Warnings about Harry Potter

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It seems to me that the books are pretty straight forward good verses evil stories, along with the whole coming of age storyline.

Witchcraft is just a genre, similiar to science fiction or fantasy. The witchcraft itself is not the main story line.

I think that these stories are as potentially corrupting as the tv series, “Bewitched!,” but far more entertaining.

I have actually read every book and seen every movie that is out. These are probably these cleanest movies about young adults that are out, and in addition, the major themes are about the power of love and friendship and the value of sacrifice for those that we love.

I am a fan, and I think that these stories are good.
 
Brooklyn said:
Next week a new Harry Potter movie comes out, and I thought it would be a good time to re-warn everyone about this series. There was a thread previously on this forum about Harry Potter, and I was amazed at how many people defend these stories.

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=340846&highlight=HARRY+POTTER

Father Gabriel Amorth, the Vatican chief exorcist, has warned about Harry Potter time and again. For example:

theage.com.au/news/arts/harry-potter-satanic-popes-exorcist/2006/08/31/1156817037586.html

Another:

homilia.org/Potter/exorcista.htm

I’ve 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.

Mary
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Once again, Harry Potter books and movies have visited us sneaking into our lives destroying little childrens minds? How? It’s a movie and was created, advertised and printed as fiction. It means it is not real. Harry Potter does not challenge or weaken the church. Maybe in some people’s minds, but that is not legitimate. Superman flies through the air and is not real, but he is ok. The Wolfman (he would bite innocent people to death), Dracula, He killed innocent people by sucking their blood out of them) the creature from the black lagoon (he would drown people), Frankenstien (Killed anyone in his way) and all were not real, but for some reason are better or less evil than Harry Potter?

We need to focus on what is important and Harry Potter will not end the world as we know it.😉
 
I’ve not read the books, as I’d rather read stories about Drizzt or Richard Rahl, if I’m gong to read fantasies.

However, the movies I have seen (nearly all of). They are about as dangerous as watching the Star Wars movies.

The only people who have a problem with either are people who can’t separate fantasy from reality very well. Kids qualify, but that’s why they have parents/caregivers to help them realize what is fiction/fantasy.

If a kid wants to learn magic after watching these movies, there are a few options that I think are highly effective:
  • Thoroughly explain what fiction is.
  • Tell them to practice magic all they want. But also tell them that it’s only worth doing things that have an actual function. Since magic (in terms of conjuring lighting bolts, or lifting objects with the Force) doesn’t actually exist, it won’t function. They’ll give it up on their own, with parental guidance here and there, when they see it doesn’t actually do anything.
Is Harry Potter a ‘potential’ corrupting influence? Certainly. About as much as Luke Skywalker.

The people I really worry about are the adults who can’t separate fact from fiction. Like people who think Harry Potter is dangerous…
 
SaltySirena said:
Okay, that’s it. I’m out. It’s obviously hopeless.
And with all due respect to the Holy Father, the Bible is a “potentially corrupting influence” if you follow the wrong examples in it or interpret the message incorrectly. Just as it seems many people do with Harry Potter.
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That is some twisted theology.
 
Father Gabriel Amorth knows a whole lot about the occult, but almost nothing about Harry Potter.

The magic in Harry Potter has nothing whatsoever to do with the occult. Fr. Amorth’s point that there is no distinction between black and white magic is irrelevant because under his definition of the word magic, there is no magic in Harry Potter at all. Under the definition of magic in which magic is evil, demonic, and something of an immoral alternative to prayer; under the definition of magic in which magic is condemned in the Bible, there simply is no magic anywhere in Harry Potter. The"magic" in Harry is entirely different in kind from what Fr. Amorth calls magic; the “magic” in Harry Potter is literary, incantational magic that has a long literary history as a grand symbol for the spiritual life. It’s not the same thing, period end.

Harry Potter is implicitly and explicitly Christian. It’s saturated with spiritual symbolism. For heaven’s sake, the seventh book quotes the Bible twice!

John Granger is the most well-known Christian literary critic of Harry Potter. His writing is not spectacular stylistically, but most of his criticism is dead on.
Last year the Pope, then Cardinal Ratzinger, described Harry Potter as a potentially corrupting influence.
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This is stretching the truth to the breaking point and beyond. What actually happened was this:

A woman sent her anti-Harry Potter book to Cardinal Ratzinger (that he later became Pope is not relevant; a cardinal is involved here, not a Pope). The Cardinal (or a page in his office) sent her back a very brief note, thanking her for encouraging people to be discerning about what their children read and for enlightening people about the dangers of these particular books, and encouraging her to contact a priest in the Vatican who deals more directly with these things. In other words, it was a polite form letter along the lines of “Lady, I’m really busy.” The woman did send her books to that priest, who sent her back a 4 page single spaced letter telling her how wrong she was. She then got LifeSiteNews (not exactly a reliable news outlet) to run a story entitled “Pope Opposes Harry Potter Novels.”

So no, Pope Benedict probably has never read and certainly doesn’t give a damn about any of the Harry Potter novels, and he certainly hasn’t condemned them.
 
My objection to the Harry Potter books and movies is that it legitimizes “junk science”. People start to believe that the kind of stuff portrayed as science in the books and movies is real science. And that super scientific achievements are cheap and easy.

Real science is difficult and there is a long history of the maths that describe what is real.

[Interested folks should browse through a copy of “The Handbook of Chemistry & Physics”. You could probably buy an older copy for very cheap on the internet or at a library book sale. The stuff inside is still valid, but it doesn’t have the most recent additions.]

But most folks are intimidated by what I call the “tyranny of numbers”.

[Someone once asked me what “e” was (in a scientific formula). They didn’t have that in school, which shocked me. You need to learn what “e” is. It’s not really that difficult. But, in science, you need to study, among other things, logs and natural logs. If you’re curious (and you should be curious), you can easily look this stuff up … on the internet … or in a book.]

Unhappily you just can’t wish away real scientific experiments and collecting huge quantities of numbers and getting other people to review them and maybe running the risk of severe criticism … but that is real science.

I was listening to a caller on a talk radio program going on and one about how we would replace coal for electric generation with fuel cells. Well, the fuels cells don’t really exist in any economical form. Another person said we would switch to a hydrogen economy … but hydrogen doesn’t really exist except for the main engine on the Space Shuttle … VERY expensive and very difficult … think about how difficult it is to handle cryogenics.

But watching Harry Potter and wishing it was that easy is much easier than getting a degree in nuclear engineering.
 
I also like Amy Welborn’s assesment of the series (however incomplete it is given that it was written between the release of books 4 and 5 in the series):
There’s only one reason the Harry Potter books are in the least bit controversial. Just one.
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Wicca.
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That’s it. If we didn’t have this ridiculous little “religion” bustling around, forming “covens” in dorm rooms and getting army chaplains, I doubt one parent in a million would even think to waste even a minute being concerned about these books.
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Al Masetti–

Do you really think the Harry Potter books have much of anything to say about science, or that readers will reach conclusions about science from reading them? It hadn’t even occurred to me. I don’t think Rowling is at all suggesting that science is anything like the magic in her books. For one thing, the magic in her books is at times just a part of the setting, at other times a symbol for the spiritual life, and perhaps other things at other times, but I don’t see how it ever has anything to do with science. for another thing, in Harry Potter, magic is never the answer. Love (and other virtues, like friendship) are always the answer. The books suggest again and again that magic cannot and should not solve the characters’ problems; hard work and love and sacrifice need to do that. So, while the magic in the books may be “easy” compared to real science (I’m not sure even of that; a lot of time is spent on how difficult it is to study at Hogwarts), magic is not a symbol for real-world science, and it isnt the solution to any problems anyway.
 
Al_Masetti said:
My objection to the Harry Potter books and movies is that it legitimizes “junk science”. People start to believe that the kind of stuff portrayed as science in the books and movies is real science. And that super scientific achievements are cheap and easy.

Real science is difficult and there is a long history of the maths that describe what is real.

[Interested folks should browse through a copy of “The Handbook of Chemistry & Physics”. You could probably buy an older copy for very cheap on the internet or at a library book sale. The stuff inside is still valid, but it doesn’t have the most recent additions.]

But most folks are intimidated by what I call the “tyranny of numbers”.

[Someone once asked me what “e” was (in a scientific formula). They didn’t have that in school, which shocked me. You need to learn what “e” is. It’s not really that difficult. But, in science, you need to study, among other things, logs and natural logs. If you’re curious (and you should be curious), you can easily look this stuff up … on the internet … or in a book.]

Unhappily you just can’t wish away real scientific experiments and collecting huge quantities of numbers and getting other people to review them and maybe running the risk of severe criticism … but that is real science.

I was listening to a caller on a talk radio program going on and one about how we would replace coal for electric generation with fuel cells. Well, the fuels cells don’t really exist in any economical form. Another person said we would switch to a hydrogen economy … but hydrogen doesn’t really exist except for the main engine on the Space Shuttle … VERY expensive and very difficult … think about how difficult it is to handle cryogenics.

But watching Harry Potter and wishing it was that easy is much easier than getting a degree in nuclear engineering.
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I think it’s wonderful that you have a problem with Harry Potter for a reason that actually makes sense! However, does Harry Potter actually do that? From the movies (haven’t read the books), it doesn’t seem to act like science at all. It’s just fantastical magical fiction. Perhaps the books are different?

I’d be more concerned, in the way you are, about a science fiction show, like Star Trek, where some people take the science of it too seriously (even though most of the show is entertaining pseudo-science).

My point here is that Harry Potter doesn’t ‘try’ to be science-like at all, and a show like Star Trek does. (You have some people thinking the future literally will be like that, transporters and all, and you have other people thinking that space-ship engineering solutions can happen in minutes (untested) because Geordi did it a bunch of time.)
 
DustinM said:
I think it’s wonderful that you have a problem with Harry Potter for a reason that actually makes sense! However, does Harry Potter actually do that? From the movies (haven’t read the books), it doesn’t seem to act like science at all. It’s just fantastical magical fiction. Perhaps the books are different?

I’d be more concerned, in the way you are, about a science fiction show, like Star Trek, where some people take the science of it too seriously (even though most of the show is entertaining pseudo-science).

My point here is that Harry Potter doesn’t ‘try’ to be science-like at all, and a show like Star Trek does. (You have some people thinking the future literally will be like that, transporters and all, and you have other people thinking that space-ship engineering solutions can happen in minutes (untested) because Geordi did it a bunch of time.)
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Fantasy is wonderful stuff.

But I have adult friends with science degrees who fall for the “stuff” in movies all the time. When they ask me about it and I explain, they come back with, “but the movie is BASED on fact”. When actually, the only thing factual is the name of the movie … and the movie content is purely believable falsehoods.

One of my friends makes movies. He has made a lot of money … bought a plane … and a racehorse … all the very expensive toys … is building a gorgeous house. A lot of money. One day he said that he “could make [four letter word for excrement] look like candy”. I apologize for being coarse. But those are his words. And that is the reality of watching movies. It’s just not real, but it is very believable.

[If you want to have some fun with movies, watch a movie with the sound off. Some years ago, I was on a trans-Atlantic flight and the movie was “Jaws”. I wasn’t interested so I didn’t use the headphones. I had a book and looked up from time to time at the soundless film. Without the distraction of the music and sound, I could clearly see the hinges in the jaws of the shark. When I mentioned it to my friend, he laughed and said he loved “Bruce” … they called the mechanical shark “Bruce”.]

My friend reported that when they made the movie, “The Right Stuff”, one of the technical advisors was Chuck Yeager, the world’s greatest test pilot. Yeager was so concerned with the lack of reality that he showed up on location with cases of beer and spent the evenings telling the actors and crew actual stories to attempt to give them some sense of reality that they might somehow convey to the screen. [Yeager’s reward was to be given a part in the film. Fred, the bartender.]
 
The Harry Potter books are no more satanic than are Cinderalla (in all its versions, including the Disney movie and Rossini opera) and Snow White.

With all respect to the chief exorcist of Rome, has he actually READ the books? Can he give specific satanic spells from them? (It could be they sound much different in Italian from what the original English says.)
 
Okay, I know I said I was done with this thread, but…

Al Masetti, you have friends that have college degrees in scientific disciplines who claim that Harry Potter movies are based in FACT? I’m sorry, but that just is not believable.

Are you sure you aren’t talking about some other series? Because there is NO science or scientific commentary that I am aware of in any Harry Potter book or movie.

The only thing I can think of that even comes close is when Arthur Weasley gets attacked by the snake, and he and the Healer at St. Mungo’s agree to try the “Muggle remedy” of stitches. The results are not good.
 
SaltySirena said:
Okay, I know I said I was done with this thread, but…

Al Masetti, you have friends that have college degrees in scientific disciplines who claim that Harry Potter movies are based in FACT? I’m sorry, but that just is not believable.

Are you sure you aren’t talking about some other series? Because there is NO science or scientific commentary that I am aware of in any Harry Potter book or movie.

The only thing I can think of that even comes close is when Arthur Weasley gets attacked by the snake, and he and the Healer at St. Mungo’s agree to try the “Muggle remedy” of stitches. The results are not good.
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Well … I said I have friends with science degrees who fall for the stuff in movies all the time. Please note that I did not specify that they fell for the junk science in the Harry Potter movies.

[Actually, my friends with science degrees seem to fall for the mysticism and supernatural stuff in the Harry Potter movies.] But, I decided not to discuss the mysticism and supernatural stuff in the Harry Potter movies.

My adult friends WHO DO NOT HAVE SCIENCE DEGREES are the ones who fall for the “science” in the Harry Potter movies.

By the way, the science “message” in the movies is generally done with imagery and with the sound track. The science or scientific commentary is generally done very subtly but effectively. And with authority.
 
Examples? Cuz I am seriously stumped…

You’re claiming you don’t like Harry Potter because of the “junk science” that’s in it. Give me an example of ANY science at all in the Harry Potter series!
 
bpbasilphx said:
The Harry Potter books are no more satanic than are Cinderalla (in all its versions, including the Disney movie and Rossini opera) and Snow White.

With all respect to the chief exorcist of Rome, has he actually READ the books? Can he give specific satanic spells from them? (It could be they sound much different in Italian from what the original English says.)
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I must say, you Harry Potter fans are really loyal, and it seems quite apparent that nothing will change your mind about your love of these books. But I’m going to give one more quote, and I would truly ask that you think about it. There is evil in the world, and the best way for Satan to draw us in is for us to think it is not evil.
Expert: Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM, L.Th. - 5/23/2007
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Question
I know this is probably a bit of an odd question but in reading so much of your material on the Catholic Faith you do seem quite knowledgeable. We hope that you may be able to help. Our two daughters Elizabeth (11) and Bernadette (8) recently got into debates with their school mates over the Harry Potter books. It seems that their Catholic Elementary school has several of these books which the children are actually encouraged to read.
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Both Julia & I had experiences with the occult and satanic groups when we were younger and find the material in these books to be extremely disturbing. As such we have forbidden the books in our home.
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Unfortunately this has brought on attacks from all sides. In the school the teachers and other parents are saying that we are being “alarmists” and that we should “be more open to children using their imaginations”. (This from a Catholic school system that no longer uses prayer, no longer teaches about the Saints and proper moral principles or proper education about the Holy Sacraments of the Church.)
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From our own friends and family we seem to have been ostracized in a way as friends have drifted away and family members feel that we are being too restrictive to our children. Some have even gone to the length as to suggest that our dear daughters will require “several years of psychiatric counseling when they grow up to rid them of the horrors that we presume to visit upon them.”
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Brother, what is your take and understanding with regards to the Catholic Church’s stand with regard to the Harry Potter stories?
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Thank you for any assistance you may be able to provide. We really appreciate it. May God continue to bless you now and always.
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Chris & Julia Timson
Toronto (Canada)
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Answer
Dear Chris & Julia:
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You are under demonic attack! No, really, you are, through the harassment you are receiving from family and friends because you have the courage to be Christian. I applaud your faith and resolve and will pray that you endure and hold fast to the Truth. Keep up the good work. You will be rewarded for your fidelity to the Faith. Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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It is patently inappropriate for a Catholic School to have Harry Potter books in their library, and a scandal for the school to encourage the children to read it.
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The Harry Potter books are written from the worldview of witchcraft. The books include spells and the like from witchcraft. The books are not about witchcraft or merely have witches and witchy things in the story, it is written from a witchcraft point-of-view.
Miss Rowling, who is now a billionaire (that is with a “b”) as a result of her books, claims that she knows nothing about witchcraft and did no research into witchcraft or its spells and the like. Frankly, I think she is a boldface liar, but even if she is telling the truth the fact remains that the Harry Potter books are so accurate to the worldview of witchcraft that it could have been written by a high-priestess of witchcraft.
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Perhaps Rowling did not know anything and did no research and it was all was in her imagination. I can believe that. Satan can sift our imaginations like wheat. Rowling may not have educated herself about witchcraft, but she got an education anyway – through her imagination demonically informed.
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Here is the Church teaching about such things:
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Divination and magic
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Your critics tell you that we ought to encourage the imagination of our children. I agree. But we are not to encourage just “any” imagination. Are we to encourage our children’s imagination to pornography, violence, cruelty, crime, and the like? All but the most perverted would agree that would not be good. So why do we wish to encourage our children’s imagination in things hostile to God and firmly seated in Satan’s sandbox that may potentially risk the soul? Your Catholic School ought to be ashamed (and reported to the Bishop, by the way).
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If it is the genre that fascinates us and the children, then we have books written from a Christian worldview in the same genre – Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings,” and C.S. Lewis’ “Chronicles of Narnia”. Yet Harry Potter outsells those books. Why? Well because Harry Potter has a very shrewd supernatural backer to promote it.
Parents have a responsibility to protect their children’s imaginations from being raped by the perversions of this world. St. Paul tells us in Phil 4:8:
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God Bless.
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The link for this is:

[Expert: Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM, L.Th. - 5/23/2007](Expert: Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM, L.Th. - 5/23/2007)

I am quite sure that none of you Harry Potter fans will read this, but here it is for you anyway. If you truly think I and all these other people I have quoted from are wrong and delusional, then pray for us. I will pray for you.

Brooklyn
 
SaltySirena said:
Straight out of Jack Chick… and as the “expert” in question used to be a Baptist minister, no wonder.

And here are some links that actually work BTW:

en.allexperts.com/q/Catholics-955/Harry-Potter.htm
allexperts.com/ep/955-34235/Catholics/Bro-Ignatius-Mary.htm
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I can only hope that your loyalty to God’s church and the truth is as strong as your loyalty to Harry Potter. And thank you for fixing my link.

BTW, I’m probably showing my ignorance, but what is “Jack Chick?”
 
Brooklyn:

Do you believe that witchcraft is real? I mean, I know there are those who claim to be witches or warlocks, but that is not I am asking. Do you believe there are real people who can actually cast real spells? …not some silly gimmick ridiculous fortune teller type stuff, but real magic?

-Rico
 
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