What do you think about Harry Potter?

[Tom_of_Assisi]

BlessedBe13:

I have seriously thought through everything that I believe in and through that have come to the conclusions I have.

**You seriously thought **through everything before **you **decided to start worshipping trees, mother nature, and the great horny god Pan???

You give new meaning to the phrase “a brain is a terrible thing to waste.”

:whacky:

What went wrong with the American education sytem? You have to think about how to best worship foliage and **mother nature (a character from a 80s tv show for children). **Wow…you must be…uh…very proud of yourself. :whacky:

 

[Tom_of_Assisi]

Bobby Jim:

Meaning that magic as presented in Harry Potter is in no way similar to actual practices of the occult, and is not likely to influence kids to investigate actual practices? I would tend to agree with this, although I have little inside knowledge.

Actually I would guess that when someone develops an interest or active practice in the occult there’s a whole lot more at work than books they’ve read.

I guess to restate my point, there’s a long history of literature where magic and ghosts and fairies and such are presented in a fantasy context, with little connection to real occult practices, and I think Harry Potter fits into this tradition, and is not so problematic when viewed in this context.

Most people who develop an interest in the occult are either very introverted and socially inept (and usually, sadly, not very intellignet) or were abused as children. It is like the kids who try to dress in black all the time–the “goth” kids–they usually can’t function normally in society for whatever reason, so they dress in black and wear spikes and nails and “frightening” make-up as a way of saying “you can’t hurt me–because I’m already hurting myself–see I like to be hurt.” Adults who feel the same way usually end up following some occultist or engaging in “devient” and “scary” occult behavior. They don’t need God’s love or a real religion–see they like to worship trees and animals and, ohhh, maybe even Satan himself…ohhhhhhh.

so bottom line–Harry will not guide anyone to the occult…they can only guide a welfare queen to her castle.

The biggest problem with the Harry books…and the problem that says more for American society is why do so many people over the age of ten read the books? Isn’t real literature taught in high school anymore? Are there that many Jr. High drop outs that can fuel the sales of these books?

 

[holyroller]

When it comes to Harry Potter leading the masses to the occult, is the biggest concern that the Catholic church might lose their cult members to the pagans. It’s not a cult you say, tell me how many of you members try to get non Catholics to attend your church. Sounds alot like a cult to me. Occult or a cult?

 

[Faithful_2_Rome]

How can anyone worship “Mother Nature”?

Last I checked, she couldnt even tell the difference between Butter and Margarine…

 

[holyroller]

I’m glad you don’t oppose Harry Potter. I know some Catholic’s that censor everything their children watch. They find harmless movies such as Shrek evil and something their children shouldn’t watch. Any evil messages these movies present would be over the childrens heads. Any parent that shelters their children from the real world instead of educating them about the evils in the world are headed warp speed into trouble.

 

[JMJ_Pinoy]

holyroller:

When it comes to Harry Potter leading the masses to the occult, is the biggest concern that the Catholic church might lose their cult members to the pagans. It’s not a cult you say, tell me how many of you members try to get non Catholics to attend your church. Sounds alot like a cult to me. Occult or a cult?

I don’t try to get anyone, Catholic or non-Catholic, to attend my church. Neither do most Catholics I know. And even if some Catholics do, that does not make the Church a “cult.” Many parents try to get their children to go to the dentist. Does that make dentistry a cult?

 

[JMJ_Pinoy]

Tom of Assisi:

The biggest problem with the Harry books…and the problem that says more for American society is why do so many people over the age of ten read the books? Isn’t real literature taught in high school anymore? Are there that many Jr. High drop outs that can fuel the sales of these books?

*Harry Potter *is what actually caused me, and many other young people, to become “wild about reading.” Prior to reading *Harry Potter about 4-5 years ago, I detested reading. Now I love to read! I still like reading Harry Potter. I also read the Bible and books by: C.S. Lewis, Mark Twain, Shusaku Endo, Ann Coulter, Madeleine L’Engle, Lois Lowry, Nien Cheng, Charles Dickens, Edgar Allen Poe, and many others. Most of my classmates that like Harry Potter are very intelligent, AP students. Most students at my school who dislike Harry Potter *have low grades.

 

[holyroller]

JMJ_Pinoy:

Many parents try to get their children to go to the dentist. Does that make dentistry a cult?

Your comparing the dentist to getting the masses to church? Not to logical Mr. Spock. Are you 10? But I’ll play along in this bizzare senario. If your friends come mostly from the people that you meet at the dentist office, and you tried to convert people that attend other dentist offices to yours because your dentist is the one true dentist and all other dentist are going to mess up your teeth, then yes that’s a cult. If you believe that, say brushing with a particular toothpaste is bad, and will cause you teeth to fall out, simply because the dentist told you so,(ie birth control) and follow blindly to what ever they say, then yes, the dentist is a cult.

 

[Therese_Martin]

**General reminder:

Please keep the conversation on track and please refrain from any personal insults or the thread will have to be closed. Thanks!
**

 

[Bobby_Jim]

Tom of Assisi:

Most people who develop an interest in the occult are either very introverted and socially inept (and usually, sadly, not very intellignet) or were abused as children. It is like the kids who try to dress in black all the time–the “goth” kids–they usually can’t function normally in society for whatever reason, so they dress in black and wear spikes and nails and “frightening” make-up as a way of saying “you can’t hurt me–because I’m already hurting myself–see I like to be hurt.” Adults who feel the same way usually end up following some occultist or engaging in “devient” and “scary” occult behavior. They don’t need God’s love or a real religion–see they like to worship trees and animals and, ohhh, maybe even Satan himself…ohhhhhhh.

Very interesting insight!
Tom of Assisi:

The biggest problem with the Harry books…and the problem that says more for American society is why do so many people over the age of ten read the books? Isn’t real literature taught in high school anymore? Are there that many Jr. High drop outs that can fuel the sales of these books?

To paraphrase an earlier post of mine… read some John Grisham or James Patterson or Dan Brown or many of these other popular authors that write for an “adult” audience, and you’ll find that they’re write for about the same reading level as Harry Potter - maybe 4th grade, similar to many newspapers as well. So HP fits right in with other pleasurable reading for adults. As a form of entertainment, it’s more like watching a movie than reading a great work of literature.

 

[JMJ_Pinoy]

holyroller:

Your comparing the dentist to getting the masses to church? Not to logical Mr. Spock. Are you 10? But I’ll play along in this bizzare senario. If your friends come mostly from the people that you meet at the dentist office, and you tried to convert people that attend other dentist offices to yours because your dentist is the one true dentist and all other dentist are going to mess up your teeth, then yes that’s a cult. If you believe that, say brushing with a particular toothpaste is bad, and will cause you teeth to fall out, simply because the dentist told you so,(ie birth control) and follow blindly to what ever they say, then yes, the dentist is a cult.

I only made the ridiculous comparison because you made a ridiculous assertion. Just because some Catholics may try to get non-Catholics to attend their church, it does not make the Church a cult. God Bless.

 

[Faithful_2_Rome]

Personally, I dont read Harry Potter cause its a little dumbed down for me, IMO…but I also dont take a high road and say people should read Tolstoy instead…if pressed, I’d read Potter over Tolstoy anyday…and before anyone sniffs at that as if I am some rube…I’ve also read Summa Theolgia, Both volumes of Anne Emmerich and all 4 volumes of her “The LIfe of Christ”, as well as The Mystical City of God…AND the entire Bible front to back at least once…

If adults wanna read Potter let em…people advance at varying levels…has that been forgotten?

I got back into my faith years ago by reading a book on a guy who claimed to CHANNEL the Virgin Mary…and I beleived it!

Ya gotta crawl before you can walk…ya gotta walk before you can run

and on that note, I finally seen the third Potter movie…WOW! Finally, I am impressed. Good flick…better direction, story and special effects.

 

[Hospitaller]

I just wonder, have *any *of you read that article by Michael O’Brian? It seems pretty conclusive to me.

 

[BlessedBe13]

**You seriously thought **through everything before **you **decided to start worshipping trees, mother nature, and the great horny god Pan???

I don’t worship trees, etc. I worship the creators, not the creation. However, I do believe that nature is blessed as divinity flows within and without it.

You give new meaning to the phrase "a brain is a terrible thing to waste.

What went wrong with the American education sytem? You have to think about how to best worship foliage and **mother nature (a character from a 80s tv show for children). **Wow…you must be…uh…very proud of yourself.

You know, you never answered my message asking why you insist on insulting me.

 

[BlessedBe13]

Tom of Assisi:

Most people who develop an interest in the occult are either very introverted and socially inept (and usually, sadly, not very intellignet) or were abused as children.

Hmm, I have many friends, I graduate top of my class and was never abused. I guess that throws that theory out the window.

 

[BlessedBe13]

JMJ_Pinoy:

I only made the ridiculous comparison because you made a ridiculous assertion. Just because some Catholics may try to get non-Catholics to attend their church, it does not make the Church a cult. God Bless.

Main Entry: cult

1 : formal religious veneration : WORSHIP
2 : a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

BlessedBe13:

JMJ_Pinoy:

I only made the ridiculous comparison because you made a ridiculous assertion. Just because some Catholics may try to get non-Catholics to attend their church, it does not make the Church a cult. God Bless.

Main Entry: cult

1 : formal religious veneration : WORSHIP
2 : a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents

Some more edited replies, that is not posting the whole entries, taking items out of context.

Funny how the definition has five entries and you stop after two. Is that becuase you realize that JMJ was using the third meaning?

(bold emphasis added)

Main Entry: cult
Pronunciation: 'k&lt
Function: noun
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: French & Latin; French culte, from Latin cultus care, adoration, from colere to cultivate – more at WHEEL
1 : formal religious veneration : WORSHIP
2 : a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents
3 : a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents
4 : a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator
5 a : great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad b : a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion

 

[BlessedBe13]

ByzCath:

Some more edited replies, that is not posting the whole entries, taking items out of context.

I posted the relevant part that I was replying to.

Funny how the definition has five entries and you stop after two. Is that becuase you realize that JMJ was using the third meaning?

I do realize that there were more, but I was pointing out the meaning JMJ was supposedly using (although that should have been noted, since apparently it’s not the main definition) is not the only one.

So it is not incorrect to call the Catholic Church (or really any religion) a cult. I depends on what context you are using the word.

 

[Monarchy]

Tom of Assisi:

When adults read Harry Potter…it’s similar to a 15 year old saying that he enjoys reading Dick and Jane. That whole “see Spot run” line gets 'em every time.



Do adults who read Harry Potter play with toys too?

Just a slight bit of elitism in this post.

 

[Monarchy]

marthax2:

says, “One character is named Vablatsky (a play on the name of Madame Blavatsky, a theosophist of the 19th century).” (www.crossveil.org/potter.html) Blavatsky was a founder of The Theosophical Society’s magazine Lucifer. Clare Merkle’s personal testimony about her journey into and out of the new age is at www.crossveil.org/page6.html.

I am not aware of a character named Vablatsky in HP, care to show me where he/she is in the books?

EDIT: Oh wait, I se that in Scholastic’s website that she is the authour of the diviniation textbook. Hardly a character. How does the person know that the name is a play on Blavatsky?