[Maximilian]

Harry Potter Kit

Includes 12 page Newsletter, 60 minute audio tape, and Power Point Presentation sheet. All this for only $10.00!! (plus s&h) - Don't wait - order now!!

Audio tape: Parental Concerns & Questions about Harry Potter with Michael O'Brien (author of A Landscape with Dragons); Vivian Dudro and Father Philip Scott (comments on Harry Potter) Note: We have released the copyright on this tape for you to make tapes for your friends.

12 Page Newsletter: "Is Harry Potter Good for Our Kids"? Articles included are by Vivian W. Dudro, John Andrew Murray, Michael O'Brien and Steve Wood.

Power Point Presentation sheet includes notes on: Books aren't Harmful Are They???, Gallup Survey paranormal beliefs of American Catholic Teens, Entrance in to satanic circles, and the kinds of books children need.

Only $10. Purchase Now!

Special Recommendation for All Parents – Especially Parents with Questions about Harry Potter

A Landscape with Dragons by Michael O’Brien, also author of Father Elijah, is must reading for every Catholic parent. There is a war going on for the minds and hearts of our children. So far, we are losing the war. A full seventy-five percent of Catholic teens cease practicing their faith before leaving their teen years. Catholic parents need to equip their children to withstand the multitude of subtle assaults on the Faith coming from television, movies, and books. A Landscape with Dragons will teach you how to raise discerning children. Michael O’Brien teaches you what to avoid and why. In addition, the book concludes with an extensive and invaluable list of books you will want your children to read. On a one-to-ten scale this book is easily a twenty-five! Get it. Read it. Heed it.

Many of you are wondering whether or not you should allow your children to read the Harry Potter series. In fact, there is widespread disagreement over Harry Potter among Catholic parents. When so many people disagree, it is frequently because only pieces of the overall picture are being considered. Reliable conclusions can be achieved only by learning the broader principles of evaluating children’s literature in the context of our contemporary culture. Although A Landscape with Dragons never mentions the Harry Potter series, the principles found in Michael O’Brien’s book will enable you to definitively answer any questions you have about Harry Potter.

© Family Life Center International

[sinkspur]

For ten measly bucks Michael O'Brien will try to convince you why your kid should read his books instead of JK Rowlings'.

[Maximilian]

Here is a different perspective on Harry Potter from the Vatican's so-called approval that was reported on a thread yesterday. Fr. Gabriel Amorth knows whereof he speaks since he works with thousands of possession cases day-in and day-out 365 days a year. He has previously reported on the shocking denials of the reality of the devil that have come from some Church sources, and the refusal of most bishops in nearly every diocese of the world even to provide exorcism services to their faithful -- one of the bishop's primary obligations.

Is it only a coincidence that on the same day when the Vatican supposedly "blesses" Harry Potter, Cardinal Egan shut down the exorcism ministry in the Diocese of New York?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/835199/posts

[bulldogs]

I agree with you. I can't get my wife to though. Maybe I will need to get her an exorcist.LOL!

[Gophack]

I was looking for this great article I read last year on Harry Potter and couldn't find it. But I stubbled across this ... and here's a little excerpt:

This brings us to the third difference. The HP books are filled with much more explicit, appalling evil. There is a huge difference between what went on in Lewis or Tolkien and what kids are reading about in Harry Potter.

Just as a small sample, imagine a ten-year-old reading about:

1) The animal sacrifice of a cat[19]

2) Non-magicians like you and I (Muggles) are portrayed as dull, boring, cruel or useless;[20]

3) Power is the ultimate moral choice, irrespective of good or evil;[21]

4) Blood sacrifices;[22]

5) Cutting off the hand of a living person for a ritual;[23]

6) Boiling what seems to be a baby or fetus alive in a cauldron;[24]

7) Possible demon possession;[25]

8) Werewolves [26] & vampires [27]

9) Bringing a evil wizard back from the dead through the shedding of blood [28]

10) Astral project or travel [29]

11) Casting spells and levitation [30]

12) Being able to shape-shift into an animal [31]

13) Crystal gazing or divination [32]

14) A hero (Harry) who tells lies, [33] steals, [34] breaks the rules,[35] and cheats by copying another student’s homework,[36] (cheating is OK in wizard ethics[37]).

15) Approval of astrology[38]

16) Being taught that people can exist without their souls[39]

17) Communion with the dead, dead souls living within us[40]

18) Harry takes mood-altering drugs (which are REAL herbs that are used by witches and shamans)[41]

19) Use of the "Hand of Glory,"[42] a grisly occult artifact that is the severed hand of a hanged murderer. Its fingers are lit and burned as candles. The hand is placed in a house to make everyone in the house fall into a spell.

20) Use of magic charms[43]

21) Belief that death is just the "next great adventure"[44] (which might be true if you were a Christian, but no one in these books is a professing Christian.) For non-Christians like Harry, death is a one-way ticket to hell!

These are dangerous, false ideas, especially for a younger person. Little attempt is being made to keep these books from the hands of children even younger than ten!

http://www.withoneaccord.org/store/potter.html

[Jael]

Finally, a catholic that gets it/

[Gophack]

I don't know who this person is, but she found some interesting things and her opinion is that Harry Potter is a parody of the Bible. I don't necessarily think there's a connection between all her "connections" but there are enough to warrant a purview.

http://www.total.net/~pennyo/harry.html

[Gophack]

http://www.cuttingedge.org/news/n1568.cfm

I don't know who these people are who put this together, but it shows how throughout Harry Potter he is correctly using Satanism, and there are some scary things here.

I guess what gets me is that I don't understand how so many Christians -- Catholics and non-Catholics alike -- think Harry Potter is innocuous. I can think of two parents in particular, both devout (one Catholic, one Assemblies of God) who think Harry Potter is great because their kids are reading and they're fun and harmless stories. They look at me like I'm a lunatic when I point out the evil themes interwoven in the books.

I admit ... I haven't read them ... but I have read enough articles to know I don't want to. While I'm not worried about my soul being tainted by them because my faith is strong enough to withstand the challenge, I worry very much about my children's faith because they are still growing in Christ.

[Aquinasfan]

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.

Thanks Max. This has been my thesis since I skimmed the first book.

[VeritatisSplendor]

Amazing how much people who haven't read the books know about them....

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).

[d-back]

More Harry Potter chatter. I stand second to none in criticizing the whiff of paganism and the blatant anti-Christian sentiments that permeate our culture, but boy has the Harry Potter criticism gone overboard.

I've read all four books. So have my 11 year old daughter and my 8 year old daughter (precocious children and big readers.) Both daughters and my five year old have seen the first Harry Potter movie, though the second movie is off limits to the five year old (too scary). The bottom line: Rowling has created a benign fantasy world of clear good and clear evil. True, this strange England has no Christianity (though it has Christmas holiday), but is that really so different from the real England? Children without religion might find the magic stuff damaging, but then a certain portion of kids who watch Bugs Bunny go playing with hammers and anvils, I'm sure.

There is a real and true anti-Christian children's author who, for some crazy reason, is below the radar of the good folks here at Free Republic and elsewhere. His name is Philip Pullman; his "Dark Materials" trilogy is wildly popular (he won the prestigious Whitbread prize for "Amber Spyglass"); and he is patently, obviously, and unrepentingly anti-Christian. A quote from the Amber Spyglass:

"I thought physics could be done to the glory of God, till I saw there wasn’t any God at all and that physics was more interesting anyway. The Christian religion is a very powerful and convincing mistake, that’s all. (The Amber Spyglass, p. 464)

Pullman says that CS Lewis's Narnia Chronicles, the delightful Christian parable, is "one of the most ugly and poisonous things I've ever read." Where's the outcry, Lewis fans?

And last year, Pullman told the Washington Post that he is "trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief" in his children's novels.

Go Google this stuff. It's there in black and white.

So here's this vicious anti-Christian polluting the minds of children, lauded by the decadent cultural elite, and we're reading tea leaves over Harry Potter? We should not be wasting our time over Rowling while a true nut like Pullman gets a pass.

Remember the name, folks: Philip Pullman. You've been warned.

[Coleus]

http://www.envoymagazine.com/backissues/5.3/harrypotter.htm

http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3aa554315a05.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/1827166.stm
http://www.family.org/cforum/citizenmag/features/a0023430.html
http://www.lifesite.net/features/harrypotter/index.html
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/581276/posts

Read Deuteronomy Chapter 18: 9-14

9 "When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.

12 For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. 13 You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. 14 For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you.

[Coleus]

I just read this in the NY Post and Star Ledger. So, who is right?

http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/68282.htm

http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-6/104434399547750.xml?starledger

HARRY POTTER IS OK WITH THE PONTIFF

February 4, 2003 -- VATICAN CITY - Harry Potter fans, relax. The Vatican says the kid is all right.
The question of whether J.K. Rowling's books and the films on the boy wizard have a positive influence came up at a news conference yesterday, as the Vatican presented a document on "New Age" spirituality, which contains elements of the occult.

"I don't think that any of us grew up without the imaginary world of fairies, magicians, angels and witches," said Father Peter Fleetwood, a Vatican official who worked on the document.

"They are not bad or a banner for anti-Christian ideology.

"They help children understand the difference between good and evil," he said in response to a reporter's question.

The fifth book in the boy-magician series, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," is sure to be an instant best seller after its June publication date.


Reuters


http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-6/104434398947750.xml?starledger

Vatican bends a bit to yoga and some 'New Age' practices

But it warns that spiritual quest cannot replace Christian religion


Tuesday, February 04, 2003


BY NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican weighed in yesterday on feng shui, crystals and the dawning of the Age of Aquarius in a new document designed to address whether you can still be a good Christian while taking yoga class.

"A Christian Reflection on the 'New Age'" doesn't give many absolute answers. But while saying some positive things about the New Age movement, it warns that New Agers' quest for spirituality and inner peace can't take the place of true Christian religion.


And it highlights some core differences between New Age and Christian thought, particularly regarding the concepts of God, Jesus and sin.

While New Agers are waiting for an era when they are "totally in command of the cosmic laws of nature ... Christians are in a constant state of vigilance, ready for the last days when Christ will come again; their New Age began 2,000 years ago, with Christ," the document said.

The Vatican said the preliminary document was the result of requests by bishops for guidance on determining whether practices embraced by New Agers, including yoga, meditation and healing by crystals, were compatible with Christianity.

The 90-page booklet, which includes a glossary defining terms like "channeling," "karma," and "reincarnation," urges caution.

Monsignor Michael Fitzgerald, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, told a news conference many aspects of the New Age movement were viewed positively by the Church, such as the importance it places on protecting the environment.

"But if one is brought to this by ascribing 'divineness' to the land, that's another thing," he said. "Music that relaxes you is good. But if this music empties prayer and prayer turns into just listening to music and falling asleep, it's no longer prayer."

The document, which was six years in the making, traces the history of the New Age phenomenon and notes the importance of the 1969 Woodstock festival and the musical "Hair."

It defines "Age of Aquarius" as the astrological age that New Agers believe will usher in an era of harmony, justice and peace, following the current "Age of Pisces," which has been marked by wars and conflicts. The Vatican document is silent on when the "Age of Aquarius" begins.

It lists feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of placing things to ensure a harmonious energy flow, as an "occult" New Age practice that emphasizes "being in tune with nature or the cosmos."

The document stresses that much of the New Age phenomenon is driven by marketing books, therapies and crystals, and it notes some consider New Age just a label "for a product created by the application of marketing principles to a religious phenomenon."

The Vatican didn't say why the book was coming out now -- more than 30 years after the New Age movement took hold in the United States and elsewhere -- although it is current enough to acknowledge that yoga and crystals are enormously popular these days.

The booklet attributes such popularity, particularly in the Western world, to a "spiritual hunger of contemporary men and women" unsatisfied with existing religion, political institutions or science.

It offers some practical steps for priests to follow, saying the best way to counter the search for New Age remedies was to highlight the "riches of the Christian spiritual heritage."

It encourages dialogue with New Agers but stresses that their credentials must be checked. And it urges caution with groups that host prayer meetings or initiation ceremonies, saying they may lure people into a form of false worship.

The booklet was prepared by Fitzgerald's council and the Pontifical Council for Culture, with help from the Vatican's orthodoxy watchdog, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

It is not considered to be the Vatican's final word on the matter. A definitive document will be published once the Vatican receives feedback from dioceses on the provisional one issued yesterday.

[Cvengr]

"...president of the International Association of Exorcists..."

Every time I read this title, I get this mental image of a priest with white collar, leisurely laid back in a large chair reading the association's periodical,...which must be entitled something like "Exorcism Today".... just can't shake that mental picture. ;^)

[St.Chuck]

Harry Potter or no, a lot of kids turn into little "witches" anyway, at about that age. Curling up with an absorbing book will prevent them from casting their real spells.

[Jeff Chandler]

ping