Harry Potter remix 1
Had a couple of comments on the Harry Potter teaching at TruLife last night so I thought I would give a quick synposis of my main points:
1. Why do some Christians dislike Harry Potter?
They see HP as a portrayal of witchcraft that is specifically condemned in Deuteronomy 18:9-12. If we dig deeper in the passage we see that God is refering the idea that magic is a third force. Because the ancient world was polytheistic (many gods), the power of the gods would have limited. So ancient world religions believed that a third force existed which could be manipulated - magic. All the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) hold that there is one God and any idea of a third, neutral force that can be controled by humans is false. This is what is condemned in Deuteronomy (and elsewhere in the Bible).
2. Is witchcraft real?
1 Samuel 28 gives us a story about Saul’s encounter with the witch of Endor and his effort to communicate with Samuel, who was deceased. There are three possibilities to understand this passage: Saul was experiencing a mental projection - which would have been possible, given his unbalanced mental state; God used Saul’s request and used a medium to communicate His message - which seems unlikely because God does not typically use messengers of evil for His purposes (but being God, God does what He wants - see Pharoah in Exodus); or Satan is behind this, allowing Saul to hear what is true, but not pointing him at all toward God. My hunch is the best understanding is the first or the last option.
I think what is interpreted as ghosts, magic, witchcraft in our time is in fact from Satan and is used to confuse and divert people from God’s truth.
3. Does Harry Potter lead people to the occult?
The magic potrayed in Harry Potter is incantional with an ocassional blurring toward spiritist. Rowling uses magic as a way of creating an alternate world, much as Tollkien and Lewis do in their works. My own feeling about this is Harry Potter is fantasy literature and the magic portrayed in it does not lead people away from God or toward Satan.
4. Should I let my kids read Harry Potter?
Depends on your child! Can your child understand some things are pretend and Harry Potter falls into that category? I do think parents need to know what their kids are reading and they need to take time to read it themselves. Talk with your children about the messages they are getting in books, TV, video games, and movies. Children need help in interpreting what they see and how it makes them feel. It is a great help to talk with them about how your own Christian faith help you interpret all that culture throws at them. I think our kids (mine included) are far more at risk from the seduction of sexuality and materialism than witchcraft.
Next week, the final installment of the Gospel according to HP.
