Posted on 07/23/2007 7:04:00 PM PDT by Mr. Silverback
If there’s a child in your house, then you probably know what’s going to happen when the clock strikes 12 tonight. The final Harry Potter book—Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows—will be unleashed on the world.
The big question that has millions of kids on edge: Will Harry live—or will he die?
But the big question many parents have is: Should their kids be reading novels about wizards and witches and magic?
A Christian expert on Potter mania says, “It depends.”
Connie Neal, a veteran youth pastor and mother of three, is the author of a book titled What’s a Christian To Do with Harry Potter? Neal says parents must use discernment in deciding whether to allow their kids to read Harry Potter. For example, kids with an unhealthy interest in the occult should probably not read these books. Other Christians believe their kids benefit from the moral lessons the Potter books teach.
Neal’s belief that it’s okay for Christians to read secular novels comes from her reading of the biblical book of Daniel. Daniel, you will remember, was a teenager when he was taken away from Jerusalem to live in exile in Babylon. There, he was taught the language and literature of the pagan culture. He studied at a school that trained Babylon’s magicians, astrologers, and sorcerers. The actual practice of sorcery and astrology was, of course, forbidden by God. But Daniel studied it well to understand it.
One day King Nebuchadnezzer called on his magicians and astrologers to interpret a dream; none could do it. In a rage, the king ordered that all of his wise men be put to death. Daniel asked to see the king, who then asked him, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” Daniel responded: “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery which the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days.”
Daniel had immersed himself in his culture’s pagan literature in order to understand it. But, because of his deep devotion to God, he didn’t defile himself. As Connie Neal told BreakPoint, “God put Daniel in Babylon to be a light in the darkness—and he was. He was not afraid to read literature that resounded in the hearts of the people with whom he lived. He used his familiarity with this pagan literature to reveal the true and living God.” And Neal knows some kids who have done the same in our own post-Christian culture.
Now personally, I don’t recommend the Potter books. I’d rather Christian kids not read them. But with some 325 million of them in print, your kids will probably see them and hear others talk about them, and they’re probably going to read them anyway. So use this occasion to teach them to be discerning—like Daniel. Dare them to have Daniel as their role model, not Harry Potter.
And if your kids do enjoy Harry’s magical world, you should give them copies of C.S. Lewis’s Narnia books and Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.
These books also feature wizards and witches and magic, but in addition, they inspire the imagination within a Christian framework—and prepare the hearts of readers for the real-life story of Jesus Christ.
BTTT
Must be why all those King arthur legends were popular back during the Victorain era...because the church was so weak and unimportant to daily morality.
In all seriousness, you really need to get a grip if you can't see the difference between "All supernatural stuff is make-believe" and "These wizards in a book with a cartoon on the cover are make-believe."
“Of course, if they ever did, it would be back to watching Barney videos!”
Now that is evil!!
Pfft.
No Human Sacrifice? I’m out...they ain’t gettin’ MY money!
ROFL! I was never into the Hobbit books, but rented the first Hobbit movie when the wife was gone one night to crank up the sound and get into what I thought would be an “EPIC” movie. I fell asleep a few times but made it to the end.
Well then, I guess C.S. Lewis was a heathen. Read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe again. The Witch and Aslan both practice "the Deep Magic, but one does so for good and the other evil.
I don’t think they have been turned into a toad, but it does appear that there is a chronos spell in place. Say to the 19th Century...
“A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist (aka wizard) among you must be put to death.”
Mixed message. Killing a wizard would go against the commandant, “Thou should not murder”.
The force was not with you. :-)
Ah, another newbie who thinks he’s qualified to judge Chuck Colson’s sincerity as a Christian. Get back to me when you’ve been serving prisoners for 30 years.
OK...so you didn’t read/allow your kids to read the Narnia books, the Tolkien books or any fairy tales, right? No magic school bus, etc.?
Well, every one knows Ms. Frizzle worships the devil!!
*rolling eyes*
Too bad C.S. Lewis, Tolkien and Dickesns (Tale of Two cities, anyone?) didn't just have kids read the Bible.
Oh, and feel fre to point me to where anyone has said kids should read HP instead of the Bible.
Any encyclopedia will tell you that Christmas, Dec. 25th is the celebration of the birthday of Mithra, the sun god. Constantine, to keep the pagans happy, declared it to be the birthday of Jesus and satan laughs! All scholars are well aware that Jesus was born in the Fall. So Potter’s books which say Merry Christmas, teach about the dark powers that Jesus cast out of people, are now being used to teach children to call upon them as Harry does.
How sad that adults have chosen through ignorance, to allow our children to have their minds and spirits MOLESTED by the same evil that Jesus cast down. So sad.
Remember the children that Jesus cast demons out of and we think nothing of letting our children play with these same demons.
So much of what makes America great began with children contemplating the impossible. They didn't stop until the impossible...
became the possible.
That, oh poor thoughtless one, is because Harry Potter doesn't live in our world. He lives in a fantasy world. The Bible doesn't say "Watch out for Saruman, he's tricky" or "Size matters not when moving objects with the Force," either.
Have you kept your kids from watching Star Wars? “These are not the droids you’re looking for...”
“Mirror” bump.
Star Wars! Why didn’t I think of that. Star Wars makes everything okay, LOL.
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