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

[Timothy Butler]

> Show me the evidence that even 1/10 of 1% of all of
> the children who read and/or view Harry Potter are
> participating in any genuine discussion such as you
> have described and there might be a shadow of an
> argument that what Satan has meant for evil God is
> turning to good.  (Though it would be meaningless
> to the 99.9% who are being led astray with the
> affirmation of adults who should know better.)


	Well, I'm quite sure I could find 1/10 of 1% for you. In fact, I  
visited a church on Sunday where a friend of mine was preaching, and  
they actually did a Bible study that involved Harry Potter. I wasn't  
in it, but I suspect it was likely precisely what Eduardo describes.

	Now, why is the church not doing this? Because most who have  
convictions against witchcraft, etc., have completely pulled out of  
the world in pop culture (such as Harry Potter) and hence there is no  
one around to do what you describe. That's why I think Josh McDowell  
is taking the right approach with the Da Vinci code. Rather than  
ignoring a massive pop culture force, he accepts that it exists and  
that it is enjoyable to read. Next, he wrote a book that responds to  
the historical problems in it. This approach is going to be much more  
successful than pretending it will go away if we ignore it or that  
people won't read it if we complain about it.

> Where is it happening?

	In Christian homes in private, perhaps?

> I just returned from church where I spent time with
> high school students who are seriously seeking out
> the Word of God for authority in life and then I
> come home to more Christian endorsements of Harry
> Potter and his witches.  Talk about cognitive
> dissonance.

	Probably because virtually no one reading Harry Potter takes it as a  
realistic description of witchcraft. I mean, do you take Merlin as such?

	Speaking of Merlin, let's do another lit example. Sir Gawain and the  
Green Knight. There's some definite magic going on: Morgan le Faye  
has given the Green Knight (Bertilak) substantial power and he has  
been performing a magic show for most of the poem. But note, that  
like Potter, Bertilak is not some evil sorcerer but rather an  
ambiguous character. Actually, unlike Potter, he's perhaps really  
almost an allegory for God (!).  Harry is never made out to be really  
"good" -- he's the hero, but like most heroes, he's flawed -- whereas  
Bertilak *is* really good (at least in an odd sort of way).

	Does that promote witchcraft? If I thought it did, I'd have a  
different take...

	As I keep on saying, perhaps it does for you and hence it is not  
right for you, but I think it is a mistake to label Potter evil as a  
whole. In the end, Eduardo's approach is probably going to be more  
successful. You know, when I was younger, my friends were banned from  
reading certain popular novels. You know what they did? They snuck  
out and obtained a copy and read it. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised  
if they weren't more determined to read it purely because it was  
forbidden. And because they were doing a "black market" reading,  
there was absolutely no parental ability to provide a proper response  
to what hte novel said. Food for thought.

	-Tim

---
Timothy R. Butler | "The theologian who labors without joy is not a
Editor, OfB.biz   | theologian at all. Sulky faces, morose thoughts
tbutler at ofb.biz   | and boring ways of  speaking are intolerable in
timothybutler.us  | this field."
                                                       -- Karl Barth