The greatest cartoonist of our time. His world view is so strange, it makes for incredibly interesting comix.
Posted on 11/19/2001 3:13:11 PM PST by PJ-Comix
What are kids saying about Harry Potter? Here are some samples:
| "I want to go to wizard school and learn magic. I'd like to learn to use a wand to cast spells." Dylan, age 10. "If I could go to wizard school, I might be able to do spells and potions and fly a broomstick." Mara, age 12. "It would be great to be a wizard because you could control situations and things like teachers." Jeffrey, age 11. "I'd like to go to wizard school and learn magic and put spells on people. I'd make up an ugly spell and then it's pay-back time." Catherine, age 9. "I feel like I'm inside Harry's world. If I went to wizard school I'd study everything: spells, counterspells, and defense against the dark arts." Carolyn, age 10. "I liked it when the bad guys killed the unicorn and Voldemort drank its blood." Julie, age 13. "The books are very clever. I couldn't put them down. When I was scared I made myself believe that it was supposed to be funny so I wasn't so scared." Nuray age 11. |
These are the comments of young readers of the Harry Potter wizard books quoted on a new video by Jeremiah Films. On the video, called Harry Potter: Witchcraft Repackaged, Making Evil Look Innocent, author Robert S. McGee explains: "Children as young as kindergarten are being introduced to human sacrifice, the sucking of blood from dead animals, and possession by spirit beings."
Courts have banned the teaching of Christianity in public schools but Wicca, which is recognized by the U.S. courts as a religion and given tax-exempt status by the IRS, is taught freely. Harry Potter has become the method of introduction of Wicca to the very young.
Harry Potter materials have become much more than a hand full of children's fantasy books. Warner Brothers, Coca Cola, Minutemaid, and Mattel have used the Potter materials to launch games, puzzles, toys, backpacks, and every possible merchandizing product.
Scholastic, Inc., a major supplier of public school teaching aids has added the Potter literature to its line of curriculum materials. When the name "Harry Potter" is keyed into the Scholastic.com web site search engine, it returns 268 matches. "Jesus" returned only 23.
And now, a major movie is about to break on the scene called "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." Millions of dollars are being spent on pre-release hype.
Once introduced to the world of wizards, spells, and dark arts, readers of Harry Potter can advance their knowledge and skills in witchcraft and paganism by visiting the hundreds of web sites available on the internet.
Or, they can purchase more books on the subject from the well stocked Wiccan sections in local book super stores. Or, they can find over a thousand volumes on witchcraft available at Amazon.com.
Harry Potter books have taken the world of children's fantasy literature by storm. Over 200 million have been sold in 40 languages. One study shows that over half of the children in the western world have read at least one of the Potter books. Many reported rereading each book several times.
But is it just fantasy literature like Snow White and Cinderella? In the Harry Potter video, cult expert Caryl Matrisciana points out that in the older stories, evil never prevails.
There are no absolutes in his world. What is right depends on the situation.
Witchcraft now has a complete package. Starting in kindergarten with Harry Potter and TV witch shows, children are led on to the horror movies and hundreds of Wicca and pagan web sites. When they thirst for more power, high school and college Wicca covens are available. In the adult world, corporations are hiring New Age practitioners to provide seminars in sensitivity training, stress relief, and self improvement for employees.
Former Satanist William Schnoebelen points out in his book, Wicca, Satan's Little White Lie, that, "I finally learned in the most graphic fashion imaginable that the difference between witchcraft or Wicca and Satanism is actually non-existent."
Before he was saved he found himself cruising the streets looking for a lone female to assault, not for sex, but to drink her blood.1
The bottom line is a hunger for power. Harry Potter and the rest of witchcraft promises that power. But in the end they discover that Satan is really in charge of the power and only uses it like cheese in a mouse trap.
Harry Potter provides a basic initiation into witchcraft for a whole new generation. Imagine what the world will be like when they grow up.
"J.K. Rowling confirms as the series progresses that more characters will die to emphasize the dastardly nature of evil. She says that only after careful consideration did she decide to include so many deaths to accentuate the deepening conflict between good and evil forces and the resulting victimization of innocents."
I heard in an interview that as the books progress to number 7, there will be more darkness, evil and even sexual secenarios. Well, it's "only natural" the kids are growing up and "hormones will be hormones & libidos will be libidos". Will there be any unwanted pregnancies that will be "spelled" away? Stay tuned.
I was disturbed. I have heard the "what about Snow White and the Wiz of Oz" arguments and they don't hold water. The older movies were fairy tales. The stories were not as "modern" as the Potter series are. I have told my children fairy tales as I am sure many of us have but I have always told them the truth about the tales, that they are not true and that they are make believe. That is what made them fun. The movies of these tales follow the traditional fairy tale patterns with "Once upon a time" beginnings and "Happily ever after" endings. Potter doesn't.
The HP stories play upon reality more than they do fiction. They are targeted to reach kids on a level that is all too real to them. Real situations are used. Real problems are used ( peer pressure, not liking a teacher, homework, or whathave you ).
I know that kids are smart and I am not underestimating their intelligence and their abilities to sort fact from fiction. I wasn't on the "Pokemon is evil" bandwagon nor anything before it. However, I was disturbed at Tolken's ability to integrate reality with fantasy on such a level. Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn tales were about children who lied, stole and so forth but there was a "normalcy" to them. They more aptly did justice to "boys will be boys" rather than mystifying juvenile behavior.
Whether a child is 5 or 15 there remains the ability to impress them with examples found in stories and movies. How many of us can say that when we were younger we read a certain book or saw a certain movie that left a lasting impression on us or, in some cases, that changed our lives, our way of thingking or believing?
I went into this Potter stuff agreeing to be completely objectional. I came out of it deciding that it was not for MY kids. I try to be very discerning over what I allow into my home and what I allow my kids to be part of. Not because I am a religious fanatic but because I feel that, regardless of what experts may say, my children are impressionable and "real" sorcery isn't something that I wish for them to become impressed with.
I was disturbed. I have heard the "what about Snow White and the Wiz of Oz" arguments and they don't hold water. The older movies were fairy tales. The stories were not as "modern" as the Potter series are. I have told my children fairy tales as I am sure many of us have but I have always told them the truth about the tales, that they are not true and that they are make believe. That is what made them fun. The movies of these tales follow the traditional fairy tale patterns with "Once upon a time" beginnings and "Happily ever after" endings. Potter doesn't.
The HP stories play upon reality more than they do fiction. They are targeted to reach kids on a level that is all too real to them. Real situations are used. Real problems are used ( peer pressure, not liking a teacher, homework, or whathave you ).
I know that kids are smart and I am not underestimating their intelligence and their abilities to sort fact from fiction. I wasn't on the "Pokemon is evil" bandwagon nor anything before it. However, I was disturbed at Tolken's ability to integrate reality with fantasy on such a level. Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn tales were about children who lied, stole and so forth but there was a "normalcy" to them. They more aptly did justice to "boys will be boys" rather than mystifying juvenile behavior.
Whether a child is 5 or 15 there remains the ability to impress them with examples found in stories and movies. How many of us can say that when we were younger we read a certain book or saw a certain movie that left a lasting impression on us or, in some cases, that changed our lives, our way of thingking or believing?
I went into this Potter stuff agreeing to be completely objectional. I came out of it deciding that it was not for MY kids. I try to be very discerning over what I allow into my home and what I allow my kids to be part of. Not because I am a religious fanatic but because I feel that, regardless of what experts may say, my children are impressionable and "real" sorcery isn't something that I wish for them to become impressed with.
The guilty flee when no man pursueth.
ummmm....and that's a GOOD thing?
The greatest cartoonist of our time. His world view is so strange, it makes for incredibly interesting comix.
He writes "Christian" pamphlets that are in pretty wide circulation. For the most part, they're pretty horrible. He does Christianity a big disservice.
But they're FUN to read! Do you think Van Gaugh's paintings would be interesting if he wasn't crazy? No, the guy was such a lunatic that he cut off his own ear....and produced great art.
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