Should I read Harry Potter books?

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Ok. My purpose for reading Harry Potter is not spiritual, it’s entertainment. So I don’t know what point you were trying to make.

I also read the newspaper, Lord of the Rings, Anne of Green Gables, Condé Nast travel magazines, and much more. We are allowed to read for entertainment, every single thing we read does not have to be spiritual reading.
 
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When I was a kid, I thought that these spells were just random words. But now I see they have actually meaning in english, latin. Not accurate but it refers to something. Confundo is similar to confussion? Silencio similar to silence?
 
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c1a1.htm

Divination and magic

2115 God can reveal the future to his prophets or to other saints. Still, a sound Christian attitude consists in putting oneself confidently into the hands of Providence for whatever concerns the future, and giving up all unhealthy curiosity about it. Improvidence, however, can constitute a lack of responsibility.

2116 All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to “unveil” the future.48 Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.

2117 All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one’s service and have a supernatural power over others - even if this were for the sake of restoring their health - are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons. Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another’s credulity.

Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis frequently said that the Devil is a concrete reality who still exerts his influence in modern times.

Pope Francis has said: “The Devil can’t stand seeing the holiness of the Church or the holiness of a person without trying to cause some kind of trouble.”

He also warned Catholics to never try to “dialogue” or argue with the Devil, but to “defend yourselves with the word of God”
 
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Go watch the video I posted yesterday on this thread. I agree that magic, occult practices, diviniation, etc… are wrong.
Francis said:
All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers,
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As the video explains, Harry’s world is not our world. In the books, he is not attempting to tame occult powers or do anything else that real, evil magic in our world does. It’s a fictional fantasy story like any other fantasy story, but for some reason some people are very against it. If you don’t want to read it, that’s fine, but it’s not a sin to do so.
 
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Francis said:
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c1a1.htm

Divination and magic

2115 God can reveal the future to his prophets or to other saints. Still, a sound Christian attitude consists in putting oneself confidently into the hands of Providence for whatever concerns the future, and giving up all unhealthy curiosity about it. Improvidence, however, can constitute a lack of responsibility.

2116 All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to “unveil” the future.48 Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.

2117 All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one’s service and have a supernatural power over others - even if this were for the sake of restoring their health - are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons. Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another’s credulity.
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All of which speaks to practice. Not to reading fiction.
 
Can you help me find Harry Potter in that document? It is not in the list of New Age books.
 
Well Faith comes by listening and reading good moral books vice-versa,a good Catholic should avoid such books

Sirach 15:11-20
11 Do not say, “It was the Lord’s doing that I fell away”; for he does not do what he hates.
12 Do not say, “It was he who led me astray”;for he has no need of the sinful.
13 The Lord hates all abominations such things are not loved by those who fear him.14 It was he who created humankind in the beginning and he left them in the power of their own free choice.
15 If you choose, you can keep the commandments and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice.16 He has placed before you fire and water;stretch out your hand for whichever you choose.
17 Before each person are life and death, and whichever one chooses will be given.
18 For great is the wisdom of the Lord;he is mighty in power and sees everything;
19 his eyes are on those who fear him,and he knows every human action.20 He has not commanded anyone to be wicked and he has not given anyone permission to sin.

some recently read two books on exorcisms, and they both warn about Harry Potter. Please, parents, don’t take your kids to see this movie, and keep these books out of your house. The devil is real, and he don’t play.
 
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Just as St. Basil was right to call books the food of the soul; because just as food is pleasurable while we eat it, and goes on to become human blood, so a book pleases when read—for who reads unwillingly?—and thus is more quickly digested.

Therefore, to avoid the company of anyone who speaks falsely, how much more ought Christians to avoid harmful books, which corrupt readers much more easily than speech? If the spoken word that instantly flits away still creeps in like a cancer and deals a mortal wound, what evil might not come from a dangerous book, which remains a perpetual font of subversion? An impious and immoral book can make its way into any home which will cause shipwreck of our soul.Catholic should avoid such books

1 Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.

1 Corinthians 10:2323 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.
 
Harry Potter is a fictional book and has nothing to do with so-called New Age practice.
 
@Mi_Rose , @Sarcelle

See my above post or the verse below .
By St. Alphonsus Liguori
The reading of spiritual works is as profitable as the reading of bad books is noxious. As the former has led to the conversion of many sinners, so the latter is every day the ruin of many young persons. The first author of pious books is the Spirit of God; but the author of pernicious writings is the devil, who often artfully conceals from certain persons the poison that such works contain, and makes these persons believe that the reading of such books is necessary in order to speak well, and to acquire a knowledge of the world for their own direction, or at least in order to pass the time agreeably. But I say that, especially for nuns, nothing is more pernicious than the reading of bad books. And by bad books I mean not only those that are condemned by the Holy See, either because they contain heresy, or treat of subjects opposed to chastity, but also all books that treat of worldly love. What fervor can a religious have if she reads romances, comedies, or profane poetry? What recollection can she have in meditation or at Communion? Can she be called the spouse of Jesus Christ? Should she not rather be called the spouse of a sinful world? Even young women in the world that are in the habit of reading such books are generally not virtuous seculars.

Leviticus 19:3131
“ ‘Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 20:66
“ ‘I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people.
 
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But some one may say, What harm is there in reading romances and profane poetry when they contain nothing immodest? Do you ask what harm? Behold the harm: the reading of such works kindles the concupiscence of the senses, and awakens the passions; these easily gain the consent of the will, or at least render it so weak that when the occasion of any dangerous affection occurs the devil finds the soul already prepared to allow itself to be conquered. A wise author has said that by the reading of such pernicious books heresy has made, and makes every day, great progress; because such reading has given and gives increased strength to libertinism. The poison of these books enters gradually into the soul; it first makes itself master of the understanding, then infects the will, and in the end kills the soul. The devil finds no means more efficacious and secure of sending a young person to perdition than the reading of such poisoned works.

Remember also that for you certain useless books, though not bad, will be pernicious; because they will make you lose the time that you can employ in occupations profitable to the soul. In a letter to his disciple Eustochium, St. Jerome stated for her instruction that in his solitude at Bethlehem he was attached to the works of Cicero, and frequently read them, and that he felt a certain disgust for pious books because their style was not polished. He was seized with a serious malady, in which he saw himself at the tribunal of Jesus Christ. The Lord said to him: “Tell me; what are you?” “I am,” replied the saint, “a Christian.” “No,” rejoined the Judge, “you are a Ciceronian, not a Christian.” He then commanded him to be instantly scourged. The saint promised to correct his fault, and having returned from the vision he found his shoulders livid and covered with wounds in consequence of the chastisement that he had received. Thenceforward he gave up the works of Cicero, and devoted himself to the reading of books of piety. It is true that in the works like those of Cicero we sometimes find useful sentiments; but the same St. Jerome wisely said in a letter to another disciple: “What need have you of seeking for a little gold in the midst of so much mire,” when you can read pious books in which you may find all gold without any mire?

As the reading of bad books fills the mind with worldly and poisonous sentiments; so, on the other hand, the reading of pious works fills the soul with holy thoughts and good desires.
 
That was no answer. It was trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Have you read the Harry Potter books?
 
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Oh, good! We’ve gotten to the last pitiful argument of this completely insane recurring pattern of BS! “Well, even if there’s nothing technically wrong with Harry Potter (or fill in the blank) you’re STILL wrong to read it because you could be reading Butler’s Lives of the Saints.” Unless you are a cloistered religious that has successfully managed to learn to live on four hours of sleep so you can devote every possible second to contemplative prayer and study of sacred literature, then you are hypocrite to use this argument. Reading a Harry Potter book takes a few hours of someone’s life. It’s not an excuse for avoiding one’s spiritual obligations or for neglecting to read religious books.
 
It’s funny because the current US president won’t read his PDB unless it’s full of pictures in it.
 
Yea for a compromised Catholic, it’s ok. Trying to be holy if for everyone, not for the religious alone.its ones own free will to be good Catholic.to avoid such books is a better choice.
 
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Exactly–the magic in the Harry Potter novels is really nothing more than a MacGuffin. The actual story is about love and sacrifice being more powerful than evil.

It is good to read spiritual works, Scripture, hagiographies, and works written by saints; it is no more necessary to read only such works as it would be to eat only the plainest foods in just the amounts needed to sustain life, and never enjoy a bite of chocolate.
 
So, this is how this nonsense plays out. You tell your 10yo that they can’t read Harry Potter because the author is a real witch who went to witch school and the spells are real spells that absolutely burned down someone’s house. Also, the self-proclaimed “Vatican’s Top Exorcist” said so, and there’s no possible was he could have been mistaken or getting a little senile in his old age. They must accept his judgement without question. To do anything else is to turn away from God. That 10yo growns up and eventually discovers Harry Potter because it’s out there and they’re going to see it. They are going to realize that the reasons you gave them were lies. Depending on your relationship with them, they may attribute the lies directly to you, or to your gullibility, but either way, your authority and judgement is called into question. Even worse, the authority of the Church is called into question because they were instructed to accept the opinion of the self-proclaimed “Vatican’s top exorcist” as practically infallible and it is obvious that the things he claimed are simply not true. Don’t lie to your kids in order to get them to avoid a harmless children’s book. And repeating something you heard from someone else (Like JK Rowling attended witch school.) when you have no evidence to back that up and ALL POSSIBLE evidence that it isn’t true counts as spreading a LIE. If you are really concerned that reading about fantasy magic (which in this case is an innate ability that fictional characters are given without having to make any deals with the devil or sacrifice their intergrity) will cause your children to develop an interest in completely unrelated pagan or wiccan practices, then tell them that is your reason. You are the parent and you have the authority to tell your kids what they may not read. But don’t lie to them or use obvious lies that you heard from others. You are responsible for the truthfulness of the information you give your children. You can’t say that it’s ok because the lie supported what you already concluded to be the truth. It’s still a lie. Don’t lie. It’s not ok. You don’t want to teach your children that it’s okay to use false or questionable information in order to win an argument or get your way.
 
Perhaps those who think they are better Catholics than others because they don’t read certain fiction could better use their time in reading spiritual works on the subject of humility, than trying to tell random strangers what they can and can’t read.
 
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