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Is Harry Potter merely entertainment?
BP News ^ | 6-3-04 | Phil Boatwright

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


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: backtodu; bennyhinn; devilmademedoit; harrypotter; muchadoaboutnothing; potterreligion; theriseoflegalism
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To: Dr. Eckleburg

Drop the smarter than thou attitude Dr. E. It's not attractive.

And if you want to play games, you're simply out of your league.

Kindly refrain from pinging me again. I'll do the same for you.


741 posted on 06/05/2004 8:14:46 PM PDT by Corin Stormhands (Thank you for everything President Reagan.)
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To: Corin Stormhands

Verrry aggressive.


742 posted on 06/05/2004 8:15:56 PM PDT by Dr. Eckleburg (There are very few shades of gray.)
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To: Dr. Eckleburg

It must be all that Harry Potter he's been reading, right?

How childish.


743 posted on 06/05/2004 8:17:29 PM PDT by RMDupree (HHD: We'll miss you, Ronnie....but we'll see you soon!)
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To: Dr. Eckleburg
Keep talkin' to me like that and you'll have to buy me drinks and dinner...
744 posted on 06/05/2004 8:18:49 PM PDT by Corin Stormhands (Thank you for everything President Reagan.)
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To: Dr. Eckleburg

Flirty.


745 posted on 06/05/2004 8:21:43 PM PDT by HairOfTheDog (farewell to a great president.)
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To: Corin Stormhands

Funny.


746 posted on 06/05/2004 8:22:40 PM PDT by HairOfTheDog (farewell to a great president.)
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To: AnAmericanMother

It grows on you.... ;~D


747 posted on 06/05/2004 8:23:36 PM PDT by HairOfTheDog (farewell to a great president.)
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To: HairOfTheDog

~snicker~


748 posted on 06/05/2004 8:24:21 PM PDT by Corin Stormhands (Thank you for everything President Reagan.)
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To: HairOfTheDog

~snicker~


749 posted on 06/05/2004 8:24:23 PM PDT by Corin Stormhands (Thank you for everything President Reagan.)
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To: Corin Stormhands

Two Snickers?

Sweet.


750 posted on 06/05/2004 8:28:29 PM PDT by HairOfTheDog (farewell to a great president.)
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To: Corin Stormhands

Snide.

Instead of grass skirts, can we get a picture of you in Neville's grandmother's clothes - oh, wait, Harry Potter promotes cross-dressing.


751 posted on 06/05/2004 8:43:14 PM PDT by JenB
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To: Dr. Eckleburg
Grow up.

Growing up, I presume, involves aquiring a belief in the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. This is a previously unknown concept for me. I'll have to think about it.

752 posted on 06/06/2004 7:39:16 AM PDT by js1138 (In a minute there is time, for decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse. J Forbes Kerry)
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To: SpyGuy
The problem isn't so much that there are these popular books on witchcraft; such books have been around a long time. The problem is that children today are morally and spiritually vacuous. Thus witchcraft is filling a void in their lives which should have already been taken.

You packed a lot into a brief statement. Well-said.

Dan

753 posted on 06/06/2004 7:41:05 AM PDT by BibChr ("...behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them?" [Jer. 8:9])
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To: pgkdan
I was a kid I wished my mother could twitch her nose like Samantha on Bewitched...35 years later and I still haven't joined a coven

...yet!

Dan
(c;

754 posted on 06/06/2004 7:41:50 AM PDT by BibChr ("...behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them?" [Jer. 8:9])
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To: Dianna
If you do a review, please ping me.

I won't be writing a review. There are 150 reviews available at rottentomatoes.com.

I will say that Rowling should be forever grateful to Chris Columbus for launching the series. Most famous and successful fantasy writers have been thoroughly screwed by their movie adaptations. T.H. White, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Madeleine L'Engle -- I could go on. Roald Dahl has one good adaptation, Matilda, and several afternoon TV quality films. With the exception of Lord of the Rings. I have trouble thinking of any fantasy series that has been taken seriously on the screen.

POA has moved Harry Potter from the BBC style of adaptation to the Hollywood style without ruining it. Having proved that this can be done, it is up to the remaining directors to build on this accomplishment.

The movie industry seems to attract a certain kind of person wit no sense of history at all. One POA review started out by pondering whether the Harry Potter movie would have to pay royalties to Ray Bradbury for the phrase, "Something Wicked This Way comes."

755 posted on 06/06/2004 11:32:09 AM PDT by js1138 (In a minute there is time, for decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse. J Forbes Kerry)
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To: Dianna
Satan loves Harry Potter because he influences children to be witches.

heheheheheheh....

I just got back from the movie. It was the best of the series IF you already knew the characters. However, it was EXTREMELY busy. There was no downtime in the film. The worst part was the bus ride which didn't make sense in light of the book. I also thought the very ending was poor. But everything in between was great film although it could end up being the red-headed stepchild of the Potter movies.

756 posted on 06/06/2004 4:36:32 PM PDT by AppyPappy (If You're Not A Part Of The Solution, There's Good Money To Be Made In Prolonging The Problem.)
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To: AppyPappy

Excellent movie. Best of the bunch. It tripped over itself being politically correct: it HAD to have at least three Blacks and two Indians in it at all times. I rather doubt the real minority makeup of Britain is such. The bus trip was very entertaining, in my opinion. The fade-ins and fade-outs reminded me of something Hitchcock would do. Without spoiling the film for everyone, the movie changed around some things toward the end and, in my opinion, improved it quite a bit from the book. A lot was left out, dealing with various relationships and details, but what do you expect from a 2 hour movie?

SPOILER!!!! read at your own risk!!
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The "animal" was VERY scary! THAT'S what one should look like!


757 posted on 06/06/2004 4:48:26 PM PDT by Merdoug
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To: Merdoug

Our movies was 2 1/2 hours. We decided we didn't like the werewolf. But the response to the werewold was awesome.

I'd like to see it in a better theatre.


758 posted on 06/06/2004 5:55:37 PM PDT by AppyPappy (If You're Not A Part Of The Solution, There's Good Money To Be Made In Prolonging The Problem.)
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To: Merdoug
I rather doubt the real minority makeup of Britain is such.

The ethnic characters have been in the books for some time. I'm sure they are there for PC reasons. Rowling had intended the books to depict racism symbolically in the prejudice against elves, giants, goblins, etc. But criticism of the first book led her to include human ethnic diversity. I don't think it was exactly forced on her. She is naturally left-leaning.

I find it a bit odd to think of her this way, because the series reads best as a children's guide to WWII, with Dumbledore standing in for Churchill, Fudge standing for Chamberlain, etc.

This is pretty explicit in books four and five.

759 posted on 06/06/2004 7:46:51 PM PDT by js1138 (In a minute there is time, for decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse. J Forbes Kerry)
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To: Aquinasfan
Incontrovertible proof usually consists of the subject speaking in languages of which he has no knowledge, speaking backwards, levitating, or possessing knowledge of things that he couldn't reasonably know.

Parlor tricks are "incontrovertable proof" only of the already known fact that some people are willing to go to great lengths to deceive; and acceptance of parlor tricks as evidence that the laws of the Universe have been suspended is "incontrovertable proof" only of abject credulity (extra points off for not getting a competent stage magician to check out the alleged supernatural phenomenon).

760 posted on 06/07/2004 8:02:56 AM PDT by steve-b (Panties & Leashes Would Look Good On Spammers)
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