I've noticed a lot of people supporting the reading of Harry Potter books and saying that it's a silly notion to not read them. The usual comments occur, 'it's only fiction', 'none of it is real', 'a person who reads it isn't going to suddenly start riding round on a broomstick waving a wand about' etc etc.
But I'm wondering, isn't it part of our Christian duty to, I suppose you could say, 'Shun' that part of society. Should we really be showing our support from such things as wizards, magic, goblins and ghouls?
Of course the second argument that arises is, 'Haven't you ever read the Narnia books or LOTR's?', because of course these are steeped in Christian values and the walk of life for us. It's a free pass to going to see the movies, which I'm sorry, but really, you can honestly sit and see some of the evil images of beasts and beings in LOTR and tell me it's all right, it's Christian.
People are so quick to say that it doesn't affect them, and perhaps it doesn't. Maybe your missing the point, that in supporting such books as Harry Potter, which are about witchcraft and wizadry, we are showing the world that it is acceptable. I take my cousins to the bookstores all the time and it amazes me the amount of fantasy and supernatural based books are on the shelves now for kids. That we let young minds reads such things and then wonder when they stray off the path is a little stupid on our part.
I wonder, the people who read Harry Potter books with such a intense will. Do you turn to your bibles in the same way? Are you ask quick to promote the reading of your bible as you are to someone reading books filled with fantasy and magic?
And before people turn and ask, yes I have been privy to the reading of Harry Potter. I'm an avid reader, I love books, but I realised that in reading it I was showing a support for something that in the basis of my spiritual life, is wrong. I put it down. As for LOTR, before the movies came about the books were well known about but probably barely read by many so I was never interested in reading them. When the movies did arise and the trailers came out for them, I set my mind against reading them if such images came from it's pages. It was the same with the Da Vinci Code, although at the time I started reading it, it was before the book became so popular and I was unaware of it's content. However the more I read, the more uneasy I felt reading it and although it was hard I also put the book aside and stopped reading it because it just didn't feel right reading it.
I just find it hard to accept that people who readily turn around and say they are Christian can then easily turn to someone unsaved and say 'Oh yes, Harry Potter, great reading material' and show support for what is inevitably the occult, no matter what kind of childlike spin we put on it. I'm wondering, if Jesus walked in right now, would you give him your Harry Potter collection and tell him to enjoy the read? Maybe some people would, I'm in no doubt that this is a controversial subject throughout the Christian church.
I just felt the need to air some of my own views on the point.
Comments (4)
Hi! Thanks for the nice comment... I don't think we should endorse movies like Harry Potter, but like everything else in life... it's a choice that people have to make. We can pray that people make the right choice though.
Blessings!
K.
You commented above me in the Revelife outreach thing....
Normally I argue against Christians who say we shouldn't read Harry Potter because they excuse reading or watching other material that is far worse just because it isn't fantasy. (I can't stand an inconsistent argument). But you are consistent, and you live by what you say, which is very refreshing... Personally, I believe that there can be fiction which edifies and fiction which does not edify, based on whether it drives you towards or away from God. Personally, I do not see little latin-based "spell" words and wands as being harmful in and of themselves, because they have nothing to do with the real occult - no character ever tries to get in touch with spirits or evil forces.
But I do not believe Harry Potter is edifying, because it justifies disobedience and disrespect, bringing you to root for someone who repeatedly does not suffer consequences for disobedience, which does not draw a person to love and obey God's law, or reinforce the importance of obedience.
When people say that something "doesn't affect them," they are wrong. But a Christian simply sitting and thinking they are impervious to harm can be seriously affected, while a Christian who actively compares what they encounter to the truth, glory, beauty, and law of God, turning their focus upon Him, can be edified in watching or reading things that in and of themselves are not edifying.
I'd also encourage you to reconsider Lord of the Rings. I read it well before the movies came out, and they are not nearly as graphic in their descriptions as the movie is in its images. And all the "wizardry" is confined to being performed by people who, one finds out in Tolkein's other writings, are more or less intended to parallel angels and demons... until Harry Potter came out and everyone was in an uproar because of it, it never even occurred to me to consider Lord of the Rings as containing anything occult.
Sorry for the super long comment, it's just some thoughts to consider that maybe are a little outside of the "I want to read it so it's fine!!!" type of arguments you typically get from the pro-fantasy side. (Which, by the way, since I can't stand an inconsistent argument, I always argue against when I encounter. So it's anyone's guess which side I'm actually on.)
@ocelot61@xanga - thanks for taking the time to comment! It was nice to read a different POV on the subject matter, rather than the 'for or against' arguments that usually arise.
xx
Good read, thx for posting
gaming