Posted on 11/21/2001 8:13:35 AM PST by marshmallow
It's all baloney to me.
Nicely demonstrating my point about you, but revealing nothing about either the Bible or Christians.
In other words, your typical "contribution" in such discussions: $000.00, generously estimated.
Dan
But I always find it amazing that people who spend so much of their time studying the Bible know so little about Christianity.
The idea that the earth is a battleground between good and evil, with God on one side and Satan on the other, is not a Christian one - it is a pagan idea that Christianity rejected long ago.
Harry Potter may have paganist undertones, but the anti-witchcraft rants have paganist undertones as well.
Outside of Harry's mean Aunt, Uncle and Cousin, there was almost no character development. There's no one, single toy that kids are going to run screaming, through the stores, that they want, if they've only seen the movie. (Maybe that's a relief to some parents.)
Norbert the dragon hatches out his egg and is then banished to Romania by Headmaster Dumbledore. What was that? I shed my first tear of the movie for Mattel at that point. Who's going to buy all those $40 dollar electronic "Norbert the dragon" toys after that?
Harry's final confrontation with Lord Voldemort is a real yawner. The whole rest of the movie was about as lively as a museum tour.
I guess you can tell I was real disappointed. I was looking forward to being entertained.
They paid a tremendous actor like Richard Harris to play Headmaster Dumbledore and then they use him like a display window mannequin. He had no lines.
The images of Harry's parents say nothing. The only two adult actors whose performances I somewhat enjoyed were those portraying Hagrid and Professor Snape.
It's as if they shot the movie and then they let their competition from Pixxar make the final cuts, so they wouldn't feel guilty about killing Monsters Inc. at the box office.
I hope I didn't spoil the movie for anyone that hasn't seen it yet, but I'm curious to see what others, who have seen the movie, thought. Am I being overly critical?
This reminded me of Kevin Kostner's debacle "Water World". How did Chris Columbus make a mediocre to bad movie with $160 million dollars to spend?
Wyldkard, I do have the ability to look it up. I thought your reference was from the Old Testament, but that you might have something from the New Testament that wasn't Mosaic Law meant for the Jewish people. When Jesus came, the Law, which included limiting travel on the Sabbath and blood sacrifices (or do Jews still practice that?) was replaced by God's Salvation. When Jesus said, "...He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." (John 8:7), He changed the letter of the Law into the spirit of the Law.
As to the "Crucifixion Psalm", the word "pierced" being determined by 72 rabbis as the correct translation tells me that even among Jewish scholars there's a difference of opinion. Nevertheless, the whole of the Psalm, even with the "lion" interpretation is still a clear reference to the Crucifixion. Jesus knew His Scriptures and knew those who studied it would understand that He was fulfilling it.
It was most interesting to read what the rabbi thought was anti-Semitic from Martin Luther and interesting to see how anti-Christian he was in his response to the Lutheran minister. It goes both ways, although the Lutheran minister never wrote anything in the least anti-Semitic to Rabbi Singer, who still didn't understand that true Christians do not hate the Jews. He preferred to cite anti-Semites who claimed to be Christian as his proof to the contrary. It was most enlightening. Thank you for the link.
Do you have a reference for the abomination-less verses? I would be interested to read the wording, if you do. I regret that I cannot read Hebrew, Greek or Latin. It would certainly be better for my own edification, not to mention discussions, if I could. I will just have to see what I can do about that.
As to Lev. 15, it deals with both men and women having a discharge, not just a woman's cycle.
I appreciate the chance to discuss this with you.
Helloooooooooooooo?
A case in point is Wheaton College, where Alan Jacobs, author of a favorable review of Harry Potter in First Things, works as a professor. A look at Wheaton College web site will yield a community link to local religious organizations including a well published alchemy group called "Philosophers of Nature". In his review, Professor Jacobs likens the science of wizardry to the "technology" of the science of alchemy. Other faculty members at Wheaton seem to have some fascinating academic interests including a course on witchcraft offered by Candice Hogan and a Professor Owens who advertises an interest in the politics of ritual and sacrifice. Well, it would seem we Muggles have our very own schools of wizardry, which are, unfortunately, not uncommon in academia, higher or middle, where professors are as adolescent as their students, a la Harry Potter. Another case in point is a local Catholic nun in my community who runs a youth camp and advertises solstice rituals in our church bulletins for kids to enjoy. A Reiki healing group, also linked to a local nun, is associated with our public hospital. Reiki is a newer version of ritual Tantric magic.
I thought that review in First Things smelled.
Maybe you should expand on "death education" for the uninitiated.
You must have learned your grammar in publik skool.
Many of the delightfully described magical arts in the Harry Potter series were pretty standard fare in training courses I mastered to some degree or another
The writer is referring to mastery of training courses, not of telepathy and time travel.
Don't laugh. You oughta read some of the Star Trek lists and message boards regarding Enterprise. "Why are humans always depicted as the ones with all the answers? Why are the aliens always mean, and humans always virtuous?"
Ack. At least we can say "where no man has gone before" again, instead of no one from Next Generation. But there are those who complain....
One of the best movies of 2001 in my opinion.
kangharue:
Yes..doesn't this Potter hysteria imply that this stuff is real?
I also agree with the poster who correctly pointed out that the God vs Satan dualistic theology of the anti-Potter people isn't Christian. It belongs to Zorastrianism, the pre-Islamic religion of Persia. The Christians rejected it as a heresy a long time ago.
There is a lot written about that subject already. Kids writing their own epitaphs, I don't think is a very good idea. However, the point of this thread is that some people see some danger in reading Harry Potter. I for one find the fascination with the little nerd somewhat amusing. I have had no interest in purchasing the books and my kids have not had an overwelming desire to read them or purchase them on their own. So now there is a movie out which I don't plan on going to see, because I don't care. My kids aren't all up in a wad wanting to go see it either.
I was at the store writing a check for an item I had bought and another saleslady asked my son in a simply gushing tone, "Don't you just LOVE Harry Potter?" You should've seen the look on his face. It was pricelss. He said, "No." First of all, he didn't know or care who Harry Potter was and secondly, he knows that it is improper to LOVE another boy who's not your dad or brother. The look on her face was priceless as well.
I am not a big Harry Potter fan but of course I have not been much into fantasy since I was in grade school.
This first Harry Potter installment doesn't seem to be as well done as the first Star Wars and they had over 20 years to improve on the formula.
The "Lord of the Rings" hits the theatres next month. It'll be interesting to compare the two.
But I've got it now. It's your birth date.
Personally I don't believe Harry Potter is the onlybook that discerning parents should keep away fromtheir kids, however due to all the publicity the books/film are getting at the momentit's natural that it should be discussed.
My objections to the book are as follows.
When magic and sorcery are represented in Harry Potter they are put forward in an entirely positive light with no suggestion that such things may be either dangerous or morally wrong.
The books have been carefully researched and not only do they represent paganism in a seductive manner but they also mirror the beliefs of pagans today so that any children who may develop a fixation with the occult has been well and truly pointed in the "right" direction.
Anyone who does research into what other books children who read Harry Potter are reading should not be surprised to find that theother books also have a strong occult flavour.
As someone who has known quite a few witches I can tell you there is a lot more to witchcraft today then tree hugging nature worship.
Some of the witches I have known have been into drug dealing, homosexuality and other sexual perversion and placing curses on people who they don't like or that have offended them.
The power they call upon is real and it is the power of fallen angels/demons.
Deuteronomy 18:9 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.
1 Corinthians 10 20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons.
1 Thessalonians 5 21 Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22 Avoid every kind of evil. 23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus was a child once. An obedient child and one who loved His fathers house.
I think we should ask ourselves this before we let children read these books; Would Jesus have read Harry Potter?
Would he think it was a good thing that practises and beliefs which were declared in the Holy Scripture to be hated in the eyes of the Lord should be presented as helpful and to be desired?
Would he think that it was harmless and "just fantasy"?
I don't think so
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.