Harry is evil

[tirapet]

It's just a story.

It has its ups and downs. It has good themes such as loyalty and trust and love and friendship. Also, how those themes are like what we go through in life (broken trust, loss of friendship, loss of love, making friends, finding love). God gave J. K. Rowling the talents to write such a series.

One just needs to have a sense of right and wrong; it's common sense really. Not all stories are true. And little children love fantasy because it stimulates imagination which is crucial for growing up. And the supernatural is part of life we acknowledge because it shows how the devil can corrupt others.

Magic is a grave sin. But we all sin, but can be redeemed so long as we seek forgiveness.

You cannot say that a whole story is plain evil just because there is evil (witchcraft) in a story. Most stories deal with heroes and villains. It's FAKE. Not real. Untrue.

It is true that we shouldn't model ourselves after the witchcraft in Harry Potter. The Bible states in

Leviticus 19:31 Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

Deuteronomy 18:10 There shall not be found among you anyone who make his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord.

It is saying do not practise it. Sure, some say it is safe to just avoid witchcraft altogether so as to not risk temptation which is perfectly fine. It's totally great advice (avoiding temptation), but if we ignore it completely, we will not learn how to face and deal with it.

It all depends on your interpretation and upbringing, but so long as you know it's not real and don't practice witchcraft and don't consult those who do, you shouldn't be badly punished for reading a children's story.

Harry Potter himself is not evil; he practices what is considered evil in the Bible. Yes, we shouldn't imitate all of what we read (duh!), but we should teach and learn and know what is right by consulting the Bible.

Also, we should not hate those who like Harry Potter.

Leviticus 19:17-18 Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

We all have different interests and religions. Just think of it as an opportunity to save someone.

I completely agree some take it to an extreme and want to practice and perform the "spells" in the book. Yes, that is evil, and yes, they got the idea from Harry Potter. But they could've gotten it from many other books, too. Harry Potter is not the only book about magic out there in the world. And what is one supposed to do? Shelter one's children? Keep away every single literary reference about it (good luck with that, by the way)? No! Parents must teach their children right and wrong, the difference between fantasy and reality, what is good and what is evil. If one has a strong faith, it won't affect one at all. Harry Potter is just a intriguing story made for entertainment purposes.

Harry Potter is just for entertainment. Writing is an art. And an art is meant to give us something to think about and look at and ponder. We shouldn't believe ALL the books we read. We should be able to discern what are good books and which ones are bad. We should consult and read the good book, the Bible.

 

[KingdomSeeker]

You cannot say that a whole story is plain evil just because there is evil (witchcraft) in a story. Most stories deal with heroes and villains. It's FAKE. Not real. Untrue.

"Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;" 1Timothy 4:7

 

[Christ4Ever]

It's just a story.

It has its ups and downs. It has good themes such as loyalty and trust and love and friendship. Also, how those themes are like what we go through in life (broken trust, loss of friendship, loss of love, making friends, finding love). God gave J. K. Rowling the talents to write such a series.

One just needs to have a sense of right and wrong; it's common sense really. Not all stories are true. And little children love fantasy because it stimulates imagination which is crucial for growing up. And the supernatural is part of life we acknowledge because it shows how the devil can corrupt others.

Magic is a grave sin. But we all sin, but can be redeemed so long as we seek forgiveness.

You cannot say that a whole story is plain evil just because there is evil (witchcraft) in a story. Most stories deal with heroes and villains. It's FAKE. Not real. Untrue.

It is true that we shouldn't model ourselves after the witchcraft in Harry Potter. The Bible states in

It is saying do not practise it. Sure, some say it is safe to just avoid witchcraft altogether so as to not risk temptation which is perfectly fine. It's totally great advice (avoiding temptation), but if we ignore it completely, we will not learn how to face and deal with it.

It all depends on your interpretation and upbringing, but so long as you know it's not real and don't practice witchcraft and don't consult those who do, you shouldn't be badly punished for reading a children's story.

Harry Potter himself is not evil; he practices what is considered evil in the Bible. Yes, we shouldn't imitate all of what we read (duh!), but we should teach and learn and know what is right by consulting the Bible.

Also, we should not hate those who like Harry Potter. We all have different interests and religions. Just think of it as an opportunity to save someone.

I completely agree some take it to an extreme and want to practice and perform the "spells" in the book. Yes, that is evil, and yes, they got the idea from Harry Potter. But they could've gotten it from many other books, too. Harry Potter is not the only book about magic out there in the world. And what is one supposed to do? Shelter one's children? Keep away every single literary reference about it (good luck with that, by the way)? No! Parents must teach their children right and wrong, the difference between fantasy and reality, what is good and what is evil. If one has a strong faith, it won't affect one at all. Harry Potter is just a intriguing story made for entertainment purposes.

Harry Potter is just for entertainment. Writing is an art. And an art is meant to give us something to think about and look at and ponder. We shouldn't believe ALL the books we read. We should be able to discern what are good books and which ones are bad. We should consult and read the good book, the Bible.

Sorry tirapet,
Acceptance of things that are clearly not approved by God anywhere in scripture, or trivializing it as just entertainment, and excusing it as art is how the world justifies what it does. If you are a Christian, and accept the inerrancy of scripture, then you know that our God is a jealous God and doesn’t like sharing with other gods. Gal 5:9 doesn’t take much. Mix in some niceties as you mentioned “good themes such as loyalty and trust and love and friendship” and anything that goes against God word is excused? Israel made this mistake more than once, and paid a heavy price. You also mention “God gave J. K. Rowling the talents to write such a series.” God may have provided the talent to write, but did not provide the subject matter. Remember God does not temp anyone and these books are temptations so cannot be of God. James 1:3 God doesn’t change Hbr 13:8 if he found the subject matter wrong before, I don’t see scripturally where it changed any in the future. You can read the OT or NT and it shows exactly that.
You might even be an avid reader of Ms Rowling. I used to also read a series of books by Robert Jordan which were a great many books. I derived great pleasure from reading them and couldn’t wait for the next one to come out! Subject matter really wasn’t much different than Harry Potter. At the time I also increased my scripture reading and started to do some research scripturally and online in regards to everything from witchcraft to astrology. Some would call them arcane arts. To give you an idea that God considered this subject one that needed to be repeated over and over again. I found a total of 146 verses which mentioned these or similar areas, 18 of which angered God or were direct warnings against. Many were dealings with the practices done by other nations. None were mentioned in a positive light! SIC we’re in a battle Eph 6:12, and not only against the things we see! I could go on and on if you haven’t noticed. I pray that you’ll pray about this, and check it out for yourself. See it through the eyes of someone who doesn’t know Christ and is exposed to these books. People with no discernment as well as children who probably have a greater knowledge of Harry Potter books than of the word of God! As you can see you hit a sore spot. I’ve come to realize that you can warn folks, show them scripture, and because as you yourself know, it’s a good read! Shoot it’s not even real! Been there done that SIC.
What did I do with all the Robert Jordan books? The Holy Spirit had convicted me! I gathered them on my porch with my wife and teenage children keeping a safe distance away (Dad acting kind of crazy) making believe they weren’t really watching, and I proceeded to shred each and every paperback, hardback, and put the residue in the trash can. Even got asked by my kids “Why not sell them or give them away?” Would you pass on poison to anyone? Do you want to be the one who sets anyone on the wide road? I sure didn’t want to be that one. Read Rev 9:21. Your statement of “Magic is a grave sin. But we all sin, but can be redeemed so long as we seek forgiveness.” You may not have meant it this way, but it comes across like “doesn’t matter what I do, all I have to do is ask forgiveness and I’ll be excused”. Like partying all night Friday & Saturday and going to church on Sunday and saying “sorry Lord about the past couple of days, please forgive me.” Then it starts all over again the next Friday, Saturday & Sunday. This is not considered “Repentance” my SIC. Tirapet we can be some of the hardest headed people there are! Oh yeah if you haven’t figured out SIC means; “Sister In Christ”. These are perilous times we live in! The world seduces probably like no other time in its history. Stay faithful! By the way the last book I read of Robert Jordan in his long series which was to be continued, was the last book he was ever to write. He died shortly thereafter without ever finishing. Awaiting Our Lord’s Glorious Return! Your BIC.

 

[stephon]

harry potter

i've never seen any of the movies - nor have i read any of the books.

don't think i'm missing much:wink:

 

[Christ4Ever]

Amen to that brother!