Posted on 06/03/2004 9:38:49 AM PDT by BobbyBeeper
FIRST-PERSON: Is Harry Potter merely entertainment? Jun 2, 2004 By Phil Boatwright
"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" Photo courtesy of harrypotter.com
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (BP)--"I love Harry Potter. I think it would be so cool to be a witch," Sharon, age 11, says.
That's my answer to anyone who says J.K. Rowling's adventure series is harmless fantasy.
While the Harry Potter book and film series has held a hypnotic fascination for youngsters, its thematic foundation is troubling. Arguably, perceptive children can view such material without succumbing to the snare of the occult, but it would be naive to think that movies and TV programs containing witchcraft are not aiding the rise of Wicca in our culture.
In a television special titled "Hollywood Spirituality" which aired several years back on E! Entertainment, Raven Mounauni, a professing witch and owner of an occult paraphernalia store, credited the 1996 movie "The Craft" with inspiring young women to explore the world of witches. "I get a lot of teenage girls in here. You can always tell when 'The Craft' has been on TV, 'cause we get a big influx of girls looking for supplies."
Occult practices shouldn't be considered just diverting amusement. Ouija boards, psychic readers and other forms of misleading supernatural entertainment should not be taken lightly. In Leviticus 19:26 we are instructed, "Do not practice divination or sorcery." There are several warnings in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testament, making it clear that we are to avoid witchcraft or anything associated with the occult. So if God is instructing us to avoid occult practices, how can we justify using it to entertain ourselves?
This may not be a popular view right now. The first Harry Potter film installment earned $969 million worldwide. J.K. Rowlings' five books on the young wizard have become a phenomenon, allowing the author to become the richest woman in England, with assets beyond $1 billion. That would indicate that many parents find nothing wrong with these children's adventures.
There are even a couple of books out right now exclaiming parallels between the Potter books and the Gospel. One author suggests the books help relate Christian themes and truths, opening the door for talking about things such as right and wrong, the nature of faith, loyalty, bravery and trust. Honestly, I think that's a bit thin. Yes, Rowlings’ themes deal with honor, friendship and self-sacrifice, but the kids in Harry Potter gravitate to sorcery in order to accomplish these attributes. And even if there are positive elements associated with the series, you simply can't ignore the witchcraft equation.
Members of Wicca teach a philosophy that embraces no absolute truth or sin and replaces the patriarchal male creator God of the Bible with a belief in both male and female gods. Its credo instructs members to embrace spirits and conjure spells in order to control their lives and the lives of others. There are millions of practicing witches worldwide. Indeed, Wicca has become one of the fastest-growing religions in the world today.
OK, it's good that children are reading. But what is it they're reading? Shouldn't that be considered? When an author makes $1 billion on five books that have sorcery as a main theme, and renowned secular critics hail the films as incredible filmmaking without examining their occult roots, I question what's really behind this phenom.
Is it merely entertainment? Or is there a dark spiritual source feeding and supporting it? I realize that may sound like a stretch, but often Satan is most deceiving with a glossed-over package. Wouldn't it be a shame if kids got pulled into witchcraft, while their folks thought of the books and films as merely children's fantasy? --30-- Phil Boatwright is a film reviewer and editor of The Movie Reporter, on the Web at www.moviereporter.com. (BP) photo posted in the BP Photo Library at http://www.bpnews.net. Photo title: HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKAB
You're not alone. I thought they were horrible BEFORE I found out the lead singer was a dude.
Yech.... And the classic rock station here in L.A. LOVES to play Rush. Plenty of suck ass tunes, not enough Black Sabbath.
Lazamataz
A satanist
Since May 21, 1999
Merely entertainment? Try not even.
That is it!
The books are a wonderful escape to a time when you believed in magic and happy ever after and good always winning.
The older I get, the more juvenile my reading becomes. In a few years, I will be reading "Run Spot Run".
We're going too!
I'm sorry, but someone who believes that The Iliad or The Lord of the Rings can be completely understood by a (typical) preadolescent boy is as far out of touch with reality as someone who believes that Harry Potter stories will turn the nation's youth into minions of Satan.
Great post, Aquinasfan, but I'm afraid it won't convince the Potter groupies here who don't have spiritual discernment.
All right, the HP-is-eeeeevil discussion thread finally appeared!
All the good answers are taken, so I'll just have to brag about how I dragged all my younger siblings down into darkness with me by reading "Harry Potter" aloud on the release weekend.
I cried after book 5. Can't wait for the movie tomorrow. I'm going twice this weekend. First time in costume.
No, and that would piss me off.
That is cute. My 80+ year old grandfather read them a few years ago before the movies came out. He would go out to eat by himself and put another jacket on the book so no one would know he was reading Harry Potter. LOL
My own husband teases me about reading books out of the juvenile section.
Everytime we pass The Series of Unfortunate Events books at Costco I want to pick them up, but I'm afraid my husband will make fun of me. LOL
I left it on the freeway. :-)
"My high school had rituals......"
Don't even tell Aquinasfan about the rituals in the military. They made me shave my head, wear the same clothes as everyone else, and run everywhere carrying a gun!
It was almost satanic! (I won't even get into my 12 years of Catholic education.)
I did. Ew.
And making an analogy between drinking unicorn's blood and communion is bloody stupid. I'm not Catholic, but the principle idea behind Christ's sacrifice is that he did it willingly for us. You couldn't claim salvation by stealing it, right? I'd draw a comparison between the unicorn's blood scene, and fetal stem cell research, actually.
LOL... If he was my sister I'd keep it a secret too.
Hey ya-ll,
I thought you two put one of those disappearing spells on yourselves.
Here I thought I was being daring taking the day off work to go. My husband won't let me wear my Gryffindor t-shirt. (Hot Topic and Torrid have them)
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