MuggleCast: The Harry Potter Re-Read Podcast

Potter Panic! Revisiting the HP vs. Christianity Controversies

Listen Later

In this week’s MuggleCast, we’re setting book 4 down and picking up on real world controversy that was happening RIGHT as Goblet of Fire was first published, in July of 2000. At issue was whether the series, quickly gaining national publicity in the US, was instructing young readers to take up witchcraft, join the devil and abandon God. It’s HP vs Christianity on MuggleCast 666!

  • New episodes of MuggleCast will now be released in full video on our YouTube channel, right when they are released on our podcast feed!
  • For today’s Main Discussion, Eric has compiled a PDF of sources from the late 90’s to 2007 news media. The polished PDF is available via this link.
  • By July of 2000, Harry Potter had gained massive popularity in the US, and raise alarm bells with some concerned parents.
  • Were any of the hosts told not to read the HP books on religious grounds?
  • The controversy may be categorized as a moral panic, not unlike the Satanic Panic phenomenon of the 80’s/90’s, which unfortunately had large ramifications.
  • Why was HP targeted? And why were evangelicals in particular caught up in it?
  • We discuss four main arguments against the Potter books: that they will make children want to do witchcraft or join the occult; that they make children susceptible to evil by downplaying the danger of magic; that the books themselves are intentionally demonic; that the books are just plain immoral! (We find it hard to disagree with the last point).
  • Is there any evidence that kids joined the occult after reading the books?
  • Years later in 2005, what did Georgia parent Laura Mallory add to the discussion surrounding the books?
  • We review our own attempts on MuggleCast to get a hold of Mrs. Mallory.
  • As late as 2019, the argument was still being used to ban books. What lessons can we learn from these events?
  • Be sure to subscribe to MuggleCast Gold via Apple Podcasts, or join our Patreon for access to Bonus MuggleCast segments.
  • Visit mugglecast.com for transcripts, social media links, our full episode archive, favorite episodes and more!
  • A very special thank you to Connie Neal, Judy Bloom, Rainbow Rowell and others for extolling the virtues of the Harry Potter series when we were all children and too young to do so in print media.

    • Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store
    MuggleCast: The Harry Potter Re-Read PodcastBy Harry Potter
    • 4.6
    • 4.6
    • 4.6
    • 4.6
    • 4.6

    4.6

    4,046 ratings

    More shows like MuggleCast: The Harry Potter Re-Read Podcast

    View all
    Harry Potter and the Sacred Text by Not Sorry Productions

    Harry Potter and the Sacred Text

    6,355 Listeners

    Potterless by Mike Schubert

    Potterless

    7,461 Listeners

    Millennial: Pretend Adulting, Real Talk by Andrew Sims, Laura Tee, Pamela Gocobachi

    Millennial: Pretend Adulting, Real Talk

    472 Listeners

    Super Carlin Brothers by J and Ben Carlin

    Super Carlin Brothers

    863 Listeners

    Office Ladies by Audacy & Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey

    Office Ladies

    85,644 Listeners

    Popcorn Culture by J and Ben Carlin

    Popcorn Culture

    2,126 Listeners

    I Am All In with Scott Patterson by iHeartPodcasts

    I Am All In with Scott Patterson

    4,556 Listeners

    The Newest Olympian by Mike Schubert

    The Newest Olympian

    893 Listeners

    Gilmore To Say: A Gilmore Girls Podcast by Tara Llewellyn & Haley McIntosh

    Gilmore To Say: A Gilmore Girls Podcast

    609 Listeners

    Fantasy Fangirls by Fantasy Fangirls

    Fantasy Fangirls

    5,151 Listeners

    Through the Griffin Door by Super Carlin Brothers

    Through the Griffin Door

    1,489 Listeners

    Critical Magic Theory: An Analytical Harry Potter Podcast by Prof. Julian Wamble

    Critical Magic Theory: An Analytical Harry Potter Podcast

    269 Listeners

    Harry Potter Theory by Harry Potter Theory

    Harry Potter Theory

    613 Listeners

    What the Hype?! Pop Culture Podcasting by Hypable Media NV

    What the Hype?! Pop Culture Podcasting

    98 Listeners

    Teen Beat by iHeartPodcasts

    Teen Beat

    259 Listeners