Without neglecting the valid point that good fiction need not be overtly Christian, need not be religious at all, we might ponder a little the fact that the central metaphor and plot engines of the series are activities (witchcraft and sorcery) absolutely prohibited by God. We might also consider for a moment the fact that no sane parents would give their children books which portrayed a set of “good” pimps and prostitutes valiantly fighting a set of “bad” pimps and prostitutes, and using the sexual acts of prostitution as the thrilling dynamic of the story. By the same token we should ask ourselves why we continue to imbibe large doses of poison in our cultural consumption, as if this were reasonable and normal living, as if the presence of a few vegetables floating in a bowl of arsenic soup justifies the long-range negative effects of our diet.
Indeed, even by loving our enemies—at least by trying to learn to love them, and by believing that it is right to do so. With grace this is possible. But selective love (coupled with selective hatred) does not lead to freedom. It is the feelings of love without the substance of love, the feelings of freedom without the foundations of freedom. If God is the absent father—or the father who perhaps never existed—the hero and his readers are left only with such emotions, their hooked loyalties, their love of the self’s insatiable appetites, which they feel cannot be denied without a killing curse of self-annihilation. That is why so many people cling fiercely to the “values” in the Potter books while ignoring the interwoven undermining of those very values. That is why the defenders of Potterworld exhibit such adamancy, frequently outrage, against critics. According to their perceptions, the critics of Potterworld are the enemies of freedom and identity.
Poor Harry Potter.
ReplyDeletePerhaps, the Wizard of Oz should be shunned as well.
It is fun and FICTIONAL.
PS. You have a great site Ms mysterious Catherine.
Robert - fun at the risk of our faith, our souls? The Wizard of OZ is nothing compared to these stories.
ReplyDeletep.s. Thank you for your kind words.
Catherine,
ReplyDeleteHave you read the books? I just don't see what you see; in fact just the opposite. I see three children one of which has come from an abusive family that join together to fight evil. Their tools are no different from Narnia or the Lord of the Rings.
I am not a youngster Catherine... I am 57 and if you really want to see the destruction and evil affecting our children you need only step into some of your neighbors homes.
I read Spirit Daily and Michael Brown sometimes goes just too far in expressing paranoia and fear.
If Jesus is the center of your life and of your childrens lives then witches and goblins and boogiemen will not shatter their love of God or their fellow human relations.
Don't let eveil twist what in reality is just playfulness. Adults are so, so judgemental. Most children would not 'read' into adults inaccurate interpretations of books like Harry Potter. And yes I belive Harry Potter is no different the the Wizaed of Oz. Two different generations but both with witches and witchcraft..... course it's all fictional.
I could go on and tell you some real 'odd' people and thought as I own a natural health store and whew... some of those people are really out of this world.
In Christ,
Robert