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.
You are a hoot. What is your screen name on Demo underground?
Amen! Preach it, OAV!
Great comeback. You’re so witty.
I am a bible believing, 2nd Amendment, pro-life conservative. You appear to be intellectually deficient. You have absolutely no ability to defend your position from a logical point of view, you reduce yourself to name calling and trying to turn the discussion away from the issue to other things and sarcastic personal barbs. Yeah, because I don’t think like you and think HP is perfectly fine like you do I must be a liberal. Really makes a lot sense. Sounds more like you’re the one cross-posting from DU, fella.
Ah, that’s why the phrase “shoot, shovel, and shut up” came about. ;)
I have been turned into a newt... But I got better. :)
But seriously I have a problem with majick and sorcery being portrayed in a positive light. It is contrary to what the Bible teaches about such things. Under the laws of moses people who practice such things would have been put to death for it. God takes witchcraft and sorcery very seriously.
If we let this Harry Potter thing go unchallenged, what’s next? TV sit coms and kids cartoons about witches? Where will it all end?
Never said they were Christian, however, they do celebrate Christmas.
Yep.
There are 400,000 Jedi Knights in England (At least that's what they told the nosy parkers at the Census Department)
It's a struggle
I read it in 2 days.
My 17 year old is almost finished.
IMO. it was the best of the 7.
BTW, I’m still proud to announce that Jesus Christ is my Saviour!
Most of them did that just to see “Jedi” on the list of religions when the UK census came out. But are some of them nuts? Yep.
Freeperarious!!
I’m only halfway through.
Still a Christian!!
FYI, despite many attempts my oldest son has yet to be successful at casting a Cruciatus Curse on his younger brother.
Do you also forbid your children from reading books which contain themes of rebellion? I'm not sure if you remember but the Bible does say that "rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft." (I Sam 15:23)
Everyone says the latest HP book they have read is the greatest.
I keep telling people I learned how to turn them into newts from reading Harry Potter, but no one believes me...
Dude
No one practices magic. It’s a book.
I play a game called Call of Duty online as part of a Christian ministry. People are constantly chastising us because we are Christians that play a game where people are killed. We have to ask them “Who has died? It’s a GAME”.
I once used a Harry Potter clip in Sunday School and it was a very effective lesson
My opinion. I'm no literary critic.
Our company’s VP of HR actually told someone to, “Eat Slugs” once.
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