|
|
||
|
|
||
|
Note: This 1st entry was a piece written by Mr. Todd Lucero - Sales for the 4th issue of the POLITIQUE. I found it quite interesting and so I'm archiving it again here in our website.
HARRY POTTER, WITCHCRAFT, AND CATHOLICISM (Todd Lucero - Sales)
Some nights ago, my aunt said matter-of-factly that J.K Rowling is the devil just because I mentioned to her that Rowling’s books have surpassed the Bible as the Bestseller of the Year.
Indeed, no book has been debated on and criticized in recent times than that of the Harry Potter series. Although it has become a worldwide phenomenon, it cannot be denied that it has attracted a lot of condemnation. Many religious institutions, prominent among which is the Catholic Church, have criticized Harry Potter as teaching witchcraft to kids. One catholic even became outraged when he discovered that All Hallow’s Eve, Christmas and Easter were mentioned in the books. Of course, these baseless accusations have been shrugged off by millions of Potterites (Harry Potter fans) all over the world, but it is still worth investigating these allegations.
Predating Christianity Wicca or witchcraft as it is now grudgingly called, was the main religion of many druidic communities throughout Europe and perhaps in many others, worldwide. With Christianity’s arrival, however, the fathers of the church made certain that every aspect of the Wiccan faith was destroyed, and those practices that remained were condemned as being devil-worship. So much for historical inaccuracy.
Some practices that refused to die out were, ironically, incorporated into the church. All Hallow’s Eve, Christmas and Easter are feasts that have been stolen by the Catholic Church from the druids and cleverly renamed to suit their ends. All Hallow’s Eve is an ancient Celtic New Year’s festival, originally called Samhain. It was a time when animals were brought down from their grazing grounds, the crops harvested, and there was a great feast. The feast was mean to commemorate the spirits of the dead. Sounds familiar? Why shouldn’t it, when we now practice this “evil” feast during Halloween, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day, having been designated by Pope Gregory III in the 8th century. Christmas and Easter are also other examples of such hypocrisies.
Christmas is nothing but an old druidic feast of the Winter Solstice, believed to be a time when all the forces of life and nature were at their peak; indeed, it was considered the most powerful time of the year. Easter, meanwhile, is another feast borrowed from many “pagan” faiths: Egyptian, Sumerian, and Druidic. The allusion of the rising god is all too similar with the beliefs of these “pagan” religions.
If Rowling’s books are about witchcraft then why shouldn’t Samhain, Winter Solstice, and the Resurrection feast be included? Before the Church condemns Harry Potter, it should first re-examine what its so-called religious feasts stand for. After all, Harry Potter is evil because of the elements of witchcraft in it. Then the Catholic Church is even more evil as majority, if not all, of its practices and doctrines are based on the Wiccan faith. (POLITIQUE, Issue #4, December 2001)
|