Posted on 06/03/2004 9:38:49 AM PDT by BobbyBeeper
FIRST-PERSON: Is Harry Potter merely entertainment? Jun 2, 2004 By Phil Boatwright
"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" Photo courtesy of harrypotter.com
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (BP)--"I love Harry Potter. I think it would be so cool to be a witch," Sharon, age 11, says.
That's my answer to anyone who says J.K. Rowling's adventure series is harmless fantasy.
While the Harry Potter book and film series has held a hypnotic fascination for youngsters, its thematic foundation is troubling. Arguably, perceptive children can view such material without succumbing to the snare of the occult, but it would be naive to think that movies and TV programs containing witchcraft are not aiding the rise of Wicca in our culture.
In a television special titled "Hollywood Spirituality" which aired several years back on E! Entertainment, Raven Mounauni, a professing witch and owner of an occult paraphernalia store, credited the 1996 movie "The Craft" with inspiring young women to explore the world of witches. "I get a lot of teenage girls in here. You can always tell when 'The Craft' has been on TV, 'cause we get a big influx of girls looking for supplies."
Occult practices shouldn't be considered just diverting amusement. Ouija boards, psychic readers and other forms of misleading supernatural entertainment should not be taken lightly. In Leviticus 19:26 we are instructed, "Do not practice divination or sorcery." There are several warnings in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testament, making it clear that we are to avoid witchcraft or anything associated with the occult. So if God is instructing us to avoid occult practices, how can we justify using it to entertain ourselves?
This may not be a popular view right now. The first Harry Potter film installment earned $969 million worldwide. J.K. Rowlings' five books on the young wizard have become a phenomenon, allowing the author to become the richest woman in England, with assets beyond $1 billion. That would indicate that many parents find nothing wrong with these children's adventures.
There are even a couple of books out right now exclaiming parallels between the Potter books and the Gospel. One author suggests the books help relate Christian themes and truths, opening the door for talking about things such as right and wrong, the nature of faith, loyalty, bravery and trust. Honestly, I think that's a bit thin. Yes, Rowlings’ themes deal with honor, friendship and self-sacrifice, but the kids in Harry Potter gravitate to sorcery in order to accomplish these attributes. And even if there are positive elements associated with the series, you simply can't ignore the witchcraft equation.
Members of Wicca teach a philosophy that embraces no absolute truth or sin and replaces the patriarchal male creator God of the Bible with a belief in both male and female gods. Its credo instructs members to embrace spirits and conjure spells in order to control their lives and the lives of others. There are millions of practicing witches worldwide. Indeed, Wicca has become one of the fastest-growing religions in the world today.
OK, it's good that children are reading. But what is it they're reading? Shouldn't that be considered? When an author makes $1 billion on five books that have sorcery as a main theme, and renowned secular critics hail the films as incredible filmmaking without examining their occult roots, I question what's really behind this phenom.
Is it merely entertainment? Or is there a dark spiritual source feeding and supporting it? I realize that may sound like a stretch, but often Satan is most deceiving with a glossed-over package. Wouldn't it be a shame if kids got pulled into witchcraft, while their folks thought of the books and films as merely children's fantasy? --30-- Phil Boatwright is a film reviewer and editor of The Movie Reporter, on the Web at www.moviereporter.com. (BP) photo posted in the BP Photo Library at http://www.bpnews.net. Photo title: HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKAB
For finding any good at all in the Harry Potter books, you are hereby banished! Get thee behind me, evil one!
'Alohomora' has worked a couple of times for me.
Maybe that's the problem. A lot of people don't believe we can choose to be good.
"Stairway to Heaven"? And didn't you find that that tended to ruin your phonograph needles?
"I heard it was going to be done by Disney which causes me concern."
Me too. I hope they don't make it too "Little" kid friendly. The story was really for adults.
I am curious to see what cripple's response will be, if he has to do them in that order.
I think I win the huge HP nerd of the day award- unless someone admits to going to a midnight show tonight and drawing a lightening bolt on their forehead. I took the day off of work (any excuse to take a day off. LOL) and made my husband take the day off, too. We're going at 11:15 am (bought my tickets on Fandango.com).
How is this different from science?
I didn't intend to issue two commands! See, I knew I shoulda had that other Diet Coke. :)
Scourgify doesn't work either... : (
Well, you were right as far as you were concerned, weren't you? I mean, were you harmed by them?
And why does that warlock Santa get off scott free?
I thought that was Glinda...
My first fiance was a huge Zep-head. When "Stairway" ended, I had to observe five seconds of respectful silence. He had the same stupid rule for "Free Bird," a song which I loathed even before I met the loathable first fiance.
Your first paragraph is enough:
"One difference between Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings is in HP power for good and evil emanate from the same source and there is no real good and evil, its all moral relativism."
"In TLOTR good and evil are distinct."
How more so than HP? Galadriel, a magicaly elf, was tempted by the ring, Saruman (a wizard) had formerly been good, but was corrupted, Boromir went off his nut for a bit, but was a good guy, etc. Evil and Good get blurred aplenty in TLOTR. The point of both series is to show how evil is to be fought, not embraced.
"Also while TLOTR has magic and wizards it is not the main focus, in fact those that try to use the magic of the rings are consumed by the evil and become wraiths and servants of the ultimate evil..."
HP: Upon a magical background of Hogwarts School and Voldemort's assaults upon it, watch the heros do good against harrowing odds.
TLOTR: Upon a magical background of Middle Earth and Sauron's assaults upon it, watch the heros do good against harrowing odds.
The two are undoubtedly different stories, but your assumptions are wrong.
Awww...you beat me to it.
Not a geek, Pappy, just appreciate a good story with complex plot lines and excellent character development, which I can share with my kids. Too bad the nutbars who see.............SATAN! behind every tree and under every bed don't bother to actually read the books.
Nope. If all Christians who don't like Potter are nuts, then everyone who reads Potter is a geek.
You can't have it both ways.
Well, you gotta admit they have something there -- what with all those millions of kids casting curses and conjuring demons out there ... Oh wait. None of that's occured, has it?
How many of those young kids want to be fairy princesses, too? How many want to be Superman? It's all harmless fantasy.
Talk about dodging a bullet! YIKES!
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