AN ORTHODOX VIEW OF HARRY POTTER

[OrthodoxyOrDeath]

Ania,

No, I don't think you're a "liberal heathen" at all. I think this culture breads indifference and especially an almost total insensitivity to demonic things, actually turning it into a sick fascination. We are all victims of this to some degree.

Yes, it started with the “Wizard of Oz”, now open blasphemy toward Christ is common, and can anyone say where or even if it will end? And so because this society is continually sucked into the whirlpool of its own delight, but which is actually a toilet, I have to make my life relative to that?

Do I say that I will make myself only two shades lighter than the current state of whatever this societies sick social "morality" happens to be, or do we strive to be pure white for Christ?

So, no, you are not a "liberal heathen", you are a victim like me and everyone else, because you have become desensitized and relative.

[away]

Hey OOD, good point about this kids intelligence. He is a special kind of boy I think. One day after Church I saw him reading a book about einstein. Most kids arent that smart, but being smart has its struggles as well, especially as we get older and cling to our "wisdom". But you are right, he is able to see the other side, alot of kids wont because there reading is for entertainment, not for education or truth-seeking. I dont like the Potter stuff, and I agree with you on the other points you made about demonic things being more and more acceptable and all of us being de-sensitized. It is difficult to maintain this position on things while the world goes along as it does. what did Father Seraphim say? something like "if we want to be Christians, we should expect to be crucified".

[Chrysostomos]

As a father of a 9 year old daughter, I truly believe that God
holds me accountable for raising her up in the "way of the Lord",
so that she will not depart from that, when she leaves home to
go on her own. Having said that, I would not allow her to read
Harry Potter, as innocent as it may appear. It does deal with
the issue of Sorcery, and Sorcery in any form is wrong. You
know the scriptures and what they say pertaining to it, so I will
refrain from posting those here. My daughter, of her own accord,
has no desire to read Harry Potter anyway. Maybe a mute point
to the issue, but one for which I share much joy. I thought I'd
share a story with all of you, that after sharing it, then asking a
question that you should ask yourself, whenever presented with
an issue like this one, or any other questionable area in one's life...

I was driving in my car one day, and I was flipping radio channels
and came to rest on a "Christian Talk Radio" Station. The talk
show host was having a discussion of his plan of going home to
watch the movie "Scarface" with Al Pacino. He was talking to a
lady on the line about it and was saying, so what if it has violence
and some gratuitous nudity on it, why shouldn't he be able to watch
it. He sees violence on the T.V. everyday, he reads about it, and
as far as nudity goes, he saw no problem with it. He wasn't playing
a "devil's advocate" role, he was being sincere about it and the lady
said that she wouldn't watch it, but that she really didn't have a
response to his question as to why he shouldn't be watching it.

As I thought about it, and changed the radio channel, the question
came to my mind and is a question that I ask myself when
presented with similar thoughts or other questionable issues.

The question I would ask the "talk show host" is: "Why should you
watch the movie Scarface?" "What will you benefit from watching
the movie?"

I would ask the same question to those who advocate reading the
Harry Potter series of books, or having their children read them.
Why should you and your children read the series? What would
be the benefit from reading the series?

When I ask myself that question, in regards to Harry Potter, I
come up with no benefit, for me, or my family.

Rather than asking why I can't do something, I find it better to
ask why I should.....

With humble bow,

Rd. Chrysostomos

[尼古拉前执事]

As I thought about it, and changed the radio channel, the question
came to my mind and is a question that I ask myself when
presented with similar thoughts or other questionable issues.

The question I would ask the "talk show host" is: "Why should you
watch the movie Scarface?" "What will you benefit from watching
the movie?"

I would ask the same question to those who advocate reading the
Harry Potter series of books, or having their children read them.
Why should you and your children read the series? What would
be the benefit from reading the series?

When I ask myself that question, in regards to Harry Potter, I
come up with no benefit, for me, or my family.

Rather than asking why I can't do something, I find it better to
ask why I should.....

With humble bow,

Rd. Chrysostomos

Amen!

[CGW]

I would ask the same question to those who advocate reading the
Harry Potter series of books, or having their children read them.
Why should you and your children read the series? What would
be the benefit from reading the series?

When I ask myself that question, in regards to Harry Potter, I
come up with no benefit, for me, or my family.

Perhaps you should reflect on how it may be a personal failing not to be able to get anything out of them.

[尼古拉前执事]

Perhaps you should reflect on how it may be a personal failing not to be able to get anything out of them.

Perhaps if we were talking about something important like the Teachings of the Church Fathers, this would be true, but from some secular fiction story applauding majick, to try and grasp something Orthodox out of it is ludicrous. We are called to see Jesus in everyone but not in everything. There are plenty of Orthodox books that can be read that are far better for our souls.

[CGW]

Perhaps you should reflect on how it may be a personal failing not to be able to get anything out of them.

Perhaps if we were talking about something important like the Teachings of the Church Fathers, this would be true, but from some secular fiction story applauding majick, to try and grasp something Orthodox out of it is ludicrous. We are called to see Jesus in everyone but not in everything. There are plenty of Orthodox books that can be read that are far better for our souls.

Honor is not Orthodox? Self-sacrifice for the good of others is not Orthodox? It seems to me that this is a dangerous position, because in the end it tends to look toward an Orthodoxy that is bereft of any of the Jesus that the rest of Christianity sees, or that the rest of the world sees.

Also, I have to wonder about insistence on spelling "magic" as Aliester Crowley chose to spell it.