AN ORTHODOX VIEW OF HARRY POTTER

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ania
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Post by ania »

Now really, I can't believe this topic has come up again.

I've read all 5 HP books in print currently, and have the 6th on pre-order from Amazon. Aside from some of my objections to her writing style, I found the books entertaining.
Maybe I found them entertaining because they are in a way an extension from the Russian fairytales my Orthodox parents and grandparents read to me, and their Orthodox parents read to them. The same Russian fairytales with witches, warlocks, and all sorts of talking animals and mythical creatures. Firebird, anyone? These books are sold without probems at Orthodox church bookstores all over America. And yes, somewhere in a previous posts it was asked "have you ever heard of a good witch?" In Russian fairytales, the witches quite often gave shelter to damsels in destress and directed the heros to wherever they had to go to defeat the bad guys, or rescue the objects of their affections.
Anyone who's ever read Ruslan & Ludmilla, a Russian classic by Puskin, read by Russian ORTHODOX for centuries has the pivital character who was a Finnish magician, and another who was just a giant head that Ruslan did battle against. The warlock Chernamor was the bad guy, and Ludmilla often used "Chapka Nevedimka" or the "Invisibility Hat" to avoid Chernamor who had kidnapped her, which can be compared to HP's invisibilty cloak, that he and his friends used to sneak around and out of their school.
Russian folklore is full of princes riding "seriye volki" (grey wolves), talking shtuki (pikes, I mean the fish), Babi Yagi (Old hags/Witches), and lots of other stuff.
Harry Potter, and his friends are the good guys, battling bad guys, just like in any other action/adventure book. They have their faults, but even when they would do something spiteful, it came down to them being children, and not yet above childish acts of petty revenge against their rivals. The older characters, such as Professor Dumbledor & Professor McGonnigle (sp?) would often either punish them or give them good talking-tos after they would do something that merrited it.
Nowhere in the books does it say anything against Christianity. For goodness sakes, they have Christmas vacations from Hogwarts!
If your going to say any books that don't burn witches/warlocks/sourcers/magicians at the stake, your going to have to throw out 95% of Russian folklore, and quite a lot of classical lit. But I don't see anyone burning a pile of Puskin volumes.

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Ephraem
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Post by Ephraem »

Not all books have equal merit and soul-profitability. Is Harry Potter the best we can offer ourselves or our children? That is an honest question.

... and yes, I do suggest you read only the best literature and the most soul-profiting works available. Life is too short to do otherwise, not to mention that we can be called to account for our lives at any time.

Ephraem
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ania
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Post by ania »

I don't think the problems come from children reading HP. I think it comes from parents inattention to what their children are doing, and their lack of ability in channeling their childrens talents and intrests in the right directions. If kids have issues/questions with what their reading, and don't feel comfortable asking a parent about it, or if the parent is not available, the child will form their own ideas. That's why TV has messed so many kids up. The parent isn't there to explain what's real, what's not, who's really good, who's really bad.
If a child has a strong sense of right and wrong going into any kind of fiction, be it in book or movie form, this question would become mute.
As for Harry Potter's soul-profitability, I see it not much less profitable than C.S. Lewis's Chronicals of Narnia, and much better than some of the stuff out there. If you are only going to use reading that is soul-profitable, you better not use the "See Spot Run" books, throw out your Mother Goose and Grim, and never, ever open any Little Golden Book.

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Post by Ebor »

Excellent posts, Ania! /\

Re: "soul Profitability" it seems to me that stories that show loyalty, friendship, choosing good over temptations to power and other virtues can be such. Many folktales, fairy stories and children's books do and in a way that children want to hear/read. "The Book of Virtues" was a collection of such stories, for example. Sometimes lessons are learnt better with a story then with a lecture. Whereas, continual lectures may very well numb the listener or drive them away.

Ebor

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Maria
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Post by Maria »

I haven't read any of the Harry Potter books but I did read the Chronicles of Narnia with my son at least twice if not three or four times. Therefore, I have a feeling that children who have not heard the scriptures but who have read The Chronicles of Narnia might be more open to the Good News. Could that be one reason why C.S. Lewis wrote The Chronnicles of Narnia?

We know in the Chronicles of Narnia that Aslan is a Christ-type and that the Witch represents Satan. Does Harry Potter have any religious figures in her book that children can emulate, like Aslan who dies to redeem Narnia?

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Post by EHN »

It is truly sad how people, including many Orthodox, have been tricked into thinking the HP books are just another piece of entertainment. Below is a well-written article on the subject by a former witch who converted to Christianity.

Harry Potter?
What Does God Have To Say?

I am writing this urgent message because I was once a witch. I lived by the stars as an astrologer and numerologist casting horoscopes and spells. I lived in the mysterious and shadowy realm of the occult. By means of spells and magic, I was able to invoke the powers of the "controlling unknown" and fly upon the night winds transcending the astral plane. Halloween was my favorite time of the year and I was intrigued and absorbed in the realm of Wiccan witchcraft. All of this was happening in the decade of the 1960’s when witchcraft was just starting to come out of the broom closet.

It was during that decade of the 1960’s, in the year 1966, that a woman named J.K. Rowling was born. This is the woman who has captivated the world in this year of 2000 with four books known as the "Harry Potter Series." These books are orientational and instructional manuals of witchcraft woven into the format of entertainment. These four books by J.K. Rowling teach witchcraft! I know this because I was once very much a part of that world.

Witchcraft was very different in the 1960’s. There were a lot fewer witches, and the craft was far more secretive. At the end of that spiritually troubled decade, I was miraculously saved by the power of Jesus Christ and His saving blood. I was also delivered from every evil spirit that lived in me and was set free. However, as I began to attend fundamental Christian churches, I realized that even there witchcraft had left its mark. Pagan holidays and sabats were celebrated as "Christian holidays."

As time went on, I watched the so-called "Christian" churches compromising and unifying. I also watched with amazement as teachings from Eastern religions and "New Age" doctrine began to captivate congregations. It was a satanic set-up, and I saw it coming. Illuministic conspirators were bringing forth a one-world religion with a cleverly concealed element of occultism interwoven in its teachings.

In order to succeed in bringing witchcraft to the world and thus complete satanic control, an entire generation would have to be induced and taught to think like witches, talk like witches, dress like witches, and act like witches. The occult songs of the 1960’s launched the Luciferian project of capturing the minds of an entire generation. In the song "Sound Of Silence" by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, we were told of seeds that were left while an entire generation was sleeping, and that the "vision that was planted in my brain still remains."

Now it is the year 2000. All of the foundations for occultism and witchcraft are in place. The Illuminists have to move quickly, because time is running out.

It was the Communist revolutionary Lenin who said, "Give me one generation of youth, and I will transform the entire world." Now an entire generation of youth has been given to a woman named J.K. Rowling and her four books on witchcraft, known as the Harry Potter Series.

As a former witch, I can speak with authority when I say that I have examined the works of Rowling and that the Harry Potter books are training manuals for the occult. Untold millions of young people are being taught to think, speak, dress and act like witches by filling their heads with the contents of these books. Children are obsessed with the Harry Potter books that they have left television and video games to read these witchcraft manuals.

The first book of the series, entitled "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone", finds the orphan, Harry Potter, embarking into a new realm when he is taken to "Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." At this occult school, Harry Potter learns how to obtain and use witchcraft equipment. Harry also learns a new vocabulary, including words such as "Azkaban", "Circe", "Draco", "Erised", "Hermes", and "Slytherin"; all of which are names of real devils or demons. These are not characters of fiction!

How serious is this? By reading these materials, many millions of young people are learning how to work with demon spirits. They are getting to know them by name. Vast numbers of children professing to be Christians are also filling their hearts and minds, while willingly ignorant parents look the other way.

The titles of the books should be warning enough to make us realize how satanic and anti-christ these books are. The afore mentioned title of the first book, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone", was a real give away. The second book was called "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", while the third book was entitled "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban."

Sadly enough, this blatant witchcraft has been endorsed by well-known and respected "Christian" leaders, such as Dr. James Dobson and Chuck Colson, who have proven themselves to be modern day Judas Iscariots. Nothing could be more obvious than that Harry Potter books are pure witchcraft and of the devil. The "Christian" leaders, however, defend them by saying that good magic always wins and overcomes evil magic.

This is the oldest con game ever hatched out of hell. As a real witch, I learned about the two sides of "the force." Apparently, so do many "Christian" leaders. When real witches have sabats and esbats and meet as a coven, they greet each other by saying "Blessed be", and when they part, they say "The Force be with you." Both sides of this "Force" are Satan. It is not a good side of the force that overcomes the bad side of the force, but rather it’s the blood of Jesus Christ that destroys both supposed sides of the satanic "Force."

High level witches believe that there are seven satanic princes and that the seventh, which is assigned to Christians, has no name. In coven meetings, he is called "the nameless one." In the Harry Potter books, there is a character called "Voldemort." The pronunciation guide says of this being "He who must not be named."

On July 8 at midnight, bookstores everywhere were stormed by millions of children to obtain the latest and fourth book of the series known as "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." These books were taken into homes everywhere with a real evil spirit following each copy to curse those homes. July 8th was also the 18th day (three sixes in numerology) from the witches’ sabat of midsummer. July 8th was also the 13th day from the signing of the United Religions Charter in San Francisco. Now we have learned that the public school system is planning to use the magic of Harry Potter in the classrooms making the public schools centers of witchcraft training.

What does God have to say about such books as the Harry Potter series? In the Bible in the book of Acts, we read the following in the 19th chapter, verses 18 – 20: "And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the Word of God and prevailed."

As parents, we will answer to God if we allow our children to read witchcraft books. The Word of God will prevail mightily in your life only if such things of Satan are destroyed. This tract has been prayed over, and I hope it has helped you. If we may be of further assistance, please contact us.

(Article by Pastor David J. Meyer)

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ania
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Post by ania »

It's amazing how we're quick to discredit evengelicals or Catholics, or even those who are not in your own jurisdiciton, when it pleases us to say "they are heretics or schismatics, what would they know?", but when they support our purposes all of a sudden their word is gospel truth and held up as examples for Orthodox.

I would advise everyone to read Deacon Andrey Kurayev's critique of the Harry Potter series as a well balanced ORTHODOX view. Unfortunately I've searched Google and was only able to find references to it, and not the critique itself.

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