2005-07-16 - 1:36 p.m.
UNUTTERABLE EVIL AND HARRY POTTER
By Peter Fredson
July 16, 2005
Another Harry Potter book went on sale yesterday, with bookstores opening at 12 o’clock midnight. People stood in long lines to purchase the long awaited book. When children actually got a copy in their hands they squealed with pleasure and skipped off happily to their homes to read the book.
Although millions of people are fans of Harry Potter, yet there are many others that are very unhappy with the books.
They find unutterable evil in the books, dark and mysterious shadowy demons lurking to ensnare innocent children, twisted horrible presages of unforgiveable sins, omens of coming disaster, and a satanic-snarling hidden fantasy that is above anything a frightening reality has to offer.
The Anti-Christ and the author of Harry Potter have conspired to snatch the innocent souls into that Neverland where only darkness and shrieking await humanity. They see the serpent in the Garden of Evil.
But help is on the way. Evangelists, charismatics, and TV preachers have decided that burning the Harry Potter books will eradicate sin and evil. This is second-best to burning the author.
Perhaps the Bush administration will soon allow them to actually put real live people on bonfire stakes, like they did with Bruno, but until then they must be satisfied with only burning the books.
The next step will be to terrorize school teachers and principals, to take over school boards for the purpose of banning any literature of which they disapprove, to prevent any reading or discussion of such abominably vile filthy books.
If you can’t talk logic, then talk tough, bully, threaten, fire people, make 10,000 speeches of denunciation, or protest that Christianity itself is being suppressed, censored, insulted, put-upon. Thump the sacred book, wring hands in anguish, and cry out to high heaven for redress. Lordy, lordy.
It is reported that in several states, like South Carolina, True Believer priests have instigated parents to call for removal of Harry Potter books from classrooms and school libraries because they “stimulate occult practices,” and “teach witchcraft, sorcery and satanism.”
John Buckeridge, editor of Youthwork, British Christian magazine, sees grave danger in the book.. ",,, for some young people it could fuel a fascination that leads to dangerous dabbling with occult powers. So what starts out as spooks and spells can lead to psychological and spiritual damage."
We know that the new Pope has spoken out against reading Harry Potter books.
World Magazine stated: "A reader drawn in would find that the real world of witchcraft is not Harry Potter's world. Neither attractive nor harmless, it is powerful and evil." (October 30, 1999)
Some preachers see alarming parallels between contemporary occultism and Rowling's seductive message to children. They worry that it would “embrace a more tolerant view toward the world's fast-growing fascination with pagan practices.”
They feel it "fosters an attachment to evil powers." They say, “Remember, this is spiritual warfare. God's enemy fights as hard as ever to win the hearts and loyalties of our children.”
Peter Smith, general secretary of the British Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: "The premiere of Harry Potter the movie will lead to a whole new generation of youngsters discovering witchcraft and wizardry....Increasing numbers of children are spending hours alone browsing the internet in search of Satanic websites and we are concerned that nobody is monitoring this growing fascination."
Preachers use Biblical quotations liberally to support their ideas that Harry Potter is essentially evil in literary disguise: "There shall not be found among you anyone who... practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord..." Deuteronomy 18:9-12
A recent Video: Harry Potter: Witchcraft Repackaged looks at elements in Harry Potter books, such as using the "Potter" name in Pagan religion, shape-changing, meditation, human sacrifice, feminine power, Wicca (the religion of witchcraft), the tools, spells and curses used in witchcraft, Christian youth and their involvement, communicating with the spirit world, reincarnation, situational ethics in witchcraft, the lightning bolt as a power symbol, broomsticks and witches' hats as phallic symbols, dabbling in divination and sorcery, recruitment, teaching children dark arts, and more.
Even in Taiwan, you find Christians who are horrified at the Harry Potter novels, as witness this news report:
‘TAIPEI, Taiwan --A group of Taiwanese Evangelists has denounced the famous Harry Potter books, and warned people against reading them saying they were evil.’
‘The Ling-Leung Church warned its 7,000 followers off the books, saying the books about the adventures of a boy wizard were harmful.’
"The Harry Potter books are evil. They teach sorcery and run counter to the Bible," Tang Tai-hao, the wife of an Evangelist pastor, told Reuters news agency.’
‘Tang, the 47-year-old mother of two boys aged nine and 11, said the church's Shihlin branch has burned several copies.’
Great Britain, the home of Harry Potter, has itself had a storm raised over the books. Witness this news-story.
'EVIL' HARRY POTTER DAY CANCELLED
A primary school cancelled a Harry Potter day over complaints it could lead children into "areas of evil". Pupils from The Holt Primary School in Skellingthorpe, Lincs, were planning to dress up as witches and wizards. But the event - to mark the launch of the new JK Rowling book - was scrapped after parents and a local rector expressed concerns about witchcraft. Headteacher Paul Martin said the rector claimed he was seeking "to lead our children into areas of evil".
'The Headteacher, Paul Martin, replied: “May I reassure parents that my staff and I only wished to raise the profile of reading.”
Meanwhile the bookstores have been selling out of a record printing of the latest Harry Potter books. Millions of fans are joyously reading marvelous tales of fantasy which remove readers from the exigencies and pressures of every-day life and politics. Children are actually READING literature. They recognize where reality ends and fantasy begins. Too bad some adults do not get the distinction.
