The banning of books in schools is against our fundamental right to read and believe what we want, and against the right to free speech. This not only goes against all that many countries including the United States profess to stand for. But it cows to the religious beliefs of a certain group of people and values them over other groups.

Banning books that may be dangerous to the safety of our nation or dangerous to the safety of our children. Such as bomb making books or drug preparation literature is of course understandable. But banning novels such as in the famous Harry Potter case recently in certain states, which aren't dangerous in any sense to anyone, is ridiculous. And this kind of legislation only reflects badly on the intellects of those who called for them to be banned.

Generally speaking it tends to be religious groups who call for the banning of certain books from schools. In the case of Harry Potter it was certain Christian groups who claimed that said novel promoted witchcraft and magic. Which the groups obviously felt threatened by and thought were evil somehow. Personally i fail to see how a fictitious children's book can turn them into evil people or make them take part in witchcraft.

Besides which people are entitled to partake in whatever religious practices that they want to, including witchcraft. Christians or any other religious groups for that matter have no right to dictate to people what they should believe in or what they should read either. If they really feel that strongly about it then it would be a lot easier to tell their own child not to read the books.

When i was at school we were read the lord of the rings novels by a teacher when i was around 10 or 11. I can tell you for certain now that no one in my class turned out to be a wizard or a witch. I think this is all the evidence i need to believe that whatever books children read have very little impact on them.

If a person is predisposed to want to take part in witchcraft, then a book such as harry potter is very unlikely to influence them either way. Because it clearly carries the message in the books that being a wizard is hereditary and not something that you can just do yourself out of interest.

After all shouldn't students have a right to decide what they believe in terms of religion and such, especially since religion and state are supposedly separated now. So things like a book that supposedly promotes witchcraft (which it doesn't anyway) referring to harry Potter again, should be allowed whether it does or not.

Banning books is after all censoring what students can see, which can warp their perceptions of the world. And can also not allow them to see the bigger picture in a lot of cases because only the opinions of the school or the government are represented. Rather than alternative theories or ideas, which isn't giving the student free will or the ability to believe what they want or have their own opinions.

Learn more about this author, Scott Heritage.
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