Harry Potter Books teach Witchcraft to Children

Chuckmorse.com ^ | Nov. 2, 2001 | Chuck Morse

[RnMomof7]

EVIL!

All you prove is my case..drip drip drip...you do not evil when you see it..drip drip drip..

[incindiary]

Back up your last statement. Proof, please. Sure the theme of Potter may be witchcraft, but does it tell children to engage in that behaviour? Again, no one can provide proof -- just speculation. That's why it's so easy to dismiss this hogwash from the 'religious right'.

The question isn't, "does it tell children to engage in that behavior"..... the question is - does it or does it not glorify witchcraft/sorcery? Yes or no? Does it make it fun and cool?

And FYI - you may not know this, but among teens (especially girls) Wicca has become VERY popular in the last few years. Do you ever surf the web? From having my own site, I'm a member of lots of webrings and I've stumbled across so many sites created by young people having to do with Wicca, Paganism, and even satanism. They think its cool. It may seem harmless to you, but I agree with what wendelmyer said. Those things (witchcraft, wicca) lead kids down the wrong path -- and as he said, it tells them that what God considers wicked is really ok and kind of cool in fact.

[Tuxedo]

That's a rather broad brush you are painting with there. Where did you see this person attacking everything as evil in the world?

[Politicalmom]

The sad thing is, all of the people railing and ranting against Harry Potter are overlooking a chance to TEACH their kids about their values. I LOVE the Harry Potter books. They are a battle of good vs evil. And good always wins in the end. I am more concerned about the rampant lying in the books than the magic. WHEN my kids are old enough, we will read them together, and discuss what is right and wrong about the books. How many of you people complaining about these books have allowed your children to read the Chronicles of Narnia with no discussion. There is black magic in Narnia. A discussion about the blood sacrifice, for example, would TEACH your children instead of just forcing them to come to their own conclusions. And to the person who said God doesn't recognize fiction...what exactly are the parables then?

[higgmeister]

already told my kids if they buy them for the grndkids I will burn them.

You are sick, threatening to burn your children!

[alpowolf]

D&D wasn't aimed at children

I have my 1st edition AD&D Player's Handbook (1978) right in front of me. It says right on the front: "It is the ideal vehicle of imagination for intermediate through advanced players, ages 10 and up". I know, we were all tougher back then than today's whippersnappers, but 10 was still a child even in them there days.

[Leroy S. Mort]

And I learned how to fly from reading Superman comics.....

[RnMomof7]

Have you ever heard of desensitization? The drip drip drip has been going on so long that you can not see the difference between Ed the talking horse and Harry Potter.....

The water has come to a boil and you have not noticed..you offer no cogent argument to bolster your position that this is not witchcraft,or that it is good for the childrens mental , emotional or spiritual health.

You say

I do not take well to those on FR who use their religion as an excuse to hide behind their hate, and I will not tolerate the discrimination or condemnation of people because your God said so.

I would say you hate God,and you try to cover your hatred with name calling and mocking..

[RnMomof7]

The sad thing is, all of the people railing and ranting against Harry Potter are overlooking a chance to TEACH their kids about their values.

And there in lays the difference..a point I tried to make earlier.Today parents need to be moral screeners and interpreters for every thing that the kids see or read. If you read these books together there is much less danger...but I would warn about the idea of spells..all and all if you are there they are probably safe..unfortunatly most are not there!

[mechadogzilla]

So, did Beatrix Potter turn kids into talking rabbits?

No, but Dr. Who turned me into a robot dog.

[RnMomof7]

They said the same hogwash about Dungeons and Dragons

I worked in mental health for years..do you have any idea of how many suicides they tied to D&D?..Lots of breaks with reality too...Now we can say these were not stable folks to begin with.That may or may not be true..but the game pushed them over the edge..

[Tuxedo]

I don't think fear is the reason behind her comments. More of an awareness that not all is as it appears to be. Those not of the faith can see it as mere paranoia, just as others see some gun-rights activists as paranoid. But, that does not mean that all professed Christians are of the tin-foil hat wearing clique.

FWIW, Harry Potter may indeed have a sinister purpose. I don't know, as I have said, I haven't read the books. Pokemon could have had a sinister purpose. Or maybe it was just clever marketing.

The original poster felt that this should be a warning to parents of a certain persuasion, many of which lurk here, in a gathering place of a variety of conservative ideals. I have seen a similar article elsewhere.

I do not know how much you are "clued-in" to our faith, but the Bible in Revelation expresses that these things (call it a shift to the dark side, if you wish) are forecast to happen. Nothing I, or any other Christian for that matter, do will have any affect on stopping that. It must come to pass for the conclusion to arrive at the end of Revelation.

It is easy to ridicule things you do not believe in. I understand that. Someday, we will both know which of us is correct.

I can say to the other brothers/sisters in Christ out there to consider what you say here. There are ways to fight these battles, and ways to make them worse. Think about how you will sound. As far as Harry Potter is concerned.. it is all supposed to get a lot worse (read Left Behind) before it gets any better. Any one of you that can't see that happening before your eyes is blind. Evangelize with confidence, but with effectiveness. Consider your audience. This is probably not the best forum for such actions.

[alpowolf]

but I would warn about the idea of spells

I read about such things as a child. I do not remember ever believing that spells were real. I do remember wishing that they were! I also wished I could fly like Superman, etc. I say this not to mock; as a little boy I often had fleeting wishes like that. None of them lasted past the time I closed the book.

[xp38]

(thank goodness we finally have a team here in Memphis!)....the ex Vancouver team? Surely you jest.

[RnMomof7]

So much depends on the maturity and spiritual grounding of the kid.Some kids will be very influenced by this,others will not.

The bible warns against witchcraft,on that basis I would not take my grandkids to see the movie nor would I buy the books....

This is America,even practicing Wiccas have a right to be here and worship as they choose..But I do think Christian parents need to think about the choices they make for their kids.

[RnMomof7]

And I learned how to fly from reading Superman comics.

I am old enough to remember the ones that tried and failed..falling to their death..several died that way in the 50's

[exnavy]

Thanks for posting this Chuck. You are right on the mark with this one. It's not OK to read the Bible, but, our kids should read this crap in school instead? The dumbing down of America continues, as the replies of many here are showing.

[Leroy S. Mort]

I am old enough to remember the ones that tried and failed..falling to their death..several died that way in the 50's

They didn't read up on Kryptonite.....