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Harry Potter - what should our response be?July 2007:The film of the fifth Harry Potter book Harry Potter and the Order of the As with the other Harry Potter books and movies, we are concerned about the promotion and practice of witchcraft in these books/movies. New articles and reviews: Film: 'Harry Potter and the Order of the KJOS Ministries has another insightful analysis of the Harry Potter movies. KJOS has a review of the book behind the movie 'Harry Potter and the Order of the KJOS has an overview that compares Harry Potter and the occult - this has been written by a man who was a member of an occult order. Overview and Application - 'Order of the The influence of Harry Potter on feelings about Christians? Harry Potter and anti-Christian bigotry More articles and links follow 'Our Analysis'... _______________________________ Our Analysis... Harry Potter seems to be everywhere .... Six books have now been written by J. K. Rowling and one more is planned. The books are on the New York Times bestseller lists. Harry Potter films have now been released and parents are under increasing pressure to allow their children to see the films and read the books. Schools are frequently reading the books in class and encouraging students to engage in 'related activities'. Commercial operations have used the popularity of the film to sell a wide range of merchandise - including toys, food and drinks. The newest 'toy' is a potion mixing kit. Related merchandise and books capitalise on the growing interest in witchcraft. What should our response be as Christians? The question most people ask is: "Is there a link between the Harry Potter books and witchcraft?" From our reading and research, and reading selected sections of the books, we believe that the books expose children to the world of magic and occult practices, although parts of the books are written in a fantasy setting. This may lead them to explore actual witchcraft, especially when linked with viewing TV programs such as Buffy- the vampire slayer and Charmed or reading books of spells or witchcraft. The books describe the use of occult practices such as divination, astrology and the casting of spells. As Christians, we must remember that God tells us to have nothing to do with witchcraft, or sorcery or divination.(Deut.18: 9 - 11) The author, JK Rowling, admitted in a 1999 interview on The Diane Rehm Show that she researched pagan and witchcraft practices to make the books more realistic. She said more than one third of the practices are based on actual occult practices. Toni Colllins, who has read the books, and who experimented with witchcraft before becoming a Christian, notes that of the commentators who supported the Potter books, "virtually none of them had ever experienced the occult" but "almost every commentator I read who had experience with the occult found the books disturbing, almost as if they were primers on witchcraft." (Article at Envoy Magazine) Some particular areas of concern: 1. Harry is a wizard (his mother was a witch, his father was a wizard) and is training to use supernatural occult powers of astrology, alchemy, divination, spell casting and so on. 2. Characters who have magic powers are portrayed as being 'cool' - others, the 'muggles', are considered inferior. 3. The characters have unethical behaviour such as lying and rule-breaking. When they are caught, they are often not punished. When those who support the books say that Harry protects his friends, they often overlook this poor behaviour. 4. Many of those who support the books say they show 'good' versus 'evil', with Harry fighting Lord Voldemort. However, Harry uses witchcraft to overcome the enemy wizard Voldemort. Their powers come from the same source. Christian commentators have taken differing views of the Harry Potter books and films: Richard Abanes has anlaysed the series and describes the concerns in his book Harry Potter and the Bible (see below) with additional comments on his website. We are concerned about the influence of Harry Potter on children, and believe that Christians should be very cautious and not allow their children to read these books, see the film or purchase the merchandise. If your children have read the books, we recommend that you review the books with them, discussing with them how they do not meet the standards set for Christian behaviour in the Bible and sharing with them how the Bible warns us to have nothing to do with witchcraft. We have listed resources for sale and articles on the internet for you to read: Resources Available from SALT SHAKERS 1.Harry Potter - Repackaging Witchcraft: Making Evil Seem Innocent. 2. Harry Potter and the Bible - Richard Abanes' comprehensive book. Articles on the web Here are a selection of linked articles on the internet which we have read. We recommend them for further reading: Recent articles, following the publication of the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince... Harry Potter and the Lavender Brigade Harry Potter: Politically Correct Paganism Previous articles... * Berit Kjos' website Crossroad has a number of articles about Harry Potter. * Pastor David Meyer was a witch prior to becoming a Christian so he speaks from personal experience in his article: * Kathi Sharpe, a former witch, was involved in witchcraft for ten years before becoming a Christian. Her article reveals some of the problems in the Potter books and warns Christians not to be involved in such activities. She recommends Richard Abanes book in her article. * William Schnoebelen was a wizard and freemason before becoming a Christian, so he also speaks from experience as he exposes the dangers of the Harry Potter books and movie. * Crosswalk - Teens Channel editor Olivia J. Johnson says "Many opinions exist on Harry Potter, but all I care about is what the Bible has to say." * The Problem of Harry Potter - LifeSite in Canada has a page on their web site with a range of links to various articles on Harry Potter. * HARRY POTTER AND THE STONE THAT WAS ROLLED AWAY ___________________________ The following two articles from Focus on the Family 'Plugged In' take a slightly different view and say we need to engage in the culture rather than dismissing the whole discussion on Harry Potter. They reveal some of the dangers but also highlight how Christians can engage in the culture through such books. If parents have already let their children read the books or watch the film, these articles may help them discuss some aspects with their children. 1. Film Review by Lindy Beam of Plugged In (Focus on the Family). _________________________________ For an overview of the Harry Potter issue, with both sides of the debate explored and links to many sites and articles, click here to go to the 'Apologetics Index' Harry Potter site. |