Call my agent.
We'll do lunch.
Posted on 02/04/2003 10:32:00 AM PST by Maximilian
Rome's Chief Exorcist Warns Parents Against Harry Potter
NEW YORK, Jan 2, 02 (LSN.ca) - In early December, Rome's official exorcist, Father Gabriele Amorth, warned parents against the Harry Potter book series.
The priest, who is also the president of the International Association of Exorcists, said Satan is behind the works. In an interview with the Italian ANSA news agency, Father Amorth said, "Behind Harry Potter hides the signature of the king of the darkness, the devil."
The exorcist, with his decades of experience in directly combating evil, explained that J.K. Rowling's books contain innumerable positive references to magic, "the satanic art." He noted that the books attempt to make a false distinction between black and white magic, when in fact, the distinction "does not exist, because magic is always a turn to the devil."
In the interview which was published in papers across Europe, Father Amorth also criticized the disordered morality presented in Rowling's works, noting that they suggest that rules can be contravened and lying is justified when they work to one's benefit.
Of note, the North American coverage of Father Amorth's warnings about Potter significantly downplayed the warnings. The New York Times coverage which was carried in many other media outlets left out most of the information in the European coverage which is quoted above. It only quoted Father Amorth as saying, "If children can see the movie with their parents, it's not all bad." The Times report also fails to mention that the movie version has significantly cleaned up Harry's image, making it less troublesome than the books.
Used with permission LifeSite News www.lifesite.net
© Family Life Center International
Whoa -- just when you think you've heard it all!
But to tie this to the topic of the thread, which one is the correct response to such a situation, to say that my kid is not that far gone yet, or to say that all the signs indicate that we are living in an age of depravity not seen in a very long while? When popular culture has fallen so far that such behavior is considered normal, then maybe we should be suspicious of virtually everything coming from those sources. And Harry Potter shows every sign of NOT being among those few that might seem safe (e.g. Mel Gibson's filming of the Passion).
Maybe it isn't a big thing for me because I see other things as being more important, maybe it's because my daughter liked the Lemony Snicket "A Series of Unfortunate Events" better than HP, she doesn't care about the new HP movie, and my son has no interest in the books or the movie (he thought the first one was boring and silly - he's not a fantasy kind of kid).
Just like TV (which is far worse than any book a kid can read), you can steer your kids to other things to read and/or watch.
I'm much more concerned about the kids my kids go to school with each day. Talk about losing a soul - schools are first and foremost in your kids lives.
We are living in an age of depravity and it is of parmount importance that our kids have good moral leadership at home and a good grounding in the teachings of Jesus Christ. But we already know that, it is just a tragedy that not all parents do.
Harry Potter? A red herring.
Gotta go - kids coming home from school and then I go to work.
Funny you should mention that -- Lemony Snickett is the latest rage in our household too. And I do find him very troubling, even though once again I'm the one who introduced these books to the kids. I noticed them on the shelf of the library and pointed them out to the kids since they seemed like very intelligent and sophisticated books for kids -- which they certainly are.
But they are also problematic. Has your daughter read the latest, "The Carnivorous Carnival"? And the interim volume, "The Unauthorized Autobiography of Lemony Snickett"? Terms like "bizarre" hardly scratch the surface. Last week there was an interview with some actor in the Wall Street Journal, and he said that the latest book he read was "The Unauthorized Autobiography of Lemony Snickett." He had no idea it was a children's book until someone told him. At which point he said that was totally bizarre because even adults couldn't understand it.
My son brought back with him from vacation (with the same sister who sent us Harry Potter) a book called "Artemis Fowl," I call it "Artemis Foul." It really sinks to a new level of despicable for children's literature. It may not appeal to girls, however, so it may not be a concern for you.
That's for sure. I'd rather give arsenic to my kids than Judy Blume. But that doesn't make Harry Potter good. Same with the objectionable science fiction.
Perhaps they're like me on this issue: I found the movies harmless but have only perused the books...I'll check into it more.
Call my agent.
We'll do lunch.
http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=30889
Code: ZE03020304Date: 2003-02-03
Harry Potter Not a Problem, Says Church Figure
VATICAN CITY, FEB. 3, 2003 (Zenit.org).- Harry Potter has them talking -- even at the Vatican.
The name of the fictional wizardly apprentice came up today during a press conference on the document "Jesus Christ the Bearer of the Water of Life: A Christian Reflection on the 'New Age.'"
Father Peter Fleetwood of the secretariat of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE) answered a reporter's questions, saying that for a Catholic, "Harry Potter does not represent a problem."
The English priest, a former member of the Pontifical Council for Culture, said that "in each one's childhood there have been fairy godmothers, magicians, angels and witches, which are not bad things but a help for children to understand the conflict between good and evil."
According to Father Fleetwood, J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, "is a Christian, perhaps not in the sense that every bishop would like, but she lives like a Christian and writes as such."
It was the first time that Harry Potter educed a public statement in the framework of the Vatican Press Office.
Those at the press conference included Cardinal Paul Poupard and Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, presidents of the pontifical council for culture and for interreligious dialogue, respectively.
In the interview which was published in papers across Europe, Father Amorth also criticized the disordered morality presented in Rowling's works, noting that they suggest that rules can be contravened and lying is justified when they work to one's benefit.
Thanks Max. This has been my thesis since I skimmed the first book.
Well said.
AppyPappy brought up this point many books ago and is being proven right. I wonder how this series will end.
No, no, no, no and heaven's no!
First, LOTR is literature that has become entertainment. Harry Potter is fluff entertainment.
LOTR is indeed fantasy, but there are clear-cut themes of good and evil and many mirror Christian teaching. Tolkien was a devout Christian.
Having said that, I've read the Potter books and look forward to the next. They are fantasy. They are make believe.
But if they concern you (or others on the thread) then by all means, don't read them, don't go see the movies.
I don't find them any more threatening than The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars or Spiderman.
BUT I don't want to argue about that. My point was, and is there is no valid comparison of LOTR to Harry Potter.
So sink, does that anger you? His book are better. --And you know it.
You better believe that was the plan!!!Glad the kidz are grown and I didn't have to depend on harry for entertainment. Mine were raised on 'Green eggs and Ham'
The Harry Potter books are FANTASY. Magic in them has no religious significance, it plays the same role that made-up science and technology does in Science Fiction.
Thee were good and bad magicians in the Narnia books too. Is C.S. Lewis also supposed to be an evil influence?
The main valid criticism of Rowling's books is that they are potentially too scary for little kids. But "Lord of the Rings" is scary too.
The ignoramuses who claim the Potter books are Satanic tools are afraid that children will actually go out and do real magic after reading these books.
There is an enormous cognitive disjunction here. There are 3 kinds of magic:
1) Science disguised as magic ("Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"--Arthur C. Clarke). This exists and presents no spiritual problems.
2) Non-scientific magic which is morally and spiritually neutral because it depends on underlying "laws" and does not require the agency of supernatural beings. This DOES NOT exist, as far as we can tell -- people used to believe in it, but almost everything "magical" was eventually either shown to be false or shown to really be science (that is, the only "laws" involved were the ones that could be mathematized and analyzed using the scientific method). The Harry Potter books PRETEND it exists.
3) Magic through the activity of supernatural spirits who are not themselves God. If this is possible, AND if Christianity is true, then it is clear teaching that this is an immoral and spiritually dangerous practice. (If the supernatural spirit is in fact God, then it is not "magic", it is by definition a miracle, which may occur in response to a petitionary prayer but cannot be controlled or directed or forced by any human activity or formula).
The critics of Harry Potter are unable to understand the distinction between 2) and 3).
In the Potter books, "Dark wizards" exist, but they are simply evil people who use magic to evil ends. "Dark magic" is magic which is generally used for evil; the equivalent in our modern scientific world would be such researches as the development of deadly biological and chemical weapons, or the development of torture techniques, or the development of criminal skills such as forgery and swindling. Good wizards must learn the same principles and techniques when studying "Defense against the Dark Arts", but do so from a morally correct orientation.
Leading with false ad hominem arguments is always a highly recommended strategy for bringing your opponent around to your point of view.
The Harry Potter books are FANTASY. Magic in them has no religious significance, it plays the same role that made-up science and technology does in Science Fiction.
How do you correlate this unsubstantiated assertion against all the items detailed in post #8 ?
The ignoramuses who claim the Potter books are Satanic tools are afraid that children will actually go out and do real magic after reading these books.
Nothing like a few insults to spice up your argument. Meanwhile, the reality of evil is being denied at a time when it's influence is so very tangible all around us. Check out some information on Fr. Gabriel Amorth and his work as the chief exorcist of Rome before you call people "ignoramuses." You might also want to check out this thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/835199/posts
Based on his decades of experience dealing with demonic influence and possession on a daily basis, Fr. Gabriel Amorth opts to disagree with your position:
"He noted that the books attempt to make a false distinction between black and white magic, when in fact, the distinction "does not exist, because magic is always a turn to the devil."Do you have some comparable experience upon which you base your opinion?
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