church_harry

You probably know of the aversion to Harry Potter by some Christians. I have with me a church paper written by one of the elders of my church on 'whether Harry Potter is acceptable'.
Please remember when you read this that this report is not only talking about Harry Potter, but all books in general. I have stated my views at the end, and if you wish to add anything to this please email me and I will add your views.

A Good Read or Not?

There is no denying that the Harry Potter books written by J K Rowling are widely popular but the question is 'are they acceptable?' With over 35 million copies in print of the first four Harry Potter books, with the world singing their praise and with Christians divided on the effect of the Harry Potter message it is easy to be confused about their acceptability.
Let's take hold of 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 21, - "Prove all things, hold fast to that which is good". Are these books good?
Here are some Biblical principles for determining acceptability of the Harry Potter books or of any other book, game, video, music, toy etc.
1. Are there values and philosophies promoted which are unbiblical?
2. Is supernatural power evident that has a source other than God of the Bible?
3. Are there any occult, witchcraft, psychic, satanic or New Age names or practises incorperated?
4. Are the imaginations and thoughts of the reader/player steered in an unbiblical direction?
5. Is immorality, sensuality or immodesty depicted? Is lust aroused?
6. Does it incite fear or glorify evil or violence?
7. Is the language used questionable?
8. Does it provide questionable, unchristlike character traits or role models?

If the answer to any of them is "yes" then the item is not acceptable for children or young people and should be avoided.
The Harry Potter books may be a good read, but they do not pass the test and are therefore unacceptable.

The problem with our culture is that too many young people, even Christians, are ambivalent about what is right and wrong. The bible calls it being 'double minded'.
The Harry Potter books are about wizards and witches and their practises of divination and sorcery. Harry Potter 'wisdom' is the 'wisdom' spoken of in James 3 v 15 - "Such wisdom does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual and of the devil."
The books contain a huge amount of knowledge of the occult based on J K Rowling's experiences as a child when she was very involved in practising casting spells and curses and engaging with witches and wizards. There is no doubt that reading such material as Harry Potter DOES impact childrens' minds and exposes them to spirits behind the author and also raises their interest and involvement in such occultic things.

Let us be discerning this Christmas and choose carefully. There are plenty of good wholesome books, games and videos available that are based on biblical values.

My View

Reading this report, I immediately realised that he hadn't read Harry Potter. Perhaps if her had he would have changed his mind about it - probably not though. I can imagine that if he were to read it, he would read it biased on the points he has made.
Firstly - Harry Potter is not about 'wizards and witches and their practise of divination and sorcery', that is just what they do - it's about good vs evil, friendship, courage and other moral issues. The fact that they go to a school of magic is almost coincental; a base on which the storyline can come through.
Secondly - It does not contain 'a huge ammount of knowledge about the occult'. The spells are make believe - the book contains no information on the practise of real spells. There are pagan things involved, such as the practise of divination and the use of runes, but they are not detailed upon in any way.
Thirdly - I think Christians opposing Harry Potter need to think about this: What Would Jesus Do?
Perhaps he would not agree because of the use of magic and witchcraft etc. but perhaps he would say that it also teaches us about morals. It is hard to know, but as a Christian myself I have nothing against the book.
It is the storyline and characters that the readers are intrigued by, not the link to the occult. Personally, if the writer of that document came and raided my house, there would be very few books that he did agree with - most of the unacceptable books in the house would belong to my mother who is a very dedicated follower of Christianity.

Go see other people's views
As I said earlier, if you wish to contact me on this issue please feel free to. I am interested in your views and if you so wish I will publish them on my page!
Flame.

The School