"I smell children........"
Posted on 11/22/2010 10:08:57 AM PST by mlizzy
Okay, I had to research this for the “better than thou” ladies in my homeschool group. Anyone who thinks that HP is evil has either never read the books or only read parts.
Let’s start here.
Anyone who has read the books knows two things.
1. The ability to perform magic is a talent in this fiction. You either have it or you don’t. It isn’t learned just refined. One does not get it from the devil nor is “Black Magic” allowed. This is made clear in the “unforgivable curses” which will lead to tortured jail time.
2. There is a clear difference between good and evil in these works.
It’s hard for me to ban the Harry Potter series when there are witches and wizards in all sorts of classic children’s and young literature. Examples include: The Chronicles of
Narnia, The Lord of Rings Trilogy (and The Hobbit), and even The Wizard of Oz.
The Wizard of Oz has good witches and bad witches. I haven’t heard Chistians talking about that.
Plato, Aristotle, Homer, and many more have been read in Classical Curriculum for years. None of these were Christian - all of them contain matter which is incompatible with Christianity in any form.
I look to Catholic guides for approval of the HP series. In 2001, Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney, wrote on the Harry Potter series in his regular column in The Sunday Telegraph. In his columns, he praised the books for displaying values that are “deeply compatible with Christianity”. In his book Be Not Afraid, Pell praised the books as having a “good dose of moral truth” and for being “a good yarn.”
Along with that, In 2003, Father Peter Fleetwood, a priest incardinated in the Archdiocese of Liverpool at the time serving as an official of the Pontifical Council for Culture, made comments supportive of the novels during a press conference announcing the release of Jesus Christ the Bearer of the Water of Life—A Christian reflection on the “New Age”. In response to a question asking if the magic presented in the Harry Potter series should be considered in the same light as some New Age practices warned against in the document, Fleetwood stated, “If I have understood well the intentions of Harry Potter’s author, they help children to see the difference between good and evil. And she is very clear on this”. He added that Rowling is “Christian by conviction, is Christian in her mode of living, even in her way of writing”
For the Catholics the film adaptations, the Office for Film and Broadcasting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has rated each film “A-II”, meaning the content is suitable for adults and adolescents and was not found to be morally offensive.
Good advice is found in the Scriptures:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians
4:6-7).
The Bible tells us that God cares about what happens to us, and so we should give all of our worries to Him (1 Peter 5:7).
Parents have the responsibility to not only teach their children about the virtues that please God, but also about what they are up against. (Ephesians 6:12).
If a child has good guiding parents, a personal relationship with God, and is able to fully discern between what is good and bad according to God’s standards, reading Harry Potter books or watching the movies can be entertainment, but also can empower parents to raise Christian thinkers.
Hope this helps.
"I smell children........"
Thw writing of this mentally retarded imbecile could be construed to indicate that Christianity causes mental decay.
Good point on the Jordan books. Though I do enjoy them, there are some major problems with the WOT series.
>>but that if I wanted to we could go together when he comes home this weekend for Thanksgiving! <<
Bring your tissues.
My daughter and I were openly sobbing at the end.
Is there anything left on television that’s any good? The only programs/channels we watch are the news and sports and EWTN. Even Animal Planet has dipped into reality-TV with “Pit Bulls and Parolees.”
>>Yes, a thumbs up on the positive ones like Narnia, because of the Christian symbolism (so there’s a good vs. evil theme), something lacking in Potter ...<<
Look at how much Latin is used in the Harry Potter books.
“Draco Dormien Numquam Titillandus” is the Hogwarts Moto.
Bet there’s more Latin in those books than in most “Happy Catholic” masses nowadays.
Harry Potter movies are dangerous to my ability to stay awake. I can't for the life of me figure out the attraction of these movies.*laughing* I just asked my daughter if she was going to see the latest release, and she just shrugged her shoulders, and said after a pause, "I don't know." She didn't look too enthused.
I have met some in home school circles who do not allow their students to read those books nor the Narnia series.
Yeah, the point is, if you want people to read something for “discernment” it would be wise to choose an article that isn’t full of errors and outright distortions.
Michael O’Brien has an agenda; he is selling books that say Harry Potter is evil. And if those quotes in the article came from him, he didn’t bother actually reading the books, but pulled a couple things out of context, took information off the internet, and accepted nutty anonymous sources.
***
Just stay with the Word of God as your authority and your guide. Harry Potter, Wizard of Oz, Twilight, Star Wars stuff etc - It is all demonic, evil stuff that the Lord Jesus Christ forbids, commands us to seperate from, denounce, come out from.
Though every person on your favorite supposed conservative websites be in disagreement, even when they all say they are Christian but do contrary to the Word of God — Stay faithful to Christ and His Word.
Think of Noah and all who mocked his faithfulness to God while he built the ark. They all were destroyed eventually by the Lord. Same with Lot. Same with many others. Same with the Lord Jesus Himself - none there for Him during His last hours - there was betrayal, loneliness etc - would not even stay up and pray with Him - they fell asleep.
Rest in the FACT that once Christ Jesus comes into our hearts, lives, bodies after we ask Him in - rest in the fact that He will never leave us, nothing, nobody can remove His presence from us - and we are secure positionally in Him, with Him, knowing no matter how horrible, evil it all gets around us that we are secure with Him, in Him.
You must be against all films and literature then.
>>Just stay with the Word of God as your authority and your guide. Harry Potter, Wizard of Oz, Twilight, Star Wars stuff etc - It is all demonic, evil stuff that the Lord Jesus Christ forbids, commands us to seperate from, denounce, come out from.<<
WOW, just wow.
Good advice is found in the Scriptures:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians4:6-7).
The Bible tells us that God cares about what happens to us, and so we should give all of our worries to Him (1 Peter 5:7).
Parents have the responsibility to not only teach their children about the virtues that please God, but also about what they are up against. (Ephesians 6:12).
Jesus doesn’t want us to live in a bubble. He wants us to be warriors of our Faith. Hiding from literature is not going to cut it.
It’s a shame. The Narnia books are a wonderful Christian allegory. Lots of proverbial babies getting thrown out with the proverbial bathwater, in those home-school circles.
I cannot speak for the Latin church’s exact position, but the Orthodox understand that all mechanistic “magical” attempts to communicate with the dead, expecting answers, as oppose to merely asking intercessions, are demonic delusions.
While God can and does sometimes permit the saints to appear in visions to the faithful, and occasionally even to other witnesses, and indeed to communicate with the living, attempts at two-way communication with the dead inevitably are means to direct interaction, not with departed loved ones or the saints, but with demons.
Oh, and only Moses has died. Elijah was taken up into heaven and did not see death (like Enoch). Orthodox tradition is that Elijah and Enoch will be the two witnesses against Antichrist in the last days.
Watch it. Just because the Latin church erroneously concluded St. Christopher never existed and removed him from their calendar, we Orthodox have not given up veneration of the saint, and resent your insinuation that the Latins got the matter right.
Wife and I saw the movie last night. Loved it (which was a relief, because we were disappointed with parts 5 & 6). But this one nailed it.
And yes, tissues required.
No, you and the Latins can go at each other’s throats while the Protestants defend you from islam.
>>Wife and I saw the movie last night. Loved it (which was a relief, because we were disappointed with parts 5 & 6). But this one nailed it.<<
I loved 5. Umbridge made the film for me.
Six should have been cut into two movies as well.
We are leaving for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter on Dec. 2nd. It’s for my 50th birthday. I’m willing to be groped by TSA personnel for it!
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