Another Harry Potter thread! (JOY!)...

[HeatherJay]

[bible]mark 3:28-30[/bible]

Yeah, what's your point???

 

[Leigh Ann Wayne]

Aren't we as Christians supposed to be asking ourselves what God thinks about these books? Just ask yourselves? How do you think He feels about little ones reading (& big ones blowing off as no big deal) a series of books totally saturated with witchcraft? He says to stay as far away from that stuff as possible! It's kind of like a kid trying to see how close to the bonfire he can get. A loving parent has set bondaries to keep him from getting hurt by the fire, but we've all seen the rebellious, stubborn one who insists on getting as close as he can. He doesn't stop until he gets hurt! Do you want to be the stubborn kid who gets burned before he learns? Or are you seeking to be close to the heart of God knowing He is a loving and wise Father who wants the BEST for His dear children? Just a thought - Leigh Ann

PS - We have SO many great Christian resorces out there any more. The world has NOTHING on our Christian authors, musicians, artists, etc. Instead of seeking out what the world is following, why not go check out all the great stuff at your local Christian bookstore or CBD on line? Every genre has been covered! There's something for every taste & I can tell you it's going to be better than what the world offers.

 

[Zoomer]

I could care less-- I tried to watch a part of one of the movie and was bored to tears.

 

[Inge87]

I could care less-- I tried to watch a part of one of the movie and was bored to tears

The movies are not the world's best. The most recent one is the best, but my friend and I had problems with that one too. The issue is mainly in the editing. Butchering a plot is easy. It's putting that plot back together that's hard.

 

[I_are_sceptical]

Aren't we as Christians supposed to be asking ourselves what God thinks about these books?

Aren't you as Christians supposed to be winning me to Christ? Feel free to post in this thread:
http://www.christianforums.com/t710892

Just ask yourselves? How do you think He feels about little ones reading (& big ones blowing off as no big deal) a series of books totally saturated with witchcraft?

Show me just ONE person on the face of this Earth who can cast a Harry Potter spell and I will believe it is real witchcraft. If there is no such person, perhaps you should ask yourself if it is or is not real.

 

[Gil-Galad12]

Oh no, I was hoping this anti-HP stuff wouldn't invade this thread.

Well I don't claim to know God, but I'm pretty sure he's ecstatic that children all around the world are tearing themselves away from their TV sets and PS2s to read huge books at about 700+ pages and expanding their imaginations and views on the world. But that's just me. And I'm pretty sure he rolls his eyes at people's attempts to get the books banned.

 

[Gil-Galad12]

Just a second thought: What do you guys think about the use of magic in Lord of the Rings, and Arthurian legend? How about the Narnia books. There's a witch in there? What about those three witches in McBeth? Surely there are no exceptions to the belief that any mention of witchcraft in literature is bad?

 

[savvy]

Yeah. I find it hypocritical that people who love LOTR and find them moral condemn Harry. HP books do have lots of moral messages! Forgiveness and second chances...that clinging to bitterness hurts everyone...that we should be kind to others...I could go on and on, really.
There is a difference b/t "real witchcraft" and "literary witchcraft" in my opinion.

 

[Lady_Firehawk]

The point many people seem to make with regards to Narnia as versus Harry Potter, though, is that the story isn't about the witchcraft in Chronicles of Narnia-- additionally, the magic users are pretty much always evil, as far as I recall. And Gandalf... well, magic is not the centerpiece of the story like it is in Harry Potter.

I don't necessarily agree with that logic myself, but I do respect the viewpoints of those who don't like Harry Potter for whatever reason or another. It's when one side starts hammering down on the other and playing the "I'm a better Christian than you" game that problems arise.

Uh-oh, I'm starting to sound like a mod. HELP ME!

 

[oldrooster]

Harry Potter is great, have read all the books, seen all the movies.....

 

[Fletcher]

The point many people seem to make with regards to Narnia as versus Harry Potter, though, is that the story isn't about the witchcraft in Chronicles of Narnia--

Narnia does use magic as a literary device, just as Harry Potter does. Neither are about witchcraft. They both use magic as a story device.

additionally, the magic users are pretty much always evil

Actually, I think there are more protagonists that use magic in Narnia then antagonists.

Evil Side
White Witch-- Turned People into stone, and murdered her own people with a single spell
Green Lady-- Enchanted a prince into helping her rule her underground kingdom, and turned into a snake
Uncle Andrew-- Experimented with magic by sending people other than himself into other worlds

Good Side
Coriarkin-- Had a book of spells, which he used
Lucy-- Used Coriarkin's book of spells
Susan-- Had a magic horn
Dr. Corneiluis-- Contrived a charmed sleep, said many spells to retrive Susan's horn from between the worlds, used a crystal ball, and knew astrology
The Hermit at the Gate-- Was able to see many things in a magic pool
Glennstorm & Roonwitt-- Both centaurs who were astrologers

In the end, both "Harry Potter" and "Narnia" use magic as a story device. It is not to introduce readers to the occult or to lure them to Wicca or Satanism. Indeed, I'd be surprised if you could show me one person who joined a cult solely because of "Harry Potter".
I really hope I haven't offended anyone, it's a point I really wanted to get out there. I, like Lady Firehawk, am getting really annoyed about all this argument in the Christian community about fantasy. It's happened with every big thing that came along-- "The Wizard of Oz", "Dungeons and Dragons", even "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Chronicles of Narnia" when the first came out. It's going to take a while to mend.

Just a thought,
Fletcher

 

[Lady_Firehawk]

I stand corrected about Narnia, then-- it's been a long time since I read that series. Thanks, Fletcher! (Of course... 'as far as I recall' was the operative phrase, sooo...)

This thestral has been beaten to death, I think.

 

[Richard]

The "witchcraft" in the books is little more than Latin words. Many of the character's names are Latin and self-descriptive of their persona. Remus Lupin is a fine example of this.

And I cannot believe that some people cannot get the fact that the books' main topic isn't magic but of a kid whose parents were brutally murdered by a psycho and he's doing everything in his power to stop the murderer from returning to full power and strength.

The book is of the fantasy genre and one critical aspect of all fantasies is a magical, fantastic setting. You may as well declare Lord of the Rings or even Star Wars blasphemous as well if you want to call Harry Potter evil.

Oh, and one more thing; J. K. Rowling is a confirmed and seemingly committed member of the Church of Scotland.

I couldn't put it into any better words !!!

 

[Richard]

I think you need to stop being a radical Heather ......

 

[Infernal Freak]

I think you need to stop being rude l3lake06. I am NOT being radical...as a matter of fact, IT IS MY CONVICTION! I do not think that was very nice. As a matter of fact, it is offensive to me. If GOD convicted you of something you were doing...wouldn't you stop? I think so! [Unless you are being rebellious!] I am just one of those teenagers who TRIES to let people know that there ARE those out there who do NOT think Harry Potter is a great influence on them, or children for that matter...! I AM STANDING UP FOR THEM! I DID NOT POST THIS TO GET AN ARGUEMENT GOING...OR RUDE COMMENTS! It makes me sad! I KNOW THERE ARE THOSE WHO THINK IT IS GOOD! However, I do not think that! It amazes me how people who are soooo into the books would defend it with their lives! I wouldn't do that! As a matter of fact...you are being VERY defensive! I have had more complaints and arguements than I have complements...& THAT IS PERFECTLY FINE! I JUST DON'T WANT TO ARGUE! PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE! I AM NOT RADICAL! I AM SOMEONE WHO DO DOES NOT WANT TO GO TO HELL BECAUSE I DISOBEYED GOD!

[A little hint: I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO FEELS THIS WAY! Magic, to me & 6 others on this forum, is EVIL! We believe this! YOU are NOT the only one! This planet DOES NOT JUST revolve around you! It is supposed to be all about GOD...not Harry Potter! Get back to the basics of life, PLEEEEEEZ!]

Oh...this is a quote that I want to comment on before I let off:
Actually, I think there are more protagonists that use magic in Narnia then antagonists.
[Fletcher]
That is MY POINT!

That is partially the reason I WILL NOT read Harry Potter anymore! It shows children, as well as some older people, that WITCHCRAFT AND WICCA is a trait of a PROTAGONIST! ["Good Guy"]
I believe that is scripturally incorrect! [I believe this, I, I, I! Everyone else will comment and say they don't! BUT I DO! ] Witches and Wizards are NOT good! JK Rowling MAY NOT have known what she was doing...she may have thought it was a story device...BUT IT IS NOT JUST THAT! It is also a trait of a good person in the story! Little kids start thinking they can be 'good' when they practice magic [YES, THAT'S RIGHT, MAGIC] and, well, that leads them down a bad road...they grow up with it and practice it....

I know kids who have did that. You can NOT tell me that I am wrong...! I know you have points too... GREAT! ME TOO!


Again...PLEASE LEAVE ME TO MY BELIEFS AS I LEAVE YOU TO YOURS! I would also appreciate no more BAD comments...it makes me sad!

 

[Gil-Galad12]

Oh...this is a quote that I want to comment on before I let off:
Actually, I think there are more protagonists that use magic in Narnia then antagonists.
[Fletcher]
That is MY POINT!

That is partially the reason I WILL NOT read Harry Potter anymore! It shows children, as well as some older people, that WITCHCRAFT AND WICCA is a trait of a PROTAGONIST! ["Good Guy"]
I believe that is scripturally incorrect! [I believe this, I, I, I! Everyone else will comment and say they don't! BUT I DO! ] Witches and Wizards are NOT good! JK Rowling MAY NOT have known what she was doing...she may have thought it was a story device...BUT IT IS NOT JUST THAT! It is also a trait of a good person in the story! Little kids start thinking they can be 'good' when they practice magic [YES, THAT'S RIGHT, MAGIC] and, well, that leads them down a bad road...they grow up with it and practice it....

I know kids who have did that. You can NOT tell me that I am wrong...! I know you have points too... GREAT! ME TOO!


Again...PLEASE LEAVE ME TO MY BELIEFS AS I LEAVE YOU TO YOURS! I would also appreciate no more BAD comments...it makes me sad!

Well to be fair about your argument about magic and protagonism, Gandalf uses magic fairly liberally, as do the Elves, and Men in the LOTR books as well. It seems to be used pretty evenly by good and evil alike. And Merlin was a good guy, how about his wizardry?

And for the record, I think if you can't establish between reality and fantasy, then you should'nt be reading these books. I've NEVER heard of a kid accidentally giving his friend a pig's tail or something like that using magic.
[/QUOTE]

 

[PaladinValer]

I think you need to stop being rude l3lake06. I am NOT being radical...as a matter of fact, IT IS MY CONVICTION! I do not think that was very nice. As a matter of fact, it is offensive to me. If GOD convicted you of something you were doing...wouldn't you stop? I think so!

Unless it isn't God.

God knows that humanity is limited so God naturally communicates with humanity in ways we'll understand. Thus, such communication must be logically sound.

You accusations against the Harry Potter books, as I and others have clearly and logically shown above, aren't true; in validity or logically.

So is therefore God the author of confusion? Nope. You need to give a valid, sound, logical proof that Harry Potter is indeed Satanic, evil, or teaches children actual read spells to hurt, injure, or kill.

[A little hint: I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO FEELS THIS WAY! Magic, to me & 6 others on this forum, is EVIL! We believe this! YOU are NOT the only one! This planet DOES NOT JUST revolve around you! It is supposed to be all about GOD...not Harry Potter! Get back to the basics of life, PLEEEEEEZ!]

Um,

1. You said (in a non-quoted piece) that you aren't a radical yet this piece is very radical, as is the entirety of your post.
2. You've made yet another illogical conclusion. Just because peole enjoy reading or even fans of the Harry Potter books doesn't mean they focus their life around them.
3. The world may not revolve around you, me, or anyone else, but the world does work under the principles of logic. If you cannot give a logical argument expressing your views and others can give a logical explaination pointing out the errors of your views, then you will never convince anyone (least of all God).

That is partially the reason I WILL NOT read Harry Potter anymore! It shows children, as well as some older people, that WITCHCRAFT AND WICCA is a trait of a PROTAGONIST! ["Good Guy"]

1. I've proved earlier that the "magic" and "witchcraft" in Harry Potter isn't actual spells, magic, and enchantments. You are now bearing false witness.
2. I've also proved earlier that Harry Potter and the Wiccan religion have no correlations. Again, you are bearing false witness.

This is fantasy magic. This is a fantasy, alterate world. Same goes for Narnia, Middle-earth, and the Star Wars books, games, and movies. None of it is real. Wave a twig to your discman saying "accio discman" and it won't come to you, period.

And no one has good points if those points aren't soundly logical.

 

[LiberatedChick]

That is partially the reason I WILL NOT read Harry Potter anymore! It shows children, as well as some older people, that WITCHCRAFT AND WICCA is a trait of a PROTAGONIST! ["Good Guy"]
I believe that is scripturally incorrect! [I believe this, I, I, I! Everyone else will comment and say they don't! BUT I DO! ] Witches and Wizards are NOT good! JK Rowling MAY NOT have known what she was doing...she may have thought it was a story device...BUT IT IS NOT JUST THAT! It is also a trait of a good person in the story! Little kids start thinking they can be 'good' when they practice magic [YES, THAT'S RIGHT, MAGIC] and, well, that leads them down a bad road...they grow up with it and practice it....

As someone who once was wiccan I can safely say that the Harry Potter books bare no resemblance to modern day witchcraft. Waving a wand and muttering a bit of mumbo jumbo ain't going to do anything (besides make any onlooking wiccans laugh). Little kids may think that Harry Potter is cool but believe me, aside from waving there plastic immitation HP wand and muttering a word they've seen in a HP book they won't end up practicing magic at all. Aside from the fact that it takes a lot of research to find out about real magic and witchcraft every child I know that has read these books has never taken them seriously. And should they wish to research it further well, where would they look. I think most would look on the net as this is the most accessable. However, much of the information on the net is as laughable as the stuff in Harry Potter and Buffy.

I really don't think anyone needs to fear a fictional wizard corrupting their little child. Harry Potter books and films are just that...books and films. They're not the only ones to contain fictional witchcraft and they won't be the last.

 

[Lady_Firehawk]

She has her convictions. We have ours. When can we just let the matter drop and get on with our lives? I know that writing makes it pretty hard to convey attitudes at times, but to me it seems to be getting pretty snarky in here.

Pet peeve moment-- large chunks of capital letters don't help get anybody's point across and in fact discourage people from taking the message seriously. It makes the message come off as somewhat... hysterical.

I highly doubt that anybody here is going to Hell over their choice to read Harry Potter or not. From what I've seen in this thread, I'd say that the glasses-wearing wizard kid has done harm not by teaching little kids to cast spells, but by causing such divisiveness among Christians-- I mean, it really seems like people are jumping down each other's throats a lot... and both sides are to blame.

[Whew. Had to get that one out of my system.]

 

[HeatherJay]

And once again I feel the need to stick up for Heather, here.

You know, this is a pretty old thread...and one that had ended somewhat peacefully with both sides agreeing to disagree. Heather started the thread a month or so ago with a simple statement of her convictions. In return, we stated that there are plenty here who have no such convictions. Heather is a sweet girl and never openly attacked anyone for there beliefs...she has not been shown the same respect in return.

Someone brought this thread back from the dead and now the snottiness is starting all over again.

Heather, please just ignore all this. You're entitled to your opinion and it sounds like you've made your decision for the right reasons.