.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
Every 90s kid with a knack for fantasy fiction must have secretly tried waving a wooden stick in their teens, and uttered the words ‘wingardium leviosa’, with the right intonation of course, in the hopes of levitating something.
Such was and (still is) the allure of JK Rowling’s best selling Harry Potter books -- the fantasy series that explored the magical world of witchcraft and wizardry.
Too bad none of them actually made anything fly for real. Because their wand, just like the made up spells in the books, was a work of fiction.
But a private Catholic school in Nashville would beg to differ, and thus had the entire series banned from its library after several exorcists advised the school’s pastor to do so. St Edward’s School Church Pastor, Rev Dan Reehil, explained the decision to a local newspaper as follows:
“The curses and spells used in the books are actual curses and spells; which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits into the presence of the person reading the text.”
Naturally, the news didn’t bode well with the massive fan base of the series .
This isn’t the first time the series was the subject of a conspiracy theory. Ever since it’s first instalment Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone was published in 1997, it has been targeted by various Christian organisations due to its depiction of witches and wizards in a good light. It even topped the American Library Association’s list of the most frequently challenged books of 2000-2009.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)