[CS-FSLUG] OT: Potter, Halloween and Philipians 4:8

['Mash]

I am 25 years old, 18 years as a Christian. 10 of those years I have
been brought up under the instruction of my parents who were very
careful of what they allowed me to watch. My father's thinking was
very much in line with docs.

Now for the life of me I can not work out whether my thinking was
actually shaped by this or not. If I look back at my young life then
and how it affected me or not I can only assume that
my parents did save my young mind at some level. Or at least gave me a
foundation of principle or what is truth and what is not. I remember
arguing with my father all the time regarding this and every time he
would look at me and quote;

Philipians 4:8

...whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever
things are right, whatever things are pure, whatever things are
lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue and
if there is any praise, think on these things.

We all have a choice in what we allow into our lives. We have to weigh
up the value of
what we take in. Whether we need to know and understand it, such as
reading the newspapers, good literature, powerful movies for the
social benefits and building relationships with others, or realising
that what we have in front of us really is just "fast food." We don't
even have to be super spiritual about this.

I have a lot of conversations with my friends whenever a new horror
movie comes out or during Halloween festivities. My point about the
movies is that I don't enjoy it, the story lines are never better then
the gore and all you get out of it at the end is a few goosebumps and
a bad taste in your mouth. I am all for thrillers, but mindless
violence, never.

Halloween. I love the fact that everyone dresses up. It is great fun,
my problem comes when  people are dressing up as the most hideous,
ugly, violent promoting, sick costumes they can get there hands on.
What the actual celebration stands for aside, Halloween to me always
appears to celebrate the ugly and death. Why would I want myself or my
kids to be part of that.

If I was to believe that reading the Potter books would actually
benefit me as a person other then increasing my general knowledge at
the dinner table I would read them. But to be honest there are
hundreds upon hundreds of good books out there instead. Potter
fanaticism (IMHO) was and is the product of the media and of adults
who had never picked up a good book before suddenly being exposed to
generally good and easy to read story. It was of course a children's
book.

Lets all stop bickering about whether "Jesus would read Harry Potter"
or not and start looking at our own lives, at the circle of people we
affect and whether what we choose for them will honour God and more so
what they will learn honours God or not.

The greatest thing we can give kids is to show them what is is ugly
and what is beautiful in the eyes of God. Simple truths and then
giving them the choice when they are at an age of understanding.

'Mash