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The Bible clearly condemns all kinds of witchcraft, sorcery and spiritism (Deuteronomy 18:10-11). Philippians 4:8 tells us to "fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable."
But if you ask, should all Christians avoid Harry Potter books? For some families, the answer to this is yes. The Harry Potter series may not be for young or spiritually immature children, as they may not have the ability to distinguish between reality and fantasy, right and wrong, or good and evil. At best, they may be left confused about God's views about the occult, and at worst, they may become enchanted by the magical existence of Harry and his friends, becoming desensitized to occultic lifestyles. In addition, there are issues such as violence, lying, and mildly foul language that each Christian family will be sensitive to at different levels.
There are also good parts of the story like love, self sacrifice etc....so it is up to each Christian parent to discern for themselves if they should allow this type of thing in their home, like they do any other issue whether it be movies, books, toys etc.... That is a parent's responsibility.
But now that I've read that a lot of the words in those movies and books are NOT made up, and they are real words, terms, and names that witches use I will be avoiding it.
I don't need that in my home nor will I accept any justification for why "it's not that bad".
I enjoyed the Harry Potter series, just as I enjoy reading the Star Wars books and some Star Trek books. Along those lines, The Mists of Avalon and the rest of the books by Marion Zimmer-Bradley are also very good fictional reading. And that's what they are - fictional reading. I have also read Christ the Lord by Anne Rice which to some (including my Mom) is not a good book as it tells a fictional story of Jesus growing up. Of course, I've also read The Book of Joby as well as The Hobbit and His Dark Materials (The Golden Compass) and The DaVinci Code. All of these were very good fiction.
Are you against Harry Potter books and movies because of the magic and witchcraft stuff? Why or why not?
No. They're just books. Freedom of thought and freedom of expression are basic rights of all mankind. If you are afraid a fiction and fantasy are dangers to faith, how strong is your faith?
I think they're invaluable to get kids (ages 10 and up) interested in reading. If christians want to get kids into reading fiction, they should come up with something just as good instead of simply complaining about what's already been written.
It neither promotes witchcraft nor condemns it. JK Rowling doesn't even believe in magic.
There was a thread in the entertainment forum, I think, about this very topic. My answer hasn't changed. In this day and age of drugs, guns, and sexual predators, some the very people children are taught to trust, I think any book that depicts children as heroes and heroines is a source of inspiration. The characters in the Harry Potter were empowered through their use brain power, team work and their faith in one another. They believed in the honor of doing the right thing and they stood up for their beliefs. Even as fictional characters, they are much better role models than much of what is available to young people today in reality.
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