Posted on 11/09/2001 8:04:52 AM PST by jrherreid
Does these periodicals depict people flying, climbing on ceilings like flies, levitating themselves, engaging in "astral projection", or other activities that defy the laws of physics?
Or do they simply show people wriggling around mumbling incoherent phrases that people would just swear sound just like some extinct language?
L
Of course it is. Applied correctly it adds +5 to your health and +2 to your hitpower.
Much of the neopagan use of magic is the converse of this. It is frequently used to overwhelm, deceive and defile. In the Harry Potter series, for example, Harry resists and eventually overcomes Voldemort with the very powers the Dark Lord himself uses. Harry is the reverse image of Frodo. Rowling portrays his victory over evil as the fruit of esoteric knowledge and power. This is Gnosticism. Tolkien portrays Frodo's victory over evil as the fruit of humility, obedience and courage in a state of radical suffering. This is Christianity. Harry's world is about pride, Frodo's about sacrificial love. There is, of course, plenty of courage and love in the Harry Potter series, but it is this very mixing of truth and untruth which makes it so deceptive. Courage and love can be found in all peoples, even those involved in the worst forms of paganism. The presence of such virtues does not automatically justify an error-filled work of fiction. In Potter-world the characters are engaged in activities which in real life corrupt us, weaken the will, darken the mind, and pull the practitioner down into spiritual bondage. Rowling's characters go deeper and deeper into that world without displaying any negative side effects, only an increase in "character". This is a lie. Moreover, it is the Satanic lie which deceived us in Eden: You can have knowledge of good and evil, you can have Godly powers, and you will not die, you will not even be harmed by it-you will have enhanced life. There is so much that dazzles and delights in Rowling's sub-creation, the reader must exercise a certain effort to see these interior contradictions and mixed messages.
On the other hand, O'Brien says that the use of "magic" in Rings tends to diminish people/hobbits. I'm on page 50 now and I'm seeing that the ring diminishes whoever holds it. For example, Bilbo stopped aging and was tempted to hold on to the ring, even though he felt like he was withering away.
Of course, if you start with materialism as your map, you will arrive at OWK's house. If material is not all there is, then we might end up somewhere quite different. What basis do you have for rejecting out of hand the possibility of events which are not explained by the "laws of nature?"
The number of parents who see no harm in "Harry Potter", yet haven't read one word, is disheartening.
However, it does explain a lot.
I have an other question concerning the supernatural. You claim that certain things have supernatural causes and I just want to know how you determine when this is the case or not. How do you know that there does not exist a natural explanation and you just didn't investigate this issue carefully enough?
In most versions, Cinderella cries on the grave of her mother; it is her tears and prayers ( spell, conjuring , raising the spirit of the dead ? ) whih unleashes the MAGIC. In the Korean version, Tocabbies ( tiny, naked, mischievious sprits ) perform the " magic ". Then, there is the stepsisters ' sef mutilataions, in order that they each can fit the shoe / slipper , but their own drops of blood speak, as it falls to the ground , frorm the bloodyd shoe, and tells the prince that each girl is an imposter.
What about Sleeping Beauty ? This story and Cinderella are direct descendents, split in twian, of the Greek & Roman myths : Cupid and Psyche . Beauty's kiss ( just as in The Princess and The Frog and The Swineherd ) is MAGIC, and far from Christian. There are many magical eliments in MOST fairy tales, from ALL countries, cultures, and eras. They've NOT turned centeuries of children int " pagans" .
The posted info, that supposedly it has ONLY been in the last 100 + years that witches were portrayed as okay, in stories, is NOT factual at all ! The French, Medeival chansones about Meleissand portray her as a beautiful, loving , unfortunate shape shifter. The old Scotch ballads, about " Sulkies " sosmetimes portray them as good, and someimes as bad ; it justs depeeds upon which story you read. No, WHEN they were popular has little to do with which is good and which is bad.
A lot of this propaganda and hysteria, has MORE to do with paranoia and a shocking lack of knowledge, than anything else. Flagrant disregard about the sorts of stories children have been told / read to, from millenia to the present, and what effect it has had on them, is what allows the hystereic, gullible, fanatic to make ridiculous claims.
sigh Perhaps our children never needed to be "awakened" to a love of reading, so we aren't so quick to overlook things in the book we find disagreeable. :)
Better not have them reading MacBeth (the witches). Currently, my kids are watching The Nutcracker, it has supernatural things in it. I better have them turn it off. Better not read any of those fairy tales either.
The witches were not the Focus of the tales.HP glorifies spells and witchcraft..it teaches young minds that they can manipulate and control others with witchcraft.....a whole different feel to it..but put into your childs mind what you choose.On the day you are called to account for how you raised your children in the fear and admonition of God you will not be able to say you didn't know..
'The Exorcist': The Story Behind the Movie
Straight Answers By Fr. William Saunders
HERALD Columnist
I was watching the movie "The Exorcist" with some of my friends. Can the devil really possess someone? Does the Church really do exorcisms? I heard that the movie is based on a real story. Is that true? — An eighth grade student in Annandale.
Last week, Straight Answers addressed the issues of diabolical possession and exorcism. Concerning both the book and the movie versions, The Exorcist was based on a true account of diabolical possession. One must remember that the book and especially the movie have certain sensational, "hollywoodesque" elements which are purely fictional. The true story began in January 1949 and involved a 13-year-old boy named Robbie who lived with his parents and grandmother in Mt. Rainier, Maryland. Robbie was very close to his aunt who visited the family frequently from St. Louis, Missouri. She was a medium and attempted to communicate with the spirit world. Not only did she spark Robbie’s interest in this practice, she also taught him how to use the Ouija board.
Strange phenomena began happening on Jan. 10, 1949. The family heard scratching on the walls; however, exterminators found no evidence of pests of any kind. Objects moved by themselves: a table would turn over, a chair would move across the room, a vase would fly through the air, and a picture of Christ would shake. At night, Robbie felt scratching in his bed, and he suffered nightmares frequently.
After the aunt died suddenly on Jan. 26, Robbie continued to use the Ouija board to communicate with her and others. The strange phenomena also continued. Moreover, Robbie’s disposition changed — he become unsettled, agitated, and angry.
In February, his parents took Robbie to visit their Lutheran minister, Rev. Schulze. Being interested in parapsychology, he thought perhaps a poltergeist was tormenting the family. Pastor Schulze allowed Robbie to move into his house for observation for a couple of days. The minister witnessed chairs and other objects moving by themselves. After he saw the bed shake, he moved the mattress to the floor, where it glided along by itself. Pastor Schulze became suspicious of the presence of evil.
Upon Pastor Schulze’s recommendation, the family took Robbie to the Mental Hygiene Clinic of the University of Maryland for testing. After two rounds of testing, nothing abnormal was discovered. Pastor Schulze then advised the family to contact the local Catholic priest.
Robbie and his parents visited Father Hughes of St. James Catholic Church in Mt. Rainier. While interviewing Robbie, Father Hughes saw the telephone and other objects in his office move by themselves. Robbie also cast obscene and blasphemous remarks at him in a strange, diabolical voice. The room became eerily frigid. Father Hughes was convinced that Robbie was possessed. After reviewing the facts of the case and the medical evidence, Cardinal O’Boyle authorized an exorcism.
Robbie was admitted to Georgetown hospital, where Father Hughes began the ritual of exorcism. The boy became violent, with spitting and projectile vomiting. He cast obscenities and blasphemies at Father Hughes. Although restrained to the bed, Robbie broke loose and wrenched out a metal spring with which he slashed Father Hughes from his left shoulder to wrist. The wound required over 100 stitches to close it. Robbie seemed calm after this attack, not remembering the ordeal. He was then released and sent home. The strange phenomena soon resumed at their home. One night, when Robbie was changing for bed, he screamed. A bloody word had been scratched on his chest, Louis. His mother asked if this meant, "St. Louis," and another bloody word appeared, yes.
Almost immediately, the family journeyed to visit their cousin in St. Louis, Missouri. The same strange phenomena began to happen. The cousin, a student at St. Louis University, talked with one of her priest professors, Father Bishop, S.J., about the situation. Father Bishop then contacted one of his close friends, Father Bowdern, S.J., pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church.
The two priests and a young Jesuit scholastic went to interview Robbie on March 9, 1949. They noticed bloody zig-zig scratches on his chest. They heard scraping sounds. They saw a large bookcase move and turn around by itself and a stool move across the floor. Robbie’s bed would shake as he lay on it. He hurled obscenities and blasphemies at them. The priests knew they were confronting evil. They petitioned Cardinal Ritter for permission to perform an exorcism. After reviewing all of the evidence including medical and psychiatric exams, he granted permission on March 16.
As the priests began the Rite of Exorcism, Robbie became violent. He made howling and growling noises. The bed shook up and down. On his chest appeared bloody scratches with the words hell and devil, and even an image of Satan. Robbie spit at the priests as he hurled obscenities and blasphemies, with intermittent fiendish laughter. For his own safety and for the family’s welfare, Robbie was then transferred to the Alexian Brothers Hospital and placed in the psychiatric ward. Father Bowdern, continued to perform the exorcism. With the family’s consent, Robbie was baptized a Catholic. When Father Bowdern tried to give him First Holy Communion, Robbie five times spit out the Sacred Host; they then paused to say the Rosary, and Robbie finally received the Holy Eucharist.
On April 18, Easter Monday, the exorcism came to a climax. As Father Bowdern continued the ritual, the demon recognized the presence of St. Michael the Archangel, and was expelled from Robbie. A sound like a gunshot was heard throughout the hospital. After this whole ordeal, Robbie remembered nothing of the diabolical phenomena, except the vision of St. Michael. Certainly, this story is frightening, but is nevertheless true.
So to answer the reader’s original questions, yes, the devil really can possess someone, and yes, the Church really does exorcisms. Be on guard! Stay away from anything dealing with the occult, including Ouija boards. Use the weapons of the holy arsenal that protect us from evil: pray, attend Mass, receive Holy Communion, live by the commandments and the teachings of the Church, and confess sins frequently. If we rely on this holy arsenal for God’s graces, we have no need to fear: the love of God will always triumph over evil. Fr. Saunders is dean of the Notre Dame Graduate School of Christendom College and pastor of Queen of Apostles Parish, both in Alexandria.
Parents object to the fact that Harry Potter glorifies witchcraft to young, impressionable minds. Rowling presents a perverse, Godless world order that looks to be lots of fun.
You sound like a good parent. Do yourself and your kids a favor and read one of the books yourself. It's the only way anyone can make an accurate judgement.
Read the books for yourself and see if they're appropriate for kids.
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