Harry Potter: Lighthearted Fantasy or Tool of the Occult?

True!
The last thing J.K Rowling would want is MORE publicity, oh dear me no. Ppfft. The people who think Harry Potter is a tool of the occult should go read some other books that actually DO mention things like that.
e.g 'The time of the ghost' by Diana Wynne Jones.
Don't get me wrong, I love her books, and Philip Pullman's as well. But her book has a ghost RISING FROM BLOOD. If those thingy people had heard about that, it would be 'pass me the lighter, we're going to the bookshop!'.
Honestly.
But it does make interesting reading.

 

I would call it fantasy, though I'm not sure I'd describe it as lighthearted.

The story of Harry Potter is similar to other popular stories such as Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. All of them focus on the hero's journey.

Now I am myself a Christian, but I haven't seen anything in Harry Potter that I would call demonic. If I did, you can bet I wouldn't be reading them. Magic in Harry Potter isn't real, just as it isn't in Lord of the Rings or Star Wars. Yet all three, because of the magic or "Force" that is a major player in the works, have been protested and burned.

I'm a Christian. Granted, I've not yet read the Harry Potter books, but I really don't see the difference between this stuff and the Brother's Grimm fairy tales and stuff like that.

So, yes, it's an overreaction, by a very vocal group of ultra-conservatives who give the rest of us a bad name.

Well said. As my statements above testify, I feel the same way. At least it is not all ultra-conservatives. Just some of them.

I do not understand all this fear of "witchcraft." Real witches do not march about in pointy hats with their broomsticks, casting spells upon people. The REAL Wiccan religion is very peaceful. There is nothing satanic about it. I met several wiccans at writing camp this summer, and they are very nice people.

That is true. Wicca does not equal Satanism. I personally look at the religion no different than I look at Buddism, Hinduism, etc.

At the same time though, I do see where people who think that Harry Potter is promoting witchcraft (or Wicca) are worried. Many of them believe that power either comes from God or from the devil. Seeing as Wiccans do not worship God, then their power isn't coming from him. I think that is why Wicca is looked down upon by many Christians. But that is neither here nor there for me, as I do not believe Harry Potter is promoting witchcraft, wicca, or satanism.

~*~Bria

 

In my opinion it mainly comes down to the intentions of the author. Depending on who you are and how you approach the books, it could really go either way for you.

So if you went into reading the books with the thought 'this is just a fun book written for children' there probably wouldn't be a problem. You'd realise that everything in there had been made up by the author and it was not meant to be taken seriously at all.

However if you went into reading them with the mindset that it was meant to be a real depiction of witchcraft and wizardry there would be a problem. You would be seeing people who had magical powers that do not exist and real life and could easily be classified as evil.

So I honestly don't think it has anything to do with the contents of the Harry Potter books at all. I think it all comes down to the mindset of the person who happens to be reading them.

 

I think these people are blowing this whole thing way out of proportion. Harry Potter doesn't promote Satanism. The Harry Potter books are no different than LOTR or SW. I literally laughed at the third site. Whoever wrote that is a crazed zealot who blatantly spreads those types of lies. Those girls that she mentioned were obviously messed up. How would she know if those girls got into Satanism because of the Harry Potter books? They could have already been into that stuff, for all we know. These people are stupid! Oh, and those people who buy the Potter books just to burn them? Keep doing it! More money for Rowling and her kid!

 

What I have been wondering for some time now is if the Christians who put down Harry Potter as Satanic actually READ the books with an open mind? I know that where I live two of the churches started preaching against Harry Potter, but when asked if they had read the books, both preachers said that they hadn't, since they did not want to read 'Satanic' literature... If anyone who has read the books without alterior motive still thinks the series is Satanic, I will listen and probably agree, since THAT would have to be an extremely persuasive argument...

BTW, I have read the entire series about five times, and have yet to stumble upon all of these 'Satanic references' it is supposedly filled with...

Later!

 

The two problems I see with other Christians labelling the books as Satanic:

1) Most people who do so haven't read the books
2) They interpret the books and twist the words to make it sound like what they want. Propaganda, anyone?

I'm a Christian and I've read the books. I think a lot of those who call these books Satanic are afraid of introducing the magickal element into society more ...I mean, they're probably afraid readers would look into Enochian Magick and try to learn every Aethyr possible. At least, I know some people at my Church are afraid that books like this will nullify the world to the "evils" of magick. To each his own, though.

 

I am a christian, but i do not shre thier views at all on this. this demostrates good vs evil clearly in todays messed up society. and anyways, i dont wanna hear this kind of "satanic" and "evil" stuff coming from extremist christains, after all they are the people that revel in the crusades (one of the most cruelest forms of "exploration" and "conversion" i have heard of in my life)but thats just me.

~~Lady Legolas~~

 

I haven't really read the Harry Potter books,but watching the movie made it seem to me that having the ability to cast magic is like having mutant powers in X-Men,you're born with them. That doesn't really make it evil or Satanic.

 

I consider Harry Potter just lighthearted fantasy. The people that complain about it are taking themselves way too seriously.

 

I think the harry potter books are awesome. The writing is amazing, and JK Rowling deserves her success. She's so incredibly descriptive and imaginative when she writes, and they're the kind of books that you can see everything in your head. As far as the occult goes, I don't see any recipes in there on how to turn your brother into a toad or what exactly to do in order to sell your soul to satan.

Speaking of which, what do you think will happen to the last movie since Richard Harris died....which totally sucks, by the way.

 

occult isn't bad anyway, most religious people that have complained about harry potter don't realize that what they beleive is basically occult in nature.

 

Little tidbit here.

I attended a catholic high school, which was known for being strict, conservative, and highly...ohh, i cant remember the word right now, it'll come back to me right after i hit Post...

The congregation of brothers who lived on school grounds, most of whom did some sort of work for the school, were also considered to be very extreme in their practically fundamentalist beliefs in the church's beliefs. Despite this, Harry Potter was placed on the required reading list for all students who pass through the school, and not for reasons of attacking the book either. One of the brothers was even once spotted reading the third book [face_shocked]

This led me to believe that it was only the most extreme, most reactionary, most confused, or...dare I say... impressionable fanatical christians who accuse Harry Potter of being evil or satanic. I had some way to relate this to the current topic, but it's too late for me to think about it right now. I'll try again some other time.

 

The "extreme" Christian attitude towards Harry Potter is rather hypocritical. As a Brit, I found it very amusing that for the US market Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone had to be renamed with Sorcerors Stone because of the opposition to occult references. Sad thing is, the Philosophers Stone is of Christian origin and is a gift from God similar to the Holy Grail.

It's just a piece of fiction with reference to myths and legends

 

As a Christian (and I would consider myself to lean conservatively), I have absolutely no problem with Harry Potter. All four novels and the first DVD are in my bedroom. It is really truly harmless. I agree with the person who said all it's promoting is reading. Christians are getting a bad name because every time they show us, we're protesting something. It's really a shame, because most of us aren't like that.

 

i completely agree. the christian community has gone way out of line in thier accusations. i am a practising christian and i disapprove of their generalization. if anything contributes more to the occult i would have to say it is most likely the persons own tendencies rather than a movie or some outside influence

~~Lady Legolas~~

 

People who want to "protect" their kids from Harry Potter need to be smacked upside the head. I do not understand it at all, and HP is in the fantasy genre for cripe's sake!

I have no religious beliefs and do not agree with religion, but I accept and tolerate it. However, the belief that fictional stories and characters are "evil" is totally unacceptable, and I do not tolerate this gospel.

 

I still smirk everytime I see someone refer to the first Harry Potter Book as 'The Sorceror's Stone' - changing the book's name was crazy. The stone known as the 'Philosopher's Stone', used to change base metals into gold, and some say, to produce the elixir of life, was what appeared in the books. Publishers might as well have just not published the book, rather than just changing its name as far as I'm concerned - it makes as much sense.

I'm a Harry Potter fan - not to the extent that some are, but a fan nonetheless. I fail to see how it promotes anything evil. The heros of the books promote bravery, friendship, loyalty and fight against evil. Why wouldn't people want their children to be exposed to this?

Admittedly, I'm not Christian, but I'm tolerant of them. I don't agree with everything Christian, and I'm sure they do not agree with everything I believe. However, I don't go around burning the Bible, or saying God/Jesus is evil.

IMHO, people who claim that the Harry Potter series is evil need to

a: read the books
b: become more tolerant and come out of the dark ages
c: realise that sheltering kids does them no good

This world is at war because of intolerance. Banning literature is only one more example of it.

LittleJedi

 

I completely think that HP is fantasy. I'm not so sure about the lighthearted - no doubt it gives us a lot of laughs, but it also gives us many real life lessons to think about.

But as far as I see, this is honestly no different from fairy tales. If we can allow ourselves to be immersed in fairy tales completely, why not in this? How is HP truly different from all the fantasy books for an older age group, where there is also powerful magic and lots of fighting involved? In many ways, this can be said to be a toned down version that both kids and adults can read, with lessons for those who are old enough to grasp them to think about.

As far as I am concerned, it doesn't matter if some of the things referred to in the books supposedly have real life meanings - e.g. Philosopher's Stone, in my dictionary it says: an imaginary substance thought in former times to have the power to change any other metal into gold. It's all the better that part of it is real, in fact; it shows that the author did her work.

The overall lesson behind HP is something that I'm sure moderates from every religion would agree with - that we should all stay on the good side, and that means with care and concern for the people whom we love.

 

one of the most cruelest forms of "exploration" and "conversion" i have heard of in my life

I'd have to say the conquest of the Americas was the cruelest form of conversion. "Give me all of your gold and become Catholics and I will use my magic to heal the diseases I gave you." It's Terrorism.

 

DarthYamma i belive you said it all in less than 50 words. i give ya kudos to that. Thats the most true thing i have heard today.
*holds up wine glass*Here, Here*

~~Lady Legolas~~

 

I think HP is really bad. Witchcraft is condemned throughout both the Old and New Testaments. In the HP world, being a witch is an exciting and good thing, while the people who are not witches are portrayed as cruel, stupid and selfish. I believe that somewhere in the bible Jesus said, "Woe unto them that call good evil and evil good." Enough said.

 

Can't agree with Spacegirl. Im not much of a HP fan, but SW and LOTR is in the same boat as HP, Christians were burning all three merchandise not too long ago.

Someone explain the difference between the EVIL HP and the Good Merlin. Im a great fan of the Arthurian legends, Merlin was a pagan, yet he is a good guy. He even supported the spread of Christianity in most legends.

 

Could we bash Christians a little more in a thread about Harry Potter, not Christianity? Take the anti-Christian bigotry someplace else.

 

Actually only three non-wizards are characterized specifically as "cruel, stupid, and selfish", though many more witches and wizards are portrayed as possessing one or more of those traits.

 

It's fiction. Most kids are not stupid, and they realize that Harry Potter is fiction. Censorship at this magnitude is evil, not Harry Potter.