A brief break from all of the "Todd Bentley" threads.....The video in the article posted below claims that the Harry Potter series of books and movies is leading our children into things such as sorcery, curses, black magic, demon possession, witchcraft and satanism:http://shatteredparadigm.blogspot.com/2008/07/harry-potter-series-of-books-movies.htmlWhat is your opinion about the material the video presents? Should we let our kids read and watch Harry Potter?
MandM wrote:A brief break from all of the "Todd Bentley" threads.....
_________________Jennifer
I think it's a ridiculous notion to think that the Harry Potter series is going to lead children into "sorcery ... demon possession, witchcraft, satanism" etc. Children know this stuff is fiction. It's no different from any other fantasy book they'd read, or really any book in general.It's a work of fiction. It's great that millions of children have gotten into reading because of this series. It's unfortunate that people overreact to it and think it's going to corrupt children's minds or something.The video shows some children actually accepting Harry Potter, at least parts of witchcraft, as reality. I'd like to see the sources for those quotes.. where they got them from. For sure there will be some children that do accept it as reality, but this is where parental responsibility comes into place. Those children probably had parents that didn't care much and/or encouraged them. Jordan
Jordan, your argument reminds me of this story:Dad's Brownies A father of some teenage children had the family rule that they could not attend PG-13 or R rated movies. His three teens wanted to see a particular popular movie that was playing at local theaters. It was rated PG-13. The teens interviewed friends and even some members of their family's church to find out what was offensive in the movie. The teens made a list of pros and cons about the movie to use to convince their dad that they should be allowed to see it. The con's were that it contained ONLY 3 swear words, the ONLY violence was a building exploding (and you see that on TV all the time they said), and you actually did not "see" the couple in the movie having sex - it was just implied sex, off camera. The pros were that it was a popular movie - a block buster. Everyone was seeing it. If the teens saw the movie then they would not feel left out when their friends discussed it. The movie contained a good story and plot. It had some great adventure and suspense in it. There were some fantastic special effects in this movie. The movie's stars were some of the most talented actors in Hollywood. It probably would be nominated for several awards. Many of the members of their Christian church had even seen the movie and said it wasn't "very bad". Therefore, since there were more pros than cons the teens said they were asking their father to reconsider his position on just this ONE movie and let them have permission to go see it. The father looked at the list and thought for a few minutes. He said he could tell his children had spent some time and thought on this request. He asked if he could have a day to think about it before making his decision. The teens were thrilled thinking; "Now we've got him! Our argument is too good! Dad can't turn us down!" So, they happily agreed to let him have a day to think about their request. The next evening the father called in his three teenagers, who were smiling smugly, into the living room. There on the coffee table he had a plate of brownies. The teens were puzzled. The father told his children he had thought about their request and had decided that if they would eat a brownie then he would let them go to the movie. But just like the movie, the brownies had pros and cons. The pros were that they were made with the finest chocolate and other good ingredients. They had the added special effect of yummy walnuts in them. The brownies were moist and fresh with wonderful chocolate frosting on top. He had made these fantastic brownies using an award-winning recipe. And best of all, the brownies had been made lovingly by the hand of their own father. The brownies only had one con. The father had included a little bit of a special ingredient. The brownies also contained just a little bit of dog poop. But he had mixed the dough well - they probably would not even be able to taste the dog poop and he had baked it at 350 degrees so any bacteria or germs from the dog poop had probably been destroyed. Therefore, if any of his children could stand to eat the brownies which included just a "little bit of crap" and not be effected by it, then he knew they would also be able to see the movie with "just a little bit of smut" and not be effected. Of course, none of the teens would eat the brownies and the smug smiles had left their faces. Only Dad was smiling smugly as they left the room. Now when his teenagers ask permission to do something he is opposed to the father just asks, "Would you like me to whip up a batch of my special brownies?"Author Unknownginnyrose
_________________Sandra Miller
ginnyrose wrote:
Therefore, if any of his children could stand to eat the brownies which included just a "little bit of crap" and not be effected by it, then he knew they would also be able to see the movie with "just a little bit of smut" and not be effected.
_________________Christiaan
Miccah wrote:ginnyrose wrote:Quote: Therefore, if any of his children could stand to eat the brownies which included just a "little bit of crap" and not be effected by it, then he knew they would also be able to see the movie with "just a little bit of smut" and not be effected.Splendid :-)
_________________Alex Treville
Fantasy is not necessarily smut, and having read the series as an adult, and enjoyed them, I don't see a problem with them...for those that can distinguish between reality and fantasy. 8-)
DelightedInU wrote:
But the question is, why are you taking pleasure in the things God hates?
I know that I am treading on some toes here but I can hardly believe that there are christians who find that Harry Potter is good to read or watch!Magic and sorcery is nothing short of demonic, the bible in no uncertain terms says that we do not partake in such things. So why oh why would we ever want to watch these things??I don't care if it is a fun storyline or just a cute kid playing around, witchcraft is NEVER harmless fun. Satan has wrapped up Harry Potter in this cute fun image only so as to create an interest and fascination in the occult which he intends to expand on. Harry Potter is the spark that starts the forest fire.
_________________Darren Broadhurst
As I am reading the postings here I am wondering...Have any of you nay sayers read the books? I have read them all just so I could see for myself what all the hub bub was about. My conclusion was......Great Books. Please take the time to put your prejudice aside and read with a open mind. The books never call on evil spirits as do witches and the like. The magic is pure fiction, it never could happen (cars don't fly, trees don't live etc). The books do get increasingly dark, but there is a point. The struggle between good and evil, and doing what is right over what is easy make for good spring boards for conversation with children. I could say a whole lot more, but let me conclude with this....Believe it or not the are a lot of great christian themes in the book, and I do mean a lot. I would suggest a book entitled Looking For God In Harry Potter. I hope many of you will just take a few moments to step back and begin to look for God in our culture and use those things as witnessing tools to the lost instead of always looking for what evil is behind every door.