"It's no secret that the Harry Potter storyline about both good and evil wizards has fueled global teenage increase in Wicca and the occult."

I wonder if there are actual studies to back the idea that (a) there has been an increase in teen interest in the occult or (b) that this would not have occurred without the Potter stories.
But the idea of fiction marketed to teens that depicts demon indwelling as sometimes a good thing… disturbing.

Scripture is crystal clear about spiritism and other forms of idolatry—they are not to have any influence in the church or believing individuals. One of the few ironclad commands enforced on local assemblies in the church age is to “abstain from pollutions of idols (Acts 15:20).” Spiritism is in-arguably idolatry, and these movies certainly qualify as pollutions, so it is really irrelevant if there is any study that verifies the premise of the article. We know from Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, that any involvement with idolatry, even at the furthest point from the source (“pollutions”) will have a negative consequence on the believer and assembly. It’s a no-brainer! Scripture says “flee from idolatry;” “guard yourselves from idols;” and “abstain from pollutions of idols.” Studies that verify or no, it will have to be a matter of obedience.

Harry Potter is an imaginary tale. It is fiction. And it is quite tame given the world it creates.

I really enjoyed Kevin Bauder’s series on fantasy literature that specifically addressed Harry Potter. Christians that are fine with Narnia or Lord of the Rings, should have no principled objection to Harry Potter.

In fact this movie should give people something to talk about, as the 7th book included the concept of substitutionary concept in a riveting way.

I have no objection to the fantasy of HP any more than to any other story or fable. My dislike of the Harry Potter series stems from the character of Harry himself as an often self-centered rebel. My dislike of the character of Harry was so strong by the fourth book that I only kept reading because my sisters hounded me about it. Harry’s character stands in stark contrast to the essential nobility (flawed as it is) of the central characters in both the Narnia series and the Lord of the Rings.

Imaginary magic and pretend wizards? Meh. Selfishness and rebellion? OK, now I’m concerned.

Dave,

I agree totally. Although I wasn’t as put off by Harry, but my eyebrows were raised several times. That is the caution that Bauder stresses too.

My “no objection” was in the context of to the fantasy part of the story. If good wizards and bad sorcerers are okay in Lord of the Rings, in principle they should be fine in the world of Harry Potter.

Since you’ve read the series, you may agree with me on this next observation. I had heard through the grapevine that the series was bad literature, poorly written, and not really a positive thing for so many kids to be reading. It wouldn’t help their literary skills at all. I found that to be a bald lie told by some Christians who don’t like Harry Potter. The series is more simply written at first to match the intended audience, but it grows with the readers, and I found it to be very well written. It does take a genius of a writer to write a series that does so well, and that’s what we have in Harry Potter.

Furthermore, the presentation of magic is entirely different in Narnia and HP. In Narnia, the Supreme Being is the giver of all power, to whom all wielders of power are ultimately accountable. In HP, the magic is innate to certain individuals who are free to use or abuse their power as they see fit. I was a principal when the first book came out, so I read it. Besides the magic, I was appalled at the poor character on display promoted by the hero. He lied, broke rules, and generally acted in rebellion, Yet somehow, there was never a negative consequence for his sinfulness. On the contrary, his wickedness was repeatedly rewarded and exulted, repeatedly promoting him as wiser than the authority figures he was disobeying. Frankly, I share Lee’s concern with HP, as well as with the whole Star Wars genre.

[Lee] Scripture is crystal clear about spiritism and other forms of idolatry—they are not to have any influence in the church or believing individuals. One of the few ironclad commands enforced on local assemblies in the church age is to “abstain from pollutions of idols (Acts 15:20).” Spiritism is in-arguably idolatry, and these movies certainly qualify as pollutions, so it is really irrelevant if there is any study that verifies the premise of the article. We know from Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, that any involvement with idolatry, even at the furthest point from the source (“pollutions”) will have a negative consequence on the believer and assembly. It’s a no-brainer! Scripture says “flee from idolatry;” “guard yourselves from idols;” and “abstain from pollutions of idols.” Studies that verify or no, it will have to be a matter of obedience.

Lee, I agree with you about spiritism and idolatry.
Whether works of fiction fit in that category is not a no brainer though.

I have slowly come to realize over the last decade that many Christians bounce between a kind of practical rationalism (basically denying the existence of anything supernatural or anything we don’t understand or that can’t be verified by science) and a kind of superstition (irrational fear of the supernatural/anything we can’t explain/verify by science). These are both odd attitudes for Christians to have. The Bible is a bit vague about much what goes on among the principalities and powers and rulers of the darkness of this age, and even more vague about what goes among the angelic hosts. And it’s not entirely clear that “good angels” and “bad angels” all there is either.

So what I’m suggesting here is that the real problem even among occultists is not that they believe in the supernatural or reject a view of the world where “everything real is measurable,” but rather that they reject God and the gospel.
Here’s a way to test your thinking on this… which of these is scarier?

• A scientist who believes the empirically verifiable is all there is
  
• A spiritist who believes spirits are real but rejects God
  

I contend that both are lost in darkness and the spiritist’s warm darkness is not worse than the science-worshiper’s cold darkness.

I know I’m dating myself here, but I can still remember all the hullabaloo caused by The Exorcist & Rosemary’s Baby. One would’ve thought an entire generation of teens was destined to join the Church of Satan. I personally knew of no converts in my suburban high school of 3500. And of course, in time, the fad passed, & preachers found new targets for their charge of THE tool of Satan to usher this generation into the abyss (e.g. disco, Cyndi Lauper, and contemporary Christian music). Potter mania? This too shall pass away. Anyone remember Twilight?

Here’s a great video by Doug Wilson on the use of magic in literature. He gets into Narnia, LOTR and Harry Potter. Worth a watch.

http://www.canonwired.com/ask-doug/magic-in-literature/

I’m no HP fan, mostly for the reasons Bro. Talbert gave, but sometimes I wonder why we tend to get our knickers in a twist about HP and the occult and have no problem with Jurassic Park or Star Trek. I think kids are much more likely to be confused by evolution than by the use of magic. One is presented quite clearly as fantasy, but the other as science fiction based on fact. Random thought.

However, I’m not dismissing the possible dangers of fiction with occult elements. I was very fascinated with and susceptible to the occult in my teenage years. For some kids, HP could be a gateway to the ‘real’ world of the occult. I came very close.

I don’t know how they can track vampirism or interest in Wicca to a particular movie, book, or tv show. It’s always been around, and it’s always been popular. Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee, anyone?

As far as romantic teenage vamps go, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was HUGE (and still has a major cult following) from about 1997 to 2003, right around the time that HP first gained popularity. Witchcraft was a major part of that show, and it spun off into Angel. Also, Charmed began airing in 1998.

The 60’s, 70’s and 80’s gave us Dark Shadows, Kolchak, The Lost Boys, Fright Night, Richard Matheson (and for 200 points, how many times has I Am Legend been done?), Stephen King, Anne Rice, The Hunger, Nick Knight, Brian Lumley, the Anno Dracula series…

Did I mention that I was fascinated with the occult when I was a kid? http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php] http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-char018.gif

Bottom line- I don’t ‘worry’ over occult elements in fantasy fiction any more than I do evolution in science fiction, but I do read with my kids, and we talk almost every day about what we are reading, what the author’s purpose might have been, how Biblical principles apply to the plot and theme… and I help them balance their intake of fantasy and sci-fi genre fiction with other kinds of literature.

You know, fantasy is great fun. But I don’t understand why Christians are comfortable with fantasy about stuff prohibited in Scripture. There’s much clearer commands to avoid the occult than say alcohol, but professing believers who have no qualms about make believe magic would never approve of fantasy stories involving drinking games.

It is not the element itself (magic, alcohol, drugs) IMO, but how it is treated in the story. We know the story of the witch of Endor, but we are not encouraged to engage in witchcraft by reading the account.

Chip,

To Susan’s point, it’s how the element is treated in the story for sure. The Bible is full of magic and really, alcohol. It contains a story of those such as Noah and Lot, who got drunk and did some things they’d rather regret. It is through both negative and positive example that we learn.

For example in the Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring) the company of hobbits goes into a tavern and famously exclaim “it comes in pints!?” Yes, the drinking seems fun at the time but it gets out of hand and trouble comes of it. Here we have a fantasy story with a negative example of the effects of alcohol in copious amounts.

Further, your comment (#12) seems to make a straight line between drinking alcohol and drinking games, and a movie containing witchcraft, and that witchcraft being out of hand. Both the analogy and the intended point take things to extremes that don’t have to be taken there. Wisdom can prevail in both.

Shayne

[BryanBice] I know I’m dating myself here, but I can still remember all the hullabaloo caused by The Exorcist & Rosemary’s Baby. One would’ve thought an entire generation of teens was destined to join the Church of Satan. I personally knew of no converts in my suburban high school of 3500. And of course, in time, the fad passed, & preachers found new targets for their charge of THE tool of Satan to usher this generation into the abyss (e.g. disco, Cyndi Lauper, and contemporary Christian music). Potter mania? This too shall pass away. Anyone remember Twilight?

I remember a church boycotting a Christian school’s spring concert because they were endorsing witchcraft by including http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAJr1ixBdIc] this mystical conjuring chant in a fun song segment. Then there was the protest against the evil Mary Poppins :O and the dangers of Disney’s “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”. (Excuse me. There are Mormons at the door. I think I’ll turn them into toads.)