Witches, wizards and the occult

[Goodbook]

Harry Potter does not glorify God at all. Maybe the god of this world, but not the living God almighty.

 

[redblue22]

people want magic. in the face of dry theology and naturalistic science, we want something more.

 

[Swan7]

Harry Potter was a good example for spiritual warfare on a story level, in my opinion

Now obsession is wrong and should be dealt with pronto, on a self checking note. Friends are helpful when they see this happen as they can be a gentle reminder to get back on track.

 

[redblue22]

. . . having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof?

 

[Goodbook]

I dont think so because harry potter wasnt even on the side of truth, he was as involved with witchcraft as all the other characters.

As the series progressed it got darker (and more boring) but there was no discernment on what was good or evil. Actually the people who were NOT involved in magic were protrayed as the bad guys.

Harry potter was a classic revenge story. But revenge taken into peoples own hands, using sorcery..not, as the bible says, something that God would avenge.

 

[Goodbook]

I told my cousin who was at the age where she was into harry potter you know if Harry had just forgiven whats his name and let go he wouldnt have had to go through all that trouble.
If someone killed your parents you dont go out and destroy them you just trust the Lord to avenge for you...

She then said oh yea lol. Then there would be no story. But I think the whole point of it was to get people interested in witchcraft and trained up into it, well at least making it attractive. Thankfully my cousin wasnt obssessed or hooked into it, but I would see children that were and got into darker things (i worked in a public library, i knew all the occult books they had)

 

[Swan7]

I didn't say there weren't any faults in HP. Let's face it, a human made that tale and that's all it is. Just a story.
Muggles were not portrayed as the enemy...?

It's not the Bible, that's for sure. That's truth right there.

I think it's safe to say to really know the Bible so one isn't sucked into influence. That's all.

 

[Saucy]

Harry Potter does not glorify God at all. Maybe the god of this world, but not the living God almighty.

And that's my point. Not everything we do glorifies God. Eating a hamburger doesn't glorify God. Not everything is clear-cut that it glorifies God or the devil and that's it.

 

[Miss Spaulding]

Harry Potter does not glorify God at all. Maybe the god of this world, but not the living God almighty.

There is a pretty clear moral message portrayed all throughout the HP series. No, it doesn't necessarily mention or revolve around God/Christianity, but then the story of Harry Potter isn't about 'God' in the first place. And frankly, there's nothing wrong with that.

Some of the most sweet, wholesome, and beloved films/stories have nothing to do with God at all.

 

[Toro]

When I as a kid I LOVED Wizard...... Super Mario 3 wouldn't have been the same without it.

Then find out all these years later Toby McGuire played one of this guys "thugs"

 

[AnneY]

It reminds me of this joke I heard: You know you were home schooled when the magic in Harry Potter is evil, but the magic in LOTR is okay haha.

I was partially home schooled. We were taught that all books, movies, and tv shows with magic, witches, and wizards were "evil". This included LOTR, the Narnia books, Wizard of Oz, Harry Potter, etc.

My thoughts on it now is, I enjoy Sci-fi and some fantasy movies, tv shows, and books. I view fantasy movies as just that: fantasy. If it looks interesting, I'll watch it, if not I won't. I have my likes and dislikes just like everybody else. What I won't do is shove my opinion about a movie or book in the face of others and shame them if they don't believe the same as I do about it.

They call it fantasy but it opens up to a spiritual realm thats ungodly. Also we are to cast down vain imaginations and make every thought captive to christ.

i dont see the benefit to fantasising or what the appeal of dungeons and dragons is for example. I know one girl that was into it, and she was obssessed to the point that it was distrubing...and her walk with God was shaky and she didnt know why. But if you tried to point out this Dand D gaming was hindering her walk shed get angry. She would put her fantasy life as a priority over God.

I don't care for role-playing games but others like them, not everyone has the same interests. Anything that becomes an obsession to the point where it consumes/ruins your life is wrong. For example. I like my dog, she's a good dog. Perhaps one day I'll get another one just like her. Then another. Then another. Then another. Ooops forgot to spay/neuter, look at all the adorable puppies!!!! Suddenly I'm being featured on Animal Cops for some reason and my friends and family are saying "But she's not a bad person, she just got a little overwhelmed!" as I am being led away in cuffs. Dogs are not "evil", but if I let them consume my life they will destroy my life. Same with movies, games, and tv shows, they are not "evil" by themselves, unless they become an obsession. That is what we should warn against.

 

[Miss Spaulding]

I don't care for role-playing games but others like them, not everyone has the same interests. Anything that becomes an obsession to the point where it consumes/ruins your life is wrong. For example. I like my dog, she's a good dog. Perhaps one day I'll get another one just like her. Then another. Then another. Then another. Ooops forgot to spay/neuter, look at all the adorable puppies!!!! Suddenly I'm being featured on Animal Cops for some reason and my friends and family are saying "But she's not a bad person, she just got a little overwhelmed!" as I am being led away in cuffs. Dogs are not "evil", but if I let them consume my life they will destroy my life. Same with movies, games, and tv shows, they are not "evil" by themselves, unless they become an obsession. That is what we should warn against.

I see what's going on here. I'm subtly being told that my collection of cats is getting out of hand.

 

[Saucy]

Hahaha

 

[Cearbhall]

I know the fad for harry potter etc is over

 

[LoveDivine]

I understand the point you are trying to make in this thread, @Goodbook. I don't agree with everything you've stated or all the examples you've given, but I do agree with your overall thought. I think it's easy to brush stuff off as being "harmless' if it is presented in a ligthhearted or humorous manner. I do think that we have to be careful, as Christians, with what we select to read and watch. I do think that some seemingly innocent movies or books can contain harmful messages or subtle suggestions. I feel this way about the horror/paranormal genre of books/movies. I personally do not feel comfortable watching stuff like that. I think you may be very sensitive to any fantasy novels or movies due to your exposure to the occult in the past. I think that a person who has dabbled in the occult to any extent is likely to feel strongly about any movies or books that incorporate magic or the supernatural. I think that it's best for you to avoid anything that is even remotely connected to that. Although your position on this topic is stricter than mine (as I have watched a few of the movies that were mentioned such as the Wizard of Oz and enjoyed them), I get where you are coming from. I don't think we can ever be "too" careful with what we choose to read and view.

 

[EyesOfKohl]

There isnt much difference, I know because I did dabble in occult. i wasnt homeschooled. Where ppl get that idea I dont know.

Which Occultist authors did you read?

By this I'm not meaning fictional things such as wizards, witches, Narnia, Harry Potter... I wouldn't call this Occult at all.

 

[Cearbhall]

well the argument could be made that the magic described in those two books are very different

for example, in Harry Potter the alchemist Nicholas Flamel extended his life far beyond what is natural with no ill effects
while in Lord of the Rings, characters who extend their life to unnatural means have serious problems with spiritual degradation (the Ring Wraiths, Gollum and even Bilbo Baggins started to feel that effect)

That's a poor example, because ultimately Dumbledore expresses that the philosophically sound thing for Nicholas to do would be to pass away, and Nicholas does so voluntarily at the end of the first book. Part of the purpose of the character is to convey the message that death is natural and is not the worst thing that can happen to a person.

 

[Rhamiel]

That's a poor example, because ultimately Dumbledore expresses that the philosophically sound thing for Nicholas to do would be to pass away, and Nicholas does so voluntarily at the end of the first book. Part of the purpose of the character is to convey the message that death is natural and is not the worst thing that can happen to a person.

true that was part of the message
and the dehumanizing of Tom Riddle was done in his quest for unnatural immortality, making the horecrux that rips his soul apart

but Flamel does not become a ringwraith

Harry Potter is about humans who routinely control the forces of nature with no ill effect where in Lord of the Rings it does more to show that humans are not made to wield magic

not saying that HP is evil, just showing that you can draw a distinction between those two works without being a hypocrite
I just do not have time to write a dissertation on this lol

 

[timewerx]

They call it fantasy but it opens up to a spiritual realm thats ungodly. Also we are to cast down vain imaginations and make every thought captive to christ.

i dont see the benefit to fantasising or what the appeal of dungeons and dragons is for example. I know one girl that was into it, and she was obssessed to the point that it was distrubing...and her walk with God was shaky and she didnt know why. But if you tried to point out this Dand D gaming was hindering her walk shed get angry. She would put her fantasy life as a priority over God.

I won't get angry if you point out the D and D to me, but if you point out to me World of Warcraft, I'll hiss to you like an angry cat!

Just kidding! I get your point. When you cast spells in these games, a pictogram often appears with undecipherable writings on it. It could awaken the evil spirits dormant in your body. So I stopped playing them.

 

[Cearbhall]

Basically the underlying idea is the same. Rebellion against God, and making oneself into a god. Its idolatry.

The fantasy stuff is just the sugar coated version of it.

The underlying idea of Harry Potter? Seriously? Did you even read Harry Potter? Hmmm...

As the series progressed it got darker (and more boring)

but there was no discernment on what was good or evil.

Actually the people who were NOT involved in magic were protrayed as the bad guys.

Harry potter was a classic revenge story.

if Harry had just forgiven whats his name and let go he wouldnt have had to go through all that trouble.

I'm going to say no, you did not. Not with any attentiveness or in a meaningful way, at least.