Harry Potter and anti-Christian bigotry

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Posted: July 18, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Linda Harvey

Is it possible Harry Potter is fostering anti-Christian bigotry in our youth?

Our kids hear every day in public schools about the perils of “intolerance” and “homophobia.” They are cautioned frequently to “separate church and state,” because not to do so would result in vague, unspecified horrors. And merely raising an eyebrow at evolutionary theory can unleash pent-up fury over Christian beliefs.

So, kids know who the establishment thinks are supposed to be the “bad guys” in America: conservative Christians. But then along comes the most popular book series of all time to further undermine Christian theology by glamorizing occult practices – and it doesn’t end there. Harry Potter has a not-so-subtle political message as well.

Kids read a story and figure out right off who the heroes are, and who the villains. In the Potter tales, there are several types of villains: the “dark magic” Lord Voldemort and his ilk; the mean teen wizard group at the Hogwart’s school; and then there’s a group we might call the fools. In Harry’s world, they’re called “Muggles.”

worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56715

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The author of the article attempts to persuade, but the article is nothing but pure ‘used hay’ mixed with the occasional non sequitur. Or maybe not, since at least ‘used hay’ can be useful to gardeners, and this article isn’t even useful for that …

It’s merely a re-packaging of the same old lies that the ‘anti-Harry Potter’ group feels perfectly fine repeating. I really do have to wonder just what it is about these novels that inspires people who are presumably good people otherwise to tell outright falsehoods.
But then along comes the most popular book series of all time to further undermine Christian theology by glamorizing occult practices – and it doesn’t end there. Harry Potter has a not-so-subtle political message as well.
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I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again … the novels about Harry Potter do not glamorize occult practices. The magic in Harry Potter is more MacGuffin than essential plot, a catalyst to the story rather than the story itself. Occult practices can be learned, one of the things we learn fairly early on regarding the HP world is that magic is ‘present’ or ‘not present’ from birth, a genetic trait just like blue eyes, red hair, type A blood …

The article, in short, is complete tripe, and in writing this response, I’ve already devoted more time to thinking about it than it deserves.
 
SILVERNAME said:
Posted: July 18, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Linda Harvey

Is it possible Harry Potter is fostering anti-Christian bigotry in our youth?

Our kids hear every day in public schools about the perils of “intolerance” and “homophobia.” They are cautioned frequently to “separate church and state,” because not to do so would result in vague, unspecified horrors. And merely raising an eyebrow at evolutionary theory can unleash pent-up fury over Christian beliefs.

So, kids know who the establishment thinks are supposed to be the “bad guys” in America: conservative Christians. But then along comes the most popular book series of all time to further undermine Christian theology by glamorizing occult practices – and it doesn’t end there. Harry Potter has a not-so-subtle political message as well.

Kids read a story and figure out right off who the heroes are, and who the villains. In the Potter tales, there are several types of villains: the “dark magic” Lord Voldemort and his ilk; the mean teen wizard group at the Hogwart’s school; and then there’s a group we might call the fools. In Harry’s world, they’re called “Muggles.”

worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56715

.
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This is yet another example of people who think they care about the Truth but can’t be bothered with plain old truth.

One of the main themes in the HP books is that the wizards who despise Muggles are the ones given to the Dark Arts. The good wizards, while admittedly somewhat patronizing toward Muggles in the sense that they hide their existence from them (and in the last book there are hints that this policy may in fact be largely in place to protect Muggles from exploitation and domination by wizards), see Muggles as fellow-humans worthy of respect. Arthur Weasley, one of the most thoroughly virtuous characters in the series, is fascinated by Muggles, and in fact his one flaw is his habit of breaking wizard law by tinkering with Muggle artifacts. The author of this article simply didn’t bother to read the books with anything approaching fairness or accuracy.

Besides, being anti-conservative is not the same thing as being anti-Christian!

Edwin
 
Contarini said:
This is yet another example of people who think they care about the Truth but can’t be bothered with plain old truth.

One of the main themes in the HP books is that the wizards who despise Muggles are the ones given to the Dark Arts. The good wizards, while admittedly somewhat patronizing toward Muggles in the sense that they hide their existence from them (and in the last book there are hints that this policy may in fact be largely in place to protect Muggles from exploitation and domination by wizards), see Muggles as fellow-humans worthy of respect. Arthur Weasley, one of the most thoroughly virtuous characters in the series, is fascinated by Muggles, and in fact his one flaw is his habit of breaking wizard law by tinkering with Muggle artifacts. The author of this article simply didn’t bother to read the books with anything approaching fairness or accuracy.

Besides, being anti-conservative is not the same thing as being anti-Christian!

Edwin
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I guess they also missed all those wizards who protected their neighbors who were muggles in the last book. I guess it would be to much to ask people to actaully read the books before they start throwing all this hogwash around…

Do these people who write these anti-Potter articles have nothing better to do? There is no sex, the childern all dress modesty (robes) and they are taught wrong vs right and good vs evil. If they would throw their froces behind something like talking about true evils like Abortion or the fact that Christian and their views are being stomped upon all of the places…then i would listen to them but till then i am not wasting my time reading this crud…
 
The people who write these articles have not actually read the book I’m guessing. The magic used in the book is most of the times no more than a side note.
Like someone wlese stated, the wizards hide themselves from the muggles more out of protection for the muggles. The good wizards don’t look down apon the muggles.
Besides, I saw an interview a while back that J. K. Rowling did (not sure which channel it was on). at one point she was asked whether she was Christian and she said yes. She was also asked who her favorite author was and she said C.S. Lewis.
I don’t think she’s writing anything anti-christian or anything with some dumb political message. She originally wrote the series as a comfort to her child when they were on well fare.
 
What Part Of, “the Last Enemy To Be Destroyed Is Death,” Don’t They Understand!!!
 
Harry potter series is a wonderful read, I recommend it to all people. It’s not anti anything except dark art magic… I mean, they’re books, and fun ones too, so why’s this even a topic, it’s so stupid… I had a hell of a time reading them.

Don’t turn into book burners if you don’t like it… That’s the insanity point.
 
adstrinity said:
What Part Of, “the Last Enemy To Be Destroyed Is Death,” Don’t They Understand!!!
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Thanks for the title of John. Granger’s book,“Looking For God in Harry Potter: Is there hidden meaning in the best selling books?”

I have gone back and forth on the Harry Potter Books, but when I heard Cardinal Pell speak about them on interview on EWTN, he put my mind to rest about allowing my children to read them. My oldest son back when the first movie came out got in trouble for reading the book in class, I told him he couldn’t go see the movie until he finished the first book, at the time he was in the second grade. HIs teacher told me, that he didn’t want to put it down, he has been a avid reader every since, reading all the Potter books, all the Narnia Series and now in Jr High he has been reading the non-fiction CS Lewis books. so it hasn’t hurt him.
The Harry Potter series are brilliantly written children’s books, which many adults enjoy. Tolkien has produced much deeper, sterner stuff; an escapism certainly, which he describes not as the flight of the deserter, but as the escape of the prisoner. Into a world guided by a hidden benign Providence where a host of coincidences, occasional heroism, the weakness of the good and the dark scheming of the evil are all brought to achieve a partial victory for goodness.- Cardinal Pell
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I’m a very anti-occult person , but the Potter books have nothing in them I have found in my studies relating to the occult. My children seem to know thier faith very well for thier ages, have a great love for God and the Church. We talk about the dangers of false religions, but Harry Potter is not religion.
 
Ahimsa said:
:bigyikes:
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and why are you so shocked?:rolleyes:

Maybe I should of said?
…the Potter books have nothing in them I have found in my studies relating to the occult… that signals alarm in me.
 
**I just want to point out that at the end of Harry Potter the story turns out to be a Christian metaphor.
Some of the characters graves even have bible passages on them.

God and the afterlife take a front seat in the book and prove that the books are pro-christian.

They are simply a story that uses magic is a fun fairytale plot device. No more than Lord of the Rings.

Magic in the books is not Wika, it is something she made up that works like having a talent, almost like singing. Some people can do it, others can.
THey don’t harm small animals or even mention satan once…

The fact tht people believe that it is anti-christian is because they hear that it has magic in and judge it without reading.

All and the all the books turn out to be just as christian as the Narnia books.**
 
Did anyone else notice that the fifth film contains what is essentially an Exorcism at the end of it?

I just contemplated this, but i think in the future HP will be seen to many pro-christian and quite pro-catholic themes to it. I recognized this from the start at least in the first film, in the flashback sequence with his mother… but there is perhaps a strong pro-christian message in there and possibly strong pro-catholic theme.

Has Rowling taken a page out of Tolkien’s stuff? I wonder.
 
child_of_God85 said:
The people who write these articles have not actually read the book I’m guessing. The magic used in the book is most of the times no more than a side note.
Like someone wlese stated, the wizards hide themselves from the muggles more out of protection for the muggles. The good wizards don’t look down apon the muggles.
Besides, I saw an interview a while back that J. K. Rowling did (not sure which channel it was on). at one point she was asked whether she was Christian and she said yes. She was also asked who her favorite author was and she said C.S. Lewis.
I don’t think she’s writing anything anti-christian or anything with some dumb political message. She originally wrote the series as a comfort to her child when they were on well fare.
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I wonder if she’s actually Catholic?
 
I’ve read that JK Rowling is a member of the Church of Scotland.
 
I wonder if she’s actually Catholic?
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She’s Church of Scotland. Is a church that came out of the Scottish Reformation. It is Presbyterian in organization and Reformed (Calvinistic not Lutheran) in it’s theology.
 
Orthodox_Guy said:
She’s Church of Scotland. Is a church that came out of the Scottish Reformation. It is Presbyterian in organization and Reformed (Calvinistic not Lutheran) in it’s theology.
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yes, apparently though she was actually raised as a catholic and later became protestant according to some sources.
 
colliric said:
yes, apparently though she was actually raised as a catholic and later became protestant according to some sources.
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Then let us pray she returns to the Church, my son’s do. Just imagine what an example that would be for millions of people that have enjoyed her work.🙂
 
Bennie_P said:
Then let us pray she returns to the Church, my son’s do. Just imagine what an example that would be for millions of people that have enjoyed her work.🙂
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yeah, there is alot of her background that does come across in her writing… She seems to understand alot of Catholic concepts…

like Exorcism! As I was watching the film for the second time, I really wondered about that ending… dumbledorr performes what is essentially an Exorcism… and that was really surprising to me… it really stuck out. Even in the wizzarding world, they have demonic possession as a problem…
 
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