TLEM
True Light Educational Ministry
Then
you will
know the Truth and the Truth will set you free ( John
8:32)
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HARRY
POTTER THROUGH A CHRISTIAN'S EYES
BY VICTORIA CUNNINGHAM
I came into acquaintance with Harry Potter rather late in the series. It
was with the fourth book that I first
began to read of his adventures. That book is entitled Harry Potter and
the Goblet of Fire. In the first few
pages I was greeted with a scene in the local pub, The Hanged Man.
There the story includes the tales
of murder, drinking and gossiping. I felt at this point and
still do that this is not the kind of thing a child
should be reading. In my opinion, what I was reading was adult themes
hidden in simple language and
than labeled children's literature. We know that biblically we are instructed
not to be involved with drunkenness;
the pleasant atmosphere at the pub plants an enticing concept in the
child's mind. In Romans
13:13, " We should be decent and true in everything we do, so that
everyone can approve of our
behavior. Don't participate in wild parties and getting drunk, or in
adultery and immoral living, or in fighting
and jealousy." We know that gossip is very wrong also, yet it is
handled as a form of pleasant conversation
between friends. The idea of it being socially acceptable to gossip will
not be missed by young
people. Murder is common enough in our society. Children take guns
to school and just recently we saw
a fourteen year old in Florida convicted of a murder he committed
at the age of eleven. Habakkuk 2:10-11,
"But by the murders you committed, you have shamed your name and
forfeited your lives. The very
stones in the walls of your houses cry out against you, and the beams in the
ceilings echo the complaint."
I believe that while even Potter's author shows murder as a fowl act
young people just don't need
to read about any more violence. And in the case of this story
line, murder is dished up as an excuse for the wizardry Harry is involved
with.
Now, these instances were in the first few pages of the book as I have said.
The book is 734 pages long,
and there are going to be lots of such single situations in that much writing.
Now increase that by at least
seven books and a Christian parent, teacher, advisor, or older sibling is
looking at a daunting situation
if looking to lead a child away from Harry Potter. It would take days to
go through each and every
individual scene and explain your objection to it and in all probability you
will lose your audience. I just
don't visualize any young person sitting still that long. Success will
come in good time management in
addressing the child and by coming head on at the main issue of
offense. The theme that runs throughout
the whole series, Harry is a wizard. He attends Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry; the
Bible is very clear on this spending your time making plans like these, in
Isaiah 59:4-5, "They spend their
time plotting evil deeds and then doing them. They spend their time and
energy spinning evil plans
that end up in deadly actions." Harry casts spells, for example,
memory charms. Before, I go further in this
article, I want to answer again a question that I was asked just recently.
That question was, "should we tell
children that there is evil and should we explain what as Christians we
see as an evil in these books?"
My answer was and is, yes! I look to the Bible for that instruction. In
First Peter 3:15, "But in your hearts set
apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone
who asks you to give the reason
for the hope that you have." Inherent in explaining why you
have hope in the truth of Christ, is being
able to explain why the other person is wrong. And then in 2Timothy
3:15-16, "And that from a child
thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise
unto salvation through faith
which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." We are
actually commanded to educate children
in what is right and wrong.
The word evil in the Bible refers to those things which are not godly or God centered. Remembering this and accepting our responsibility to teach our children, let's look at what the Bible says about wizardry. The whole point of the story line is wrapped around Harry's use of wizardry. We should be aware of the fact that the words witch, wizard, and sorcerer all share a common definition in terms of the casting of spells and use of magic and can be substituted for each other. In the Random House ctionary, the word witchcraft is defined as sorcery, a witch as a sorceress, a wizard as a sorcerer and a sorcerer as a wizard. The word sorcerer comes from the Latin sortiarius , and in the Bible includes those not only casting spells, but those who cast lots or who tells the lot of others, which ties the practice of sorcery to divination.
Starting in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy God admonishes us against
these things. They are not
of Him; they are not God centered; they, of necessity, then become evil.
We go to chapter 18, verses 10-14,
"And do not let your people practice fortune-telling or sorcery, or allow
them to interpret omens, or engage
in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call
forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone
who does these things is an object of horror and disgust to the Lord. It
is because the other nations have
done these things that the Lord your God will drive them out ahead of you.
You must be blameless before
the Lord your God. The people you are about to displace consult with sorcerers
and fortunetellers, but
the Lord your God forbids you to do such things." Angry at Israel
in Isaiah 2:6, "The Lord has rejected
the people of Israel because they have made alliances with foreigners from the
East who practice magic
and divination, just like the Philistines." Later in the book
of Isaiah, Babylon, who is called the great
whore, is told of her destruction for having practiced much evil. In
verse 9 of chapter 47 it says, "Well,
those two things will come upon you in a moment: widowhood and the loss of
your children. Yes, these
calamities will come upon you, despite all your witchcraft and magic."
And then again in verse 11 "
So disaster will overtake you suddenly, and you won't be able to charm it
away." When speaking of King
Manasseh while he ruled in Judah, 2Kings 21:6 says, "He practiced sorcery
and divination, and he consulted
with mediums and psychics. He did much that was evil in the Lord's
sight, arousing his anger."
Beginning with the book of Malachi the Lord's absolute condemnation of
sorcery, wizardry, witchcraft,
and divination are punctuated by the description of what waits for those who
do not turn from this
evil. In chapter 3:5 of the book of Malachi it says, "At that time
I will put you on trial. I will be a
ready witness against all sorcerers and adulterers and liars." In
Revelation 21:8, "But cowards who
turn away from me, and unbelievers, and the corrupt, and murderers, and the
immoral, and those who
practice witchcraft, and idol worshipers, and all liars their doom is in the
lake that burns with fire
and sulfur. This is the second death."
"Blessed are those who wash their robes so they can enter through
the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. Outside
the city are the dogs, the sorcerers,
the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to
live a lie." [Revelation
22:14-15]
Now, specifically, a comment on the casting of spells. A spell being a
formula for drawing energy from
the earth, concentrating it and then sending it out into the world. In
the world this energy will work the
wizards will, speaking here in the context of Harry Potter, of course.
There is no such thing as good magic;
it does not exist. In Deuteronomy 29:49, "The secret things
belong unto the Lord our God" In Romans
9:21, "Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts."
In Leviticus 19:26, it says, "'Do not practice divination or
sorcery.'" And do not forget Deuteronomy 18:10-12.
For
More Information Contact:
True
Light Educational Ministry
PO
Box 310
Shirley,
NY 11967
(631)395-4646
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