Dearly beloved friends,
Cordial greetings.
Invariably in discussions on contentious issues like
Harry Potter or rock/pop music there always comes a point when continued debate becomes rather futile and fruitless. A states that the Potter books are culturally unhealthy for various reasons; B vehemently disagrees for various reasons or even questions that A has given any reasons at all. We all know that A and B are fully persuaded as to the correctness and cogency of their respective arguments and are therefore unlikely to revise or abandon their stance. Having said that there is always a slim chance that they might, as was the case with Armour of Light (thankyou for your kind words, dear friend) earlier on this thread, which is the sole reason why I periodically engage in debates on Potter or rock music.
During this past week, dear friends, I believe that I have submitted sufficient information and evidence that demonstrates the cullturally unhealthy nature of the Potter series of books. My sincere apologies that I have not been able to address every single post and every point. However, I have no desire to get drawn into an endless maze of nuanced debates on the books, for such debates are mostly unprofitable and seldom shift men from their entrenched positions, whatever side of the debate they happen to be on. Therefore this will be final post in this thread and then I will bow out and take my leave.
One can only hope that the controversy surrounding
Harry Potterwill at least challenge men to consider the questions involved from a deeper and wider perspective. Thus, for example, these inferior and uwholesome books need to be examined in the context of the ongoing paganization of children’s culture, a phenomenom that has already proved to have negative consequences. Moreover, in their fanatical allegiance to the book series, many pro-Potterites/ardent supporters have given little serious attention to the fact that the* foundational element * of the series is witchcraft and sorcery, albeit in a fictional setting, unlike the works of Messrs. Lewis and Tolkein. However, without wishing to restate the arguments that I have already made in this thread, suffice to say that there is a monumental failure to understand the sheer power of cultural material over human consciousness and thus its effects upon human actions. Owing to the worldly conformity of multitudes of Catholics nowadays, it is tacitly assumed that it is possible to assimilate a great deal of flawed and unwholesome material, such as the Potter books, and remain totally immune from its dangers. Men are wont to forget that the young are yet in a state of formation and so are vulnerable to the deformation of their understandings of reality, epecially the nature of good and evil. My complaint with the Potter tales is that they prevent children from developing a properly ordered sense of good and evil, which is hardly surprising when you consider that they are a relativistic product of a relativistic age. As Catholics we surely ought to avoid putting into the hands of our children any books which strongly reinforce moral relativism. BTW, this could never be said about Sacred Scripture, which always illuminates a man’s mind to virtue and goodness - the entrance of thy words giveth light.
The problem, dear friends, is not so much that the Potter books will arouse a child’s unhealthy interest in the occult, exceedingly worrisome though that certainly is, but rather that they will desensitize the young to the evil occultic subcultures, which is a very clear and present danger today. Many men, myself included, do not have a problem with the fantasy genre as such, but it would be sheer naivety to close our minds to the fact that it can be misused as a vehicle for harmful messages - messages which, I hasten to add, can have eternal consequences.
Rowling, moreover, depicts witchcraft not as a moral issue, but as a matter of heredity. Thus the ability to practice witchcraft is seen as something that is inherited. However, in reality one does not need to possess a particular bloodline for witchcraft to be able to work. All that is required is to tap into evil spirits, turn over one’s will and forsake Jesus Christ for the occultic subculture. Therefore we have two falsehoods presented to children who read these so called ‘delightful fantasies’: first, their status as a witch is written into their genes; and second, if they are one of the ‘lucky ones’, then they can employ their powers for good. This, dear friends, is to inculcate harmful lies, because the actual reality is so different and so dangerous.
Finally, dear friends, whilst the Potter phenomenom has enjoyed world-wide popularity on an unprecedented scale, this only serves to underscore the sad fact that there has been a tragic loss of spiritual discernment, resulting in a catastrophic error in prudential judgement as regards these inferior books. People have sometimes asked me if it is really possible for so many to be deceived so badly, including many professing Catholics. My response is yes, mass deception is sadly possible, you only need to ask the Germans about that.
If those browsing this thread are confused about the Harry Potter book series and are not wholly convinced that it is culturally unhealthy and unsound, then I would urge them to read carefully for themselves the splendid book by Michael O’ Brien,* Harry Potter and the Paganization of Culture*, which is available from
Amazon.com. His arguments against the Potter books are unanswered and unanswerable…
God bless, my dear friends, and before I bow out, may I wish you all a jolly splendid weekend, whatever are your plans. Thankyou for your time.
Warmest good wishes,
Portrait
Pax:tiphat:
