Harry Potter

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Catholic_89 said:
In fact, now that you mention it, it is rather worrysome as if there indeed is some Christian parallels that people are finding, and many people have spoken about the dangers of the book, then the chances of people mixing up the two are greater. It is more likely that a child who has not developed their beliefs completely might read this and relate witchcraft, magic and the alike with good. This is where the danger is.
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Oh my… ! First it’s bad because it’s pagan. Now it’s bad because it’s Christian?! You can’t win with these people!
 
SaltySirena said:
Oh my… ! First it’s bad because it’s pagan. Now it’s bad because it’s Christian?! You can’t win with these people!
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No one said it was bad because of any Christian parallels. It is bad because of the potential distortion between these Christian ideals and not so good ones. A child is not able to make this distinction.
 
I want to say first off that I have read all the books and seen 4 of the movies. It was something that comforted me and even brought me closer to my faith. I loved that JK ended with a christian allegory.

That said I no longer watch or am involved with anything Potter.

I believe there is something intrinsically evil about it that is being used and manipulated by the devil. Its not even in Potter itself but in the way people react.

It goes a little like this. Anything that creates peace is from God, what creates division is not from God. How many times has this very topic been argued to death? How much disharmony and lack of peace has it caused? What other topics are hot button and obviously have their roots in the devil?..Things like abortion, contraception, homosexuality, disobedience to Rome…we have become so divided over a simple book that it merits threads as long as ones about truly important moral topics.

Do you see what this book is doing? Anyone who’s played Risk could see why its such an effective tool of the devil its dividing and conquering us. I don’t care if its Harry Potter or My Little Pony…a book or movie that becomes so destructive among Christians should not garner any attention in our lives.
 
purplesunshine said:
I believe there is something intrinsically evil about it that is being used and manipulated by the devil. Its not even in Potter itself but in the way people react.

It goes a little like this. Anything that creates peace is from God, what creates division is not from God. How many times has this very topic been argued to death? How much disharmony and lack of peace has it caused?
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Much the same could be said of Humana Vitae (sp?)
 
Brickmaker said:
Same could be said about the Bible. Not convinced by your argument - and have never read HP
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Uhh yeah the bible is controversial among those who choose not to walk in the faith and those who do.

Thats my point.
 
RSD said:
Much the same could be said of Humana Vitae (sp?)
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Again…it causes contraversy among Christian-Catholics only when they are not living in the light. So sorry, that retort means nothing to me.
 
purplesunshine said:
Uhh yeah the bible is controversial among those who choose not to walk in the faith and those who do.

Thats my point.
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The bible has been (to use your own words) “destructive among Christians”. It’s got nothing to do with whether or not someone chooses to walk in the faith. Christians, by definition, walk in the faith - but reading the bible has led to division, persecution, even war.

The most one has to suffer from reading HP (according to its critics here) is either boredom or badly written prose.
 
purplesunshine said:
Anything that creates peace is from God, what creates division is not from God. How many times has this very topic been argued to death? How much disharmony and lack of peace has it caused? What other topics are** hot button and obviously have their roots in the devil**?.. …a book or movie that becomes so destructive among Christians should not garner any attention in our lives.
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The CATHOLIC CHURCH has created disharmony and division!! Or have you not noticed the NO and Traditional and SSPX and all the other varieties out there?? So using your argument, the Catholic Church is not of God…(which we know is not true).

People will always find something to argue about.

HP is FICTION!!! Even most intelligent kids know this. :cool:
 
Catholic90 said:
The CATHOLIC CHURCH has created disharmony and division!! Or have you not noticed the NO and Traditional and SSPX and all the other varieties out there?? So using your argument, the Catholic Church is not of God…(which we know is not true).

People will always find something to argue about.

HP is FICTION!!! Even most intelligent kids know this. :cool:
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Different flavors of faith cause division becuase many of the groups do not ahdere to the word of god. And I’d hardly consider them as unimportant topics to argue about as a silly book written by a brittish housewife.

I’m not even attemtpting to aruge its fictionness. I’m just pointing out the disharmony that this one singular series creates. Threads and arguments that rival truly important topics…do you see how ludicrouis that is?
 
purplesunshine said:
Different flavors of faith cause division becuase many of the groups do not ahdere to the word of god. And I’d hardly consider them as unimportant topics to argue about as a silly book written by a brittish housewife.

I’m not even attemtpting to aruge its fictionness. I’m just pointing out the disharmony that this one singular series creates. Threads and arguments that rival truly important topics…do you see how ludicrouis that is?
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You don’t even have to go to “different flavors of faith”…how about ONE faith…the Catholic faith?!? (we won’t even get into the many protestant splits of Christianity). Religion (even just the Catholic religion) has caused far more arguments among people than HP!!

To each his own, I say. If you don’t like HP, then for goodness sake, don’t waste your time on it. However, for those who enjoy its entertainment and use it as a break from the everyday stresses of this world (and there are many), it can be a fun diversion.
 
Nino said:
The potter series is strictly new age paganism…thats why it is given such million dollar free publicity…why else would the ruling class endorse it so much…also same sex marriage is coming up as is a suicide. You will then see some outrageous acting as paid performers,as in the MJackson case,will tear and weep and just sob…
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a) It’s not New Age paganism; in fact, it’s quite antithetical to it. In his book How Harry Cast His Spell and others, John Granger (look him up on Amazon.com) has proven that the Harry Potter books are laden with traditional Christian plot structures, imagery, and themes.

b) The “ruling class” as you call it loves them because, like all people inundated with secularism, they are secretly hungry for the eternal truths of the Gospel - good news that Harry Potter reflects.

c) Same-sex “marriage” plays no part in any Harry Potter book at all; homosexuality in any form is never once referenced.

d) Actually, it’s like euthanasia, not suicide, and when it is revealed - in the last book - that that character asked the other to kill him, it is portrayed as one of many examples which prove that the former character is not as noble as we all thought he was. He tells Harry that Harry is, in fact, the better man.
Catholic_89 said:
People, the danger is for the children.
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As Christian children’s fantasy that teaches good morals and good life lessons, the books are the opposite of dangerous for children.
Catholic_89 said:
By watching it, you have supported something that has a potential threat.
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No, that’s not true.
Catholic_89 said:
Now I would not claim that to do so is a sin, but imprudent at the least. Pope Bendict XVI before he became Pope, the chief excorsist of Rome, and many others have spoken out and stated how the book may contain dangers for children.
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Cardinal Ratzinger never spoke out against Harry Potter. LifeSiteNews distorted the facts. A German author sent the Vatican a copy of an anti-Harry Potter book; the cardinal’s office sent her a thank-you note out of courtesy. That is all that happened, as the pertinent links provided in every Harry Potter thread plainly reveal.
Catholic_89 said:
To ignore the opinions of these holy people is rather imprudent, considering they are educated on such matters. Oh, and I think that looking for Christian imagery in the book is pointless. It was not written with such an intent like the Lord of the Rings or Chronicles of Narnia.
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Actually, it’s not imprudent, because they are not educated on Harry Potter, and - more importantly - it’s simply indisputable that Harry Potter does have Christian imagery. It is written like the Chronicles of Narnia in that way.

See here: amazon.com/How-Harry-Cast-His-Spell/dp/1414321880/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248031732&sr=8-1

It’s been proven.
SaltySirena said:
WRONG. Rowling herself has said that the Bible quotes in the seventh book epitomize the whole series, and that it has always been obvious to her that the religious parallels in her book are obvious.

christianpost.com/article/20071018/harry-potter-author-reveals-books-christian-allegory-her-struggling-faith/index.html

And Pope Benedict may not really have come out against them: jimmyakin.org/2005/07/pre16_on_harry_.html But in any case, if you haven’t even read the book you’re saying is evil, you’re hardly an expert on it!
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Well said! And thanks for the links; I grow tired of hunting for them every time this discussion comes up.
Catholic_89 said:
I have read the first book, so I know a bit about the series. Besides, need a priest be married to know how to give marriage advice? One does not need to read all the books to form an opinion about them.
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That’s true. One need only know what the heck he or she is talking about; almost all of the series’ detractors, however, do not. So it does make sense for us to urge them to read the books, since they - and you - have many misconceptions about them.
Catholic_89 said:
“Also in 2003, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger — who later became Pope Benedict XVI — received a manuscript of a book critical of the novels from a German author. He stated in a private letter expressing gratitude for the receipt of the book, “It is good that you enlighten people about Harry Potter, because those are subtle seductions, which act unnoticed and by this deeply distort Christianity in the soul, before it can grow properly”. He also recommended she send a copy of her book to Fleetwood at the Council for Culture. In a second letter, the cardinal gave the author permission to make his first letter public. These letters from Ratzinger prior to his elevation to the papacy have been used to suggest that the new pontiff is officially opposed to the novels.[10]”
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Fr. Fleetwood actually told that author that she was dead wrong about Harry Potter, and that it is Christian. See the Wikipedia page on religious disputes about Harry Potter for documentation of this claim.
 
Catholic_89 said:
Finally, her books were not formed on the basis Christian imagery. Perhaps by the seventh one she decided to add something, but not in the same way as Tolkien’s and Lewis’s. They built their worlds on the foundation of Christian morals. She did not. Whatever parallels may exist may be intentional, but likely one is trying to hard to justify the book. I do not see this as a good argument, since the worry is over the witchcraft, and not whether they have Christian imagery.
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Oh, but they were formed on the basis of Christian imagery/plot structure/themes/etc. They are as Christian as Narnia - built on a Christian worldview. John Granger - see the link above - is not grasping at straws; his arguments make perfect sense.

In other words, it is not just his word against yours - rather, he has provided mountains of evidence for his conclusions. If you don’t care about Harry Potter, that’s fine. But if you care enough to condemn them, then you should also care enough to do your homework.
Catholic_89 said:
In fact, now that you mention it, it is rather worrysome as if there indeed is some Christian parallels that people are finding, and many people have spoken about the dangers of the book, then the chances of people mixing up the two are greater. It is more likely that a child who has not developed their beliefs completely might read this and relate witchcraft, magic and the alike with good. This is where the danger is.
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…

No. I don’t think you understand how literature works. Gandalf is a wizard who sometimes relies on magic of some kind in The Lord of the Rings. It is “magic” which makes Caspian’s horn (in Prince Caspian) summon the Pevensie children.

Harry Potter magic is like that - exclusively literary and fictional by nature, not in any way resembling or utilizing real-world occultic invocational magic.
purplesunshine said:
I want to say first off that I have read all the books and seen 4 of the movies. It was something that comforted me and even brought me closer to my faith. I loved that JK ended with a christian allegory.

That said I no longer watch or am involved with anything Potter.

I believe there is something intrinsically evil about it that is being used and manipulated by the devil. Its not even in Potter itself but in the way people react.

It goes a little like this. Anything that creates peace is from God, what creates division is not from God. How many times has this very topic been argued to death? How much disharmony and lack of peace has it caused? What other topics are hot button and obviously have their roots in the devil?..Things like abortion, contraception, homosexuality, disobedience to Rome…we have become so divided over a simple book that it merits threads as long as ones about truly important moral topics.

Do you see what this book is doing? Anyone who’s played Risk could see why its such an effective tool of the devil its dividing and conquering us. I don’t care if its Harry Potter or My Little Pony…a book or movie that becomes so destructive among Christians should not garner any attention in our lives.
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You vastly overestimate the destructive result of this debate. It’s a silly debate, quite frankly, and I know of no parishes, families, or Catholic organizations that have been split from within or torn from the faith or anything like that because of Harry Potter.

And besides, you admitted that it’s quite Christian!
 
Well if I’m not allowed to see certain movies because of the actor’s religious beliefs I guess I’m going to hell, because I don’t feel like reading the autobiographies of every actor in a movie before I enjoy it with a friend or family member. Does that mean they’re going to hell with me?
 
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