Harry Potter and the Paganization of Children's Culture

Catholic Culture ^ | April, 2001 | Michael D. O'Brien

[dsc]

"What about Star wars?
The force good and evil, mind reading, telekinesis...
Sounds pretty evil.
All that did was create a generation of geeks that could program computers."

You sure? It coincided with a massive degradation of our entire culture. You sure it didn't have any effects?

[HungarianGypsy]

Disco happened at the same time as Star Wars. I blame disco.

[dsc]

"It's interesting that so many consider the vilest fiction "harmless". Anything a person absorbs through their senses - sights on TV and movies, sounds, reading - it all colors the mind and heart, either for good or ill."

That is the central thesis of this disagreement. Some of us have seen this happen and so accept it, while others insist that it can't happen because...I don't know, because people are too smart or something.

I'm beginning to think that it's one of those things that the default position is disbelieving it, and there's no way to persuade anyone until they see it for themselves.

It's funny, though...it doesn't work so well if applied to other sorts of written material.

Try, "My seven year old son reads homosexual pornography, and it has no effect on him." And yet, "My seven year old son reads books about the occult and they have no effect on him" seems perfectly plausible to some people.

[dsc]

"Disco happened at the same time as Star Wars. I blame disco."

Effects become causes, then effects again. The disco "scene," with its casual sex and cocaine, was both effect and cause in turn.

Then too, it is scientifically demonstrated that listening to disco can lower a person's IQ by half in the space of six months.

[little jeremiah]

The belief that one can immerse his mind (via eyes, ears, and so on) in any crap and not be affected is purely wishful thinking.

If people weren't affected by what they take into their minds via the senses, every dollar spent by the advertising industry would be wasted. There would be no advertising industry.

No one would be enlightened by reading inspirational literature or scripture, no one would become educated or wise by reading or hearing lectures or textbooks, etc.

It's merely common sense.

[dsc]

"It's merely common sense."

There sure is a lot of opposition to the idea.

[little jeremiah]

In order to see the Truth with a captial T, one must be willing to serve the Truth.

If a person is content or complacent with his/her life, wants to keep things as they are, it isn't possible to see reality clearly.

One must be willing to give up - sacrifice - whatever it takes, to see the truth. Truth must be the master, and my preconceptions, wants, desires, and so on must be subordinate. I must be willing to admit that I'm not God and don't know everything. Then God's truth will be revealed, to the degree I am willing to become servant, not Lord.

If one wants to continue to be the lord of his/her own life, to that degree they won't be able to see reality clearly. Only from their own little box-like vantage point, sullied by their own lust, anger, and greed.

[HungarianGypsy]

Not being a smart a--... just curious. What books do you read? Other than religious books, that is.

[TheMom]

It is late, and I did not read the entire article posted; nor any responses.

Last year I got into a discussion with a Catholic friend regarding the Harry Potter series.

My friend held firm that this series is evil, she could not; nor would not understand that it is a work of fiction; it is fantasy.

What amazes me to this day is the Catholic Church tries to stifle the minds and imagination of their followers.

[little jeremiah]

Hmmm - looking at bookselves:

Lots and lots of health related, mostly considered "alternative."
Some history and archeology, ditto.
A little poetry.
Quite a few instructional type, practical books.
Mostly spiritual, inspirational books from various religions, many rather ancient.
Some Dave Barry. Some Calvin and Hobbes.
Lots of herbal and similar books.
Lettering and art instruction.
Politcal such as Ann Coulter etc.
I like books about weather, and National Geographics.

[HungarianGypsy]

Any interest in the Middle Ages? I have been recommending a historical fiction book called by Louis L'Amour called Walking Drum. It was a good read.

[little jeremiah]

Yup, interested in the Middle Ages. I succumbed to the weakness of reading all the Brother Cadfael mysteries some years ago. I was in a vulnerable situation and needed an escape valve.

[Coleus]

What amazes me to this day is the Catholic Church tries to stifle the minds and imagination of their followers. >>

Catholics can read the classics instead of Harry Potter with no harm done to their minds.

[JenB]

Wicked homeschoolers indeed! You'll be excorciated on both sides - the wacko lib side for daring to think you know what's best for your kids, and the wacko fringe loonies we've got here for, well, daring to think you know what's best for your kids!

I promise you the kids will thank you. Probably by the end of their first semester in college, if not before. I know I did!

[little jeremiah]

Oh, I just remembered - I really like the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I re-read it every now and then. And C.S.Lewis's trilogy, the first book of which is "Out of the Silent Planet". So I do read fiction occasionally. Very occasionally.

Just finished Benjamin Franklin's autobiography.

[Coleus]

The Star Wars series is one of the most blatant with it’s New Age theme. If asked, the vast majority of the millions of viewers of this series would probably not identify themselves as New Agers, but for lots of them (many of which who aren’t church goers), their concept of God has been identified with a force; instead of the benediction that says, “May God be with you” (cf. Second John 11), it’s “May the Force (uppercase ‘F’) be with you.” George Lucas, the producer of this series, is big into the NAM just as Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, was: George once said, “When you are born, you have an energy field around you.... When you die, your energy field joins all other energy fields in the universe, and while you’re still living, that larger energy field is sympathetic to your own energy field” (Eldon Winker, The New Age Is Lying to You, 74). This idea is introduced to us by the Jedi Knight who, like Jesus, has realized and mastered the Force within him: Obi-wan Kenobi, in fact, said, “The Force is what gives the Jedi his power, Luke. It is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together”.

The creator of the series, Gene Roddenberry, is a Baptist who converted to a merely ethical humanism. For this reason, someone once pointed out the pronounced presence in Star Trek of a pantheistic theological substratum where God is nothing but a impersonal entity. 

Star Trek is often accused of being simply the American Dream transported into a space setting, and of course the crew of the Enterprise does behave as if it were composed of 20th-century Americans rather than of people born into a future age. This, however, is characteristic of all mythology. Greek gods and goddesses and the mythical heroes with whom they interacted behaved like larger-than-life inhabitants of ancient Greece; in both cases, a necessary allowance had to made for the sake of communicating with the audience. (One of the major distinctions between mass-media and literary SF is that the latter makes less allowance.) Myths don’t attempt to portray the real future; they portray what is important to a culture at the time they develop.

We know the people of the 23rd century aren’t going to be just like the Enterprise crew. People drawn deeply into the Star Trek myth, however, do generally share to some degree the views of life’s meaning as portrayed in that myth. And the portrayal shows clearly that there’s no meaning to be found beyond (a) exploration and discovery, (b) ethics, and (c) brotherhood and friendship. Furthermore, this meaning is derived not from some mysterious power external to the human mind, but from human progress itself. These are the tenets of humanism. [I wrote this paragraph on the basis of my own observation and used it in the course for several years before a student’s research for her term paper uncovered the fact that Gene Roddenberry was a member of the American Humanist Association and consciously intended the series to promote humanism, although he did not reveal this to the network.]

Star Trek: The Next Generation promotes such ideas as a universal mind or energy that flows through all things in the universe, animate and inanimate, and that heals and restores people who are plugged into this life force.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine promotes such ideas as looking for solutions within yourself; in fact, Gene Roddenberry once said that people who believe there’s only one true God deserve all the contempt they receive

Star Trek I was considered entirely too mystical in tone by many fans of the TV series. But notice its conclusion: what starts out seeming to be mystical is really the result of humanity’s own creation, an early space probe.

Similarly, II and III centered upon the universal theme of death and rebirth, one of the most truly mythic elements (in terms of the individual psyche) ever included among its plots. But note that again, Spock’s rebirth was shown as a result of human—and Vulcan—activity; no reality in the universe beyond this was involved. Moreover, it is clear that nobody on the Enterprise sees meaning in myths that postulate such a reality. No dialog refers to religious observances. No chaplain of any faith has ever appeared, even at Spock’s funeral. In short, even apart from the explicit rejection of religion in the fifth movie (see lecture 11), Star Trek does not simply ignore the issue, as one might suppose by watching a few episodes. On the contrary, it assumes humanism to be overwhelmingly predominant in the culture of the Federation. This perhaps is why many people like it.

The most obvious example is provided by the Star Trek phenomenon, which for three decades has been the dominant “global myth,” according to cultural commentator Jeff Greenwald. In his book Future Perfect: How Star Trek Conquered Planet Earth, Greenwald describes that myth as “a wildly optimistic view of humanity's future,” with Earth becoming “truly a global village...Poverty has been eradicated, racism is dead, and nobody breathes secondhand smoke. Money no longer exists, and Earthlings don't squabble or bicker; even organized religion is a thing of the past.” That last point is central to the universe: The program's creator, Gene Roddenberry, was a militant secularist honored by the American Humanist Association for his crusade against religion. Although humanist and global elements of the Star Trek concept were relatively muted in the original program (which ran from 1966-1969) Roddenberry won a small victory for Humanism: He decreed that his fictional starship Enterprise would not have a ship's chaplain.

Star Trek spawned five television series, ten films, hundreds of novels, and a cult-like following reminiscent of Edward Bellamy's “Nationalist” movement. Like Bellamy, Roddenberry networked skillfully, and his creation's success is largely due to his recruitment in the 1960s of influential science fiction writers -- Asimov, Spinrad, Harlan Ellison, and numerous others -- to promote the show as a means of making sci-fi “respectable.” These promotional efforts did much to bring about the “spontaneous” emergence of a devoted core of Star Trek fans, who in turn ensured the program's success as a vehicle for revolutionary ideas.

Edward Bellamy and H.G. Wells would probably approve of the future depicted by Roddenberry (who claimed that many of his ideas came from the elitist Rand Corporation think-tank). Earth, in the futuristic setting of Star Trek is subject to a single world government (Australia, the final holdout, succumbed sometime in the 22nd century) that is a constituent of the “United Federation of Planets,” a galatic body patterned after the UN. In his 1968 book The Making of Star Trek, author Stephen Whitfield noted that Desilu Studios, which produced the original series, wanted the starship featured in it to be an American vessel. Roddenberry insisted that the ship would represent humanity under a global government. “He believed that a peaceful, harmonious, unified earth must be the result of a natural and logical evolution of society, if society is to survive,” observed Whitfield. “This approach expresses the 'message' basic to the series: We must learn to live together or most certainly we will soon all die together,” declared Roddenberry. This missing third alternative, of course, is that humanity can peacefully exist as a world of independent free nations that cooperate through amutually beneficial commerce -- a vision ignored by Roddenberry and other sci-fi globalists.

The Federation is headquarted in San Francisco (the UN's founding city) and boasts an insignia adapted from the familiar UN seal. In all of its incarnations, Star Trek sermonizes about mankind's “wisdom” in creating a global political system to prevent self-immolation through nuclear war. It's reasonable to believe that this familiar staple of UN propaganda has found favor with literally tens of millions worldwide at least in part because of the influence of Star Trek.

Star Trek also persistently promotes the Marxist themse that “capitalism” represents a passing phase in the development of the means of production, destined for obsolescence as human sophistication and knowledge increase. In Star Trek: The Next Generation, a sequal series that ran from 1987-1994, Captain Jean-Luc Picard offered several lectures about the foolishness of capitalism. “We've grown out of our infancy,” Picard sneers at a displaced 20th-century investment broker in one episode. “We have eliminated hunger, want, the need for posessions.” [Editor's note: The man Picard addressed had been cryogenically frozen and was recovered centuries later in Picard's time. Capitalism in this episode was depicted as selfish, ignorant, and greedy.]

In the 1996 theatrical release Star Trek: First Contact, Picard delivers a similar homily to an inhabitant of the 21st century: “The economics of the future are different. Money doesn't exist in the 24th Century...The acquisition of wealth is no longer a driving force in our lives. We work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity.” Picard never explains that the revolution in human nature that made such a society possible.

Theosophy and Doomsday

Where Star Trek evangelizes on behalf of globalist humanism, the Star Wars films celebrate what could be called a form of cosmic pantheism. Roddenberry populated his God-less fictional universe with a variety of god-like aliens. Star Wars creator George Lucas conjured up a universe devoid of diety, but permeated with a mystical, omnipotent quantity called “The Force,” operating through genetically superior adepts called Jedi Knights.

This sophomoric mysticism owes a great deal to the influence of the Theosophical Society, founded in 1875 to promote the abolition of monotheism (particularly Christianity). Like Wells and Bellamy, Anne Besant, who succeeded Society founder Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, was attatched to the Fabian network. The Theosophist-inspired Lucifer Publishing Company (subsequently re-named the Lucis Trust) is a major fountainhead of the modern New Age movement -- and Lucas' Star Wars films traffice tirelessly in New Age nostrums.

Except for its introduction of “The Force,” the first Star Wars film was little more than a “space western.” The film's all-American hero is named Luke Skywalker -- an intersting choice, given that Theosophical Society founder Blavatsky taught each of her disciples that he should aspire to be a “Walker of the sky.” As the films progress, Skywalker learns that the saga's Lucifer figure -- the fallen Jedi Knight Darth Vader -- is really his father. In the more recent films (The Phantom Menance and Attack of the Clones), Lucas' character Anakin Skywalker, the child who would become Vader, was the result of a virgin birth.

This confounding of roles between Satan and Christ appears derivative of Blavatsky's 1877 book Isis Unveiled, supposedly dictated to the author by a host of “ascended masters.” In that book, Blavatsky declared: “The Great Serpent of the Garden of Eden and the 'Lord God' are identical.” Lucas' creation, Darth Vader, seems to embody this blasphemous concept. Given the ubiquity of Star Wars, and the seriousness with which it is treated as a “modern myth” (an idea promoted tirelessly by the late Joesph Campbell), it is likely that Lucas' lucrative franchise has dramatically affected the religious and philosophical views of the public at large.

Another familiar sci-fi concept is the eschatological idea than an alien encounter will forever change humanity -- whether in the form of a peaceful contact by supreme beings (e.g. 2001: A Space Odyssey, 2010: The Year We Make Contact, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Day the Earth Stood Still), an alien invasion [Independence Day, Signs], or a cosmic disaster [the recent CGI attack of The Day After Tomorrow]. Embedded in this concept is the hidden corollary that there will be one voice, such as a world government or a scientific elite, representing a united world; hence the cliche of alien visitors telling humans to “Take us to your leader.”

There are many sci-fi authors, both past and present, who have skillfully used this litarary vehicle to anticipate genuine human progress. Jules Verne's writings describing submarines and lunar exploration were genuinely visionary. Arthur C. Clarke predicted the advent of communication satellites and other commercial adaptations of space science. Both Wells and Robert Heinlein wrote presciently about atomic energy. Scores of other authors have stirred the imagination of the young, whetting within them an appetite to explore the universe.

But among the ideas transmitted through science fiction is the deadly assumption that man can perfect himself through the use of technology and applied science, thereby creating “an unprecedented sort of people” who can excercise total power over others. The political history of the 20th century documents that genocide is the distinctive science of those who rule in the name of that murderous fiction.  

Harry Potter 'occult' warning (News Report from the BBC).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/education/newsid_1638000/1638887.stm
School bans Harry Potter. (News Report from the BBC).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/education/newsid_693000/693779.stm
Buffy Draws Children to Witchcraft. (News Report from the BBC).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/newsid_864000/864984.stm

[Coleus]

What about Star wars?
The force good and evil, mind reading, telekinesis...
Sounds pretty evil.
All that did was create a generation of geeks that could program computers. >>


Maybe it is evil.

[sinkspur]

The bane of the busybodies is that they fear that somewhere, someone is having a good time.

[Coleus]

someone is having a good time. >>

I'm watching starwars right now " Attack of the Clones" on FOX and I'm very bored, I can't believe some people paid money to watch this in the theaters. And a note to Lucas: Why do most of the actors have British accents? Have something against America and the way we speak?

One good thing about TV, I can change the channel which I'm going to do now.

[Coleus]

Updated April 23, 2003

Whirlwind of Controversy

Many thoughtful families are caught in the whirlwind of controversy over the wildly popular Harry Potter series of books by Joanne K. Rowling. That is, are these series of novels just harmless, imaginative, children's adventure stories or do they condition young readers to be more open to the occult and serious witchcraft?

It is not easy to answer these questions. Strongly pro-family spokesmen have come out on both sides of the issue.

A clue might be that the establishment media and entertainment industry are ecstatic about Harry Potter. The almost universal enthusiasm from the generally anti-family mainstream media should cause families to pause and at least take a careful look at all the arguments.

It is hoped that the following material will provide quality alternative food for thought to help parents and others to discern the best response to Harry Potter.

Michael O'Brien on Harry Potter

We especially direct you to the essay by Michael O'Brien in which he carefully analyzes the Potter phenomenon from a Christian perspective and points out the differences between the Harry Potter series and J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and C. S. Lewis' Narnia fantasies. Lord of the Rings has a wizard as a main character, there is also magic, lots of monsters and constant battles between good and evil.

O'Brien's essay is an education in morally sound versus morally dangerous fantasy literature for children. The work goes beyond criticizing the Potter series and stirs the conscience to reflect more seriously on the loss of traditional faith and the danger posed by the secular entertainment media. O'Brien acknowledges the Potter series is a creative, imaginative and powerful drama filled with enticing ideas. However, the allure created, according to O'Brien, heightens the danger that the crude and morally confused concepts will be assimilated and put into practice - especially by some of the more vulnerable in the target audience of impressionable children.

Other Resources

Other helpful articles from reputable sources are also listed below.

There are surprisingly very strong emotions on this topic. Hopefully, readers will emphasize reason and thoughtful, unemotional consideration of what are the most compelling arguments and what is the best course of action in response to the Harry Potter phenomena.

Resources:

U.S. Judge Rules Schools Cannot Require Parental Permission for Potter Books
LifeSite Daily News - April 23, 2003

Dangerous Gnosticism on the Rise
LifeSite Daily News - April 14, 2003

World Media Falsely Trumpet Approval of Harry Potter
LifeSite Daily News - Feb. 7, 2003

Rome's Chief Exorcist Warns Parents Against Harry Potter
LifeSite Daily News - Jan. 2, 2002

Harry Potter: Pro and Con
reprinted with permission from Jan/Feb 2002 Catholic Insight magazine

Harrycane: a Sign of the Times by Father Lazare de la Mere de Dieu, F.J.
reprinted with permission from Dec 2001 Catholic Insight magazine

Harry Potter and the Paganization of Children's Culture by Michael O'Brien
Also available in PDF Format
Reprinted with permission from Michael O'Brien and Catholic World Report magazine (April 21 edition)

June Letter to Editor of Catholic World Report and Response from Michael O'Brien
Also available in PDF Format

Why Harry Potter Goes Awry
Zenit interview with Michael O'Brien - Dec. 6, 2001

Harry Potter: Friend or Foe for Kids
Zenit, Dec. 6, 2001

Harry Potter: Agent of Conversion
by Toni Collins in Envoy magazine

Should Your Children Read Harry Potter?
Kristin Sparks, Human Life International

Musings on Harry Potter
by Gregory Koukl in Stand to Reason

Harry Potter and the Lost Generations
Clare McGrath Merkle, The Cross and the Veil

Read Them and Weep
Family Research Council

Magic and Morality
Focus on the Family's comprehensive page of articles on Harry Potter, Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.

The Perils of Harry Potter
Christianity today

Faith and Family Show on Harry Potter - Steve Wood, St. Joseph's Covenant Keepers
This is an in-depth Real Audio broadcast on the subject - 54 minutes

Harry Potter - St. Joseph's Covenant Keepers
This is an Adobe Acrobat file

Harry Potter and the Bible
Religious Information Center

De-Fanging C.S. Lewis
Catholic.net

Potter Books: Wicked Witchcraft? - WorldNet Daily
New documentary claims tales lead to the occult.

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