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
Uh, yeah.
On the other hand, real witchcraft exists. As a kid, the series led me to that conclusion.
More accurately, it is analogous to being a "good chemist" or a "good engineer".
For example, killing people in the Normandy invasion (evil) so that Europe may be liberated (good).
I take it you believe that FDR was wrong to order it, and Eisenhower on down were wrong to participate in it.
And where is your evidence for this? Sure, there are people who fancy themselves to be witches, but "real" witchcraft???
The dog I have in this hunt is explained clearly in Msg#776. Try reading, rather than skimming as is your admitted habit, the thread.
Dean Thomas (Harry's Dorm mate) is black, as is Lee Jordan, the twins' buddy in mischief.
So telling the truth is dogmatism. Parlor tricks have been exposed countless times. The American psychologist William James was suckered by a fortune teller. His own sister caught the "seer" in deception and tried to tell him about it, but he preferred his fantasies to trusting his own kin.
Strange, but common.
I take it spy movies aren't very high on your list, either.
If the spy murders, steals or commits adultery, and is treated as a hero, no. If the character suffers or receives justice for his transgressions, I probably wouldn't have any objections to it.
But even there, the constant portrayal of vice can have a dangerous desensitizing effect on the moviegoer.
Lying is to some small extent, equivalent to using a gun. Lying in self defense or in the defense of friends, family or nation is defensible to the same extent as would using a gun. Obviously, lying to avoid justice is not included in self defense.
In the Potter universe, unjustified lying has natural consequenses.
I would have especially liked if there had been some mention of who really made the Maradaur's map. It would have been a neat little bit to mention. Anybody not having read the book wouldn't know who the nicknames really represent.
do you every have any fun/
my shift key isn't working and i can't reboot to fixit till a long running process stops.
http://www.hpana.com/news.17644.html
http://emmawatson.net/main/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=3
As children walked into the library Wednesday, a group outside shouted through bullhorns, telling the youngsters that they were going to hell.
Protesters from Victory Chapel greeted children outside the Payson Public Library as they entered to attend an event called "Harry Potter, a Kid's Night Out."
"The protesters yelled things like, ‘God would think Harry Potter is an abomination,'" 13-year-old Breanne Standifird said.
Two other children, ages 10 and 12, said the protesters were shouting that Harry Potter is the work of the devil and that the children could be forgiven, if they would repent.Harry Potter books feature characters like witches and wizards and have drawn criticism from some religious groups.
Library circulation clerk Pat Helmick said she thought the protesters crossed the line by yelling at the children.
"They were screaming, ‘Don't go in there, it's evil. Don't read Harry Potter.' It was amazing and pathetic," Helmick said. "I mean, if you don't want your kids to read a book, then just don't have them read it. It's so simple. A person came in and gave me a copy of the paper they were handing the children. It had scriptures on it talking about abominations and adultery -- stuff that I never got from reading Harry Potter. I mean, my goodness."
Parents were upset about how the protesters approached the children.
"I had a friend drop my daughter off at the library," Breanne's mother, Lori Standifird said. "But when I heard there were protesters yelling at the children I was concerned for my daughter's safety and drove over and saw that there were about seven protesters with signs. They had a megaphone and they were shouting things at the children. My daughter said she never felt threatened. In fact, she thought it was sad that these poor misled people didn't have anything better to do with their time. But I was concerned because you never know what extremists are going to do. I saw the police there talking with some of the protesters."
Police were called to the scene when a man leaving the library had a confrontation with the protesters.
"The officers arrived and separated the parties and took statements," Payson Police Lt. Don Engler said. "It has been forwarded to the town attorney's office for review."
Library director Terry Morris said she respects the group's right to protest, but not the way they frightened the children.
"The way these people were shouting at the children really scared some of them," Morris said. "It also made them feel like they were doing something horrible by going to an event at their public library."
Victory Chapel Pastor Gary Basham said the scare tactic was justified.
"Yes we scared them, but I'd rather scare them to heaven than just let them go to hell -- because hell's kind of scary." Basham said. "What we were trying to do was a peaceable protest against witchcraft and sorcery which Harry Potter is directly involved with. The Bible says to raise your children up in the ways of the Lord, not in sorcery. The Bible speaks out against witchcraft and sorcery throughout the old and new testaments. We believe that this Harry Potter thing is wicked. All we were trying to do is open the people's eyes to reality -- it's not just a little story book."
Basham, who admits he has never read any of the Harry Potter books, believes that the author J.K. Rowling is a witch herself and is trying to promote witchcraft through her books.
"In reality, we really didn't mean to frighten the children," Basham said. "It's the parents we wanted to scare, and now I think we've got their attention. Our message is that the parents should teach their kids what the Bible says about this. Then they would know."
When asked if he believed it was fair to hurt children to send a message to parents, Basham responded, "Is hell going to hurt?"
Children attending the event participated in contests and activities like pumpkin painting and raffles.
Local Forest Service ranger station personnel brought in wildlife displays and taught the children about owls -- birds frequently mentioned in the Harry Potter books. Prizes were given to each of the children and included Harry Potter books, movies, toys and hats.
"We planned this event for a long time and it was great for the children," Morris said. "Next year we're going to do a ‘Lord of the Rings' theme."
"The kids had a good time, despite the protesters," Helmick said. "But we didn't let the kids leave unless they were with a parent in case the Victory Chapel people were out there lurking on a corner."
Folks who would scream threats at other people's children are psychotic, and the kids know it, even if they don't have the words yet.
If any church I went to do that it would scare me from going again.
But again Harry Potter wizardry is different than what the Bible warns against. In the world of Harry Potter it's purely genetic, the first book establishes early on that people that are wizards have wierd things happen to them constantly, things they can't control. These things happen because they have the genetic makeup of magic, they can no more stop being wizards and witches than someone can truly change their gender. Part of the reason for going to schools like Hogwarts is to learn to control these magical energies. Failing to learn to control, failing to learn to be a good wizard, won't stop it from happening, it just means they'll go through life with no self control. Harry is a wizard not because of what he's learning at Hogwarts but because of the genetic traits that were handed down to him by his parents, the same reasons that Harry is a male causcasion with brown hair.
Once again your position is entirely erroneous because it's based on the entirely false assumption that Harry Potter is presenting the type of magic that the Bible warns against. Because you start from this position of fallacy all of your conclusions are wrong.
Well said. :-)
Good catch. It looks like a fairly fully-reported article, except — and I've honed my powers of observation on this from both the way conservative AND Christian activities are reported — I notice that the direct quotations do not say what the reporter says.
I agree with their being concerned, don't agree with their exact position, and certainly don't think theirs is the best way to communicate that concern.
Dan
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