Harry Potter and exorcists

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For anyone who thinks Harry Potter is acceptable for a Catholic: just read the book replacing the word “Muggles” with “Ordinary Christians”; because this it what it essentially means.

Harry Potter takes place in OUR world (unlike Narnia and LOTR). Jesus Christ incarnated, died and rose in Harry’s world. People who believe in Him are called “Muggles”. But there is a select group of people who “know” the secret truth, who are “special”…the magicians. They have to protect the ignorant Christians from their own ignorance.
It’s pure Gnosticism. Remember: Gnostics always claimed to be Christians…just like JK Rowling does.

How will such a book influence a child? When such a child grows up and encounters Yoga and New Age, with their false promises of “secret knowledge”, “infinite potential”…he will remember brave Harry who left behind his muggle-worldview (Christianity) to become a great magician, “whose eyes were opened and became as a god” (cf. Gen 3,5).
 
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I was raised on Grimm’s Fairy Tales and I never got turned into a frog.

Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit…
 
adgloriam said:
The laity is suppose to teach and learn with each other through dialogue.
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Really? You object to referring someone to their priest for what is best for them rather over the internet? That is what I said. There is a lot of ignorance on the internet.
adgloriam said:
Not adverting can be sin by omission.
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Or it cannot be a sin. That is kind of begging the question. Catholic fundamentalist and Protestant fundamentalist may have standards other than what the Church sets. Hence, the need to go to a priest.
adgloriam said:
Look you wrote 5 sentences with 2 errors. How much did your “Theology degree” cost? [I’ve seen illiterates offering sounder advice than you.]
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The next personal attack will be reported. This is not how Christians should act.

Oh, and it cost me little. I had a full academic scholarship, thank you. I have also lived through the Dungeons and Dragons, back-masking and rock music hoopla, each of which was supposed to be the gateway for Satan. The point is, many things can be a gateway for Satan. It may be some fiction is bad for some and not others, hence my referral to a personal priest. Even posting here may open some to temptation to do evil by losing charity.
 
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Grimm’s fairy tales are essentially Christian stories. The Virgin Mary is a main character in many of them.
The story about the frog is supposed to teach young children to love even the most ugly creatures, because by being loved they can turn into something beautiful.
Can you name one of Grimm’s fairy tales where witchcraft or sorcery (practiced by a human being) is presented as something positive, something which children should strive for? That would be a valid argument.

In LOTR, every “wizard” is an angel, sent by the creator God (in analogy to Raphael and Gabriel in the bible). In Narnia, virtually every sorcerer is presented as evil.

Fairy tales are wonderful, children and adults alike should read them! But everytime in literature a mortal sin is presented as something positive, a Catholic should become very watchful…
 
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I think Harry Potter and his inner circle are very positive. I even think they show values and actions that would be worthy of Christians. Can you document one case of a possession by the Devil caused by Harry Potter books, as the OP claimed. It’s fiction!!!
 
Harry Potter doesn’t automatically cause possession, and those claims by the Exorcists are somewhat exaggerated. But can’t a book be bad for Catholics, even if it’s fiction? Harry Potter is just as bad a book for children as 50 Shades of Grey is a bad book for grown up women. It endorses mortal sin and alienates from the Christian world view.

A Hypothesis:
-Catholics who dislike Harry Potter believe that the demonic realm is real and that there are people who engage in actual magic, making themselves vulnerable to demonic influences, even today.

-Catholic who like Harry Potter do not really believe in an actual demonic realm and do not believe that actual magic exists. (That’s why they have no problem with a ‘fictional’ character practicing it in a children’s book, while they would have a problem with a equally fictional character having sex and taking drugs in the same book)
 
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JosefAvila said:
It endorses mortal sin and alienates from the Christian world view.
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The books do no such thing.
JosefAvila said:
Catholic who like Harry Potter do not really believe in an actual demonic realm and do not believe that actual magic exists.
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I like Harry Potter and I know there are demons. I do not believe that the kind of magic in Harry Potter exists.
JosefAvila said:
That’s why they have no problem with a ‘fictional’ character practicing it in a children’s book,
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The witches and wizards in HP are born with magic and they go to school to learn how to control it. They aren’t practicing witchcraft.
 
JosefAvila said:
People who believe in Him are called “Muggles”.
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You do realize that there are muggle born wizards and witches and half-bloods that are half muggle and half magical; they could be believers.
JosefAvila said:
But there is a select group of people who “know” the secret truth, who are “special”…the magicians. They have to protect the ignorant Christians from their own ignorance.
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No…not magicians, wizards and witches rather (I suspect that there might be a translation issue here.)
Yes, the magical world is concealed because they fear that if muggles knew the magical world would be attacked and controlled.

Muggles, as well as muggle born and half-bloods are symbolic of marginalized groups, Jews in particular. When Voldemort rises to power wizards are publishing anti-muggle propaganda stylized like Nazi propaganda in the films. I thought it was a little heavy-handed but it didn’t leave any doubt.
JosefAvila said:
he will remember brave Harry who left behind his muggle-worldview (Christianity) to become a great magician, “whose eyes were opened
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Wow. Not what the story is about.

At all.

Where did you get this…because you didn’t read the books and neither did your source. Or their source. Or theirs…and so on and so on and so on.

Harry and Hermione still have muggle relatives and Harry looks out for the only family he has left even though they were terribly abusive and neglected him.
 
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pnewton said:
This has been a silly thread topic every time it comes up. If someone needs advice on this, go to your priest, not the internet, and do not search for the one or two quotes that support this or that. The Catholic Church does not consider fiction a sin.
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Correct…
 
The Church has appointed exorcists who receive specialized training and generally have a wealth of experience with the demonic. They are our experts in the subject matter.

There seems to be a majority opinion or perhaps even a consensus among them. Harry Potter stories are demonic.

Why do so many non-experts disagree?
 
The more I see him quoted, the less I want to read anything of this man.
 
Exactly. Sad enough those voices are that loud (or seem that loud) in the church - you may not imagine how strange this looks from my german perspective, as we have those discussion not in the last village in bavaria. One reason many people I know make fun of the church and have a huge barrier when it comes to a second look on the actual theology.
 
If you say Harry Potter’s name three times, while looking in a mirror, your entire diocese will lose faith. True story.
 
Off the top of my head, Fr Ripperger, Fr Amorth, Father Fortea, Fr Mendoza, and Fr Euteneuer. How many do you need?

I have never heard a contrary view from an exorcist.
 
This is good to hear- sometimes I struggle with this whole church family as a group of freaky relatives, you know…this is not meant to offend, but sometimes I am close to question everything because of those people in church.
 
Really? If five plumbers told you Drano will damage your septic system, will you look for additional expert opinions?

Fr Ripperger had other arguments. The story about the fire was only one example. I wouldn’t rule him out.

If you can show even one example of an exorcist with a contrary opinion, then the matter is open for debate, otherwise, I think the experts have the final word.
 
elsabean said:
Fr. Ripperger has some problems. His views are a bit extreme and scrupulous. A suggestion? Let him go.
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That doesn’t seem fair. Views aren’t scrupulous. People are scrupulous. How would you know Fr. Ripperger is scrupulous?

Saying his views are extreme isn’t fair either. What views? All his views? Even if they are ‘extreme’ that doesn’t make them wrong. Jesus said things that would be called extreme by moderns.
 
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