Does God Hate Harry Potter?
My anniversary was over the weekend, and I took my wife to the Easton Town Center in Columbus, Ohio to celebrate. The other big national event going on over the weekend was the release of the new Harry Potter book. These two important events met face to face at the bookstore on Friday night.
As my wife and I walked around Easton, we saw hundreds, maybe a thousand, people dressed in capes. Most of the cape dwellers were between the ages of 10 and 16. However, I saw a couple of 25 year olds running around in garb. As the hour grew close to midnight, the excitement grew to a fever pitch. In the midst of this, I told my wife that there was probably another thousand people here that was disappointed that their mom's wouldn't let them bring their cape.
We now know that the Harry Potter book sold at 250,000 copies an hour on the first day. The book made the author 36 million dollars on day one. Those are amazing numbers, and they cannot be dismissed. I have absolutely no interest in the ongoing saga of young Harry. I have not read any of the books. Yet, I did see the first movie when it aired on T.V., and I am sure that the 10-16 crowd loved it, but it wasn't my cup of tea. Nevertheless, I would be wrong not to realize how important this phenomena is to the youth of America.
So, Does God disapprove of Harry Potter? There are some Christians that believe that God disapproves of almost everything Hollywood gives us. I remember having a conversation years ago with a Christian who believed that God hated the movie "Twins". Her premise was simple, she believed the movie made a mockery out of womanhood and devalued fatherhood. These two ideas were very important to her, and they are both found in the Bible. On the other hand, I didn't like the movie because I though it was stupid, it was written poorly, and the acting was bad.
My point is, that many Christians do not understand fiction. Stories are stories, and they can be used to teach good things or bad things. We can all agree that the Bible teaches us not to lie. However, Jesus told parables that probably didn't happen. So I must ask, "When Jesus said that there was a man who built his house on sand was he lying?" I say absolutely not. Jesus was using a story to teach a great truth. It is not a lie to tell a story. The Church has used stories for centuries to teach, and I use them every Sunday Morning in my messages.
As for Harry Potter, many Christians would say that the Bible teaches us to avoid witchcraft. I agree fully with that statement. However, I must ask, "Is reading Harry Potter 'Witchcraft'?" I have admitted, I am not an expert on Harry Potter. However, I have watched one movie, and in that movie I never once saw the teaching of witchcraft. What I saw was a fictional story about a young wizard. At no point in the movie did I ever get it confused with real life, and at no point in the movie did I see a manual for the teaching of the sorcery and wizardry.
I know that some would say that Harry Potter doesn't honor God, and we should only support things that honor God. I believe that this world would be impossible to live in if you base your life on that statement. There are very few things in this world that honor God. I believe most Christians couldn't buy groceries if they only supported things that honor God.
Does God hate Harry Potter? How could he? Harry Potter is a fictional character that does not exist. However, God may hate the author. I guess we will find out on judgment day.
Without a doubt, there are some movies and books we should not let our children see or read. If the story teaches our children to disobey. If the story allows bad to defeat good. If the story has subject matter that is inappropriate for the their age. These types of things we should avoid.
In my humble opinion, Harry Potter is harmless. It is a fictional story that teaches honesty and integrity. The good people always triumphs over the bad people. Friendship is important, and obeying your elders has its benefits. If a child decides to pick up witchcraft after reading Harry Potter, I would suggest that there is a lot wrong with the parenting of that child. A child old enough to read Harry Potter should be able to know the difference between fiction and reality. If a child is unable to do this, then by all means avoid the book.
(On a side note)
If your child is reading Harry Potter, I hope you also recommend to your child that he or she reads the Bible. It has some great stories in it as well.
As my wife and I walked around Easton, we saw hundreds, maybe a thousand, people dressed in capes. Most of the cape dwellers were between the ages of 10 and 16. However, I saw a couple of 25 year olds running around in garb. As the hour grew close to midnight, the excitement grew to a fever pitch. In the midst of this, I told my wife that there was probably another thousand people here that was disappointed that their mom's wouldn't let them bring their cape.
We now know that the Harry Potter book sold at 250,000 copies an hour on the first day. The book made the author 36 million dollars on day one. Those are amazing numbers, and they cannot be dismissed. I have absolutely no interest in the ongoing saga of young Harry. I have not read any of the books. Yet, I did see the first movie when it aired on T.V., and I am sure that the 10-16 crowd loved it, but it wasn't my cup of tea. Nevertheless, I would be wrong not to realize how important this phenomena is to the youth of America.
So, Does God disapprove of Harry Potter? There are some Christians that believe that God disapproves of almost everything Hollywood gives us. I remember having a conversation years ago with a Christian who believed that God hated the movie "Twins". Her premise was simple, she believed the movie made a mockery out of womanhood and devalued fatherhood. These two ideas were very important to her, and they are both found in the Bible. On the other hand, I didn't like the movie because I though it was stupid, it was written poorly, and the acting was bad.
My point is, that many Christians do not understand fiction. Stories are stories, and they can be used to teach good things or bad things. We can all agree that the Bible teaches us not to lie. However, Jesus told parables that probably didn't happen. So I must ask, "When Jesus said that there was a man who built his house on sand was he lying?" I say absolutely not. Jesus was using a story to teach a great truth. It is not a lie to tell a story. The Church has used stories for centuries to teach, and I use them every Sunday Morning in my messages.
As for Harry Potter, many Christians would say that the Bible teaches us to avoid witchcraft. I agree fully with that statement. However, I must ask, "Is reading Harry Potter 'Witchcraft'?" I have admitted, I am not an expert on Harry Potter. However, I have watched one movie, and in that movie I never once saw the teaching of witchcraft. What I saw was a fictional story about a young wizard. At no point in the movie did I ever get it confused with real life, and at no point in the movie did I see a manual for the teaching of the sorcery and wizardry.
I know that some would say that Harry Potter doesn't honor God, and we should only support things that honor God. I believe that this world would be impossible to live in if you base your life on that statement. There are very few things in this world that honor God. I believe most Christians couldn't buy groceries if they only supported things that honor God.
Does God hate Harry Potter? How could he? Harry Potter is a fictional character that does not exist. However, God may hate the author. I guess we will find out on judgment day.
Without a doubt, there are some movies and books we should not let our children see or read. If the story teaches our children to disobey. If the story allows bad to defeat good. If the story has subject matter that is inappropriate for the their age. These types of things we should avoid.
In my humble opinion, Harry Potter is harmless. It is a fictional story that teaches honesty and integrity. The good people always triumphs over the bad people. Friendship is important, and obeying your elders has its benefits. If a child decides to pick up witchcraft after reading Harry Potter, I would suggest that there is a lot wrong with the parenting of that child. A child old enough to read Harry Potter should be able to know the difference between fiction and reality. If a child is unable to do this, then by all means avoid the book.
(On a side note)
If your child is reading Harry Potter, I hope you also recommend to your child that he or she reads the Bible. It has some great stories in it as well.
posted by Foundes Community Church @ 4:59 AM
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