The Harry Potter Dilemma

THE HARRY POTTER DILEMMA

Chris Utley wrote me an email:

When are you gonna discuss Harry Potter? The holy-rollers are up in arms over this movie. My wife ...and I were watching John Hagee last night and he was talking about how children are gonna get "infected" by the spirit of witchcraft if they go see the movie. Needless to say, I was nauseated. not because of what they were saying...but because of what they were implying...

So okay! I will comment on Harry Potter. In deed, some Christians are up in arms about Harry Potter. They feel that the movie will entice children towards witchcraft, new age, and Satanism. Most Christians, I think, see Harry Potter as a fictitious story with no realistic satanic overtones. Some believe, as I do, Harry Potter can have positive values that are in concert with the teachings of Jesus.

Jen sees this positive value, she wrote me the following email:

I am sure that Tolkien's (Lord of the Rings) work will come under fire as has Harry Potter but I believe in this case that the story is what you take away from it. I have read the Hobbit and the Trilogy at least 7 or 8 times now and every time I have learned more from it. Although Tolkien himself may not have been a Christian, there are Christian values that are still presented to readers in his story. This is important. Unlike Harry Potter, which I have read and enjoyed, albeit with some reservations regarding witchcraft and the violent end of one of Harry's schoolmates, the Trilogy invokes the use of magic yes but in such a way that it is magic that is guided by providence throughout the stories. In this way it seems to me that there is almost a suggestion of divine intervention at times.

I have thought a lot about a response to the Harry Potter dilemma recently. Interestingly I have also been doing a study of the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith. I think the Orthodox Church has some good light that can be shed on this issue.

The Orthodox Church teaches that God's word is not limited to just the Holy Bible. "Scripture gives many examples of the Holy Spirit using sources outside the Bible to convey God's Word. Here are a few: Jude 14, 15 is a citation from the apocryphal book of Ethiopic Enouch, and Acts 17:28 is taken from Greek poetry. Titus 1:12 is Epimenides (the work of a Cretan false teacher and 'self-styled prophet), and in I Corinthians 2:9 Paul quotes the Ascension of Isaiah, a Jewish apocryphal writing.... What does this mean? ...I would suggest ...The Word of God is the word of God because the Spirit of God has spoken it. And His Word cannot be contained by any book." -Jordan Bajis, Common Ground: An introduction to Eastern Christianity.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0937032816/hollywoodjesus

Point: God can speak through Henry Potter just as he did through the Cretan false prophet teacher of old.

A premise that I have based Hollywood Jesus on is that God can and does speak through popular stories, movies, novels and music. I agree with the Eastern Church so very much. Also, Evangelical missionologist Don Richardson in his book "Eternity in Their Hearts" makes the point how native stories in various non Judeo-Christian cultures have curious connections to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Reviews of this book summarize his points: "The basic premise is that God, in His mercy, has permitted every culture in the world to retain a portion of the truth." And, "Who were the Magi who brought gifts to the Baby Jesus, and how did they know that a Messiah was coming? Who was Melchizedek, the contemporary of Abraham who was a priest of the one high God? Who was the Greek prophet who Paul recognized as having spoken God's words to the Greek people? How did a King in South America before the coming of the Europeans recognize that there was only one true God? ...God is the One God of all the earth. He has made himself known to all people in some fashion. He has prepared the way for the message of Christ. When Paul approached an altar to The Unknown God in Athens, he declared that God to be the one true God."
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0830709258/hollywoodjesus

Point: Harry Potter can be used to point to the positive truths. This is the approach I would suggest, rather than making Harry Potter part of a Witch Hunt.

Zeus was considered a demon by certain early Christians. They protested Zeus, destroying his images and statues. They burned books about Zeus and warned others to avoid Zeus. There are Christians today who want to do the same thing to Harry Potter images, books and movies and for the same reasons. Yet the Apostle Paul approach's to Zeus was very different.

Standing before the Council in Athens, Paul said. "...For in him we live and move and exist. As one of your own poets says, ‘We are his offspring.’" --Acts 17:28 New Living Translation

This verse includes a fourth line of a quatrain attributed to Epimenidus the Cretan ("For in him we live and move and exist") and a fifth line of the Phanianomena of Aratus ("In every direction we all have to do with Zeus: for we are also his offspring").

Point: So the approach Paul used was to use Zeus, and not trash Zeus. However I fear there will be too many Christians will participate in a Harry Potter/Zeus Witch Hunt.

Beerta summons up the problem and the solution in her email:

David, you made me smile. Thank you for your positive outlook. YES let's focus on the good, and refuse to be caught up in the witch hunt. In the last two weeks my nine year old has been crying in bed on three separate occasions, because of Christian's fear tactics. The first was 'if you are afraid to die, you are going to hell'. The second was 'Halloween is Satan's birthday'. Last but not least Bionicles (Lego toy) bring evil spirits into the house. Is there some grand prize for the person who dreams up the latest scare? The positive of this is that my son told me and I could speak with him about our God who allows us function and even enjoy (imagine that) this world without fear. Fear not for I am with you! So, yes the world will come to an end SOMETIME, but hey do I have to live in fear? No way, live on in the spirit of Philippians 4:8! cheers

Thank you Beerta. You are a wonderful parent and an insightful person of God. And, oh my gosh, Legos? Good grief.

SELLING SATAN

Christian investigative reporters Mike Hertenstein and Jon Trott in their book "Selling Satan : The Tragic History of Mike Warnke" state, "The parallels between the Salem Witchcraft Trials, McCarthyism and the 'contagious hysteria' of the satanic panic in the 1980s are disturbing. The role of evangelical Christians and their own media in fanning the flames is even more so. Witch-hunts have never rid the world of evil..." (pg 401)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0940895072/hollywoodjesus

In the book Hertenstein and Trott recount the story of Mike Warnke who made millions of dollars a year from speaking engagements claiming to be a converted Satanic Priest. It seems that Christians just loved to hear how Satanist were taking over the youth of America; How satanic teens were sacrificing human babies in every city in America. As it turned out, Mike Warnke was a fraud and the satanic sacrifices were bogus.

But Christians bought into the story. It makes me wonder

Statement: Harry Potter will not advance the cause of Satanists. Harry Potter will not increase the ranks of so-called wizards and witches. But Harry Potter bashing will make ministries like John Hagee richer, just as bogus Satanism made Mike Warnke a millionaire. Harry Potter is a fictious work just like Zeus was.

Use Harry Potter for the glory of God, just like Paul used Zeus for the glory of God. God speaks through everything in creation just as the Bible says:

For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God. -Romans 1:19-20 New Living Translation.

Please, let's end the Witch Hunts!
No more --Y2K nonsense!
No more --God judged American by killing people at the WTC.
No more --So called Satanic plots killing babies.
No more --Boomer Hal Lindsay type "the end of America has begun."
No more --Making million by Selling Satan Mike Warnke types.
No more --Harry Potter witch hunting hysteria

Please!
Let's end the insanity.
Enough already.

In term of Harry Potter or any other fairy tale, consider the words the classic rock group ABBA:

If you see the wonder of the fairy tale
You can take the future
Even if you fail
I believe in Angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in Angels
When I know the time is right for me.
I crossed the stream I had a Dream
A fantasy
To help me through reality
And my destination makes it worth the while
Pushing through the darkness...
I believe in Angels
Something good in everything I see

Warmly David Bruce