Harry Potter to be or not to be

[Questing One]

But are you just using that as a scape goat? Think of modern chemistry, that at the time when all this was written, could be considered witch craft. Anyone with an ability to do something outside the extent of what is considered normality is instantly considered evil. (not including Jesus but there are explanations for that reasoning) The mentality that you are currently giving it goes to that of medieval people. We had a large body toll during that time period because of witch hunts. What you are currently saying is that we condem a movie and book series because it just happens to conviently fall under a section of the Bible refering to witchcraft. I have a question about that though. Wasn't witchcraft meant to hurt people? If you look at it in that sense, then can't you also turn around and say that what Daniel Radcliffe's Character is portraying is the good side to something we fear and that the character of Voldemort is representing the evil side?

am i using WHAT as a scapegoat? i'm not using ANYthing as a scapegoat. i'm providing you with biblical truth and you're accusing me of trying to deflect blame or responsibility or something along those lines that i'm not entirely clear about?

your 'modern chemistry' argument falls flat. there is nothing in scripture forbidding science.

no, not all witchcraft "appears" to hurt people. ask any wiccan. ask my daughter. she believes in the use of "white magic". ever heard of the beautiful side of evil? there is no witchcraft that is harmless, or even truly beneficial, because the use of it jeapardizes the SOUL of the person who is dabbling in it. white or black is irrelevant. God sees anything that comes from HIM as white, and anything that doesn't as black, to use terms popular among those who practice it. "white magic" practitioners don't think they serve "satan", they think they serve other gods and goddesses, most commonly "mother earth", which translates into idolatry, another one of those "convenient" (or inconvenient) little sections of the Bible.

no matter how you slice it, these shows do not glorify God, and instead glorify one of satan's many, many tools that draw people away from Him.

i heard on a radio program yesterday that nine out of ten children raised by christian parents will turn their back on their faith to pursue other gods, other forms of religion, by the time they are in college. now i don't know where he got his stats, but my guess is they aren't too far from the truth. so why on earth would we not spend what time we have (which is very little in comparison to how much time they spend in the world being taught ungodly things) failing to keep their focus on Jesus as much as humanly possible?

ok, so I do take it that you trust your savior, yes? If you trust him and love him and continue to preach Jesus to your offspring, then wont your children turn a deaf ear to Satan's words? And a blind eye to Satan's acts? If you shelter your children from this then you leave them unequipped to handle it later which is why is facts are so high. I also again did never mean to offend. I am however, not saying that you should sit your child down and watch pornos. Thats a twist of my words and not what I'm saying. I fully agree that children shouldn't look at that kind of stuff. But to completely shield and cut them off and they wont be able to cope and will stray easily. I should know, my mom tried the same thing (shielding) with me and it took me a long time to come around.

[Iryssa]

You know...if we just go back and copy and paste all our arguments from the LAST TIME the latest in the series came out, it might just save a lot of typing. Seriously, people, let's face it: We're NEVER going to ALL agree on this issue, and it's been re-hashed so many times that we're starting to sound like broken records.

[Questing One]

I thought that the harry potter series was evil when it first came out because of the sourcery. The bible does warn us about sourcery. I finally seen all the movies with my children. It is fiction. How many of us has watched all the disney movies? A lot of the disney cartoons and other movies have some kind of sourcery (magic) in them. Yet we watched them with our kids. HArry Potter is not too different from them. It is all fiction. I have explained to my kids that it is not real and I have discussed with them about magic and sourcery. I haven given some scriptural references as well.

This is what I meant and exactly what I have been refering to. Just don't keep your children completely in the dark about the evils around them.

[Laura]

WOW. I SEE THIS THREAD BEGAN TODAY, SUNDAY AND THERE ARE ALREADY 15 PAGES TO THE THREAD.

MY OPINION OF HARRY POTTER IS THAT IT IS "GARBAGE". IS THAT SPELLED CORRECTLY? G A R B A G E!!!!!

and yes, I HAVE LOOKED AT THE VERY FIRST BOOK THAT CAME OUT A FEW YEARS AGO. AFTER JUST SKIMMING THE PAGES AND SEEING SO MUCH DEMONIC AND WITCHCRAFT, ETC., I PUT THE BOOK DOWN, AND I REMEMBER READING A FEW VERSES OF THE BIBLE TO GET THE JUNK OUT OF MY HEAD.

IN ALL THESE YEARS, MY IDEAS AND THOUGHTS HAVE NOT CHANGED. I DON'T LIKE WALKING PAST THIS STUFF, BOOKS AND MOVIES AT STORES, NOR SEEING THE ENDLESS COMMERCIALS REGARDING THIS LAST MOVIE ON TV.

MY HUMBLE OPINION, NO ONE SHOULD BE READING THIS JUNK, AND HOW CHRISTIANS DO, I DON'T UNDERSTAND.

[Iryssa]

Please don't type in ALL CAPS. In forums and chatrooms it's considered yelling, and as such, it's considered rude.

[Guest LadyC]

one last thing on the subject for now.

It is all fiction. I have explained to my kids that it is not real and I have discussed with them about magic and sourcery. I haven given some scriptural references as well.

oh, that's rich. let's take them to watch movies that glorify sorcery, a very real and present danger, and then tell them "oh but the bible says not to practice it" and "it's ok to watch it because the characters and storyline are fictional". let's see which one of those concepts their sponge-like little minds absorbs the most of.

questing, your last post indicates to me that you have very little experience in raising children or in understanding the full scope of the supernatural world and the power that satan has over the mind.... which means to me that you're probably relatively new to your faith.

you do not equip your children to deal with the real world or the supernatural realm by telling them that fictionalized stories are harmless. you set them up for failure. and for that, you will be held accountable on judgement day.

and when i say "you" i mean it as a collective generality. i will definitely be held accountable for my mistakes raising my children to be ill-equipped to stand strong in the Lord.

[Questing One]

questing, do me a favor. don't try to debate this with me until you have STUDIED the biblical perspective on ALL forms of sorcery, witchcraft, divinity, and so on. don't spend five minutes glancing over a dozen or more biblical passages and try to come across as though you're some authority on the subject, ok?

if you don't want to study the passages and their context, even though you were the one who asked for them, that's fine and dandy. but the fact is, you haven't studied them, and didn't even have long enough to consider them.

i'm outta here. at least for now. i'm getting a headache listening to christians defending the concept of exposing innocent children to something that is far from innocent and that God clearly warns about repeatedly.

That was harsh but i guess duely deserved. I'm not trying to act like an authority. James 3:1, because I'm not as well versed. However, I didn't realize that this was going to become a version of Bible jeopardy. What I'm doing is trying to defend something that is innocent and harmless because I'm one of the teenagers that you would sort with children. I have done things that I'm not proud of, however, they broke down my world and eventually I hit rock bottom. I'm not even 16 yet! I turned my life around and have become fully devoted to God. I'm not saying that this stuff isn't completely bad and that I'm going to do it myself. What I'm saying is that it is harmless. If I have gone this far at my age without being twisted by this stuff then I'm pretty sure that your children can handle it!

[Emily~Anne]

Leviticus 19:31 (New International Version)

31 " 'Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 20:6 (New International Version)

6 " 'I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people.

Deuteronomy 18:9-13 (New International version)

Detestable Practices

9 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. 13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God.

Isaiah 47:12-14 (New International Version)

12 "Keep on, then, with your magic spells

and with your many sorceries,

which you have labored at since childhood.

Perhaps you will succeed,

perhaps you will cause terror.

13 All the counsel you have received has only worn you out!

Let your astrologers come forward,

those stargazers who make predictions month by month,

let them save you from what is coming upon you.

14 Surely they are like stubble;

the fire will burn them up.

They cannot even save themselves

from the power of the flame.

Here are no coals to warm anyone;

here is no fire to sit by.

Ephesians 6:11-12 (New International Version)

11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Now. let me clarify something, the actual events in the books are fictional, BUT the portrayal of the events is very accurate to witchcraft. Much like if you watch a soap opera, and a couple on there has an affair, yes it is a fictional affair, but it also accurately portray what an affair is. Now. if you read the above verses, you see that God does not look lightly on witchcraft. Does your attitude towards witchcraft match up to God's?

[Guest LadyC]

sorry, i lied. this is my last post for now. fortunately i really do have something to do in five minutes which will prevent me from going back on my word.

the way to teach your children, to equip them properly, to teach them of the world without letting them be "in" the world, is to teach them directly from scripture. they can learn all they need to know about sorcery from the Bible. allowing them to seek entertainment in the form of media that glorifies witchcraft does the exact opposite.... it puts the children IN the world instead of having an understanding OF the world.

[Guest Biblicist]

It is obvious that some of you feel very strongly about this and before it turns into something really ugly, maybe it should end.