Harry Potter vs. Christian Privilege

I've mentioned a few times that a certain Ms. Mallory (right) is seeking to have all Harry Potter books removed from Georgia Public School Libraries.

More news has come in. From the International Herald Tribune:

ATLANTA: The state Board of Education will decide Wednesday whether to keep Harry Potter books on library shelves in one suburban Atlanta school district, and the matter will be discussed in public rather than behind closed doors as previously planned.

The board will consider an appeal by parent Laura Mallory who is upset that the Gwinnett County school board voted to keep the best-selling books in its schools, despite her claims that the books indoctrinate children in pagan religion.

It turns out that the board isn't reviewing Gwinnett County's decision, just whether it acted within its authority when making that decision.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution:

State board members are not deciding whether J.K. Rowling's series of children's books about a powerful boy wizard are appropriate material for public schools. Instead, they are deciding the technical matter of whether Gwinnett acted within its authority when a parent challenged their use.

[...]

Earlier today, state board members gave tacit approval to the decision by the administrative law judge that Gwinnett had acted within its authority. The board is expected to take a formal vote Thursday.

It appears that cooler heads (or rather rational ones) are poised to prevail.

As Shakespeare's Sister points out, it's important to remember why Ms. Mallory is objecting to the wildly popular series by J.K. Rowling:

"There are so many problems facing our children today — drugs, alcohol, violence and the growth of the occult, too. These books are helping to mainstream witchcraft. These books are dangerous and harmful to our children. I am a Christian. I feel that Christian rights are being abolished in this country. Everyone talks about our views being pushed on them. But what about our beliefs? Don't we have any rights at all?" [Bolds mine.]

No, Ms. Mallory, you're wrong. Christian rights aren't being abolished - just Christian privilege.

People like Ms. Mallory have allowed themselves to slip into thinking that the advantages that they've enjoyed for so long as Christians aren't just a perk of being the majority - they think that these privileges are are right.

The 'Culture Wars' aren't really a 'war' so much as a rear-guard action by a fading majority. Ten Commandments on a court house? 50 years ago it just wasn't an issue. Sure, it was still wrong then, but the monument wasn't put up because Christians had a right to put it on Federal property, it just happened because there weren't enough (or rather powerful enough) non-Christian organizations to prevent it.

For a very long time, if something wasn't in keeping with Christian principles, it wasn't in keeping with the principles of the vast majority of Americans. While Christians are still the majority in this nation, they are loosing ground. As there is more religious diversity in America and as more people realize that - even if it's their personal religion - Christianity isn't the only religion in America there is less and less support for Christian Privilege.

One cannot expect every member of a population that enjoys special privileges to abandon them simply because it is the right thing to do. One can hope that there are enough fair minded Christians in America to realize that Christian Privilege isn't in keeping with our American ideals.

Harry Potter Laura Mallory Georgia Christianists

Photo: John Amis / AP