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
Bloody Hell!
*cough*
Thank you.
perhaps you should work on those 'skills'
"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."
"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."
When asked if he believed it was fair to hurt children to send a message to parents, Basham responded, "Is hell going to hurt?"
"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.
Why, thanks! This weekend got me all fired up to tilt at liberal windmills, and I think I'm in the market for a new quarterstaff.
And there you have it.
Hope you enjoy the film, it's bloody great, captures the feel of the book pretty well, though some things are cut out to make it of reasonable length: eg more explanation of the Marauders' Map would have been good for those who haven't read the book.
ROTFLMAO
Your point?
Dan
"I notice that the direct quotations do not say what the reporter says. "
My point, as show above and in previous posts by myself, show they you either lied or didn't understand what you read. Seeing as how you said you had excellent skills it must be the first one.
Your citation bears me out. The direct quotations do not say what the reporter said.
I didn't realize about your personal issues when we started what I had thought was a friendly dialogue. Sorry to learn of them; hope you find, or are found by, the help you need.
Adieu,
Dan
i do not see what you see in this. what do you think the reporter is saying/
my shift key isn't working that is why there are no caps or question marks.
I expect this to be my last try.
You started out the conversation referring to people telling folks they'd go to Hell FOR reading Harry Potter.
I said I'd never heard of anyone saying that.
You cited an article that claimed that a church group told children they WERE going to Hell, AND warning against Harry Potter books as evil. The direct quotations of the pastor verified the latter, but no direct quotations verified the former.
So maybe the did say that. Or maybe they warned the children against going to Hell, AND warned against Harry Potter books. The direct quotations do not settle that question.
And no quotation has the church folks telling the children that they WOULD go to Hell FOR reading Harry Potter books.
You owe me a couple of unqualified apologies. But that doesn't happen much on FR, no matter how appropriate, so I'll not be holding my breath.
Dan
Why do you think these people have ANY right to be "concerned" about other people's children? Especially when their "concern" and "Christian love" is shown by shrieking that they are going to hell?
What did I say that led you to attribute those thoughts to me?
Dan
'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."
the 'pastor' implied via the above statement that reading hp would cause them to go to hell, and seeing how it was in response to his harry potter protest it would appear to me that he was implying that reading hp would cause them to goto hell. you see, i have had this done to me, not with hp but with dungeons and dragons so i know how people like this think.
playing clintoonesq word games will not change the fact that you and i both know what the 'preacher' meant. religious people who say that hp is witchcraft then in another breath say that those that watch/use anything related to witchcraft will go to hell are saying that hp will send kids to hell. they use a lot of words, but that is what they are saying.
people like that preacher and other who preach against hp/dnd/rock, with out trying to understand them, drive more people away from god -shift key is broken, the preceding g should have been a capital- then drive people to god.
Pastor Tommy Turner said:
"I don't want anyone to go to hell, and the bible says if people use sorcery and witchcraft they will go to hell."
http://www.hpana.com/news.cfm?nids=17092_another_harry_potter_book_burning
the Arkansas Baptist Convention passed a resolution condemning the Harry Potter books and movie Nov. 7, labeling the literature "anti-Christian."
http://www.baptiststandard.com/2001/11_19/pages/potter_debate.html
basic google search
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=goto+hell+for+reading+harry+potter&btnG=Google+Search
moved to later movie, presumably number four.
Expecto Capitum?
From your post #800
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."
If you agree with their concern, then you believe they have a right to interfere with what other people teach their children.
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