Harry Potter - Saint or Sinner?

Heres what God says,


Micah 5:12
And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:


Galatians 5:19-21

19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Deuteronomy 18:10
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft


2 Chronicles 33:6
He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced sorcery, divination and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.

 

I have read all the previous Harry Potter novels.
They are fantasy, set in a fantasy world that parallels modern England.
The witchcraft portrayed is fairytale stuff.
The people with powers have them inherently and learn to use them mechanically, not because of demonic powers. The teacher at Hogwarts who practices divination is presented as a fraud.
The spells are Latin puns and jokes.

The books are basically English boarding school stories with a lot of kid jokes and adventure in which kids rely on each other. They sell because they are well-written.
There are a number of clones of HP out there that I do not read and wish they would go away. They have gone far beyond HP.
At least most of the bad quotes attributed to J.K. Rowling that keep getting passed around on the internet are from the Onion, a satirical journal. All fictional quotes, yet people believe them.

This will sound odd, but I have more trouble with Star Wars and its overt Buddhism and New Age ideas. I have lots more trouble with Indiana Jones movies. The whole concept of Raiders of the Lost Ark and how they find it and what happens, I find deeply troubling. I will not allow my kids to watch Bruce Almighty. Nor do we.

Karen

 

Haven't read any of the books, but I have seen all of the movies, and I love them!

Of course, many claim that the Wizard of Oz is Satanic as well.

It's all about good being triumphant over evil. If it was Satanic, then the bad guys would win.

 

I agree with Karen's comments.

As manager of a Public Library, I can tell you we have kids lined up to check the next one out. I also see everyday the reading level which is common out there, and it ain't good.

The books are well written. They keep children's attention, which in the video game world is difficult to do.

I know it probably isn't a problem for most of you in BB land, but in the general population, mom and dad are apt to put the kids in front of the TV as take any time to read with kids. With this attitude it is a wonder kids read as well as they do.

Read to your kids, make something with your kids, go somewhere with your kids, turn off the TV, have some family time together, its good for kids and for you too.

 

Karen said it well.

I would only add, that the appeal of the books, as far as I can tell, is not the magic in them, but rather the fact that children can relate to the characters. A super-smart-girl who is the oddball for being overly intelligent. An orphaned boy who wants nothing more than a loving family. A very close-knit family torn apart when one of the sons decides that "power" and "authority" matter more than family. A villain who started out as any other child, but became ashamed of his own heritage and so decided to destroy anyone similar to his mother. The school bullies, the search for "where you belong," the heart aches of longing to be liked and not knowing how to be, and then discovering that you need to like yourself. Learning that a lot of things matter more than "you". A teacher with a shady past that he can't seem to get over. The contest between three halls; a group that is gentle hearted, a group that is brave, a group that seeks power. The power seekers always losing in the end.

The magic is "trappings".

 

Because "ruby slippers" are lighter than "silver shoes".

Because, when introducing the world to color theater, you want bright red, not bland grey.

Plus, it's what the script called for.

 

Discernment Ministry John Ankerberg and John Weldon have a number of interesting articles on this subject.

http://www.johnankerberg.org/hp-articles/hp-articles.htm

 

See how as a saint is a person saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, do we see evidence of the gospel being preached in these books, of HP being savied?
So thats where we get the answer to this question, scripturre.

 

Considering my opinion of the present Pope, I would call that a high endorsement FOR the Harry Potter books.

 

I've noticed on here and with christians I know that with some topics it doesn't matter what scripture says, that can be explained away, as long as the person wants what they want, thier opinion (and the world's) is their standard, not scripture.

 

That happens. It also happens that two Christians come to very different opinions when they both have Scripture as the standard.
Sincere Christians sincerely disagree with me on Star Wars and Indiana Jones. But I don't think it is always because their standards = the world's standard.

The John Ankerberg links usefully present one side. See www.connieneal.com for a different Christian perspective on HP.

Karen

 

Theres only one christian prespective on witchcraft. And thats God's respective, which He gave us in the Bible. He didn't say oh well, if it isn't serious witchcraft then it's ok. Got no scripture for that one.

 

No disagreement there. In practical application, though, in my youth, I used to watch The Wizard of Oz once a year on tv. In those ancient pre-VCR days.
My parents saw it as fantasy and imagination.

Karen

 

As long as you are equally against The Wizard of Oz, the Narnia chronicles, and The Lord of the Rings, then I can understand that reasoning, even if I disagree with it. Those who find fault with Harry Potter while accepting some of these others will need to find reasons that don't paint with so broad a brush.

 

As long as you are equally against The Wizard of Oz, the Narnia chronicles, and The Lord of the Rings, then I can understand that reasoning, even if I disagree with it. Those who find fault with Harry Potter while accepting some of these others will need to find reasons that don't paint with so broad a brush. </font>[/QUOTE]I am. I agree.