Harry Potter to be or not to be

[ColleenLovesMischief]

Soooo hypothetically speaking...a child reads this and turns to you and says I want to be a witch/wizard. Response? How do we respond when we tell them that it is wrong against God....then we get the question of well then why do we read it if it is bad? There is a story behind this trust me.

[sweetycakes]

Well since God sees and knows all that I do the answer to that would have to be yes or I wouldnt do it

It is a STORY .. It is well written and shows children do know the difference between right and wrong even if they chose wrong sometimes ...it also shows the influences that can make children chose "wrong" It helps children to be able to bring up difficult subjects if the parents are willing to talk to them ...if the children read ANYTHING without parental support and influence then it can cause harm ....how many of you have gone out and killed thousands of people after reading the old testament ?

Open your eyes and READ with an open mind and you will see why it is that so many who do not have the knowledge / teaching etc to know that God has a good purpose for all that He does can read the old testament and decide that God is cruel and uncaring . Why do you know that God is a God of love ?...because you have read with help to understand what was going on when God destroyed the world with the flood or totally destroyed sodam including all the children that were in that city ......ALL books can be read in many different ways INCLUDING the bible ..it is up to the reader to decide if they are to be influenced by what they read and if that influence is to be for good or evil

LadyP,

I am sorry if my response didn't 'sit well' with everybody, including you

I must admit that I am biased, though. I am biased basically against everything that it false or 'made up'....including films, soap operas, CSI, dramas, advertisements, etc.

And I am surely biased against anything that promotes witchcraft or the occult, no matter how people may view it as being innocent.

In my younger days as a fledgling teenager, I became very, very involved with the occult and witchcraft, to the hurt of other people, which I now deeply regret.

Now, I don't view anything remotely related to witchcraft, astrology, ouija boards or any such thing as being totally harmless.

There is no such thing as a good witch.

[Scarletprayers]

LPT, I'm with you...........I read everything when I was a child, I didn't think I was going to crawl into a wardrobe and be transported to another world, or find the Who's of Whoville.......................and your right everytime a new book or movie comes out about HP its the same old, same old.

What you choose for yourself is one thing, what you try to cram down other peoples throats and basically call them sinners for doing is something is.

And yes, I would read with books with Jesus sitting there, I'm pretty sure He knows the difference between fact and fantasy.

[ColleenLovesMischief]

LPT, I'm with you...........I read everything when I was a child, I didn't think I was going to crawl into a wardrobe and be transported to another world, or find the Who's of Whoville.......................and your right everytime a new book or movie comes out about HP its the same old, same old.

What you choose for yourself is one thing, what you try to cram down other peoples throats and basically call them sinners for doing is something is.

And yes, I would read with books with Jesus sitting there, I'm pretty sure He knows the difference between fact and fantasy.

You're reading soething into this that isn't there. No one called anyone a "sinner" over this....keep in mind some of us come from occultic backgrounds, and know that there is no such thing as "harmless" references to magic. Some of us are just trying to save some people some pain from thinking some things are "innocent". I for one am tired of being looked down upon when I have had bad experiences relater to the HP series. Someone had the books in my house at one point. Yes it was a child and she asked me why she was allowed to read them if God was against what they stood for. Try answering that to a teen. She is now actively involved in wicca. Once she was a very promising girl in our church. No longer. She has been in and out of JDC numerous times and is living on probation because of her new lifestyle. I pity her. I pray for her. I wonder what would have happend if her mother had just taken some control. If your child asks to read the satanic bible do we comply with that? As was asked before....where do we draw the line?

[sweetycakes]

LPT, I'm with you...........I read everything when I was a child, I didn't think I was going to crawl into a wardrobe and be transported to another world, or find the Who's of Whoville.......................and your right everytime a new book or movie comes out about HP its the same old, same old.

What you choose for yourself is one thing, what you try to cram down other peoples throats and basically call them sinners for doing is something is.

And yes, I would read with books with Jesus sitting there, I'm pretty sure He knows the difference between fact and fantasy.

You're reading soething into this that isn't there. No one called anyone a "sinner" over this....keep in mind some of us come from occultic backgrounds, and know that there is no such thing as "harmless" references to magic. Some of us are just trying to save some people some pain from thinking some things are "innocent". I for one am tired of being looked down upon when I have had bad experiences relater to the HP series. Someone had the books in my house at one point. Yes it was a child and she asked me why she was allowed to read them if God was against what they stood for. Try answering that to a teen. She is now actively involved in wicca. Once she was a very promising girl in our church. No longer. She has been in and out of JDC numerous times and is living on probation because of her new lifestyle. I pity her. I pray for her. I wonder what would have happend if her mother had just taken some control. If your child asks to read the satanic bible do we comply with that? As was asked before....where do we draw the line?

[Scarletprayers]

You draw the line where ever YOU want for you. As for the young girl, I think your remark about the mother taking some control is probably the main point. Children just don't go wild after reading one book, I would be willing to bet there was much more involved than that. I raised 3 children, I am not un-informed.

No you didn't call anything a sinner, it was implied with the "Would you do it in front of Jesus" if that remark is followed out logically to its conclusion, what other point could you be trying to make?

As for the satanic bible..........who "period" in their right minds anyway, would let a child read that? It would also depend on the age and maturity of the child before I would let them read HP.

[ColleenLovesMischief]

You draw the line where ever YOU want for you. As for the young girl, I think your remark about the mother taking some control is probably the main point. Children just don't go wild after reading one book, I would be willing to bet there was much more involved than that. I raised 3 children, I am not un-informed.

No you didn't call anything a sinner, it was implied with the "Would you do it in front of Jesus" if that remark is followed out logically to its conclusion, what other point could you be trying to make?

As for the satanic bible..........who "period" in their right minds anyway, would let a child read that? It would also depend on the age and maturity of the child before I would let them read HP.

I was only asking if you would be comfortable reading it in front of Jesus...there were no implacations. I actually know a few people who would let their children read the satanic bible. The girl (I will not use her name for she lurks here on occassion) will openly tell you that the HP series made her interested in spells and she began to research them. As did many of the teens in my youth group at one point. Thankfully most of them decided it wasn't worth it, but it still does have influence over them. That can be proven in their answers. The power they see entices them.

[ladypeartree]

I so agree scarlet....I brought up 6 children, all were brought upwith the same rules and values ...theyare all different as adults

I thought I had made my point very clearly ...it is up to parents to direct children ...children are NOT feathers being blown this way and that by whatever they happen to be reading or viewing at any given time IT IS THE SUM OF THEIR EXPERIENCES that shape them. Each child will learn from the adults around them and those that take the most notice and care of them are the ones that will influence them the most BUT in the end as adults they are responsible for their own choices ...you Stephen say you were involved in the occult but you made the choice to get out of it so I understand your reluctance to have reminders around and why you would take some things deeper than I would but the bottom line is .....this is a work of fiction and everyone who reads it will make up their own minds based on what is already in their hearts and minds

and BTW Stephen the rock cakes are soft enough that you are welcome to throw them

[Scarletprayers]

I so agree scarlet....I brought up 6 children, all were brought upwith the same rules and values ...theyare all different as adults

I thought I had made my point very clearly ...it is up to parents to direct children ...children are NOT feathers being blown this way and that by whatever they happen to be reading or viewing at any given time IT IS THE SUM OF THEIR EXPERIENCES that shape them. Each child will learn from the adults around them and those that take the most notice and care of them are the ones that will influence them the most BUT in the end as adults they are responsible for their own choices ...you Stephen say you were involved in the occult but you made the choice to get out of it so I understand your reluctance to have reminders around and why you would take some things deeper than I would but the bottom line is .....this is a work of fiction and everyone who reads it will make up their own minds based on what is already in their hearts and minds

and BTW Stephen the rock cakes are soft enough that you are welcome to throw them

Yeah, like Stephen is really gonna throw cakes...................throw em in his mouth maybe!

[sweetycakes]

I so agree scarlet....I brought up 6 children, all were brought upwith the same rules and values ...theyare all different as adults

I thought I had made my point very clearly ...it is up to parents to direct children ...children are NOT feathers being blown this way and that by whatever they happen to be reading or viewing at any given time IT IS THE SUM OF THEIR EXPERIENCES that shape them. Each child will learn from the adults around them and those that take the most notice and care of them are the ones that will influence them the most BUT in the end as adults they are responsible for their own choices ...you Stephen say you were involved in the occult but you made the choice to get out of it so I understand your reluctance to have reminders around and why you would take some things deeper than I would but the bottom line is .....this is a work of fiction and everyone who reads it will make up their own minds based on what is already in their hearts and minds

and BTW Stephen the rock cakes are soft enough that you are welcome to throw them

Yeah, like Stephen is really gonna throw cakes...................throw em in his mouth maybe!

Alas....I am undone....I have been found out!

Eating cakes is what I do best.....whether they be the 'fairy' variety...or 'rock' cakes....in which case I will just 'pig out'

So.....I have a weakness, OK??