Harry Potter?!?

  • Thread starter Thread starter duckworth
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
This has a pretty balanced commentary, if you have time to read it. I don’t know if someone’s posted it already?
 
Tom317 said:
beckers,

Tell me, you read the books and liked them, correct?

You see no harm in them, correct?

You don’t buy into the potential of leading young souls astray, correct?

Tehn why are you here and why are you bothering to debate me about something you already have a high degree if comfort with? It makes no sense, it makes it seem as if you must feel guilty.
Click to expand...
Guilty??? I have felt guilty about a lot of things in my life but reading Harry Potter is not one of them.

There is no harm in a mature child or adult reading the books. haven’t i been saying all along that parents should judge the maturity of their childern before letting them read the books?

Your right Tom why waste my typing on a man who believes he is the defenitive answer when it comes to what can leading souls astray.

My only problem with people who trash HP is that kids pick up on that and that they might see reading as a bad thing and might stop reading for enjoyment. Thank heavens that as a child my parents trusted me and taught me that imagination is a wonderful thing and supported my sister and i when we wanted to read. To this day i enjoy reading more than TV. For as great as movies like Lord of the Rings were on the big screen they will never compete with my imagination from reading the book.
 
beckers said:
Guilty??? I have felt guilty about a lot of things in my life but reading Harry Potter is not one of them.

There is no harm in a mature child or adult reading the books. haven’t i been saying all along that parents should judge the maturity of their childern before letting them read the books?

Your right Tom why waste my typing on a man who believes he is the defenitive answer when it comes to what can leading souls astray.

My only problem with people who trash HP is that kids pick up on that and that they might see reading as a bad thing and might stop reading for enjoyment. Thank heavens that as a child my parents trusted me and taught me that imagination is a wonderful thing and supported my sister and i when we wanted to read. To this day i enjoy reading more than TV. For as great as movies like Lord of the Rings were on the big screen they will never compete with my imagination from reading the book.
Click to expand...
Exactly, you are wasting your time. You enjoy the books, fine. We have a disagreement, no big deal that happens. I feel the books are dangerous and want warn potential readers to that side of it so that they might steer clear of that trash.

I do not develop opinions with weak information, I have studied this quite deeply and yes I am convinced.
 
Tom317 said:
He was the chief exorcist for the Vatican, not your local parish Priest. The man knows this stuff way better then we do, to that I would hope you would agree. I think he deserves the benfit of the doubt, especially since the Vatican sees these matters important enough to appoint a chief exorcist and also because the Vatican never corrected Father Amroth’s statements. We are not free to willy nilly think such people are nut cases as you seem to think.

You seem to be in serious denial of the true nature ot satan and his demons.
Click to expand...
I dont live like you in that just because someone has more knowledge than I, I should ALWAYS give them benefit of the doubt. In the beginning, yes, we should - until someone proves they shouldnt get that benefit any longer. In the beginning I DID give him that - until he I read his “daily talks ith devil” stuff - then, using MY discernment which God gave me and which I am entitled to, he therefore LOST the benefit of the doubt I originally gave him. 😉
 
Tom317 said:
Yes, I go out of my way because I think HP is dangerous. People who support the books do not think it is dangerous at all, so why do they care if I and others try to dissuade people? It makes no sense, it is as if those same people have a bit of guilt going.
Click to expand...
And I like to go out of my way to convince others not to accept such fundamentalist equations that HP is EVIL and the same as porn 😉

And you should really learn how to imterpret posts. Never did I call YOU names - I said you arguments are silly - not YOU theres a difference - as big a difference as HP not being the same as porn 😉
 
Tom317 said:
beckers,

Tell me, you read the books and liked them, correct?

You see no harm in them, correct?

You don’t buy into the potential of leading young souls astray, correct?

Tehn why are you here and why are you bothering to debate me about something you already have a high degree if comfort with? It makes no sense, it makes it seem as if you must feel guilty.
Click to expand...
Maybe like I said, we are here and chime in to take extremity away from those like you who equate HP or other such material as being pure evil and the same as porn. We have every right to counter your assertions as you have in CONTINUALLY making them 😉
 
CathCentrist said:
And I like to go out of my way to convince others not to accept such fundamentalist equations that HP is EVIL and the same as porn 😉

And you should really learn how to imterpret posts. Never did I call YOU names - I said you arguments are silly - not YOU theres a difference - as big a difference as HP not being the same as porn 😉
Click to expand...
And…I have explained several times that porn and HP are the same on one level, and that is the level satan being able to use it to lead souls astray. Using porn is a clear and obvious sin, reading HP is not a sin, it is just not wise to read them. So, the use of porn is a mortal sin, and HP reading is not, which means on the level of sin there is not comparison. However, on the level of satan being able to use them, imo they are the same.

You should really learn how to interpret posts.
 
CathCentrist said:
Maybe like I said, we are here and chime in to take extremity away from those like you who equate HP or other such material as being pure evil and the same as porn. We have every right to counter your assertions as you have in CONTINUALLY making them 😉
Click to expand...
Yes, you have every right, but I think you protest so much that come across as having a guilty conscience, as if deep down you know I am right.

There is really no other explanation that makes sense, because after all it is just a work of fiction and you really should not care if any does or does not read the books, yet you and hundreds like you, fight, fight, fight like crazy to make others read the books.

If people like you encouraged others to read the Bible like you do about Hp, the world would change practically overnight.

Now, gee, I wonder if satan would like the fact that so many people irrationally defend an evil work like HP?
 
Thats tired as well - You tried telling the other poster he must be guilty - Get new material. I will keep responding every single time you keep posting in the extreme. I have zero guilt about HP. I could go to Church, take communion, come home and read HP and not feel a twinge of guilt.
 
Tom317 said:
Yes, you have every right, but I think you protest so much that come across as having a guilty conscience, as if deep down you know I am right.

There is really no other explanation that makes sense, because after all it is just a work of fiction and you really should not care if any does or does not read the books, yet you and hundreds like you, fight, fight, fight like crazy to make others read the books.

If people like you encouraged others to read the Bible like you do about Hp, the world would change practically overnight.

Now, gee, I wonder if satan would like the fact that so many people irrationally defend an evil work like HP?
Click to expand...
Again, you assume things. I dont encourage anyone to read HP - I just state its neutral - If anyone is encouraging anything its your sad mission to convince people to NOT read it.

I dont care either way if they do or dont read the series - I just want them to know its not evil in and of itself - If I encourage anything its to suggest to others to ignore the extremists in the matter such as yourself.
 
CathCentrist said:
Again, you assume things. I dont encourage anyone to read HP - I just state its neutral - If anyone is encouraging anything its your sad mission to convince people to NOT read it.

I dont care either way if they do or dont read the series - I just want them to know its not evil in and of itself - If I encourage anything its to suggest to others to ignore the extremists in the matter such as yourself.
Click to expand...
Fine, I got that. But, what if you are wrong? What if Father Amorth, Cardinal Ratzinger, and thousands of others (including me) are correct when they say HP can be dangerous to some children? You firmly believe the books are not harmful, fine. But again, what if you are wrong? Are the souls of children worth the risk?

Now, before you respond, please take a breath and think about what I just said, don’t just knee-jerk respond. An extremely high level Cardinal, and a Priest exorcist )along with many other members of the clergy btw), have shown some reservations about the books. Do you really think you know more about the nature of evil then those men?

IMO, if there is even the slightest risk, even if that risk is less then one-percent, then that is too much when it comes to using entertainment, which is all HP is anyway.

Let me close my responses on this thread with this final analogy (not a perfect analogy, but I think you’ll understand):

I am married and have kids. I really like motorcycles and often have wanted to purchase one. I have a family member who likes to skydive and has invited me to go with him. As a Catholic father and husband I accept that my “wants” are completely unimportant because my real job is to care for my family. As a responsible parent and husband I must make every effort to be there for my family, so even though the risk of using motorcycles and skydiving is quite low, there is still a risk and if I did those things I would be risking my life for the sake of personal pleasure. IMO, that is just plain wrong because once I chose to have a family, I no longer live just for myself. So, I do not buy a motorcycle, I do not go skydiving, I do not do a bunch of things that might put me in harms way, and I also will not take even the slightest risk with my childrens souls for the sake of personal pleasure (reading a novel). And, I feel that no child should be placed at risk, even if that risk is very small. That is why I speaks so often about this subject. In essence, if I am right, then children are a risk; if I am wrong, then it is not going to hurt a child if he/she does not read HP.

Thanks for the chat, we have talked this into the ground.

God Bless
 
What if I am correct and HE is wrong? And please - I dont buy into (in this case) better to have obeyed or taken the advice then not to have - doesnt hold water for me in this instance.

And since I truly believe its NOT evil and the Church has NOT ever nor will they ever condemn that book or other books, I dont even think a stay-over in Purgatory will be mandated - and if I was wrong and you were correct then as far as heavenly brownie-points are concerned - you can have the head of the table for not reading HP and I lowley sinner me for reading HP will gladly take the far end - after my relegatory stay in purgatory for reading HP of course. Seacrest - OUT! 😃
 
My kids read HP and thoroughly enjoyed them. I saw the movies and thought they were great.

My kids didn’t read HP (or anything else for that matter) in a vacuum. From the time they were very young we made sure that they had an understanding of the Faith and could interpret anything they read, whether fantasy or journalistic, against the standard of the Christian Faith. We would compare and contrast Christianity with HP and have some interesting discussions in the process.

I always taught my kids never to be afraid of an idea. If an idea comes along it should be put to the test and judged against the Truth. I won’t always be there to rip the book from their hands but I can give them the tools now to make sense of it all as they make the Faith their own in adulthood.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

Take the book/magazine/newspaper/web page away from your child and you save them for a day. Teach them to judge what they read in the light of God’s revelation and you save them for a lifetime. This is a precious gift we need to give our children.

My daughter is at Boston University and she is bombarded with ideas. Hopefully she remembers how to “fish”.
 
a_priori said:
My kids read HP and thoroughly enjoyed them. I saw the movies and thought they were great.

My kids didn’t read HP (or anything else for that matter) in a vacuum. From the time they were very young we made sure that they had an understanding of the Faith and could interpret anything they read, whether fantasy or journalistic, against the standard of the Christian Faith. We would compare and contrast Christianity with HP and have some interesting discussions in the process.

I always taught my kids never to be afraid of an idea. If an idea comes along it should be put to the test and judged against the Truth. I won’t always be there to rip the book from their hands but I can give them the tools now to make sense of it all as they make the Faith their own in adulthood.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

Take the book/magazine/newspaper/web page away from your child and you save them for a day. Teach them to judge what they read in the light of God’s revelation and you save them for a lifetime. This is a precious gift we need to give our children.

My daughter is at Boston University and she is bombarded with ideas. Hopefully she remembers how to “fish”.
Click to expand...
Excellent point. 👍

my father did the same and my sister and i are very well informed and many times when reading i will catch those things that do not agrue with my faith. MY parents raised us and trusted us.
 
a_priori said:
My kids read HP and thoroughly enjoyed them. I saw the movies and thought they were great.

My kids didn’t read HP (or anything else for that matter) in a vacuum. From the time they were very young we made sure that they had an understanding of the Faith and could interpret anything they read, whether fantasy or journalistic, against the standard of the Christian Faith. We would compare and contrast Christianity with HP and have some interesting discussions in the process.

I always taught my kids never to be afraid of an idea. If an idea comes along it should be put to the test and judged against the Truth. I won’t always be there to rip the book from their hands but I can give them the tools now to make sense of it all as they make the Faith their own in adulthood.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

Take the book/magazine/newspaper/web page away from your child and you save them for a day. Teach them to judge what they read in the light of God’s revelation and you save them for a lifetime. This is a precious gift we need to give our children.

My daughter is at Boston University and she is bombarded with ideas. Hopefully she remembers how to “fish”.
Click to expand...
This is why I won’t condemn HP. It doesn’t present a danger to everyone. Only some…
 
I think that parents should be responsible in guiding their kids who read Harry Potter. I’ve been reading it since I was eleven and I have not felt any urge to practice witchcraft or sorcery. I see Harry Potter books the same way I see Cinderella, Snow White, and other fairy tales.
 
Tom317 said:
I did not think you would use such filth. However, the point I am making is that we do NOT need to personally read or experience everything in order to hold a valid opinion. You, and I, would not use porn because we know its nature and would stay away from it. You personally see HP as harmless, I do not agree. You have read the books, I have many people who have described the books in very good detail to me and I find no reason to read them, very much like I do not need to buy a porn magazine to know it is bad. I also did not read “The Da Vinci Code” because I read a ton of trusted sources on the subject who did read the book and I refused to add one dime to the publisher’s and author’s satanic attempt to attack the Church.

I also do not need to watch a plethora of movies or tv shows after I read what their content is…that is called being wise, it is not a lack of trust.

You said I do not trust my kids, you are right, I do not trust them to have a fully formed conscience yet, that is because they are still KIDS! What they do as adults is between them and God, and I have no say in it at that point.
Click to expand...
AMEN!!!

sspx.ca/Communicantes/Aug2001/Harry_Potter_Good_Evil.htm
 
Ten Arguments Against Harry Potter - By Woman Who Corresponded with Cardinal Ratzinger
Gabriele Kuby author of Harry Potter: Good or Evil
  1. Harry Potter is a global long term project to change the culture. In the young generation inhibitions against magic and the occult are being destroyed. Thus, forces re-enter society which Christianity had overcome.
  2. Hogwarts, the school of magic and witchcraft, is a closed world of violence and horror, of cursing and bewitching, of racist ideology, of blood sacrifice, disgust and obsession. There is an atmosphere of continuous threat, which the young reader cannot escape.
  3. While Harry Potter appears in the beginning to fight against evil, in fact the similarities between him and Voldemort, the arch-evil adversary in the tale, become more and more obvious. In volume five, Harry is being obsessed by Voldemort, which leads to symptoms of personality disintegration.
  4. The human world becomes degraded, the world of witches and sorcerers becomes glorified.
  5. There is no positive transcendent dimension. The supernatural is entirely demonic. Devine symbols are perverted.
  6. Harry Potter is no modern fairy tale. In fairy tales sorcerers and witches are unambiguous figures of evil. The hero escapes their power through the exercise of virtue. In the Harry Potter universe there is no character that endeavours consistently to achieve good. For seemingly good ends evil means are being used.
  7. A (young!) reader’s power of discernment of good and evil is blocked out through emotional manipulation and intellectual confusion.
  8. It is an assault upon the young generation, seducing it playfully into a world of witchcraft and sorcery, filling the imagination of the young with images of a world in which evil reigns, from which there is no escape, on the contrary, it is portrayed as highly desirable.
  9. Those who value plurality of opinion should resist the nearly overwhelming power of this peer pressure, which is being accomplished through a gigantic corporate and multimedia blitz–one which displays elements of totalitarian brainwashing.
  10. Since through the Potter books faith in a loving God is systematically undermined, even destroyed in many young people, through false “values” and mockery of Judeo-Christian truth, the introduction of these books in schools is intolerant. Parents should refuse permission for their children to take part in Potter indoctrination for reasons of faith and conscience.
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Pope Opposes Harry Potter Novels - Signed Letters from Cardinal Ratzinger Now Online
[lifesite.net/ldn/2005/jul/05071301.html](http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/jul/<a%20href=http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/jul/05071301.html>http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/jul/05071301.html</a>)
 
I have’t read through the whole thread, so I am sorry if this has been posted. cathnews.com/news/302/10.php

I remember reading this article way back when.

I have always allowed my children to read HP and see the movies, and I have done so myself. I respect the rights of others to decide if their children should not be exposed to HP, but I can find no danger in it.

imo
 
It’s not much different than Bewitched…which I grew up with…If a child has a weak foundation…yes, he/she could be jaded by the HP books. My kids read these books…saw the movies…we watched all the movies as a family…and they could care less about HP now. It was a phase…the latest craze in children’s literature…I don’t think it’s worth making a big fuss over.

If you don’t want your kids to read the series…then don’t let them. But, these books are fictional stories…like any other fictional story. Should my kids not read Romeo and Juliet…because I’m afraid they might commit suicide? Should I prevent them from reading Lord of the Flies because I’m afraid they will develop violent tendencies? HP is a fictional series…when we make more out of it than it is…maybe that will intrigue kids. Sometimes downplaying something is a better route. Just my .$02:shrug:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top