Is Harry Potter merely entertainment?

BP News ^ | 6-3-04 | Phil Boatwright

[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

[steve-b]

There are two differences between eyewitness reports of UFOs and eyewitness accounts of demonic activity. The first is the reliability and character of the witnesses.

Nope. There are plenty of people of good reliability and character who claim to have seen flying saucers and space aliens.

Secondly, there is no positive reason for believing that these phenomena have occurred, while the existence of witchcraft and demonic activity can be demonstrated positively.

Nope. Both are supported by the same sort of anecdotal evidence (and both claims are so extraordinary that this sort of anecdotal evidence simply does not cut the mustard).

[steve-b]

What if Harry Potter was a fantasy story about the misadventures of a child Nazi? Or a child abortionist? Or a child communist?

It would seem that "category error" is your favorite form of logical fallacy, at least for the moment.

There is a difference between a chosen behavior (all of your examples) and an innate trait (magical aptitude, in the HP universe).

[Aquinasfan]

It is clearly out of the question to accept an extraordinary claim (e.g. levitation) on the basis of what is at best ordinary evidence (e.g. a few people's say-so).

This saint's levitation was witnessed by hundreds of people and a pope.

He was observed to levitate on seventy separate occassions.

The Church didn't promote his gifts. In fact, the Church treated him somewhat harshly:

Unfortunately, there were some among his brethren, who did not believe in these "impossible and incredible" things. Besides, Joseph was not the kind of person to whom such things would happen... rather, he was generally a trouble in the community. Therefore he was an impostor! He was reported to the Vicar General, who believed what was said, Joseph was called to stand his trial before the inquisitors of Naples. In October 1638, he left the convent "La Grottella" and moved to Naples, to the Franciscan Conventual monastery of "San Lorenzo Maggiore". It was rumoured that a saint was living there and a huge crowd of Neapolitans gathered around the monastery. Joseph was afraid to enter the Tribunal of Inquisition, but St.Anthony of Padua appeared to him and encouraged him. He was interrogated, and he also went into ecstacy, remaining suspended in the air.

The inquisitors were unable to convict him of anything, so they sent him for further examination to the General Minister of the Order in Rome. He saw Joseph's humility, began to doubt whether all was true that was said against him, and took him to see the Holy Father. In the end, nothing could be proved against Joseph, but the Tribunal of Inquisition decided to keep him in safe custody. He was was sent from one lonely convent to another, and treated with the strictest rigor.

[steve-b]

How can you say that its fake when you ask whats on a players hat and they get it right when no one says it or when you ask a name that your neighbors call you and they get right.

I would suggest that the reviewer, and you, educate yourselves on the subject.

[js1138]

Interesting that parlor tricks like levitation get less common as people get better educated about how they are done. The author of Sherlock Holmes believed in garden fairies on the basis of som double exposed photographs. William James, a scientist of sorts, believed in fortune tellers. Both intelligent people, but it makes no difference. They were fooled.

[steve-b]

Unfortunately, there were some among his brethren, who did not believe in these "impossible and incredible" things.

He supposedly levitated dozens of times, and yet some of the people who knew him best didn't believe it? Not very convincing, I'm afraid.

[malakhi]

The first is the reliability and character of the witnesses

Sorry, but I won't stipulate this point. If you want to make this assertion, you will have to prove it. Your own biases don't count as evidence.

while the existence of witchcraft and demonic activity can be demonstrated positively.

You keep saying this, but you have yet to demonstrate anything more substantial than the same type of evidence which exists for UFO sightings and alien abductions. Citing yet more anecdotal reports proves nothing.

Again, do you understand the distinction between anecdotal and empirical evidence?

[steve-b]

Is it just that the children of the wealthy are generally exempt from military service in a volunteer army?

In context, your statement is just another confirmation that this sort of class warfare twaddle goes hand in hand with the elevation of "feelings" above rational thought.

[steve-b]

Where did I say that?

Er, maybe you want to gloss over, not emphasize, the fact that you didn't get around to answering the question of whether invading Europe (which obviously entailed much evil in the form of death and destruction) was justified in order to achieve good (the destruction of the Nazi regime).

[discostu]

Poisoning the well with innacurate comparisons. These wizards aren't the wizards the Bible warns against. By your absurd absolutism then even Gandalf from LOTR is evil, he is a wizard after all. You need to learn about grey, that's what the world is really made of and as long as your world is black and white your conclusions will be false and you will be unable to deal with the real world as an adult. Your blind insistance that HP is evil is a childish narrow minded obsession that does harm to you, your children, and the faith you think to defend.

[discostu]

Was the kid asking the question touching the board? Then the answer is obvious, "it" didn't get any questions right, he did.

[discostu]

I don't know if levitation has gotten less common. It's still pretty standard fair in stage magic and David Blaine used a really solid closeup levitation gimic to basically build his career, Blaine even hams it up as an "exausting" activity like it's a real supernatural power. Now levitation for cheap psychics has probably dropped, but I'd blame that mostly on David Copperfield, he flies over the audience with a rig that cost tens of thousands of dollars, after somebody has seen that they're not going to be impressed by a table six inches off the ground.

[malakhi]

Interesting that parlor tricks like levitation get less common as people get better educated about how they are done.

The illuminated know that supernatural activity is enabled by the presence of deliberately clandestine teratological molecules moving backwards in plenumary time. Since teratological molecules are dispelled by electric light, that explains why supernatural phenomena are almost nonexistent in the modern world.

[Aquinasfan]

The second World War met the criteria for a just war.

The justification for the war isn't an example of the ends justifying the means for the State, but an example of the lesser of two evils --do nothing while innocent people are killed or war against the perpetrators. Warring against the Nazis was the lesser evil.

[Aquinasfan]

In context, your statement is just another confirmation that this sort of class warfare twaddle goes hand in hand with the elevation of "feelings" above rational thought.

I'll take that answer as, "no, I have no problem with the poor being disproportionately represented in the armed forces."

[discostu]

Since the poor are NOT disporportionately represented then the question itself is a falsehood. And even if they were, it's a voluteer army, who cares who's in it so long as they act with honor.

[Aquinasfan]

Again, do you understand the distinction between anecdotal and empirical evidence?

Eyewitness accounts are the best empirical evidence of supernatural phenomena since videos and audio tapes would be rejected as fraudulent. Eyewitnesses would always be needed to confirm any mechanical recordings of the events.

I can provide you with plenty of examples of miracles or supernatural phenomena but you will reject them all because of your dogmatic, a priori commitment to materialism. It's logically impossible to present empirical evidence of supernatural phenomena to a dogmatic materialist.

[malakhi]

Eyewitness accounts are the best empirical evidence

"Eyewitness" accounts are notoriously unreliable, and do not (absent controls, accurate records, reproducibility and independent corroboration) consitute empirical evidence.

It's logically impossible to present empirical evidence of supernatural phenomena to a dogmatic materialist.

First, I am not a materialist, dogmatic or otherwise.

Second, you have yet to offer any empirical evidence.

You want to get people to believe that witchcraft is real? Then provide evidence that is 1) independently corroborated, and 2) reproducible.

[Bluntpoint]

When I was a kid, my father used to pull my nose off and let it wiggle between his fingers before placing it back on my face.

I guess you won't believe this either with out video!

[malakhi]

When I was a kid, my father used to pull my nose off and let it wiggle between his fingers before placing it back on my face.

Your father was obviously a practitioner of the dark arts. You don't happen to have any unusual birthmarks or tattoos on your head, do you? ;o)