How can people including children who read harry potter, call themselves christians?

Question

For those who say it's just a book, ok I AGREE.

But what about those "christians" they dress up in black in witch hats and wnds, put that scar on their head, etc...


http://www.prisonplanet.com/harry_potter_and_the_order_of_the_phoenix.html

Summer Solstice -- an ancient pagan celebration in Europe and elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere -- seemed a fitting release date for J. K. Rowling's fifth book.

strengthen the notion that rage, rudeness and rebellion are cool as well as okay. It doesn't help that millions of children around the world are encouraged to feed their minds with images such as this:
"Harry longed to bite the man. . . but he must master the impulse. He had more important work to do. But the man was stirring. . . Harry saw his vibrant, blurred outline towering above him, saw a wand withdrawn from a belt. . . . He had no choice. . . . He reared high from the floor and struck once, twice, three times, plunging his fangs deeply into the man’s flesh..

"Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve....

But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Joshua 24:15

LoL at your noob.

How can a person who dresses up as a witch distinguish fantasy from reality?

NOOB

Daisy I agree but look at all these n00bs who dont bother to read the link, that are as gullible as ever, and are trolling and SPAMMING the **** out of my question. '

Dam n00bs!

Dam you n00bs, would Jesus want to see his children dressed up as witches?

There are adult n00bs who dress up as witches as well! Dam noobs!

Of course harry potter is real you n00bs!!

Click on the link and see how it is poisoning minds!

Ha ha, how can you call a member of the vatican a heretic? Thats being a hypocrite!

About jesus camp, I AM NOT AN EVANGELIST.

There is a difference from the people who follow the Vatican and the Pope than from some American lady speaking in tongues to George Bush!

Trust me stigg.... The many children who read harry potter do not the difference between reality and fiction.

Answer 1

I'm a Christian, so defined by the things I believe about Jesus Christ and the decisions I have made based on those beliefs. What I choose to entertain myself may not reflect well upon that, but it, like my choice to believe in Him, is my choice. I have read (and enjoyed) all the Potter books, and I play Dungeons & Dragons. I also am reading the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan and the Tale for Fire and Ice series by George R. R. Martin (in which there is an incestuous relationship between 2 of the characters). I'm a very big fan of Sci-Fi/Fantasy and always have been. I was raised on old horror movies (Dracula, Frankenstein, etc.) and still enjoy them, and I enjoyed the 5 American Pie movies I've seen. Actually, I really like movies in general. I'm also re-reading the Bourne trilogy by Robert Ludlum, have read several of John Grisham's novels, have read 62 Star Trek novels, 2 ST:TNG novels, and about 40 Star Wars novels. I have read about a dozen James Bond novels, some by Ian Fleming and several by John Garner. I was a big fan of the original Battlestar Galactica and have enjoyed the new series immensely. I was also a fan of Buck Rogers and when I was in high school wrote a paper attempting to explain the future history of earth in light of Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek and Buck Rogers. It was quite interresting (or so I was told).

Now, while I think there are things that children shouldn't be exposed to, we must remember that we are in the world and children are going to be exposed to things we would not want them to be exposed to. We must learn what we can about these things so that when questions come up we can intelligently discuss them with our children and present an informed opinion about them and justification for our stance on them. This applies not just to worldly things, but Biblical things as well.

Answer 2

The quote you took from the book is out of context. It comes from Harry having a vision of voldemorts snake attacking someone (through the snakes eyes). I'm a christian and I enjoy reading the Harry Potter books. Children dressing up like the charachters is harmless. If you have never dressed up like a charachter when you were little, it would have been rather sad.

Harry Potter shows the battle of good vs. evil quite well. As long as people are mature and rational enough to understand that it is just a literary work there is no harm. C. S. Lewis and Tolkien also wrote such books and they were awesome christians.

There may be some impressional children who should not read the book because they think magic is "real" or that it could lead them into the occult or something, their parents should probably observe them. However, I find true occult practices and the magic shown in the books to be vastly different. When my kids got old enough to read the books and enjoy them as fiction, I think they would enjoy them as I have.

Answer 3

Your quote is out of context. The book has all kinds of Christian references in it. You should take a look at that. Your quote is about Harry being controlled by an evil snake. Sound familiar?

I thought real Christians were those who accepted Jesus into their hearts and asked for forgiveness and to be shown the way to God through him. Not by forsaking to read works of fiction.

If children watch cartoons and movies and know that they are not real, then they can read a book and know that it is not real. If they can't, then you need to spend more time parenting and less time trying to have books banned.

As for the release date....that is not solely decided by the author. The publishing company has quite a bit of say about that decision. There are other factors when that is decided, such as what other books or movies are coming out at that time. It doesn't matter what religious holiday it was released on in the Northern Hemisphere, because that book is sold all over the world. The publishing company probably didn't even know that.

Peace be with you. It sounds like you need it.

Answer 4

Is it any worse than when these same children dress up as Cinderella? Or better yet... the Fairy Godmother??? What about the many other movies/cartoons... like the Wizard of Oz. I see so many complain about Harry Potter... and though I'm glad to see you agree that it is just a book, you still go on as if isn't.

As for children not being able to tell the difference between reality and fiction... that is not the fault of the writers such as Rowling... that is fully on the heads of the parents. Oddly enough, as far as I can tell, Pagan children do know the difference and do not even think about Harry Potter other than as a fictional book that's fun to read.

Now, you point out some images in these books.... But in the Bible you have Song of Solomon which is about Solomon having sex with one of his favorite women. It also has images of God telling his people to kill EVERYONE in another nation. It talks about the crucifixion, of which many movies have been made.... yet I do not see anyone complaining about these images being bad. Personally, I think many of the images in the Bible are just as, if not more, violent than most movies we watch. The laws in the Old Test tell you "take an eye for an eye" and this is seen as acceptable... but "plunging his fangs deeply into the mans flesh" is not??????

I'm not sure where you draw that line, or even if you have one.... but I wouldn't be so quick to point out a set of fictional books like Harry Potter and claim they do more damage than any other book out there.

Answer 5

Im sorry but I cannot help but laugh about this question.
Religion, no matter what religion, should be viewed and practiced as a religion, not an iron fist with which the religious leaders can rule the masses. Fantasy books like Harry Potter are, in fact, fantasy and therefore fiction. ment not to convert people to witchcraft or paganism, but to give people something to do, a new book to read. And a good book at that.

It is of my personal opinion that you can read the Harry Potter series and still be a "true" christian

Answer 6

I take it you haven't really read the books and you've taken those quotes from a "Christian" site specialising in over-analysing literature.

The HP books are simply a good read - otherwise JKR wouldn't have sold the millions of books that she has in such a short time.

I think you'll find, if you do get off your high horse and actually read them, that they are quite enjoyable.

You'll also find that they aren't encouraging children to practise black magic or satanism or anything of the sort. They are (like many other books, whether fantasy or not) simply a well-written saga of Good versus Evil ... and, without giving away too much of the ending of the final book in the series, it's mostly happily-ever-after.

A little dressing up in costumes never did any child any lasting harm - physically, psychologically or spiritually. I'm sure you'd (without a second thought) encourage children to dress up and act out another of the great works of fantasy - the Nativity scene.

If it's fantasy, as a genre, that repulses you so, then I suggest that you also shouldn't read those written by C.S. Lewis (Narnia series) and John Bunyan (Pilgrim's progress).

Answer 7

Um, hate to sort of break it to you, but.... how to put this delicately.... "Harry Potter" isn't REAL.

Yes, just like the allegorically Christian "Narnia" and "Lord of the Rings" tales from the Christian writers CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien, "Harry Potter" is replete with witches, wizards, trolls, elves, and magical swords and armour.

All of which are entirely FICTIONAL.

Harry Potter tells a great moral story about the importance of selflessness; how self-sacrifice so completely destroys evil; and how it takes humble and good people to destroy the proud and arrogant.

And Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" tells us even a little about how Christian soteriology works. When Harry says to Voldemort, "Try for some remorse; I've seen what you'll become, and it is your last chance", he is pointing out, just as Christianity does, that even at the eleventh hour, even the most vile can be saved.

Joanna Rowling may appeal to Campbellian archetypes, but her message is a thoroughly Christian one. In fact, "Harry Potter" is a far more Christian work than those horrible "Left Behind" snuff books.

As for that image you quote? It isn't Harry... he is having a dream, and in the dream he is seeing through the eyes of an evil snake.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

What of the Christians who perform all those pagan rituals around the mid-winter festival. Like:
Giving presents.
Putting up a tree.
Putting up lights.
Having a feast.


And the Christians who perform pagan rituals at Easter? Celebrating pagan fertility symbols like rabbits and eggs. Or even using the word "Easter" - derived from the name of a pagan fertility goddess.


But I am sure you do none of those things. Right?


Meanwhile here is an image from the bible for you:

Deuteronomy 20
20:13 And when the LORD thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:

20:14 But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.

20:15 Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations.
20:16 But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:


There is an image for the kiddies. God wants all the unfaithful slaughtered - including women, children and babies.

Praise the Lord (Or else!)

Answer 10

People who read and get into Harry Potter don't actually devote their lives to it, no matter how much stuff they collect or how the dress up when they're playing. They realize it's just a game, and they set it aside when it comes time to lead their real lives. They're not out there thinking any of it is real.

The problem is the billions of people out there who do follow fictional books thinking that they are real.

Do you realize how foolish you make yourself look by thinking or even suggesting that people who dress up as witches or whatever actually think they are witches or whatever? And I know lots and lots of kids who read Harry Potter and love it but do not for a second confuse it with reality. I am sure that you'd have a hard time finding even one who supports your side.