced the Harry Potter stories.
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“The Sleeping Horse: Households” continued from page 1
greater asset to our school community. The first challenge: I’ve often heard people say that Households are too powerful. At first, I was inclined to think this sentiment was hyperbole, but upon further review, I thought people of this opinion might have a valid point. For example, last semester I had friends who were told that they needed to find different housing for the following semester
because the household needed room for household brothers. Households play a large role in determining housing. It makes sense that a household would want to have household members on wing, but all students pay the same amount of money for boarding, so if a student likes his room, he should be able to stay in it. Now I’d like to hear your opinion. Do you think households should have more power than a student not affiliated with a household?
Please email your response to notestothegadfly@gmail.com. I look forward to your responses. Peace and all good, as always.
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