Harry Potter's Powers [A Balanced Christian Perspective]

Back To God Hour ^ | November 11, 2001 | David Feddes

[newgeezer]

HARRY POTTER'S POWERS
November 11, 2001 Audio

"To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure" (Titus 1:15).

Harry Potter has amazing powers. As a boy wizard, Harry is better at flying on a broomstick than anyone else. This makes him a star at the game of Quidditch, which is kind of like soccer, except it's played up in the air on flying broomsticks instead of on the ground, and involves four balls instead of one. But Harry isn't just a sports hero. He also has power to defeat the evil Lord Voldemort. Others are so scared of Voldemort that they won't even speak his name and only refer to "You-Know-Who." But Harry, even as a baby, has the power to survive Voldemort's attacks and to stop him from taking over.

Harry Potter's powers are so amazing that he does something even harder than stopping Voldemort: Harry starts kids to reading. They read, not because they have to, but because they want to. The Harry Potter books aren't small; they run up to 700 pages long. Yet kids devour them. They can't wait to find out what will happen next. Harry's power to make non-readers into readers has made many parents into fans. They love anybody who can get their kids into books. Harry also makes booksellers happy, of course, selling more than 100 million books worldwide. Sales keep shooting up faster and higher than Harry's Nimbus Two Thousand broomstick.

Now Harry is about to display another of his powers: the power to sell movie tickets. The first Harry Potter movie opens in theaters next weekend. It doesn't take a wizard or a fortune teller to predict that Harry will do very well. There's little doubt that millions of people will flock to theatres and watch Harry Potter in action. The movie will bring in big money.

Harry Potter's powers will also be at work in stores this holiday season. Sears, K Mart, Toys R Us, and others are counting on Harry to make money for them through spinoff items. Hermione puzzles, Quidditch card games, sculptures of Hagrid and his pet dragon, Norbert, and countless other items are being marketed. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the villain Voldemort seeks a special stone which can change metal to gold. But even if he got the stone and made a gazillion gold Galleons, Voldemort couldn't match the money Harry is making.

Worried About Harry

Harry's powers make many people happy, but there are those who worry about Harry. Some worry about the movie not being as good as the book. Others worry that too much Harry hype will make them sick. Still others have a more serious worry: they worry that Harry Potter's powers are downright dangerous. They fear that Harry will draw kids into the deadly world of witchcraft. After all, Harry is a boy wizard in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. What if Harry's young fans want to become witches or wizards themselves? What if Harry Potter is the first step on a journey into the kind of occult power that the Bible warns against?

According to an item circulated on the internet, many children became Satan worshipers after reading Harry Potter books. A girl named Ashley was quoted as saying, "I used to believe in what they taught us at Sunday School. But the Harry Potter books showed me that magic is real, and that the Bible is nothing but boring lies." Other kids were quoted saying awful things about Jesus and saying Harry Potter made them want to call on demons. It was claimed that over fourteen million children joined the Church of Satan because of Harry Potter. Author J.K. Rowling was quoted saying, "I think it's absolute rubbish to protest children's books on the grounds that they are luring children to Satan. People should be praising them for that!"

Some people read this and were horrified by the evils of Harry Potter. They emailed the warning to others, who emailed it to others, who emailed it to others. But the story wasn't true. It originated in The Onion, an internet publication specializing in sarcastic humor. There is no mass movement of children toward Satanism. None of the quotes was real. [...]

Please see the rest of the message here. The conclusion:

[...]

We need wisdom to decide which books to read and which movies to see, and we also need wisdom to evaluate the things we do decide to read or to watch. We also need to look at overall trends and their possible effects. More and more movies and TV shows are featuring teen witches, vampires, and sorcerers. Computer games are filled with magic and demons. The entertainment industry is flooding the youth culture with supernatural stories. Most of the stories are garbage with little positive value. The sheer amount of such stuff, together with the fact that so many people know so little about the Bible, creates a climate where many kids are quicker to believe in UFOs, reincarnation, or communicating with the dead than in the real miracles of the Bible. If you're more interested in Buffy the Vampire Slayer than in Jesus Christ, you're going to end up confused and spiritually lost. You must know Jesus Christ as your Savior and have the Holy Bible as your guide.

Millions of moviegoers will see Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Millions will see The Lord of the Rings. This could produce a heightened interest in mysterious powers and realms beyond, for better or for worse. Satan will be try to exploit any fresh sense of wonder and curiosity. Satan will try to lure people into evil supernatural realms. But God can use an awakened sense of wonder and curiosity for his own good purposes. He can use fiction to get people thinking and then draw people to the truth that is better than any fiction. Only God's love and power in Jesus Christ can satisfy the soul's deepest cravings. Only Jesus' death can take away sin. Only Jesus' resurrection can defeat death. Only faith in him can unite us with his life and power and enable us to live forever.

[newgeezer]

Finally, a balanced Christian perspective on the Harry Potter craze!

[AppyPappy]

I don't see the Christian part.

If Potter is for kids, why is the movie rated PG?

[newgeezer]

I don't see the Christian part.

{?} Okay.

If Potter is for kids, why is the movie rated PG?

Maybe because parents are encouraged not to let their little kids watch it alone?

{sigh}

[billybudd]

I think all the hoopla about Harry Potter turning kids into Satan worshippers is BS. It's just a fantasy story, like so many others. The witchcraft and magic are completely superficial, not 17th century style.

[Rippin]

THere is only one good reason not to let your kids read Harry Potter books. Harry and his friends are #ssholes. Arrogant, lawless, disrespectful, heedless of authority, anti-traditional, nasty, backbiting, jerks.

Rippin

[Ingtar]

Thank you for posting this. Balance is something that has been lacking in so many discussions, pro or con.

[Mistfit_Toy_With_M16]

You have GOT to be kidding!

[Ratatoskr]

Personally, I think the whole question misses the point. If you can get a kid to believe in things unseen, it's an easy hop to get him to believe in your brand of things unseen. It's a harder job to take a kid who grew up believing in nothing he can't touch and convince him of the reality of things unseen.

[biblewonk]

THere is only one good reason not to let your kids read Harry Potter books. Harry and his friends are #ssholes. Arrogant, lawless, disrespectful, heedless of authority, anti-traditional, nasty, backbiting, jerks.

We try to restrict our kids from being around or watching or reading about people who are heros yet jerks. Kind of like Bart Simpson. Sounds like HP fits into that category. I didn't know he was a rebellious kid.

[AppyPappy]

Maybe because parents are encouraged not to let their little kids watch it alone?

If Potter is for kids, why are parents encouraged not to let their kids watch it alone?

[AppyPappy]

It's a harder job to take a kid who grew up believing in nothing he can't touch and convince him of the reality of things unseen.

I can't imagine a child without an imagination.

[newgeezer]

You have GOT to be kidding!

Care to elaborate?

(I went to your profile and clicked on "Find in Forum" to see if I could gain any perspective from your previous posts but, found none.)

[Ratatoskr]

Can you imagine a child without spiritual belief? If you don't catch them early, it's hard to catch them later.

Speaking as someone with ill-defined spiritual beliefs.

[Darth Sidious]

Commendations for a most demented screenname :-)

[newgeezer]

Please go back and read my reply again. Care-ful-ly this time. Note the underlined word. Words mean things. In fact, "PG" means something, and the underlined word pretty much highlights that meaning for you.

[dead]

If Potter is for kids, why is the movie rated PG?

Because PG movies always make the most money.

(It ain't about the kids and it ain't about satan, it’s always about the Benjamins.)

[fod]

Personally, I think the whole question misses the point. If you can get a kid to believe in things unseen, it's an easy hop to get him to believe in your brand of things unseen. It's a harder job to take a kid who grew up believing in nothing he can't touch and convince him of the reality of things unseen.

I assume you speak of mainstrean monotheistic religions?

[AppyPappy]

What's in it that is bad for kids?. My kids saw Thomas the Tank Engine movie. It had magic in it. It was rated G. Why isn't Potter rated G if it's a great movie for kids? (read slowly)

[Wolfie]

Can you imagine a child without spiritual belief?

Sure, that would be the child who doesn't believe in things unseen.

[billybudd]

Oh my, God forbid kids should look up to rebellious heroes (Founding Fathers). Harry Potter is just a story, nothing more really. If you think you can "protect" your kids from the evils of the world simply by witholding everything from them you don't consider pure, it will backfire completely. Of course, don't let them watch pornos if they're 10, but kids should be exposed to some "evil" to see if they can apply the moral guidance you have provided them with. Harry Potter is pretty innocuous in my opinion.