'HARRY' CATCHES HELL FROM CHRISTIANS

New York Post ^ | 11/24/01 | TODD VENEZIA

[Demidog]

But any form of entertainment which glorifies witchcraft will not be in my home

That excludes Shakespeare, anything having to do with Christmas, most everything on TV...how truly principled are you?

[Skooz]

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.

[Demidog]

You're rationalizing. Whatever floats your boat. Don't pretend that you're principled.

[AppyPappy]

Shakespeare "glorified" witchcraft?

[AppyPappy]

Don't pretend that you're principled

Oh my sides. YOU probably should have avoided going here.

[Skooz]

Your post is so astonishingly illogical and malinformed that it is difficult to reply to it. Congratulations, you have managed to do in a few sentences what my wife has not been able to do in 11 years of marriage: render me speechless.

Do the laws of physics apply in your world?

[Skooz]

BTW, I will stop pretending to be principled because you told me too.

[usslsm51]

Make me believe you!

[jjbrouwer]

It's funny how modern society works. People who believe that you can turn a human into a cat by pointing a stick and spouting gibberish are regarded as wise, while people who are opposed to indoctorinating children with such nonsense are called 'loons.'

Pure gibberish.

The list goes further. Loons also include paranoid people that cause trouble by attacking a charming children's book.

And, of course, Yanks with absolutely no sense of humour who hit the 'abuse' button whenever a Brit makes a flippant remark about Potter (as I did earlier).

[mamaduck]

The thougth of myself being portrayed as "tolerant" is, well, silly!

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"?

[Demidog]

If Harry Potter is the measure of the glorification of withcraft then indeed he did. Have you ever read or seen A Midsummer Night's Dream?

[ICE-FLYER]

I wish that folks here would make a little room for those who wish to censor this from their children. I know, I know, flame away, but work with me here for a minute and allow me to ask you to consider a few things.

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.

[Demidog]

I await your detail.

[Economist_MA]

So, ease up on those people of faith.

A well-argued post from you, thank you very much. I don't share your faith but I have to agree with you that it should be your, and only your, decision what your children read.

On the other hand, you'll have to admit that the vast majority of people think you are wrong in your view of the Harry Potter books, and, for full disclosure, I am one of them. Hence trying to alter the world so it fits your model of reality, e.g. by banning the book from schools, means imposing your faith on others. If you have a faith which is different from that of the vast majority of people, then you'll have to bear the consequences, take your children out of public school or any private school which doesn't conform to your faith, and either homeschool or find an institution that does.

[One4Indictment]

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

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."

[Woodkirk]

Does the word "Harry" mean "Satan" or "the Devil" in your British dictionary or is it just that way in our Webster's Dictionary? Isn't "Old Harry" a nickname for "Satan" there in Britain? Or am I telling you something that you didn't know?

[RussianBear716]

I have just come from seeing the movie and you'll have to excuse me but I consider myself a good Christian and I found nothing wrong with the movie. As a matter of fact I thought that it demonstrated some values that everyone, including children should have.

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.

[AppyPappy]

British Wiccans have reported a large increase in the number of inquiries from kids because of Harry Potter. Even Wiccans have complained that Potter TEACHES kids the wrong thing about witches. Even the Wiccans admit Potter is teaching kids about witchcraft.

If you want to read it, fine. But it doesn't need to be in the schools.

[Bush2000]

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.

Amen. These people are beyond idiotic. It's almost as if they need some kind of foil to measure and validate their faith against. A couple centuries, it was burning witches. Today, it's Harry Potter fiction.

[Woodkirk]

Perhaps if you ever read Shakespeare you would realize that witches were portrayed as who they really are -- creatures who deceive, know less than they claim, and cannot be trusted -- quite a different portrayal than the author whose hero is named "Harry" -- the common old name for "Satan, the Devil" as anyone with a dictionary and brain in Britain will tell you. One more time the British spiritualists are making fools of a lot of colonists and using the public schools to do it and fools like you to sell it .