The damaging effect harry potter has had on christians

To me it is amazing how many people even christians do not know the verse

Deuteronomy 18:9-14
9 When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, 11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. 13 Thou shalt be perfect

Isa 8:19 - Show Context
And when they say to you, "Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter," should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?

In our book shops the witchcraft and other sections are getting bigger, even in the christian faith you get books.
To me the shock has not been the world take up of this phenomina but the church.
J K Rowlands is a self confessed witch, I think there was one commentator of her books a former witch said this a basic manual to start being a witch

2Ch 33:6 - Show Context
And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

Gal 5
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

It says in the sciptures in Galations that they shall not inherit the Kingdom of god. It is that plain or clear. This basically means that people who are into witchcraft and have not repented will go to hell
The biggest answer you get is "It does not affect me?" but it does.
This is the same answer with TV.
As christians do we not have to run away from this ?
I so long for purity and long for Jesus more and need prayer for both.
If we love Jesus will we not reject the works of the evil one?
Dom

Um, it's a book, it's fiction, it doesn't claim to be reality. There's a line here, but I want to make sure it's distinguished.

As the text you gave clearly shows, we're not supposed to turn to the magical arts, but only to God. But the bible never says, 'don't have an imagination or tell stories.'

These are stories, just like the Chronicles of Narnia or The Lord of the Rings which so many Christians love... and believe it or not these stories aren't going anywhere for a long time. So I suggest you become familiar with them and not combative, learn what is good in them and use them as bridging points to talk about the Gospel.

The seventh book (which I'm reading now) deals with the issues surrounding death. It doesn't support a single worldview in doing this. Use this opportunity to share with youth about your hope in the Gospel. If you're combative you've lost to chance to witness to them.

the difference between harry potter and the chronicles of narnia?

Is that the person writing the book is not openly a witch, as c s lewis was a christian and jrr tolken was a catholic. these stories by C S Lewis actually got me to read the bible. There are these verse about the bible. I have no problem with using your imagination as there are alot of symbols and images such as the tabernacle and the temple.

1Ti 1:4 - Show Context
Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.

1Ti 4:7 - Show Context
But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.

2Ti 4:4 - Show Context
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Tit 1:14 - Show Context
Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.

2Pe 1:16 - Show Context
For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

I ask one question
If I have a cup of water and it is clean and pure
I say drink you are more then happy to do so
but if I put dirt in it and it goes down the water still looks clean and pure but is the water still clean?

Sometimes things look clean but are full of drit

in his love
charlene

or I could say here is a candy bar but you shouldn't eat it is not good for you. You might take the candy bar and eat it anyways. Thinking its just a little bad, but no real harm will be done to me.
But if I told you that the candy bar had posion in it, and would make you every sick.
You would stop eating the candy bar because you knew what was in it.

so if we truly see the posion in these things we know we must stay far away.

in his love charlene

We cannot simply ignore the effect that these books have on this generation, and must prayerfully consider how we can best use them to reach this generationl for Christ.

Reading Harry Potter has given me the opportunity to open up a lot to the youth at our church. Of course I have read it with discernment -but God can use a donkey he can certainly use Harry Potter.

As I've already stated, the seventh book deals primarily with the idea of death... but it doesn't ever state where people go when they die. Have you stopped to consider how rarely the youth of the generation stop to think about the bigger questions of life and death.

This generation is bombarded on every side by advertising campaigns and different entertainment options. they have so many choices to choose from, and Harry Potter is only one of a million. But all of these choices have a common thread, they work to distract this generation from questions about their creator and about Jesus.

Harry Potter is a rare chance to confront this lack of clarity in our culture about issues surrounding death. Where Harry Potter cannot give an answer, we can proclaim the Gospel resoundingly.

As Paul used the Unknown God in Athens, we must use things from this culture, even Harry Potter, in order to point this generation to Christ. We need to use this as an opportunity to broach the subject of heaven and hell, and the sake of an eternity of separation.

I dare say, that if we are wise and seek God's wisdom, Harry Potter could be an open door for many young people to find and know Jesus -the only person with the power to save!

By the way, according to interviews and her personal website, JK Rowling and her husband Kirk are both members of the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian). And her husband is active in Christian aid work.

Once again, before we go around slandering people we need to make sure to cite our sources.

Ian,

There was an article in Time Magazine titled "Who Dies in Harry Potter? God". This is the author speaking when asked who dies in the newest instalment of the series.

Let us not fellowship with the darkness.

You may not listen to what I am saying. But seek God about whether he wants you to be reading it.

Whatever is pure, whatever is praiseworthy, think about such things.

Becoming like the world to win the world has not worked so far.

Murray

Murdog,

The writer of the article hadn't even read the book yet. It's a lot of conjecture. But Harry does ask, 'what happens when we die?'

If you want the rest, you should pick up the book.

In missions studies we learned one good principle. If you want to witness the Muslims, the first thing you should do is pick up and read the Koran.

If you want to witness to this generation, you need to pick up the culturally relevant stories that enthral it.

In missions there's also a lot of talk about using native beliefs to introduce Christian teachings, like Francis Xavior and Chinese Poetry, or Don Richardson's Peace Child.

Don Richardson had to learn about the spiritual beliefs of Sawi people before they could minister the Gospel, because the Sawi people had an entirely different set of values than the missionaries, they needed to find something in the Sawi culture that would give them a relevent entry point for the Gospel -this was the Peace Child.

For Christians working in youth ministry, our 'Peace Child' could and can be Harry Potter, because we have the answer that Harry Potter doesn't have!

Try Soul Food.

I appreciate that brother David Wilkerson was successful in reaching out to gangs as a caucasian country-bread pentecostal minister... but there are also many very successful gang outreaches among the african american community -and they use elements of african american culture that are positive to engage with these people.

I'm saying that Harry Potter is one way to engage with middle class, middle america kids... who are bombarded every day with a vast number of worldviews through advertising and media. This bombardment isn't going to stop, but we can use it as a bridge to bring them the Gospel.

This isn't a new idea, in fact it's one of the oldest in Evangelism.

Pick up a copy of Justin Martyr's writings, read his conversation with the Jew named Trypho. When trying to evangelize this young man he used his Jewish roots, but he also quoted extensively from Greek philosophy, Roman teachings and popular topics of the day. He didn't just stick to the NT, and he didn't just rely on the young man's heritage from Abraham, but also used elements from the surrounding culture to make a case for the Messiah. You'll see the same thing repeat itself over and over through Acts, the letters of Paul and the writings of the early church fathers.

what's wrong with it?
here's a ministry that post a thing on it
http://www.letusreason.org/Current28.htm

in his love
charlene

1Co 10:21 - Show Context
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons.

2Co 6:14 - Show Context
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

There is a difference between evangelism and getting into something evil. I would admit I have never read the book but I am a booklover and have seen the devistating effect in ordinary bookshops, in the last few years the amount of witchcraft material has increased.

This is an article from someone who has read the book.
http://www.leannepayne.com/harr

ypotter/index.php[url=http://www.leannepayne.com/harrypotter/index.php]Witchcraft Articles[/url]

In evangelizing I would agree in adopting someone's dress or food (not in the case for cannibals)
but I would not agree in adopting there lifestyle
How can you help them if you become like them, you help someone who is into pornography by reading pornography would be propostrous.

Ga 5:11 - Show Context
And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased

The gospel is an offense

Ian,

I understand what you are saying, but I believe you can reach out to these young people without having to read Harry Potter books, watch MTV, etc.

I have never picked up a Harry Potter book but I do know that it glorifies sorcery and witchcraft and does not glorify God.

Jim,

I almost made a similar point about buying some teens a Playboy magazine to build common ground but I didn't think it constituted a right spirit. I do understand where you are coming from though.

Ian, I believe if you truly seek God about how to witness to a lost generation he will tell you.

I know Paul said to be all things to all men to help win them to Christ but I believe he meant that lawfully, not to indulge in the same kind of foolishness that the heathen enjoys.

"Come out from them and touch no unclean thing and then I will be a Father to you."

Murray

I've seen these same kind of writers pull apart the writings of CS Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and others and make them out to be pagan savages... it's true that the books use a fictionalized world where witchcraft exhists, but they never claim to be reality... just as Transformers, a movie about giant robots from outerspace doesn't claim to be reality. It's just a story.

Did you know that Clement of Alexander early church father used references from Pagan literature in his sermons and writings? That hey quoted extensively from Homer, Plato, Aristotle. Even though Homer believed strongly in a pantheistic worldview.

Clement of Alexander was a [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnostic]Gnostic[/url]
Clement of Alaxandria was dodgy

Col 3:2 - Show Context
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

The book does not glorify god! like Dietrich Bonhoffer it promotes witchcraft.
Art katz says that fantasy sometimes takes people away from reality
It is important to use set your imagination on godly things

I always wonder what strange heresy will be attributed to me by my nay-sayers after I've gone to be with the Father.