Some Christians Still Denounce Harry Potter as Dangerous

  • Thread starter Thread starter irishpatrick
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
I’m going to rip out of the kid’s hands his copy of the history of the East German secret police, because he might become an informant. Then, tear down the safari-themed wallpaper in the den, because of the possibility of malaria.
 
It leads to Wicca.
I disagree if only for the reason that those with even a very basic understanding of Wicca know that it is nothing like the witchcraft and wizardry in Harry Potter. Besides, I’ve never heard of one doccumented case of anyone adopting Wicca because of the Harry Potter series.
Most people know that I don’t find the books themselves to be great literature, or even good literature in the strictest sense, especially in the later books.
They may not be bestowed with a literary classic title and they may not appeal to adults but, afterall, they were written for children. Frankly, I find the fact that children as young as 5 were/are willing and eager to read a book 870 pages in length (in the case of the Order of The Phoenix) to be amazing.
 
I disagree if only for the reason that those with even a very basic understanding of Wicca know that it is nothing like the witchcraft and wizardry in Harry Potter. Besides, I’ve never heard of one doccumented case of anyone adopting Wicca because of the Harry Potter series.

They may not be bestowed with a literary classic title and they may not appeal to adults but, afterall, they were written for children. Frankly, I find the fact that children as young as 5 were/are willing and eager to read a book 870 pages in length (in the case of the Order of The Phoenix) to be amazing.
I strongly disagree with your last statement. The very fact that a five year-old will read an 870 page book is something we should not applaud, imo we should be very worried about the “whys” of such an effort. That into itself seems to be an unnatural act.

Better to never read at all, than to lose one’s soul. I am not saying HP will cause the loss of even one soul, but the notion that ALL reading by children is good is something I just completely reject. Not everything is worthy of reading.
 
Whom shall I follow for the truth?

An Agnostic and Charmed Anglican -or- Catholic Exorcists and the Pope?

God Bless you.
+Jesus, I Trust In You!
Love, Dawn
 
Why must you take it as fear mongering, rather than simple questioning?

Should we not, as Catholics, be choosing things that build children up in the faith at every chance?

I am not one who agrees with the notion that kids reading HP is good just because they are reading…I think that is a silly point of view.
I don’t know what you should do as Catholics. If I wanted to protect kids from bad influences, I’d burn all but one or two books, because whether history or fiction, they all present evil in various forms, and typically far worse than whatever it is that wickens do.

Don’t read a history of the nazi extermination camps, or someone’s faith might be destroyed, is that how it works?
 
Catholic Exorcists and the Pope
The statements made by Benedict XVI about the Harry Potter series are just opinions and were not made infallibly. As far as the exorcist is concerned; his allegations are unsubstantiated.
 
As kids, we all read the books. There were times when I’d be up at 3:00AM on a school night still reading. I know people that have read them a dozen times and we all turned out alright. We didn’t become Satan worshipers and I’m still Catholic, so it’s harmless. It’s called differentiating between fact and fiction
 
Whom shall I follow for the truth?

An Agnostic and Charmed Anglican -or- Catholic Exorcists and the Pope?

God Bless you.
+Jesus, I Trust In You!
Love, Dawn
Ad hominen arguments aren’t permitted here. But if you make them, drop the pretense of the “God bless”.
 
Whom shall I follow for the truth?

An Agnostic and Charmed Anglican -or- Catholic Exorcists and the Pope?

God Bless you.
+Jesus, I Trust In You!
Love, Dawn
In today’s world, it is none of the above. People will follow their own conscience most of the time. Unless the Church or the Pope makes an infallible declaration, people (including many, many Catholics) will follow the dictates of their own hearts.
 
Whom shall I follow for the truth?

An Agnostic and Charmed Anglican -or- Catholic Exorcists and the Pope?

God Bless you.
+Jesus, I Trust In You!
Love, Dawn
Neither, they’re fallible human beings. Read the books or watch the movies and formulate your own opinion. It’s not good to pre-judge
 
You were never a 50th level half elven/tribble warrior mage casting screes of mountain dew and cheetos?
 
Ad hominen arguments aren’t permitted here. But if you make them, drop the pretense of the “God bless”.
Not an ad hominen…it was a question or challenge. Big difference.

Who will people follow? That is a valid question, not an attack.
 
The first book came out in Nov. 2001. We are 9 years out.

Statistics PLEASE on the number of children who have joined the occult because of Harry Potter… Or not even because of, but have read it…
 
Not an ad hominen…it was a question or challenge. Big difference.

Who will people follow? That is a valid question, not an attack.
Did the pope direct you Catholics to avoid HP? And what on earth does an exorcist have to do with HP? Do you have aviation engineers explaining why you can’t really fly on brooms?
 
*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. 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. (CCC 2116)

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. (CCC 2117)*catholic.com/thisrock/2008/0807fea4sb1.asp

Now, HP is fiction, so people reading HP are not guilty of breaking anything said in the Catechism, that much is sure. However, against the background of formal teachings of the Church, all Catholics should give prayerful and considered thought to whether or not HP is a productive reading source.

WE are, after all, call to avoid things that even “might” pull us into sin.
 
…WE are, after all, call to avoid things that even “might” pull us into sin.
One would have to have a tenuous grasp or no grasp of the concept of Christianity to get pulled into wicca by HP. Even stone cold atheists laugh at this idea.
 
I do not think that Harry Potter is “satanic” but I do think that for certain children and teens, it could lean to an unhealthy curiosity of the Occult. That said, I don’t think this is likely to happen with most teenagers and children who are considered to be mentally stable.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top