Posted on 11/24/2001 2:08:47 AM PST by kattracks
Edited on 05/26/2004 5:02:25 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
November 24, 2001 -- Is Harry Potter the spawn of Satan?
That's the opinion at one Christian school in southern Australia, where parents voted yesterday to forbid students from reading about the bespectacled wizard and his preteen cohorts.
The vote was just part of a widespread anti-Harry backlash by religious conservatives angered by the best-selling books' blatant celebration of witchcraft and the occult.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
That excludes Shakespeare, anything having to do with Christmas, most everything on TV...how truly principled are you?
That is absurd. Please re-read my post. I used the word "glorify." You seem to think I used the word "employ," as in employing a literary device. These could hardly be more dissimilar.
Oh my sides. YOU probably should have avoided going here.
Do the laws of physics apply in your world?
And since I was born and bred in the briar patch, I have all the background I need, biblical and practical to "bash" ya'll hypocrites all I choose!
Why don't you go find someone who is suffering, maybe within your own church, and Do some Real Good by helping them?
Instead of "looking the other way"?
First, No, I would not let my children get the videos, go to the movies and would not let them get the books.
I am involved in my children’s life, deeply; I do not let them get influenced by things that may, in their immature lives, be received wrong. I do not just do this with Harry Potter. I do it with WWF, and many other shows. I make a judgment call about a great many things that they watch and act upon it.
I took heat from my mother when I told her that I did not allow them to watch Barney. I have my reasons. Those reasons were based upon watching (Yes, I admit it) over 20 episodes of it.
Second. This is more than just disagreement with content. My first born is very willing to take and believe in something at face value. He is very trusting of things and people and what he is told. Harry Potter DOES celebrate something I never want to see him get involved in. Period dot. End of story. Now, I am willing to bet there will be some that says to me "Well, you just are not secure in your own sons ability to discern that its just a story, like a cartoon.". Right, I am just that. After all, Harry potter is NOT a cartoon. There is no Wyle E. Coyote falling yet again to the desert floor thousands of feet below only to get up again and try for Road Runner one more time.
Harry Potter is a film, make believe, yes, real people in it, yes, special effects, yes, however, it also includes things like Spells, Witchcraft (White or black does not matter to me) Sorcery, channeling. The problem comes when as a child such interesting and exciting things are planted as a seed about a subject that is very real to some people yet very dangerous, spiritually speaking.
I either believe in God or I do not. I either say that He is real or that He is not. I either keep from these kinds of things or I just tell Him that "Its just for fun." and demand that He not hold me accountable. Accountable to the many times in His word where I have been told to stay away from such things, to pray against such things, and most assuredly not to teach, by way of allowing them to consume Harry Potter, my children any such thing. I will answer for it all.
So, ease up on those people of faith. As much as you may think that it is not at all a big deal, to many others it is. I very seriously doubt that I will be raising axe murderers because they did not get to see Harry Potter. My children will not lose out on any potential in life because they did not see Harry Potter. They will read more than their contemporaries in the classics. I assure you that they will read of witchcraft, the devil, evil, murder, hatred, and many other evils. However, in all of it, I will go out of my way to properly set up what it is they are reading and make sure that they understand it.
I am sure that some will say I could just do this about Harry Potter. Yes and no. I could frame up Harry for what he is. A young boy practicing the occult. Using the power of the evil one to do his magic. It could be used to show how the devil wears sheeps clothing. Is this what I should do so as to 'follow the crowd' and appease those who seemingly demand that all children go see and read Harry Potter? Nope. Not with my money. I can't say that I will support that.
Good for you. And your children will grow up to be tremendous successes in this life impacting not only the Kingdom of God, but also the society in which we live. I, for one, admire the stance you've taken in the upbringing of your children. Society as a whole could learn a great lesson from you. Keep up the great work.
Ephesians 6:4--"And you fathers(and mothers), do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord."
The first one was standing up for the weak. There was a scene where the children are gathered for their broom flying lesson (if there are any here who believe that an average, intelligent, well raised, child is going to believe that brooms can fly, please raise your hand so that we can get you some help), and a bully in the bunch picks on one of the meeker children. The Harry Potter character leaps to his defense and defeats the bully, to my mind demonstrating both the qualities of compassion for one's fellow man and personal courage.
There is another scene in the movie where the Harry Potter character and one of his male cohorts rescue their female companion from a rather large troll (aka evil). One again the characteristics of courage and caring for the welfare of others is demonstrated. Aren't these qualities we would want our children to have? Wouldn't these be considered Christian qualities? They were taught to me as such.
The qualities of teamwork, personal courage, sacrificing for the good of others are demonstrated in a scene where the Harry Potter character and his two friends have to work through the larger than life chess game.
Finally, the most important scene to me was the finale where he faces the evil antagonist in the movie. The Harry Potter character destroys the evil with 'magic' which at first glance your led to believe comes from the Sorceror's stone, his touch causes the evil character to turn to dust. Shortly thereafter, we learn that the power to turn the evil critter to dust comes not from some 'magical rock' but from (as he is told by his mentor) his dead parents' love for him, specifically, the love of his mother! And by the same token, his love for them. Well, this is certainly a quality we would want children to have .... isn't it?
I found the movie to be clever and very nicely done. There is also a scene in there where the young girl chides her two male companions, asking them "don't you ever read?". The rest of it, the 'magic stuff', is simply entertaining FANTASY! I'm not worried about children mistaking the fantasy for reality and trying to cast spells or fly a broom. Most children (95%+) can discern fantasy from reality, what worries me is the adults who believe this film is going to cause their children to worship Satan, join a Wiccan group, or whatever other rubbish. I worry about the adults because they don't seem to have the same ability as their children to discern what is reality and what is fantasy.
If you want to read it, fine. But it doesn't need to be in the schools.
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