Harry Potter?.......( Is it bad?)

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Roguish said:
Sure it’s what the character is saying, but that doesn’t change the fact that this idea (“There is no good and evil, there is only power and those who seek it”) is present in the book anyway.
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It’s said by the villain. It’s not promoted as good in any way to the reader and the idea “there is only power and those too weak to seek it” is thoroughly destroyed throughout the series.
 
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I agree with you that it’s not explicitly Christian, but it can’t be ignored or denied that there are so many Christian themes, allegories and imagery throughout the books. Particularly the last one.
 
Lou2U said:
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Roguish:
Sure it’s what the character is saying, but that doesn’t change the fact that this idea (“There is no good and evil, there is only power and those who seek it”) is present in the book anyway.
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It’s said by the villain. It’s not promoted as good in any way to the reader and the idea “there is only power and those too weak to seek it” is thoroughly destroyed throughout the series.
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True- but that’s a lesson some people took away from the book.

The people who make those gifs support that quote and give JK credit for it.

God bless
 
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phil19034 said:
True- that’s a lesson some people took away from the book.

The people who make those gifs support that quote and give JK credit for it.

God bless
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Yeah, and Satanists think Satan is the good guy.

Morons will be morons. You can’t blame the book for stupid.
 
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Harry Potter? …(is it bad?)

To reiterate, by reading it do we move closer to God, neutral or away from God?

The books are full of the use of magic. Magic is un Catholic. The ideas are therefore un Catholic.

It’s transparently obvious.
 
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Lou2U said:
I agree with you that it’s not explicitly Christian, but it can’t be ignored or denied that there are so many Christian themes, allegories and imagery throughout the books. Particularly the last one.
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And no one who read the book would deny that.

However, you don’t come away from writing a book report on any of the 7 Harry Potter books with a deeper understanding of Christianity.

You do with GK Chesterton and CS Lewis
 
If my garage sells me a gallon of petrol and I give it to my child along with a box of matches and something goes wrong, no one would blame the garage or the child.
 
ProdglArchitect said:
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phil19034:
True- that’s a lesson some people took away from the book.

The people who make those gifs support that quote and give JK credit for it.

God bless
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Yeah, and Satanists think Satan is the good guy.

Morons will be morons. You can’t blame the book for stupid.
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True. But at the moment I’m simply auguring against the idea that Harry Potter can be lumped with Lord of the Rings and Narnia.

I argue it can’t be.
 
Roguish said:
No, @ProdglArchitect, the argument is not that bad guys can’t be bad guys in fiction; the argument is that it isn’t stuff for children, and that it isn’t Christian.
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I read it as a child, as did pretty much all of my friends, siblings, their friends, most of the people I’ve met online in my age range, etc. etc. I’ve never met a single person who had trouble, as a child, understanding that this was the bad guy speaking, and the bad guy was wrong.

It’s only the idiot adults I’ve met who posit anything else.
Lee1 said:
If my garage sells me a gallon of petrol and I give it to my child along with a box of matches and something goes wrong, no one would blame the garage or the child.
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Once again, you and I have very different views about whether or not these books are harmful. I still hold, by the reasons I’ve given already, that these books are not bad, at all.
phil19034 said:
True. But at the moment I’m simply auguring against the idea that Harry Potter can be lumped with Lord of the Rings and Narnia.

I argue it can’t be.
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I agree that LOTR is superior literature, at least in terms of depth and meaning. I place Potter and Narnia about even. Narnia is more explicit allegory, whereas Potter just draws from themes and ideas.

The issue is that most people simply attack it because there is magic in it, while ignoring the magic in other, more accepted, works of literature. I imagine some people attacked Tolkien and Lewis for the magic int heir books as well.
 
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Lou2U said:
“there is only power and those too weak to seek it” is thoroughly destroyed throughout the series.
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Is it? How so? I’ve only seen some of the films and not read any of the books, but my overall impression is that power is fought with power in HP. Where in HP is (evil) power fought with reliance on God? Or where in HP is that even suggested as a possibility?
 
I meant “you” in a generic sense, not you specifically (since I was quite aware that you didn’t make the original quote I was speaking of), but I concede that my statement construction was a bit sloppy and apologize.
 
My bad as well, I see that I could have read it the way you intended it.

Anyway, I admit that maybe this quote isn’t the most compelling example. Still, the argument I’m making, and some others too, is that HP isn’t Christian, and that perhaps it isn’t particularly suitable for children to grow up on. The discussion seems to have shifted to whether or not evil characters are allowed to say evil things in fiction, but that wasn’t the original issue.

P.S. We also fail to discuss the objection that is raised most often (by Christians) against HP, i.e. that it extols magic as “fun” and thus promotes interest in the occult. I think this point is valid.
 
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Roguish said:
Is it? How so? I’ve only seen some of the films and not read any of the books, but my overall impression is that power is fought with power in HP. Where in HP is (evil) power fought with reliance on God? Or where in HP is that even suggested as a possibility?
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Where in any not specifically-Christian literature is evil defeated through reliance on God?

SPOILER!!!

I wonder if you know that ultimately, Voldemort is defeated by the main character choosing to give up his own life to save the lives of his friends and family?

ENDSPOILER
 
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Roguish said:
Is it? How so? I’ve only seen some of the films and not read any of the books, but my overall impression is that power is fought with power in HP. Where in HP is (evil) power fought with reliance on God? Or where in HP is that even suggested as a possibility?
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I suggest you read the books to find out 😉

Evil is fought by love, right from the very start of the series (Harry’s mother dying to save him) to the end (Harry sacrifices himself for his friends and everyone fighting against evil).
 
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No offense, but, as wonderful as teh Bible is, it isn’t going to engage people in a way that well written fiction can. Call that a failing of our modern society, but a well woven moral tale under the guise of fantasy will do more good than a book which people won’t read.

(Yes, people should read the Bible, yes it is an excellent source of truth and wisdom. That doesn’t change the fact that we have to reach out to people where they are, and well done fantasy is capable of doing that.)
 
The key point is that magic is glamourised throughout.

In the Gospels love is promoted. It is possible to make the Gospels exciting it depends on the reader. I think the mysteries are played out as an act in York every four years and are entertaining. There are ways to make it come alive. I’m sure you’ve heard one or two excellent homilies in your time.

In any case, the Gospels are truth, not fiction. But that will lead us down a very long side track I think.
 
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ProdglArchitect said:
I wonder if you know that ultimately, Voldemort is defeated by the main character choosing to give up his own life to save the lives of his friends and family?
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I did see the movie, but I admit I don’t remember it very clearly now. Perhaps I’ll watch it again some time soon.
 
In teh books love is promoted. Like…s eriously, are you one of those people bashing the books without having read them? This isn’t fifty shade of grey we’re talking about here. This is a complex series of books with deep themes and meanings woven throughout.

Love is, LITERALLY, the central focus point of the entire series. Harry relies on the love of his friends and teachers to make it through EVERY encounter. Voldemort is as evil as he is LITERALLY because he is incapable of love.

Seriously, read the books. You are arguing about things you don’t understand. If you actually read them with an open mind, you would find a lot more to them than you are giving them credit for.
 
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