Harry Potter?

[Bob Dole]

Ok, so instead of telling your daughter she shouldn't read the book, or explaining these things to your daughter, you played the part of the world's parent and had the book removed from the school. Any child that has ever been let outside for the month of october knows what a skeleton or a spider looks like and they'll probably understand death too. I think a child that age would also understand a nightmare and has probably had a good amount of them already. I'm not bothered that you don't let your own daughter read the book, that's your choice, you're her parent, but don't have a book removed from the school's library because you don't think your daughter should have read it.

No, actually, I read the book to my daughter before I decided to take the issue to the principal of the school. But before I did, I explained to her in the best way possible (to a 7-year-old) why the book was bad.

Remember that old expression about assumptions?

But you still took it upon yourself to be the parent for the rest of the children in the school by going to the principal. Now you're making yourself look even worse, you felt the book wasn't appropriate for children your daughter's age, but you read the book to your daughter anyway?

Good for you. I'm glad you don't understand. Somehow, I think if my daughter was given half a chance, she might have some inkling of understanding.

BTW, I didn't mention Satan. You did.

I'm glad you explained what it was I don't understand so that I may understand it.

Isn't satan the head of all that is wicked? So when you turn to the dark arts or anything evil, satan is involved.

Don't be a smart alek. There are some things that cannot be understood unless experienced, and there is no way I am going to talk about something so horrible and so personal to a stranger on a public forum.

Yes, Satan is the head of all that is wicked. I'm trying to understand why you are accusing me of giving Satan too much credit but not acknowledging that I'm giving him credit. Sorry, but that's confusing me.

Another thing I don't understand is why you are arguing with me on how I rear my daughter

I can't understand that I'm supposed to experience something before I can understand it unless you tell me "This is something you haven't experienced" rather than "This is something you can't understand." Also, I've experienced a lot in my lifetime. I know people who practiced witchcraft, (and that's practiced, as in they stopped.) My best friend tried, for about a week actually, maybe less I'm not sure. He wasn't devoted to it, he knew it was a bunch of garbage he just wanted to believe it could work. He wasn't lured in by harry potter, or lord of the rings, and while me and my other friends were really into Magic The Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons, he didn't enjoy playing those games. Yet he was the one to turn to witchcraft. I knew 2 other friend's who practiced it, they also had no interest in MTG or D&D and they also stopped (although they practiced it for longer.) Anyway, I've seen no evidence from the bible, or from the real world to suggest that Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, D&D, Yu Gi Oh, or any of these other fictional works will lure kids to start practicing the dark arts, and what I've seen suggests the opposite. Kids who are not into the groups that play these games, read these books or watch the movies will feel like outcasts and it'd be more likely that they'd get lured into the dark arts because they want to belong to something. The same reason they would choose to join a cult, they just want to belong to a group.

Also, I'm not arguing with you on how to raise your daughter, she's your daughter and I have no right to do that. I'm arguing that I don't believe satan has a foothold in harry potter or any other fantasy works. That's why I'm saying we're giving satan too much credit. I don't think he's responsible for those things and I don't think they're going to lead children to him.

[Ovedya]

But you still took it upon yourself to be the parent for the rest of the children in the school by going to the principal. Now you're making yourself look even worse, you felt the book wasn't appropriate for children your daughter's age, but you read the book to your daughter anyway?

Yes. Exactly! I looked at the book, decided the content was inappropriate for children my daughter's age, then I went ahead and read it to her.

Ah...no.

As I was reading the book to my daughter I discovered that it was inappropriate, then I talked to the school principal.

You really should learn to read things as they are written instead of making assumptions.

As far as taking it upon myself to be the parent for the rest of the children, that assumption is wrong as well. The subject matter contained in the book was inappropriate for children my daughter's age. I felt that, as a parent - a taxpaying parent - it was my obligation to point this fact out to the principal. She was free to agree with me or to disagree and leave the book where it was. As it happened, she did agree with me and got rid of the book entirely.

Parents not only have the right, but they have the obligation to make sure that the schools tow the line with respect to the materials they are providing for our children. Not only should materials be educational, they should be free from content which is outside the realm of educational institutions to teach - especially material which most people find objectionable.

[GodisTruth]

Right on, Ovedya! You should be proud that you are interested enough in your child to do what you did. So many parents nowadays don't seem interested in their children, and it is very apparent that you are very interested in your child!! I won't let my 8 year old daughter read Harry Potter, although she wants to. I told her that the later books are too scary for children under the age of 11 or 12 or even older depending on the child.

[RustyAngeL]

I agree. Harry Potter should have no place in a christians home or their lives or the lives of their children. It is a cleaver rouse for witchcraft. Just stay away from it.

[Guest jckduboise]

I agree. Harry Potter should have no place in a christians home or their lives or the lives of their children. It is a cleaver rouse for witchcraft. Just stay away from it.

Amen, Red

[Bob Dole]

But you still took it upon yourself to be the parent for the rest of the children in the school by going to the principal. Now you're making yourself look even worse, you felt the book wasn't appropriate for children your daughter's age, but you read the book to your daughter anyway?

Yes. Exactly! I looked at the book, decided the content was inappropriate for children my daughter's age, then I went ahead and read it to her.

Ah...no.

As I was reading the book to my daughter I discovered that it was inappropriate, then I talked to the school principal.

You really should learn to read things as they are written instead of making assumptions.

As far as taking it upon myself to be the parent for the rest of the children, that assumption is wrong as well. The subject matter contained in the book was inappropriate for children my daughter's age. I felt that, as a parent - a taxpaying parent - it was my obligation to point this fact out to the principal. She was free to agree with me or to disagree and leave the book where it was. As it happened, she did agree with me and got rid of the book entirely.

Parents not only have the right, but they have the obligation to make sure that the schools tow the line with respect to the materials they are providing for our children. Not only should materials be educational, they should be free from content which is outside the realm of educational institutions to teach - especially material which most people find objectionable.

Sorry for making the mistake of assuming although perhaps you shouldn't leave out important details?

How many parents did you talk about the book to before you brought it to the principal, and if someone went and got that many parents to say the book is fine and should stay in the school, would you allow the book to be brought back?

I agree. Harry Potter should have no place in a christians home or their lives or the lives of their children. It is a cleaver rouse for witchcraft. Just stay away from it.

Do you have anything to back that up other than your personal opinion? Lets say harry potter is a gateway book to witchcraft. Would you say that 1/10th of all the people who have read the books would become wiccans? I would say that's fair, maybe even a higher number because of how evil the books are, but that'd make it too easy for me. In the first 24 hours of the 6th book coming out (Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince) 6.9 million copies were sold. That's unique copies, 6.9 million people went out and bought the book. Some of these people shared the book with their friends, some of the books ended up in libraries and in schools, some would go to a house where all the children would get together and read it. Basically, in the first 24 hours a lot of people had access to the book. In the next 9 weeks the sales went over 11 million and there were over 119 million copies of all the books sold.

Anyway, Since there were 6 books that's an average of over 19 million copies of each book sold (119 million copies all together / 6 books and round down). If just 10% of the people who read the books became wiccans, and every book was read by just one person, there would be 1.9 million wiccans in the US. There are an estimated 450,000-700,000 wiccans in the country. That's not very close to the amount there should be if the book were such a gateway into the wiccan culture. Then you have to consider that at least half those people never had a chance to read the harry potter books before they became a wiccan (as there were around 300,000-500,000 wiccans before the books came out.) Also, I'd imagine most wiccans would have read the books after becoming a wiccan (and then been dissapointed that there was no mention of a god or goddess or anything having to do with wiccan beliefs in the entire book other than the female magic users being called witches (a male wiccan isn't called a wizard.)

I'd be willing to bet a lot of money (and I mean a LOT of money) that more people become christians after reading the harry potter books than wiccans. Not because it promotes christianity (actually I don't think the books promote any religion at all) but because more people convert to christianity than wiccan and I don't believe the book has any influence on the religion a person chooses.

[sweetycakes]

Rejoicevermore

Where did you come across the following information which you posted in your article?:

Quote: "Now we have learned that the public school system is planning to use the magic of Harry Potter in the classrooms making the public schools centers of witchcraft training."

[Ovedya]

Rejoicevermore

Where did you come across the following information which you posted in your article?:

Quote: "Now we have learned that the public school system is planning to use the magic of Harry Potter in the classrooms making the public schools centers of witchcraft training."

I find that statement highly suspicious. Especially since there is nothing in the article that supports it factually.

[heartofstone]

I happen to agree with you but as sure as I say that, you know you'll get pounded on....

The enemy of our souls does not want to be exposed and like cockroaches, they scramble under cover to avoid light.

It's ugly and horrific to see and nobody wants to see it. If people aren't walking in the Spirit and seeking God's face FIRST before they expose themselves or their children to occultic influences, what is the chance they will be slowly mesmerized or desensitized?

Satan does things slowly...over time. He noted for being "subtle". He wouldn't just come out one day and say, "Hi! I'm Satan. Follow me." No, he'll be subtle and wiley in his approach.

There's a book I really like called, "The Beautiful Side of Evil" and unfortantely, so many fellow believers who I love and deeply respect don't understand the dangers of flirting with the enemy.

We start out flirting and end up sleeping with him.

I, too was heavily involved in the occult. I was active in New Age and crystals and loved Tarot Cards. We were very active with Dungeons & Dragons for about 20 years. My ex-spouse was a Dungeon Master or head of the game who developed the events that would happen in the game.

It involves consistent use of spells but a generally "Lord of the Rings" type of setting, with characters of that sort.

I was never involved in sacrifices or things of this nature but we had spells we wrote out for the purpose of obtaining magic and power for the characters that we ran, depending on the character profile.

Some of us who seem like we don't have a clue have been pretty active in the occult before coming to Christ. You learn a lot from your mistakes.

Thanks for this, Rejoice! Good job!

For the last part, in bold, that was just what I was thinking in reading the first few posts. I want to go through this entire thread and read everything, but right now I have this problem of needing to put down my thoughts before I get side tracked. What I like about this last statement, catsmeow, is how you explain in a nutshell what could happen with people who are away from God and then are saved and have learned clearly from their dalliances among the dark side before coming to Christ. I think it's a good thing in the long run if it gives one a better understanding of the ways of the deceiver, you know? I mean, I think it's great that some of you can share with us now how you know clearly, perhaps in part because God can illuminate on your pasts and understanding from that, what are deceptions from the devil. I am thankful for this thread.

Edited October 25, 2006 by heartofstone

[terter]

Couple of friends and I talked about Harry Potter when it first came out. One friend decided that giving them to her grandchildren would be ok that they were old enough to realize it was just fantasy, etc. Since that time, she's reported, the kids are walking around the house saying stuff out of the books, want to learn to cast spells, going to websites, etc. Now she's saying NO that she didn't mean for that to happen.