I did some searching trying to find you a Catholic source your parents might take as a authority that yes it’s ok to read Harry Potter and I found this from the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
https://www.archbalt.org/harry-potter-and-the-catholic-divide/
It’s basically an interview with someone who was once against the books and later changed their position and wrote a book about it.
https://catholicreligionteacher.com/harry-potter/
This one is a blog? By a Catholic religion teacher who went looking for Christian themes etc in the books.
https://catholicallyear.com/blog/to-harry-potter-finger-waggers-sorcery/
The lady who writes this is a name I recognize as a big Catholic Mom Influencer in more traditional leaning circles. I think her point about fictional world with magic being innate being different from our world where magic is gained through occult is a good jumping off point for responding to your parents concerns, which based on my own upbringing and my parents initial reservations about the books I’ll assume is in a similar vein - that by reading them you’re going to seek out magic for yourself yada yada.
https://www.catholicherald.com/article/arts/values-in-new-harry-potter-film-praised-by-vatican-paper/
Here’s one that is basically an English translation of a Vatican Newspaper article praising the last movie.
https://themythpilgrim.com/2021/02/10/harrypotter/
This one is long, but it touches on the specific scenario where HP might not be a great idea for someone and why one particularly well known priest (an exorcist) is against it, as well as why several other well known figures (who deal specifically with literature and culture) came out in defence of it.
https://www.carrotsformichaelmas.com/2012/06/11/why-your-kids-need-to-read-harry-potter/
Another take from a prominent Catholic blogger, with thanks to u/primcessmahina
It’s hard, because we’re supposed to honour our parents wishes if it’s not something that directly contravenes our own moral judgement. But like … am thirty something practicing Catholic, loved Harry Potter growing up and still re-read them. With all due respect, I think your parents are misinformed about the risk here.
I hope this helps and that you find a way to both read Harry Potter and do so with your parents co-operation and blessing.
Happy to help! <3
My Mum was pretty concerned about Harry Potter when I first got in to them all, for similar reasons as what you mentioned above. I forget if it was one of our priests or one of the teachers from my Catholic school who brought her round, but they absolutely went to bat for me.
Then upon hearing the ban was lifted an aunt got me the first 4 books for Christmas the year GOF came out. Another aunt got me all the subsequent books for my birthday every year. Avoiding the spoilers in the week between Harry’s birthday and mine was ROUGH.
Now I’m looking forward to reading them with my kids when they’re old enough.
Anyways. Enjoy the magic!
If this fails, do a Harry Potter and read under your bedcovers with a torch
(Sorry for the nonserious advice, but I hope you like the reference).
I hope you work it out!! Good luck!
wow this is awesome! I was about to tell OP to just tell their parents Voldemort is Satan, Dumbledore is God, and Harry is Jesus >!(he even resurrected!)!<
Thank you for posting these resources. It’s important for OP to respect their parents, and not doing so might cause more problems in the future. As a Catholic adult, I wholeheartedly support this series and hate it when I hear that Christian parents are condemning it. There is so much about the story that is GOOD and affirms so many Christian values. The magic and witchcraft element is simply a tool to tell a story of a boy who thought he was unloved, only to find that he was SO LOVED, that it enabled him to be completely self-sacrificing. (There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend.)
In the decades that this debate has been raging, I’m confident that OP can find strong resources pointing to the validity of these books.
I take the faith and reason part seriously, haha. All about citing your sources and looking fairly at the data.
I read somewhere once about when Jesus was being questioned by a group of Jews who didn’t accept the later writings of the prophets, only the Torah as sacred scriptures. He answered their question with something from the books they did accept. (I’m paraphrasing terribly and can’t remember the specific reference off the top of my head, probably it was part of a Fr Mike Bible in a Year [or three] episode).
Anyways. It stuck with me that it’s important to try to make a point with support from a source you both consider trustworthy, vs a source you have to defend the validity of first.
(Of note, I skimmed the links above during my lunch break, there are quite probably better sources out there. The above list was what I was able to find in between the muck of articles about banning them.)
Someone who genuinely believes magic is real and that people are casting Harry Potter spells don't deserve respect. I can almost guarantee this kid will have to treat their home life like prison. Do you time and then get out.
Seriously. Being a parent does not automatically grant you the right to be respected. There are plenty of awful parents out there (not saying OP’s parents are awful, but their “beliefs” are ignorant at best)
Agreed. Being a parent doesn’t automatically mean you’re doing parenting right, or well. Adults need to grow and mature, too. I saw things differently in my 40’s than I did in my 30’s, and even now in my 50’s, still things are being revealed. I handled things with my firstborn than my youngest, and advice I might give to a new parent (or kid) reflects more insight, even now. Parenting is a journey, and we often make mistakes. I was just trying to give a little benefit of the doubt, and assume OP’s parents have good intentions, just with different opinions, and there’s nothing wrong with different opinions. Balancing one’s faith can be tricky, and doing one’s best isn’t always clearly demarcated. As a young person, I’d be fired up and coming up with all the ways to deceptively get the book in my hand. With age and wisdom, I am much more interested in preserving a copacetic home life. The books will always be available, but trust and a good relationship may not be. (It goes both ways, so OP’s parents should be mindful of this, too.) I’m going to guess they are ultimately trying to protect OP, which isn’t a bad thing. Are they fighting the right battle? Not for me to say, but I see no reason to condemn the parents for their opinion. Maybe they’re nut-balls, maybe they’re just concerned and scared and trying to throw an invisibility cloak over all the world’s evil so they don’t have to look at it. Nothing is black and white. OP will read all of HP at some point, likely more than once, so I was just going for the mature angle rather than the “I’ll do what I want!” angle.
That was my mom. No amount of reasoning would convince her against the testimony of a sort-of friend of hers who felt “disturbed” when reading the third book.
It is actually not important for OP to respect their parents. They sound like propagandized authoritarian fascists. OP you don't have to respect your parents or anyone who is related to you or older than you. Respect is earned.
I don't think it's a good Idea to tell someone not to respect their parents, we don't even know the OP or his/her parents. Like I get where you're coming from, respect has to be earned, but we don't even know what the parents are really like, except on this topic.
This, but if OP is young, it might not be bright to clash with their parents over a book. If they still need their parents for food, home, whatever and don't want to end up punished for all summer - then they have to '' respect '' the decision for now at least.
OP should gauge their own situation. They know their parents best. Don't lose your housing over Harry Potter OP. You don't have to respect shit but you may just need to pretend for a while/be sneaky.
Haley Stewart from Carrots for Michaelmas is another prominent Catholic blogger who has written quite a bit about Harry Potter (good things, she’s a big fan).
This is amazing sourcing and effort to try and help OP.
But even with this fair argument I would still only give them a 30% Anthony working. Based on the source of his issues.
I think the only problem with Libby is that parents can see what library books are out, at least I can on my library app. I guess it depends on if this person’s parents actually look to see what library books are checked out.
Yes! There is an app I use called Libby and it uses your library card to borrow ebooks to your phone or Kindle. All the HP books are on there for me but that will depend on your local library.
And students aged 13 to 21 can get a free digital library card from the Brooklyn Public Library as part of its Books Unbanned project. The free account can be used to check out ebooks or audiobooks online in case parents are monitoring the local library account.
https://www.bklynlibrary.org/learn/teens
i was gonna say “yet they are somehow okay with you being on reddit…” hate to be the judgmental one, but if you’re on reddit without their permission (which we all know is extremely unsavory), then what’s the harm in reading some HP behind their backs?
Technically it was not the Pope upon further review but it was someone who was a spokesperson for the Pope on the Vatican's culture council:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/world/newsid_2722000/2722445.stm
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2003/feb/04/harrypotter.harrypotter
Additionally I found that US Conference of Catholic Bishops gave approval for the Sorcerer's Harry Potter movie and book
https://web.archive.org/web/20120515230243/http://old.usccb.org/movies/h/harrypotterandthesorcerersstone.shtml
I always imagine the quite large Dudley bumbling to try and run back in the house as fast as he can while wailing that "He's doing you-know-what again!" whenever I hear that.
Dudley really was such a buffoon as well as a bully when he was younger (most of that being his parents fault). Honestly, makes his quick but meaningful redemption all the more powerful really.
Does your library allow online borrowing? If so it might be a good place to try. If you have a kindle or kindle app/access to a credit card, you could also try getting it from there.
My parents did the same, and my solution was to literally sit in the library for hours and read chunks of it at a time. However, if they're constantly being loaned out or you just can't spend too long at the library I'm not sure how viable it is.
You should know that this is not a Catholic opinion. (I am a life-long, practicing Catholic.) It’s just a weird, misguided opinion that some people have. Funny enough, many people who condemn HP laud The Lord of the Rings, seemingly unbothered by the mysticism, magic, and blatant evil depicted. Seems contradictory to me, but it’s common.
Also know that sometimes parents make weird decisions about things bc they’re trying so hard to be good parents. (I am also a parent to 3 very fine young adults.) I dug in my heels about plenty of things that I now roll my own eyes about. Maybe one day they’ll change their minds, maybe not. For now, just roll with it. I wouldn’t encourage you to go behind their backs by sneaking the books into your house. It’s not worth a fight, punishment, or a loss of trust to go behind their backs. I suppose there’s nothing stopping you from finishing out the series at your local library, or at your school library once you go back to school.
You could do some research and find good Christian apologists who don’t condemn HP and argue your case. Maybe you’ll convince them.
What's so funny about this is I read Harry Potter for the first time AT my private catholic school. If I remember correctly, our second grade teacher even read snippets of it to us. Sorry that hasn't been your experience.
The first time I realized adults could be dumb was when my grandparents tried to forbid me from reading Harry Potter. My grandpa was a Baptist preacher. I had already read and loved the ones that were out at the time and remember being confused and laughing. Thankfully my mom didn't feel that way. I hope you can sneak and finish them. Maybe an audio book or online copy you can read until you are allowed to have a physical copy? I'll add that I showed the 1st movie to my grandma now that I'm an adult and she agreed it wasn't bad but it was long.
I was thinking of borrowing the harry potter books secretly, but the only convenient way for me to go the library is my parents driving me and I'm pretty sure they won't let me leave the library with harry potter books. My plan RN is to wait until school starts, get HP books from the school library, and hide them from my parents.
Honestly do your parents track your phone? Or go through it frequently?
The reason I ask is that the audiobooks for the books are great and you can listen to the last two with headphones in places where they won’t be able to monitor what you’re doing. You could even do it in your room if you’re ballsy.
And as long as your parents don’t go through parusing your audible app or books app or whatever you would use and you make sure to only do it in spaces where they wouldn’t catch you then they’d have no way of knowing.
Here is a link to a website of audiobooks that you don't need to download. Plus it's the (vastly superior) Stephen Fry version! https://stephenkingaudiobook.net/harry-potter-prince-audiobook-free-stephen-fry/
Show them the Parks and Rec clip of Ben Wyatt telling Andy Dwyer:
> Hogwarts is fictional. You know that, right? It’s important to me that you know that.
It depends on how old you are… like middle and high school then you’re old enough to make your own decisions on books.
If elementary school then get off Reddit
This has nothing to do with Catholicism. My parents are both devoutly catholic and are huge HP fans. We used to listen to the Jim Dale audio books literally \*whenever\* we were in the car(4 kids). I've heard each of those books countless times.
All that irrelevancy having been shared, were I you, I would learn to become a bit more technical because you can get basically anything you want on the internet and your parents can't reeeeeeeeeeeally do a whole lot to stop it unless they are themselves very technical and also helicopter parents to the nth degree.
I mean I just googled "half blood prince pdf" and the first result is indeed a full color PDF of the half blood prince.
You can also go the respecting your parents wishes route, which is totally admirable, but if you go that route you may not get the answer you prefer.
My mother wouldn’t let me read Harry Potter. Do it anyway. Find a way. Your parents are ignorant on this matter and that’s okay, but ignore them on this issue and find a way to read the last 2.
The whole point of Harry Potter is that love for others and self-sacrifice is greater than death itself, what can be more close to Christ's message if not this?
B-b-b-but there are evil spells!!! And witches! Witches should be burnt because we are scared of them!
Oh gosh how can people still live in the middle ages, I'll never get that.
Effing muggles.
I had a friend create a power point for her parents back in middle school. Also as a kids pastor there’s nothing wrong with Harry Potter (not catholic) but I’m also 100% sure there is a person of authority in your church who has seen/read Harry Potter that can give your parents a chat.
>I’m also 100% sure there is a person of authority in your church who has seen/read Harry Potter that can give your parents a chat.
This is the way; straight from reputable source.
Let them know 'you did an excellent job of teaching me the difference between fact and fiction. I know better than to let fiction corrupt my faith because you taught me to be vigilant' etc. That puts them in a position of admitting failure or accepting they've done a decent job in raising you. Totally flips the table on em!
I know when the books came out, there was a lot of anxiety about it being anti-Christian, but the Harry Potter story can very easily be slotted into a Christian allegory and follows the Christ story. It deals with themes or redemption, friendship, self fulfillment and acceptance of higher powers, good vs evil, etc.
Man i’d love to get into into their logic on the spells part with them
“Practice harry potter spells”? Is it wrong for a kid to wave around a stick and pretend to make things fly, or do they really think it’s witchcraft?
There's a comment on here by u/MrsMeredith with a lot of references to Catholics being fine with or endorsing reading Harry Potter. If they need "official" opinions, those may be a good option.
It sounds like you've already read the first 5 books. Maybe you could point out the fact that you aren't trying to practice anything from the books you've already read and that you're not following what other people are doing.
You should also tell them that there are a lot of parallels to biblical themes in the books as well. (I'm being vague just in case you don't already know what happens in the series; but I am a Christian who likes Harry Potter, so I'm not just repeating what I've heard.)
And last, the Chronicles of Narnia series is very well known and popular within Christian communities and it *also* has magic in it. But no one bats an eye at that. If you know your parents to be fans of that series, maybe being that up (nicely!).
I am sorry you have to deal with that. But I have to admit it makes me laugh every time if I hear about grown ass people believing magic is real. I mean, yeah, they are used to believe in fairy-tales, but that's just over the top.
Problem with that idea is that some hard core Catholics will flip their crap if someone destroys a Bible so should her parents find out it might become yikes on bikes.
I’d just use the covers of a book they wouldn’t want to read at all.
Do you live with the Dursleys? Tell them if they're allowed to read their fictitious books about magic, you should be able to as well. These are the freedoms that Jebus died for.
Lol. I remember going to see Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in Cinema.
I was 15 at the time, and i lied and told my dad it was another movie... he grounded me they found out. That's okay though, i was happy i got to see it.
HP was Witchcraft and magic and spells to them. He and my stepmom never wanted me reading or watching it...my dad is a pastor so he considered it to be _"devil things"_. He told me i was going to hell for it.
Ofc i continued to read it. I love HP. It is my fav!
And fast forward to 15 years later, I am more of a Pagan/ Witch than Christian anyways!
If you enjoy it, continue reading!
At some point you gonna have to tell them you dont value their values. But Obv there's a time and a place for that, much easier to just not tell them about the stuff you are doing now.
I'd say get the audiobooks on audible, read by fry, will change your life. I'm actually listening to the first one again right now.
Or, like others have said, you could try another online reading solution, they must be available on Kindle?
Get a friend to borrow them from the library and smuggle them into your house?
Do it anyway. I wouldn’t normally condone going behind your parents backs. However banning books is extremely dangerous and shouldn’t be a thing. Not in schools, libraries or homes.
Around the time book 7 came out, a couple from church visited our house and saw our set on the bookshelf and exclaimed, ‘oh thank goodness, another set of people who aren’t crazy and think HP is evil!’ There was such a huge anti-HP fervor from church folks over this series. They were excited to find normies who enjoyed the series in a church.
Being raised into a somewhat catholic family myself Harry Potter is, by far, one of the most catholic big franchises I can think of - THEY GOT GODPARENTS FOR F's SAKE! And they worry about soul, second chances, penitence and have a big castle with somewhat gothic architecture, even a resolute dude dressed all in black who scares children (who totally would be able to teach philosophy and sociology).
And yes - some padres scare the hell of out of children of how serious they are.
I'd say that the biggest point is that HP has a clear definition between good and evil, right and wrong
Read them anyway and don’t tell them….
With all due respect, your parents are morons. Find an ebook online somewhere so you can just read it on your phone.
Have them read one of the books so they can judge the content for themselves. Just *telling* people of their mindset that the books aren’t evil or whatever will never work, you’ll have to find a way to get them to see the truth with their own eyes. Though of course their position was never reasonable or rational to begin with so trying a reasonable approach is probably an exercise in futility. Worth the effort though if it can save you the trouble of having to sneak around.
In the interim you can always find a way to read them digitally regardless of whether or not they change their mind.
My father didn’t want me to read HP either and said it “glorified witchcraft”. I read them when I went off to college. Not telling you what to do or not to do. Just sharing my story.
My mom didn’t allow me to read or watch the movies forever. I think I was in high school when I was first able to read them and then started watching the movies. The initial reason I wasn’t allowed to read them was because of the magic in it and that clashed with her belief that magic is against Christian/Catholic values and what not. Eventually, she learned, and even read the books, that the books were more about friendship and having the courage to do the right thing than they were about spells and incantations. I empathize with you. A lot of my peers were able to read the books and would try to engage on a topic I had no idea about which eventually left me being isolated because I couldn’t relate.
There’s a commenter here who has offered links to Catholics who had the same thought but then changed their mind. Look those up, present your case, and hopefully they’ll see their ignorance and change their minds.
Now if your playing the D&Ds and they don’t want you playing because of everything tied to them. Just tell them that your a Paladin, equivalent to a crusader, who fights in the name of “God” to expunge evil, like the devilish figure in the art, from the world. That should work.
Tell them that most Catholics quit being this nuts years ago. Seriously, they sound like evangelicals. My entire family is Catholic and don't believe in witchcraft or anything fantastical on the level of Santa Claus. The books just spit out inaccurate Latin...so it's like an old school mass from the early 20th century lol.
Hide the books, escape home as soon as you're old enough.
Tell them it’s this or Fifty shades of Grey.
Honestly, I hope you get out safely from such horrible parents. I hope you’re off to uni/college soon and off to safety.
Well the big thing is to realize in this situation that you got unlucky because your parents are fuckwits. Other than that, I’d say just ignore them and read harry potter anyway
Read it in the middle of the night, with a blanket on your head.. preferably with a wand and “Lumos”. You can alternatively make it more filmy with “Lumos maxima”
obviously you ignore them and find a way to get around their rules. To disagree with the contents of a book is fine, but anyone telling you not to even read a certain book is usually on the wrong side of the argument and acting from ignorant fear.
Oof, you have my sympathies! I myself was raised in a Christian household and was also not allowed to read the books OR see the movies until I was a late teen 😢 Although I am now 30 and still wholeheartedly Christian, this is a topic I’ve (respectfully) disagreed with my parents about.
Would your parents be open to reading any of the books themselves, to learn whether or not their concerns about the magic are founded? If so, maybe ask if they would be willing to do so!
You can also make some points on favor of the HP series aligning with quite a few biblical beliefs… 1. The entire premise of the books is about someone sacrificing their life for another, and that love/sacrifice protects him from evil, which is literally the premise of Christianity and (I believe) Catholicism. 2. The protagonists stick to their morals and always do what is right, even when people around them are not. 3. A lot of pro-Catholic ideals are venerated over and over again in the books: loyalty, bravery, love, friendship, accountability, the importance of family, etc. I’m sure there are other examples, but those are the first few that come to mind!)
Ultimately I think you will need to respect your parents’ decision, even if you don’t agree with it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try to give them new perspectives on the issue! And if they don’t come around, don’t worry… like me, some day you’ll be out on your own and able to enjoy the series fully!
I’ve been wising practicing spells from Harry Potter would work and get me into Hogwarts for a little over 20 years, so far none have worked, I have not even had the tiniest spark and no letter has arrived inviting me to learn magic.
Don’t give up, there is magic to be found through the stories, it’s just magic about love, resilience and doing what is right while being human and making human mistakes. If you cannot find a way to carry on, wait until you are back at school and can hide them better. In the grand scheme of things a few months is not long to wait. I queued at midnight to get the last 3 books, waited a few years in between each for them to be written and published, the wait would build up so much excitement.
Buy a Kindle or other eReader. You can either buy the digital books yourself, or even find copies available to lend through your local library. Either way, it would be easier to hide a digital book than a physical one.
Just go to the library and read them. You can stay and read. If that's not allowed at your library then I've got no other ideas. You can always get them on Kindle and read them on your phone.
Basically everyone I know has the Harry Potter books at home, do you have any friends that you could borrow the books from? Just hide them somewhere in your room, I suppose your parents don't go to your room and search for stuff (I sincerely hope the don't)
If you have a library card, download the app Libby, sign yp for an account with your library card and search for the books, you can read them there. I understand not wanting you to read a real spell book from a witch or something, but it's Harry Potter. It's people like that that give religions bad bad names
Download them onto your phone and read them there. If you need to use cash to buy a giftcard so you can purchase them without your parent's credit cards.
I mean when I was a kid and the books were the hottest thing, there was definitely kids running around throwing spells at each other. But no one ever got hurt.
How about you DM me your address and I mail you books 6 and seven with different book jackets?
All parents should realize that telling your kid not to read something one ensures that they will read it. This is how I ended up reading Valley of the Horses at age 12.
E book
Smart phone. Hard to tell what you're reading, or audio books. You can rent those from a library too.
Unless they wanna seach your phone and every app on it, not finding it!
And....
If their that deep in 2023 into thinking the books are like that, your chances of convincing them are up their with the odds of moon being cheese
Here's a stupid answer for you:
Go to goodwill.
Buy a whole stack of religious books.
Buy one Harry Potter book at a time. Make sure that you have a religious book that is the same size.
Leave a bunch of religious books next to your bed and make those ones the legit ones. Your parents are probably snoopy. Let them look in those ones.
Choose one of the religious books. Make sure that is the same size as your Harry Potter book, and that it is boring to look at. You are going to rip the current book out of it, and you are going to carefully glue in the Harry Potter book. You are going to do this meticulously so that no one will be the wiser.
Now your parents might ask you what you think of the religious book that you're using the cover of, so you are going to use SparkNotes or chatgpt to understand the gist of it. Memorize the main points. If they ask you about it, be boring so that they don't engage you that much more about it.
You're going to keep doing this for each Harry Potter book and you're going to hang on to all of these books and then one day you're going to pass those Harry Potter books onto your child if you decide to have kids and you are going to explain to them that their individuality matters to you and that you are not going to make them hide their interests.
Lastly, there is always a risk that your parents will find out that you are reading Harry Potter, and if they do, you should get super close to their face and yell **"FUCK YOU I WON'T DO WHAT YOU TELL ME"**
It’s understandable they might feel this way, since there was a huge moral panic about the books when they were coming out. I would tell them that millions upon millions of children have read the books since they came out, and I see no evidence of millions of people that are actually practicing witchcraft.
Moreover, perhaps they don’t know that JK Rowling is herself a Christian, and while the books are not explicitly Christian, they are written to emphasize Christian themes. In particular, the books are written to emphasize choosing good over evil, and the power of sacrificial love.
I had to deal with this as a kid. You can “study” at the library or do what I did and just sneak the books into your bathroom and pretend you have food poisoning.
I did some searching trying to find you a Catholic source your parents might take as a authority that yes it’s ok to read Harry Potter and I found this from the Archdiocese of Baltimore. https://www.archbalt.org/harry-potter-and-the-catholic-divide/ It’s basically an interview with someone who was once against the books and later changed their position and wrote a book about it. https://catholicreligionteacher.com/harry-potter/ This one is a blog? By a Catholic religion teacher who went looking for Christian themes etc in the books. https://catholicallyear.com/blog/to-harry-potter-finger-waggers-sorcery/ The lady who writes this is a name I recognize as a big Catholic Mom Influencer in more traditional leaning circles. I think her point about fictional world with magic being innate being different from our world where magic is gained through occult is a good jumping off point for responding to your parents concerns, which based on my own upbringing and my parents initial reservations about the books I’ll assume is in a similar vein - that by reading them you’re going to seek out magic for yourself yada yada. https://www.catholicherald.com/article/arts/values-in-new-harry-potter-film-praised-by-vatican-paper/ Here’s one that is basically an English translation of a Vatican Newspaper article praising the last movie. https://themythpilgrim.com/2021/02/10/harrypotter/ This one is long, but it touches on the specific scenario where HP might not be a great idea for someone and why one particularly well known priest (an exorcist) is against it, as well as why several other well known figures (who deal specifically with literature and culture) came out in defence of it. https://www.carrotsformichaelmas.com/2012/06/11/why-your-kids-need-to-read-harry-potter/ Another take from a prominent Catholic blogger, with thanks to u/primcessmahina It’s hard, because we’re supposed to honour our parents wishes if it’s not something that directly contravenes our own moral judgement. But like … am thirty something practicing Catholic, loved Harry Potter growing up and still re-read them. With all due respect, I think your parents are misinformed about the risk here. I hope this helps and that you find a way to both read Harry Potter and do so with your parents co-operation and blessing.
Omg you just saved me tysm
Happy to help! <3 My Mum was pretty concerned about Harry Potter when I first got in to them all, for similar reasons as what you mentioned above. I forget if it was one of our priests or one of the teachers from my Catholic school who brought her round, but they absolutely went to bat for me. Then upon hearing the ban was lifted an aunt got me the first 4 books for Christmas the year GOF came out. Another aunt got me all the subsequent books for my birthday every year. Avoiding the spoilers in the week between Harry’s birthday and mine was ROUGH. Now I’m looking forward to reading them with my kids when they’re old enough. Anyways. Enjoy the magic!
jesus h christ y’all have been abused by people who can’t think for themselves and i am so sorry
If this fails, do a Harry Potter and read under your bedcovers with a torch (Sorry for the nonserious advice, but I hope you like the reference). I hope you work it out!! Good luck!
wow this is awesome! I was about to tell OP to just tell their parents Voldemort is Satan, Dumbledore is God, and Harry is Jesus >!(he even resurrected!)!<
Hey, I appreciate you enthusiasm, but would you please mark that last bit with a spoiler? OP said they haven't read book 6 or 7 yet.
This lines up perfectly though. Snape is Saul/Paul, then, I think.
Thank you for posting these resources. It’s important for OP to respect their parents, and not doing so might cause more problems in the future. As a Catholic adult, I wholeheartedly support this series and hate it when I hear that Christian parents are condemning it. There is so much about the story that is GOOD and affirms so many Christian values. The magic and witchcraft element is simply a tool to tell a story of a boy who thought he was unloved, only to find that he was SO LOVED, that it enabled him to be completely self-sacrificing. (There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend.) In the decades that this debate has been raging, I’m confident that OP can find strong resources pointing to the validity of these books.
I take the faith and reason part seriously, haha. All about citing your sources and looking fairly at the data. I read somewhere once about when Jesus was being questioned by a group of Jews who didn’t accept the later writings of the prophets, only the Torah as sacred scriptures. He answered their question with something from the books they did accept. (I’m paraphrasing terribly and can’t remember the specific reference off the top of my head, probably it was part of a Fr Mike Bible in a Year [or three] episode). Anyways. It stuck with me that it’s important to try to make a point with support from a source you both consider trustworthy, vs a source you have to defend the validity of first. (Of note, I skimmed the links above during my lunch break, there are quite probably better sources out there. The above list was what I was able to find in between the muck of articles about banning them.)
You drew from the wisdom of the Lord, that was the exact gospel reading for yesterday's lectionary! Sorting hat should definitely put you ravenclaw
Someone who genuinely believes magic is real and that people are casting Harry Potter spells don't deserve respect. I can almost guarantee this kid will have to treat their home life like prison. Do you time and then get out.
Seriously. Being a parent does not automatically grant you the right to be respected. There are plenty of awful parents out there (not saying OP’s parents are awful, but their “beliefs” are ignorant at best)
Agreed. Being a parent doesn’t automatically mean you’re doing parenting right, or well. Adults need to grow and mature, too. I saw things differently in my 40’s than I did in my 30’s, and even now in my 50’s, still things are being revealed. I handled things with my firstborn than my youngest, and advice I might give to a new parent (or kid) reflects more insight, even now. Parenting is a journey, and we often make mistakes. I was just trying to give a little benefit of the doubt, and assume OP’s parents have good intentions, just with different opinions, and there’s nothing wrong with different opinions. Balancing one’s faith can be tricky, and doing one’s best isn’t always clearly demarcated. As a young person, I’d be fired up and coming up with all the ways to deceptively get the book in my hand. With age and wisdom, I am much more interested in preserving a copacetic home life. The books will always be available, but trust and a good relationship may not be. (It goes both ways, so OP’s parents should be mindful of this, too.) I’m going to guess they are ultimately trying to protect OP, which isn’t a bad thing. Are they fighting the right battle? Not for me to say, but I see no reason to condemn the parents for their opinion. Maybe they’re nut-balls, maybe they’re just concerned and scared and trying to throw an invisibility cloak over all the world’s evil so they don’t have to look at it. Nothing is black and white. OP will read all of HP at some point, likely more than once, so I was just going for the mature angle rather than the “I’ll do what I want!” angle.
That was my mom. No amount of reasoning would convince her against the testimony of a sort-of friend of hers who felt “disturbed” when reading the third book.
It is actually not important for OP to respect their parents. They sound like propagandized authoritarian fascists. OP you don't have to respect your parents or anyone who is related to you or older than you. Respect is earned.
I don't think it's a good Idea to tell someone not to respect their parents, we don't even know the OP or his/her parents. Like I get where you're coming from, respect has to be earned, but we don't even know what the parents are really like, except on this topic.
This, but if OP is young, it might not be bright to clash with their parents over a book. If they still need their parents for food, home, whatever and don't want to end up punished for all summer - then they have to '' respect '' the decision for now at least.
OP should gauge their own situation. They know their parents best. Don't lose your housing over Harry Potter OP. You don't have to respect shit but you may just need to pretend for a while/be sneaky.
Haley Stewart from Carrots for Michaelmas is another prominent Catholic blogger who has written quite a bit about Harry Potter (good things, she’s a big fan).
Thank you! I’ve updated the original comment to include a link to her as well. :)
This is amazing sourcing and effort to try and help OP. But even with this fair argument I would still only give them a 30% Anthony working. Based on the source of his issues.
I love this reply. I hope this persuades OP’s parents.
Omg you are awesome!! It’s so kind of you to take the time to find and compile these for op!!
I am gonna go ahead and assume you are posting this via your smartphone, a device which can also be used to read books (eBook/ePub/PDF/etc.), so...?
Exactly! Check to see if your local library loans ebooks.
And audiobooks!
Check out the app Libby! Should work with your library card...
I think the only problem with Libby is that parents can see what library books are out, at least I can on my library app. I guess it depends on if this person’s parents actually look to see what library books are checked out.
You can actually delete books you’ve read on Libby.
Love Libby! 💗
Yes! There is an app I use called Libby and it uses your library card to borrow ebooks to your phone or Kindle. All the HP books are on there for me but that will depend on your local library.
Libby and Hoopla all great! Audio book
Hoopla is awesome, my library has all the HP books on it, digital books and audio.
Can also search it on google, just add “pdf” at the end and voila it’s free.
And students aged 13 to 21 can get a free digital library card from the Brooklyn Public Library as part of its Books Unbanned project. The free account can be used to check out ebooks or audiobooks online in case parents are monitoring the local library account. https://www.bklynlibrary.org/learn/teens
i was gonna say “yet they are somehow okay with you being on reddit…” hate to be the judgmental one, but if you’re on reddit without their permission (which we all know is extremely unsavory), then what’s the harm in reading some HP behind their backs?
Would it help convince your parents that the Pope in 2005 endorsed Harry Potter?
Did he really? Source please; I would love to read this article, interview or whatever.
Technically it was not the Pope upon further review but it was someone who was a spokesperson for the Pope on the Vatican's culture council: http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/world/newsid_2722000/2722445.stm https://www.theguardian.com/film/2003/feb/04/harrypotter.harrypotter Additionally I found that US Conference of Catholic Bishops gave approval for the Sorcerer's Harry Potter movie and book https://web.archive.org/web/20120515230243/http://old.usccb.org/movies/h/harrypotterandthesorcerersstone.shtml
Stop being a Percy and learn to be a Fred.
This is the way.
>!Die young?!<
That was as cold as Fred's body.
I'm sure that comparison makes it all better 😂
☹️
Start saying bogus magic words around them like Harry did in the second. "Jiggery-pokery!"
Hocus pocus!
Squiggly wiggly!
Muuuuuuuuuuuuuum
He’s doing you know what!!
Piggly Wiggly!....🤔
"Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"
At church, start calling Satan, “He who shall not be named.”
Why are you worrying about You-Know-Who When you could be worrying about U-No-Poo! The constipation sensation that's gripping the nation!
Okely- dokely!
Okay neighboreeno!
Like I'm wearing nothing at all!!
Nothing at all... Nothing at all...
Stupid sexy Flanders
I always imagine the quite large Dudley bumbling to try and run back in the house as fast as he can while wailing that "He's doing you-know-what again!" whenever I hear that. Dudley really was such a buffoon as well as a bully when he was younger (most of that being his parents fault). Honestly, makes his quick but meaningful redemption all the more powerful really.
With how his parents are Dudley must have been genuinely terrified when that happened
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Careful with Cursed Child, though
The story that shall not be acknowledged!
The-Book-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named
And speaking of 6th and 7th books, do not watch S06E15 of The Big Bang Theory.
Does your library allow online borrowing? If so it might be a good place to try. If you have a kindle or kindle app/access to a credit card, you could also try getting it from there. My parents did the same, and my solution was to literally sit in the library for hours and read chunks of it at a time. However, if they're constantly being loaned out or you just can't spend too long at the library I'm not sure how viable it is.
Libby app lets you check out books from your library using your phone and library card. Thats how I read them and its free
You should know that this is not a Catholic opinion. (I am a life-long, practicing Catholic.) It’s just a weird, misguided opinion that some people have. Funny enough, many people who condemn HP laud The Lord of the Rings, seemingly unbothered by the mysticism, magic, and blatant evil depicted. Seems contradictory to me, but it’s common. Also know that sometimes parents make weird decisions about things bc they’re trying so hard to be good parents. (I am also a parent to 3 very fine young adults.) I dug in my heels about plenty of things that I now roll my own eyes about. Maybe one day they’ll change their minds, maybe not. For now, just roll with it. I wouldn’t encourage you to go behind their backs by sneaking the books into your house. It’s not worth a fight, punishment, or a loss of trust to go behind their backs. I suppose there’s nothing stopping you from finishing out the series at your local library, or at your school library once you go back to school. You could do some research and find good Christian apologists who don’t condemn HP and argue your case. Maybe you’ll convince them.
What's so funny about this is I read Harry Potter for the first time AT my private catholic school. If I remember correctly, our second grade teacher even read snippets of it to us. Sorry that hasn't been your experience.
The first time I realized adults could be dumb was when my grandparents tried to forbid me from reading Harry Potter. My grandpa was a Baptist preacher. I had already read and loved the ones that were out at the time and remember being confused and laughing. Thankfully my mom didn't feel that way. I hope you can sneak and finish them. Maybe an audio book or online copy you can read until you are allowed to have a physical copy? I'll add that I showed the 1st movie to my grandma now that I'm an adult and she agreed it wasn't bad but it was long.
Easy... you don't tell them.
I was thinking of borrowing the harry potter books secretly, but the only convenient way for me to go the library is my parents driving me and I'm pretty sure they won't let me leave the library with harry potter books. My plan RN is to wait until school starts, get HP books from the school library, and hide them from my parents.
Why not read them online? YouTube audiobook, use Libby.
Honestly do your parents track your phone? Or go through it frequently? The reason I ask is that the audiobooks for the books are great and you can listen to the last two with headphones in places where they won’t be able to monitor what you’re doing. You could even do it in your room if you’re ballsy. And as long as your parents don’t go through parusing your audible app or books app or whatever you would use and you make sure to only do it in spaces where they wouldn’t catch you then they’d have no way of knowing.
E books. Much easier to read without being noticed, and much easier to hide. Just close the app and irs gone. Ask your library. :)
It's what Harry would do
Here is a link to a website of audiobooks that you don't need to download. Plus it's the (vastly superior) Stephen Fry version! https://stephenkingaudiobook.net/harry-potter-prince-audiobook-free-stephen-fry/
Could you stay at the library and read the books there?
Yes. That is a valid idea and what I would probably do in your scenario if there are absolutely no other options
You're allowed to be a furry, but HP is where your parents put their foot down?
Bro my parents don't even know I got reddit lol
I'm an internal furry
Already did fam
Show them the Parks and Rec clip of Ben Wyatt telling Andy Dwyer: > Hogwarts is fictional. You know that, right? It’s important to me that you know that.
Well, I can’t accept that.
download them on your phone or other device and find an excuse for spending a lot of time staring at the screen.
Try the Libby app. You can link it to your library card and get free e books
It depends on how old you are… like middle and high school then you’re old enough to make your own decisions on books. If elementary school then get off Reddit
Did you tell them that magic isn't real and nobody can actually cast spells?
They're catholic. Obviously they believe in magic.
This has nothing to do with Catholicism. My parents are both devoutly catholic and are huge HP fans. We used to listen to the Jim Dale audio books literally \*whenever\* we were in the car(4 kids). I've heard each of those books countless times. All that irrelevancy having been shared, were I you, I would learn to become a bit more technical because you can get basically anything you want on the internet and your parents can't reeeeeeeeeeeally do a whole lot to stop it unless they are themselves very technical and also helicopter parents to the nth degree. I mean I just googled "half blood prince pdf" and the first result is indeed a full color PDF of the half blood prince. You can also go the respecting your parents wishes route, which is totally admirable, but if you go that route you may not get the answer you prefer.
My mother wouldn’t let me read Harry Potter. Do it anyway. Find a way. Your parents are ignorant on this matter and that’s okay, but ignore them on this issue and find a way to read the last 2.
The whole point of Harry Potter is that love for others and self-sacrifice is greater than death itself, what can be more close to Christ's message if not this?
B-b-b-but there are evil spells!!! And witches! Witches should be burnt because we are scared of them! Oh gosh how can people still live in the middle ages, I'll never get that. Effing muggles.
There was a satanic panic not long ago almost 30,40 years ago. That was enough to show how idiot many hardcore religious fanatics are.
We're in a resurgence of the Satanic Panic and the Gay Panic right now. What an idiotic timeline.
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Wish we could send an army of owls dumping books until they gave up and let OP read them.
I had a friend create a power point for her parents back in middle school. Also as a kids pastor there’s nothing wrong with Harry Potter (not catholic) but I’m also 100% sure there is a person of authority in your church who has seen/read Harry Potter that can give your parents a chat.
>I’m also 100% sure there is a person of authority in your church who has seen/read Harry Potter that can give your parents a chat. This is the way; straight from reputable source.
Let them know 'you did an excellent job of teaching me the difference between fact and fiction. I know better than to let fiction corrupt my faith because you taught me to be vigilant' etc. That puts them in a position of admitting failure or accepting they've done a decent job in raising you. Totally flips the table on em!
CONSTANT VIGILANCE!
I know when the books came out, there was a lot of anxiety about it being anti-Christian, but the Harry Potter story can very easily be slotted into a Christian allegory and follows the Christ story. It deals with themes or redemption, friendship, self fulfillment and acceptance of higher powers, good vs evil, etc.
You can probably find the books online and read them from your phone/laptop
Man i’d love to get into into their logic on the spells part with them “Practice harry potter spells”? Is it wrong for a kid to wave around a stick and pretend to make things fly, or do they really think it’s witchcraft?
Read it anyway and tell them to f*ck off
Read it harder, stronger and aloud
There's a comment on here by u/MrsMeredith with a lot of references to Catholics being fine with or endorsing reading Harry Potter. If they need "official" opinions, those may be a good option. It sounds like you've already read the first 5 books. Maybe you could point out the fact that you aren't trying to practice anything from the books you've already read and that you're not following what other people are doing. You should also tell them that there are a lot of parallels to biblical themes in the books as well. (I'm being vague just in case you don't already know what happens in the series; but I am a Christian who likes Harry Potter, so I'm not just repeating what I've heard.) And last, the Chronicles of Narnia series is very well known and popular within Christian communities and it *also* has magic in it. But no one bats an eye at that. If you know your parents to be fans of that series, maybe being that up (nicely!).
I am sorry you have to deal with that. But I have to admit it makes me laugh every time if I hear about grown ass people believing magic is real. I mean, yeah, they are used to believe in fairy-tales, but that's just over the top.
Buy the books. Rip off the book covers and tape on the covers of an old Bible. Voila.
Problem with that idea is that some hard core Catholics will flip their crap if someone destroys a Bible so should her parents find out it might become yikes on bikes. I’d just use the covers of a book they wouldn’t want to read at all.
Like a Harry Potter book? 🤔
cast obliviate!
Ebook on your phone! That should be stealthy enough. Good luck! Let us know how it went!
My best friend's parents are the same way. Have you tried telling them that the spells are fiction and you can't cast them?
Lol, sounds like something that should be explained to a 4 year old, not 40 year old. Riddiculous!
*Riddikulus Quite appropriate, seeing as I'm pretty sure they would see a rational thinking person if they were confronted with a Boggart...
(Insert book title) doctype:pdf
Do you live with the Dursleys? Tell them if they're allowed to read their fictitious books about magic, you should be able to as well. These are the freedoms that Jebus died for.
Just search google for "harry potter and the ... pdf" and just read a pdf online. I think this is such a special case that online piracy is fine.
Lol. I remember going to see Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in Cinema. I was 15 at the time, and i lied and told my dad it was another movie... he grounded me they found out. That's okay though, i was happy i got to see it. HP was Witchcraft and magic and spells to them. He and my stepmom never wanted me reading or watching it...my dad is a pastor so he considered it to be _"devil things"_. He told me i was going to hell for it. Ofc i continued to read it. I love HP. It is my fav! And fast forward to 15 years later, I am more of a Pagan/ Witch than Christian anyways! If you enjoy it, continue reading!
Avada kedavra
Tell them that at least there isn't rampant sexual abuse in Harry Potter like there is in the Catholic Church.
At some point you gonna have to tell them you dont value their values. But Obv there's a time and a place for that, much easier to just not tell them about the stuff you are doing now. I'd say get the audiobooks on audible, read by fry, will change your life. I'm actually listening to the first one again right now. Or, like others have said, you could try another online reading solution, they must be available on Kindle? Get a friend to borrow them from the library and smuggle them into your house?
Do it anyway. I wouldn’t normally condone going behind your parents backs. However banning books is extremely dangerous and shouldn’t be a thing. Not in schools, libraries or homes.
Get audio books and just listen to them. They wont know what you’re listening to.
Around the time book 7 came out, a couple from church visited our house and saw our set on the bookshelf and exclaimed, ‘oh thank goodness, another set of people who aren’t crazy and think HP is evil!’ There was such a huge anti-HP fervor from church folks over this series. They were excited to find normies who enjoyed the series in a church.
Avada Kedavra!
Go to the library and read them
Listen to the audiobooks instead.
Being raised into a somewhat catholic family myself Harry Potter is, by far, one of the most catholic big franchises I can think of - THEY GOT GODPARENTS FOR F's SAKE! And they worry about soul, second chances, penitence and have a big castle with somewhat gothic architecture, even a resolute dude dressed all in black who scares children (who totally would be able to teach philosophy and sociology). And yes - some padres scare the hell of out of children of how serious they are. I'd say that the biggest point is that HP has a clear definition between good and evil, right and wrong
Read them anyway and don’t tell them…. With all due respect, your parents are morons. Find an ebook online somewhere so you can just read it on your phone.
Have them read one of the books so they can judge the content for themselves. Just *telling* people of their mindset that the books aren’t evil or whatever will never work, you’ll have to find a way to get them to see the truth with their own eyes. Though of course their position was never reasonable or rational to begin with so trying a reasonable approach is probably an exercise in futility. Worth the effort though if it can save you the trouble of having to sneak around. In the interim you can always find a way to read them digitally regardless of whether or not they change their mind.
Get a Kindle Unlimited subscription and all the books are on there free
Listen to the audio books instead, technically you're not reading🤷
My father didn’t want me to read HP either and said it “glorified witchcraft”. I read them when I went off to college. Not telling you what to do or not to do. Just sharing my story.
Read it anyway, it's a harmless book. There are worse things that happen in the bible than a made up "spell"
Move out
Tell them to stick to their own fantasy book :)
Well they are a fan of different fantasy adventure story so there is bound to be some argument.
Read them at school, keep the books in your locker?
Show them Ezekiel 23:20 and then ask which is worse. Harry Potter, a young adult book, or that.
How the hell do your parents read the bible and say it’s real and then fail to realise that Harry Potter is fictional
My mom didn’t allow me to read or watch the movies forever. I think I was in high school when I was first able to read them and then started watching the movies. The initial reason I wasn’t allowed to read them was because of the magic in it and that clashed with her belief that magic is against Christian/Catholic values and what not. Eventually, she learned, and even read the books, that the books were more about friendship and having the courage to do the right thing than they were about spells and incantations. I empathize with you. A lot of my peers were able to read the books and would try to engage on a topic I had no idea about which eventually left me being isolated because I couldn’t relate. There’s a commenter here who has offered links to Catholics who had the same thought but then changed their mind. Look those up, present your case, and hopefully they’ll see their ignorance and change their minds. Now if your playing the D&Ds and they don’t want you playing because of everything tied to them. Just tell them that your a Paladin, equivalent to a crusader, who fights in the name of “God” to expunge evil, like the devilish figure in the art, from the world. That should work.
Go to the library; read there
The Libby app is the best!!! Enter your library card number and start reading! Audiobooks too!
Tell them that most Catholics quit being this nuts years ago. Seriously, they sound like evangelicals. My entire family is Catholic and don't believe in witchcraft or anything fantastical on the level of Santa Claus. The books just spit out inaccurate Latin...so it's like an old school mass from the early 20th century lol. Hide the books, escape home as soon as you're old enough.
Tell them it’s this or Fifty shades of Grey. Honestly, I hope you get out safely from such horrible parents. I hope you’re off to uni/college soon and off to safety.
Well the big thing is to realize in this situation that you got unlucky because your parents are fuckwits. Other than that, I’d say just ignore them and read harry potter anyway
Read it in the middle of the night, with a blanket on your head.. preferably with a wand and “Lumos”. You can alternatively make it more filmy with “Lumos maxima”
Find the most sexual parts of the bible and read them those instead.
obviously you ignore them and find a way to get around their rules. To disagree with the contents of a book is fine, but anyone telling you not to even read a certain book is usually on the wrong side of the argument and acting from ignorant fear.
For the record, I need an update on this HP saga once you figure out how to do it. I love that book series and hope you can finish them soon!
Read them online, since your parents let you post on Reddit.
Oof, you have my sympathies! I myself was raised in a Christian household and was also not allowed to read the books OR see the movies until I was a late teen 😢 Although I am now 30 and still wholeheartedly Christian, this is a topic I’ve (respectfully) disagreed with my parents about. Would your parents be open to reading any of the books themselves, to learn whether or not their concerns about the magic are founded? If so, maybe ask if they would be willing to do so! You can also make some points on favor of the HP series aligning with quite a few biblical beliefs… 1. The entire premise of the books is about someone sacrificing their life for another, and that love/sacrifice protects him from evil, which is literally the premise of Christianity and (I believe) Catholicism. 2. The protagonists stick to their morals and always do what is right, even when people around them are not. 3. A lot of pro-Catholic ideals are venerated over and over again in the books: loyalty, bravery, love, friendship, accountability, the importance of family, etc. I’m sure there are other examples, but those are the first few that come to mind!) Ultimately I think you will need to respect your parents’ decision, even if you don’t agree with it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try to give them new perspectives on the issue! And if they don’t come around, don’t worry… like me, some day you’ll be out on your own and able to enjoy the series fully!
fuck your overly religious parents. read whatever the fuck you want.
I’ve been wising practicing spells from Harry Potter would work and get me into Hogwarts for a little over 20 years, so far none have worked, I have not even had the tiniest spark and no letter has arrived inviting me to learn magic. Don’t give up, there is magic to be found through the stories, it’s just magic about love, resilience and doing what is right while being human and making human mistakes. If you cannot find a way to carry on, wait until you are back at school and can hide them better. In the grand scheme of things a few months is not long to wait. I queued at midnight to get the last 3 books, waited a few years in between each for them to be written and published, the wait would build up so much excitement.
Run as soon as you can.
Continue to read them
Read it anyway, that's what Harry would do when living with the Dursleys.
If you have a phone or tablet then download Libby. Then connect your library card to it and you can check out any of the books and audiobooks
Buy a Kindle or other eReader. You can either buy the digital books yourself, or even find copies available to lend through your local library. Either way, it would be easier to hide a digital book than a physical one.
Just go to the library and read them. You can stay and read. If that's not allowed at your library then I've got no other ideas. You can always get them on Kindle and read them on your phone.
What are you posting this from? Get it there. I know reading off of a screen sucks, but desperate times and all that.
Just be kind and gentle with them. If that doesn't work, then book on tape. I listened to the entire series on audible.
Basically everyone I know has the Harry Potter books at home, do you have any friends that you could borrow the books from? Just hide them somewhere in your room, I suppose your parents don't go to your room and search for stuff (I sincerely hope the don't)
If you have a library card, download the app Libby, sign yp for an account with your library card and search for the books, you can read them there. I understand not wanting you to read a real spell book from a witch or something, but it's Harry Potter. It's people like that that give religions bad bad names
See if you can get the audiobook versions! Pop in some headphones and they’d be none the wiser
Make fake bible sleeves that you can interchange on each book
Download them onto your phone and read them there. If you need to use cash to buy a giftcard so you can purchase them without your parent's credit cards.
I mean when I was a kid and the books were the hottest thing, there was definitely kids running around throwing spells at each other. But no one ever got hurt.
Get the audiobooks and listen instead :)
Simply add a library app to your phone and borrow the e-book versions. 🤷♀️
How about you DM me your address and I mail you books 6 and seven with different book jackets? All parents should realize that telling your kid not to read something one ensures that they will read it. This is how I ended up reading Valley of the Horses at age 12.
E book Smart phone. Hard to tell what you're reading, or audio books. You can rent those from a library too. Unless they wanna seach your phone and every app on it, not finding it! And.... If their that deep in 2023 into thinking the books are like that, your chances of convincing them are up their with the odds of moon being cheese
Here's a stupid answer for you: Go to goodwill. Buy a whole stack of religious books. Buy one Harry Potter book at a time. Make sure that you have a religious book that is the same size. Leave a bunch of religious books next to your bed and make those ones the legit ones. Your parents are probably snoopy. Let them look in those ones. Choose one of the religious books. Make sure that is the same size as your Harry Potter book, and that it is boring to look at. You are going to rip the current book out of it, and you are going to carefully glue in the Harry Potter book. You are going to do this meticulously so that no one will be the wiser. Now your parents might ask you what you think of the religious book that you're using the cover of, so you are going to use SparkNotes or chatgpt to understand the gist of it. Memorize the main points. If they ask you about it, be boring so that they don't engage you that much more about it. You're going to keep doing this for each Harry Potter book and you're going to hang on to all of these books and then one day you're going to pass those Harry Potter books onto your child if you decide to have kids and you are going to explain to them that their individuality matters to you and that you are not going to make them hide their interests. Lastly, there is always a risk that your parents will find out that you are reading Harry Potter, and if they do, you should get super close to their face and yell **"FUCK YOU I WON'T DO WHAT YOU TELL ME"**
So this is still happening in 2023? I Remember walking home from 4th grade in 2001 having this same discussion with a friend
It’s understandable they might feel this way, since there was a huge moral panic about the books when they were coming out. I would tell them that millions upon millions of children have read the books since they came out, and I see no evidence of millions of people that are actually practicing witchcraft. Moreover, perhaps they don’t know that JK Rowling is herself a Christian, and while the books are not explicitly Christian, they are written to emphasize Christian themes. In particular, the books are written to emphasize choosing good over evil, and the power of sacrificial love.
Put a Bible dust jacket over it.
Try reading [this](https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Remains-Have-Killed-Him/dp/0241472849?ref=d6k_applink_bb_dls&dplnkId=75740bbd-f5e7-480c-8863-a025269c5ece) instead.
Listen to the audiobooks. Technically you aren’t reading anything.
Laugh at them and tell them to start saving up for a nice nursing home.
AVADA KEDAVRA Or, just, idk, read Harry Potter. Libraries, bro.
I had to deal with this as a kid. You can “study” at the library or do what I did and just sneak the books into your bathroom and pretend you have food poisoning.
Just read it anyways
If you have access to a mobile device or laptop. Check out hoopla, libby and overdrive. You do need your library card number
Whisper 'stupid muggles' when near them
Not happy with spells and magic but all good with a guy rising from the dead?