POTTER PROBLEMS
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Kathi Sharpe
Harry Potter is an oft-debated subject in our society these days. It seems like no matter where I go - church, my children's school, the grocery store - someone's talking about Harry Potter. Especially with the recent release of the first movie (and its wild success at the box office), the whole country is abuzz with opinions.
I have been researching this series lately, in part because I am concerned with anything related to the occult, and in part because everyone wants to know what I think. I've got a rather unique perspective on the issue! So I'm going to weigh in with this statement: Anyone who allows their children to read these books and participate in related activities is allowing their children access to the occult.
The Harry Potter phenomenon presents problems in three main areas:
real occult practices, beliefs, and people
the assertion that people who do not practice magick have something wrong with them
a serious blurring of moral and ethical boundaries.
J.K.Rowling, the previously-unknown author who began writing these books in a coffee shop, is very good at mingling fantasy with reality. This style of writing lends itself to hiding the "real" occult practices behind the things we know are impossible. Readers assume that since no one flies on brooms or gives their enemies a tail, all of the practices in the books are equally imaginary. Not so. Rowling admits that one-third of the practices mentioned in the books come from actual occult practices. Modern Witches cast spells, practice astrology and divination, make potions for various purposes, and so forth. Books on such techniques abound, and since the Potter series became popular, many have been published specifically for young people. God has forbidden all of these practices, and with good reason: They are dangerous, and serve to draw people away from Him. Furthermore, the power behind spells and divination is demonic.
In addition to the very real Witchcraft-related practices, Rowling introduces characters from mythology and occult history. To my knowledge, she has not introduced worship of any beings or mythological deities as part of the story line - yet. However, there are a number of characters in the books that are from those sources. When children who read these books re-encounter characters when they study history or religion, there will be a tendency toward recognition. After all, these "fantasy" characters are their friends! How much better, if their "friends" are really - real!
"Fluffy", the three-headed dog which guards the Sorcerer’s Stone, is actually Cerberus from Greek myth - not a nice fellow at all. Here is a picture of a Harry Potter licensed product.
Chris Shepard has kindly allowed us to use this picture of Cerberus from http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/loth/c/h/christar/dante,_virgil,_and_cerberus.jpg.html
Definitely the same creature. Just think, thousands of little girls and boys across the country are going to bed tonight with a stuffed-animal representation of a demon!
A few more examples: Minerva McGonagall, one of Harry’s teachers, is named for the Roman goddess of agriculture. The creator of the sorcerer’s stone is real (so is the stone). The authors of many of the books Harry studies at Hogwarts have real-world counterparts. For an excellent and fascinating discussion of these examples, I urge you to read Harry Potter and the Bible, by Richard Abanes.
While it can be argued that the series does not actually teach how to cast a spell, it can be argued with greater force that these books instill the desire to learn magick. The Pagan Federation in England has had to hire a youth director to handle the flood of calls. Countless web sites and internet message boards carry posts from pre-teens wanting to learn how to do the things Harry does. In fact, a recent post on a Delphi message board detailed the plight of a mother (a Witch) who says her son managed to call forth a REAL entity.
Books published as teacher’s aids offer links to web sites such as astrology.com, witchvox.com, druidry.org, and other occult/Pagan sites. One offers the book "Drawing Down the Moon" by Margot Adler as a resource - this book has long been a popular Pagan title. School book fairs, newspapers, television stations, and internet sites all offer contests - who can write the best spell?
Rowling consistently draws a dividing line in this series. There are two types of people in her books - those who do magick, and those who do not. The latter are called "Muggles," and they are always portrayed as mean, nasty, evil, stupid people. You really don’t want to be near a Muggle - or worse, be related to one - or worst of all, to BE one! The underlying message is, "If you don’t want to be an awful person - be like Harry! Use magick, divination, astrology, and contact various entities to get what you want from life."
Many have said that this series is about the theme of good versus evil, and (of course) good wins in the end. I can see that. But the untold part of this story is that in order for good to win in the end, good must become evil. Harry, his friends, and their adult counterparts cheat, lie, steal, disobey rules, become violent, and take revenge, and generally act like obnoxious brats. Occasionally they do these things because it will advance the cause of "good". Yet more often, it’s just because they feel like doing so. On many occasions, when Harry is caught in his misdeeds, he is rewarded for them rather than being corrected or punished. Children get the message that they may do whatever they like, as long as it’s spectacular.
I’m a muggle, and proud of it. So are my children (ask them, they will tell you!). We encourage other parents to take the same stand against these books. The risks these books present is great, and our children are far to precious to be exposed to those risks. Parents, educators, and Christians who feel that these books are harmless need to take a careful look at the facts.
If you wish to do more research, the book I mentioned above - Harry Potter and the Bible, by Richard Abanes - is the best I have seen. His research is impeccable, he makes every effort to be fair and complete, plus it is written in such a way that Harry Potter novices and experts alike will be able to follow easily.