I stumbled across a blog the other day where they posted a story of an individual who was involved with witchcraft and sees the Harry Potter series as evil and a means to introduce the occult to young minds. For some strange reason, the chorus of approval in the comments gave me a bit of a sinking feeling. And then I felt a strong urge to respond:
Interesting post…
I think the line that hit me the most was the following: “Children are obsessed with the Harry Potter books that they have left television and video games to read these witchcraft manuals.”
From one who has read the Harry Potter books, I find this statement a bit confusing… I couldn’t help but wonder what’s so wrong about children getting away from TV and video games to read a book… especially considering what they are putting on TV these days!
One problem I see in the logic here is that the person who made this statement came from a background of already being involved with witchcraft - so of course her/his first reaction would be to recognize similar names or see a reflection of what s/he already knows so well…. Most kids are not going to know of these references, many which are actually names from all sorts of literature and myths - and not necessarily having anything to do with witchcraft. I mean, no one thought it was a bad thing to teach my 4th and 5th grade class Greek and Roman mythologies when we were learning about those ancient cultures… and I don’t know a single person from my class that is now going around believing that Zeus is god.
So what’s wrong with Harry Potter? I think it’s going to cause a revolution in reading. And who’s to say that’s a bad thing?
Needless to say, my post was soon followed by comments from a series of individuals who will be praying for my soul until Kingdom come. At least the original blogger had the courtesy to explain a bit of their personal viewpoint - they themselves had dabbled in witchcraft when they were younger and saw the HP series as something that would cause them to stumble as a follower of Christ. Alright, so they didn't say that outright, but that was the impression I got. But just to calm the fears of some of the other posters, I followed up:
Thank you for sharing your own personal story, and I thank God you were guided away from the occult. I suppose it is difficult for me to understand how some people make the jump from make believe to finding aspects of it in the real world, especially when I grew up in a loving Christian home where we would sit down as a family and read stories like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, and JRR Tolkien’s Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, all of which take place in magical worlds, but tell stories with good morals.
Hearing your story only confirms an idea that I’ve had on children’s literature in general: that it is important for parents to read to their children and get involved in discussions with their children when they read stories that might bring up tough questions. If parents can guide their children to understand the difference between what follows God’s plan and what may not be God’s will for them, then they will not stray from that knowledge when they are older. (Proverbs 22:6) As you spend time with your children, you may discover that they DO know the difference, and then you can decide if they are prepared to handle more difficult topics or stories to prepare them for the things that the secular world will show them. They can be the ones who are lights in dark places by sharing Christ’s love to their non-Christian friends, all because they may have read the same stories growing up.
I hope that you continue to fight the good fight and keep our changing world in your thoughts and prayers.
I probably won't post again, as I've noticed a continuation of the worrying about what I might be risking by sharing this with my [future] children. And I think what I read explains my gut sinking feeling - "we will only read, view and talk about the Lord…for that is all they need to know." - as much as I hope for my family to know the Lord and know the Word well enough to stand up for what is right and defend themselves from evil, I know from my own experiences that solely a knowledge of the Bible is not enough when faced with people who believe just as strongly that it is completely fiction. If you are going to be "in" the world and trying to reach to them and share Jesus to them, you've got to be able to speak the language. This does not mean that you become a part "of" the world as in worshiping the gods they serve. If you completely isolate yourself from the world and don't find a way to stay connected to the "unreached" part of the world, then you risk becoming a cult. (There, I said it.)In other words, it is completely alright to dislike elements of today's secular world and culture and not participate in them - I have no problem with people who choose not to read Harry Potter because they're worried about the themes of magic and fantasy and how they may respond to that. I myself don't like to read romance novels, and am hesitant to watch most movies with sexual themes, because I know that I can start down a path that is not healthy for me in my walk with God and causes me to dwell too much on what I want in my future rather than wait for His plan to unfold. I have several friends who won't touch alcohol (even though they are of age) because they have a family history of alcoholics and don't want to take that risk.
But what it all comes down to is not so much a matter of what you are risking by stepping outside your door and mingling with the secular world, but what you are gaining by developing relationships with those who may never see the inside of a church building - but they have met you, who, although human, is doing their absolute best to show Christ's love to them.
Paul says what I want to say even better: (1 Corinthians 10, The Message Bible)
23-24Looking at it one way, you could say, "Anything goes. Because of God's immense generosity and grace, we don't have to dissect and scrutinize every action to see if it will pass muster." But the point is not to just get by. We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well.
25-28With that as a base to work from, common sense can take you the rest of the way. Eat anything sold at the butcher shop, for instance; you don't have to run an "idolatry test" on every item. "The earth," after all, "is God's, and everything in it." That "everything" certainly includes the leg of lamb in the butcher shop. If a nonbeliever invites you to dinner and you feel like going, go ahead and enjoy yourself; eat everything placed before you. It would be both bad manners and bad spirituality to cross-examine your host on the ethical purity of each course as it is served. On the other hand, if he goes out of his way to tell you that this or that was sacrificed to god or goddess so-and-so, you should pass. Even though you may be indifferent as to where it came from, he isn't, and you don't want to send mixed messages to him about who you are worshiping.
29-30But, except for these special cases, I'm not going to walk around on eggshells worrying about what small-minded people might say; I'm going to stride free and easy, knowing what our large-minded Master has already said. If I eat what is served to me, grateful to God for what is on the table, how can I worry about what someone will say? I thanked God for it and he blessed it!
31-33So eat your meals heartily, not worrying about what others say about you—you're eating to God's glory, after all, not to please them. As a matter of fact, do everything that way, heartily and freely to God's glory. At the same time, don't be callous in your exercise of freedom, thoughtlessly stepping on the toes of those who aren't as free as you are. I try my best to be considerate of everyone's feelings in all these matters; I hope you will be, too.
Eating with sinners and tax collectors? Being invited over to a non-believer's house for dinner? Developing a friendship with a stranger all because you both read Harry Potter? Why shouldn't God bless these things?
No comments:
Post a Comment