Harry Potter Forbidden: A Series of Books on "Harry Potter" Prohibited by a Catholic School in Nashville

A Catholic school in Nashville, Tennessee, has banned the "Harry Potter" series because a reverend from this school claims that the books include both good magic and perverse magic, as well as spells that, in turn they are read by a human, can bring out "evil spirits". according to the Tennessean.

The publication received an email from Pastor Dan Reehil, pastor of St. Edwards Catholic School Parish, who was sent to parents. In the email, Reehil explains in the e-mail that he consulted several exorcists in the United States and Rome, and it was recommended to the school to remove the books, Tennessean reports.

"These books show both good and bad magic, which is wrong, but it's a clever trick," Reverend Reehil said of the seven-part "Harry Potter" book series. "The curses and spells used in books are true curses and spells, which, when read by a human being, may incite evil spirits to appear before the person reading the text. "he continues.

CBS News solicited comments from the school district. The Tennessean said Reverend Reehil would be removed from office until Wednesday, but Rebecca Hammel, superintendent of schools for the Catholic Diocese of Nashville, confirmed that Reehil had indeed sent the email.

The pastor made the decision after receiving a request from a parent, Hammel told Tennessean. Although the Catholic Church has no official position on the series of magical books and movies, "every pastor has the canonical power to make such decisions for his parish school," Hammel said. "He has the power to act in this way."

The original "Harry Potter" books, written by JK Rowling, were published between 1997 and 2007. The eight "Harry Potter" movies were released between 2001 and 2011. The franchise also ignored an amusement park, a show Broadway and several related works written by Rowling.

The popular series for young adults explores the wizarding world in which the main character, Harry Potter, and his friends, Hermione and Ron, live. While they study at Hogwarts, a school of aspiring wizards, the three best friends live fascinating and fantastic adventures.

The film and book series has had phenomenal worldwide success and has also sparked international debate over the past two decades.

The opinion that "Harry Potter" is a threat to religion is not a new concern, as the chronicler Daniel Nexon wrote in New Republic in 2007. At that time, the last installment of the book series was being published and the fifth film had just been presented.

Nexon said the series sparked debates in France, Sweden, Turkey and Russia. "For many religious conservatives," Harry Potter "represents a new onslaught of media, public institutions and other manifestations of secular culture against their traditional values."

The scholar and columnist writes that some Christian critics believe that the Bible explains "that it is clear that magic stems from demonic sources" and that "Harry Potter" can seduce children away from religion and " transform into occult practices ".

This belief has been manifested in the bans of "Harry Potter" before. In 2006, a mother from Georgia asked the Gwinnett County Education Council to ban books because of the "harm" it contains.

The series has been on the list of the most controversial books of the American Library Association for at least three years, from 2001 to 2003. This means it was one of the most requested books to be removed from school libraries .