Re: Harry Potter and the Gay Wizard: The Secret Behind the Story
| Posted On: 10/24/07 02:04:41 PM |
Age 30, GA |
Upon reading your article, at the request of an intimate friend, I found myself physically sick to my stomach. Harry Potter is and will forever be a fiction novel that, because of its popularity, receives endless attack. A book, standing against our almighty God, is not going to be the tool used to lead your children down the path of witchcraft! And reading said book teaches our children the importance of good versus evil and not once did it actually mention Albus Dumbledore's sexuality! The literature is exactly as it was before she announced this altercation of his character and to smear such literature with your ignorance is astoundingly moronic! Furthermore, to completely change your opinions of incredible literature because of a character's IMPLIED sexuality is ridiculous ! Homosexuality is no greater sin than the slander you so boldly declare on this very page! And do denounce literature because one character is associated to homosexuality speaks a message of condemnation to homosexuals everywhere when those are the very same people our Lord Jesus Christ would have dined with! For the love of humanity! Shake off your ignorance, stop looking for evil in a child's novel that teaches the importance of good and try and please, please try and learn how to accept others for their choices, including homosexuals, instead of shunning all things associated to these beloved children of God. I am astounded by this article, deeply wounded and finally understanding of why so many apart of the secular world hate Christianity.
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- response to age 30 GA
| Posted On: 10/25/07 06:09:36 AM | | Age 50, AUSTRALIA |
One of the respondents stated, "A book, standing against our almighty God, is not going to be the tool used to lead your children down the path of witchcraft!"
They then proceded to pronounce such actions as "moronic."
I am sorry, but friend you have no Biblical support for making such a statement. Perhaps you do not use the Bible as your final authority.
That would be a different story.
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Re: Harry Potter and the Gay Wizard: The Secret Behind the Story
| Posted On: 10/24/07 11:17:18 AM |
Age 35, MO |
Jill:
I'd love to agree with some of your points, except I suspect you're mistaking the differences between real life and make-believe. Where is your outrage over Lord of the Rings and Narnia, both of which use magic? No one expects lions to talk in the real world. No one sees hobbits in our world. These are clearly stories, and most adults are smart enough to tell the difference.
As I look outside, or watch the news, I don't see people flying on broomsticks, or cooking up potions in cauldrons, or using magic wands, like they do in the HP novels. This is because in real life, practitioners of witchcraft make contact with demonic entities to fuel their power and deeds. This is never seen in HP, where magic is at best a neutral force, since Voldemort and Harry both use the energy for their own pursuits. Magic in the HP universe is also very moral. Think about it: why call Killing Curses "Unforgiveable spells", if not for the moral aspect?
Magic is a metaphor in these novels, and bears little resemblance to reality.
That is, unless you've seen people flying around on broomsticks wherever you are.
Finally, JK Rowling announcing Dumbledore's homosexuality is very sad, to say the least. Yet, for most fans, this came out of left field. Additionally, if JK really wanted to keep Christian faith out of the HP series, why make such a big deal out of the two Scripture passages found in book 7? Why is resurrection, because of selfless love, so heavily emphasized?
JK has even given some interviews in the last week where she goes into detail on Christian mythos in the story. We can disagree with her on the appropros details of Dumbledore's sexuality. But this also calls us on the carpet with one other detail of biblical orthodoxy:
do you love the sinner next to you?
Do you love the neighbor who may be gay?
Jesus summed up the law and prophets with two simple commandments: love God (which we fail at every day, necessitating repentance and forgiveness from God), and love our neighbor. Loving a gay neighbor is a true test of our faith in Christ. It does not mean we approve of the behavior (I certainly don't). But it means we enter into a world that you sound like you hate and fear. Sexually broken people like the homosexual need your love, not so much your anger.
So please, make sure you're loving such a neighbor, and praying for them also.
Loving HP-appreciate brothers and sisters in Christ would also be a good thing to do, as well. Because we'll be together in Heaven for a long time to come.
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Re: Harry Potter and the Gay Wizard: The Secret Behind the Story
| Posted On: 10/24/07 10:37:19 AM |
Age 19, CA |
I honestly don't see why this is even a big deal that Dumbledore is gay. Really. He's a fictional character, and he lives in a reality that works under different laws than ours. In the reality of Harry Potter, witchcraft is not evil, and this is one of the many things in the books that differs from our reality. In the same way, simply because the caring, God-like figure of Albus Dumbledore is said to be gay in the books doesn't imply anything about our reality. Nothing at all. Anyone who tries to apply every little detail of a fictional book to the reality of this world will find it doesn't work. Accordingly, there is not Hogwarts in this world, and gay men are generally not as good of role models in this world. That seems to be all we can really take from this "revelation."
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Re: Harry Potter and the Gay Wizard: The Secret Behind the Story
| Posted On: 10/24/07 09:06:33 AM |
Age 45, KY |
I would first like to say that I'm thrilled that you all didn't buy into the "let's make it Christian" just because everyone is reading it...Well, my family has not, and don't intend to. My 'Holy Spirit' inside of me told me from the beginning that it was bad news and I held to that. Friends, and even some ministers fell into the well, it isn't that bad, or let's look for a Christian analogy in it. I couldn't get beyond the witchcraft and demonic tones to even think of reading it. The movies are even worse. At our house when the commercial even comes on, we turn it. I know that when the Word has said not to even look at anything evil that it said what it meant. We should get away from all appearances of evil, not spiritualize it or only look for the good in it...Satan and the demons know the Scriptures, and that is good, but look at what they are.
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Re: Harry Potter and the Gay Wizard: The Secret Behind the Story
| Posted On: 10/24/07 08:39:27 AM |
Age 28, TX |
About that blogger who mentioned "one more reason to love gay men"...This person DOES realize that Dumbledore is a FICTIONAL character? I find it vexing that apologists for abomination are always holding up imaginary people as examples of how "nice" gay people are--and how "mean" Christians are. It shows that they are out of touch with reality, and therefore impervious to reason. Way to go, Entertainment Industry; you've rendered millions of people functionally insane!--Mrs. Pilgrim
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Re: Harry Potter and the Gay Wizard: The Secret Behind the Story
| Posted On: 10/24/07 08:33:00 AM |
Age 52, CA |
I am a fourth grade teacher and have read the Harry Potter books to keep abreast of what many of my students are reading. As an adult Christian, i am appalled that so many Christian parents have allowed their children to read these books which are totally contrary to all that we are taught in the Bible. Although Satan is never mentioned by name, these books glorify witchcraft and satanism and now homosexuality. There can be no virtue in this when we are told that light and darkness cannot mix, (IICorinthians 6:14). We are feeding our children to the wolves! I would not read another Harry Potter book. I am praying for Christian parents to act wisely and to use discernment in the literature they allow their children to read. Helen
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Re: Harry Potter and the Gay Wizard: The Secret Behind the Story
| Posted On: 10/23/07 09:11:48 PM |
Age 21, MN |
Yes, God hates evil, and te bible says that witchcraft is not ok, but if you are going to be this picky about the "evil" you are surrounded with, then you might as well entirely withdraw society. The true of character is being warned of an evil and then falling back on that knowledge in order to resist it later. I have always been aware of the dangers of witchcraft, and i have been the target of spiritual warfare, thus i am aware of the dangers of the demonic, so watching the harry potter movies has had no affect on me. Some people may be susceptible to falling into such things, but that doesn't give you the right to claim that EVERYBODY should steer clear of it. -Dan Smith
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Re: Harry Potter and the Gay Wizard: The Secret Behind the Story
| Posted On: 10/23/07 01:45:41 PM |
Age 64, OH |
How anyone could be entertained by such rubbish as Harry Potter is beyond my understanding. I walked into a house that had the movie on their TV and there was Potter, I presume, having a race of some kind on his broomstick. I found this stupid display of ignorance of all physical laws boring as - well really boring. The reason so many people who claim to be Christians are attracted to witchcraft is they practice WITCHCRAFT in their church and in their lives. They think God is some FORCE that they can control to do their will. Anyone who would even want their own will does not understand the 1st thing about being a FOLLOWER OF CHRIST. Jesus leads - we follow. Lou
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Re: Harry Potter and the Gay Wizard: The Secret Behind the Story
| Posted On: 10/23/07 10:02:44 AM |
Age 50, MN |
I find extremely disengenious to pull a verse out of Deuteronomy and use it as doctrine. There are HUNDREDS of verses/commands there that you completely ignore, so why is this one doctrine? How do you determine which ones to adhere to and which ones to ignore? 9 times out of 10 the response goes back to the author's personal preference. There may be good reasons for your position, but your proof text here is highly questionable.// And of course let's be perfectly honest here - could Mary Poppins be anything other than a witch? How is she different? Have we enjoyed her 'life lessons'? I think we have and celebrated her, in fact you may even think the comparison is silly - but they're both fictional characters possesing magical, wizard like (or in mary's case witch like) powers. Entertaining literarly and wildy popular.
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- Re: Re: Harry Potter and the Gay Wizard: The Secret Behind the Story
| Posted On: 10/25/07 07:48:20 PM | | Age 64, OH |
Mary Poppins was not a good movie. Anything that portrays lies as truth is evil. Mary Poppins was not shown as a sinner and was a lie and therefore evil. I never took my kids to Disney Movies for this reason. God is light and there is NO DARKNESS in Him. Anything GRAY is not neutral but evil. Lou
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Re: Harry Potter and the Gay Wizard: The Secret Behind the Story
| Posted On: 10/23/07 08:39:13 AM |
Age 24, NC |
While I am disappointed in Rowling's response to a question about Dumbledore being in love (not a planned announcement, by the way), I am equally disappointed in Jill Martin Rische's startling lack of understanding both of what the Bible calls "witchcraft" and of the literary genre of English fantasy. That Rowling has privately thought for some time that one of her male characters was in love with another male character is one thing. The accusation that she has a Satanic, occultic agenda is quite another. I am so very, very weary of hearing the anti-Potterites quote Deuteronomy 18 so indiscriminately. Read those verses carefully: along with the term "witchcraft" are details about what "witchcraft" entails. While Rowling may use the terms "wizard" or "witch," the practice of calling up spirits (departed or false) is not represented as positive in her books. You cannot simply say that anything called "wizardry" is evil, regardless of its actual nature. This is what the Puritans did when outlawing anything they chose under the title of "worldliness," ignoring the importance of using Biblical terminology in the context in which it was given. It's like saying that "stealing" in baseball or "bluffing" (lying) in cards is breaking the ten commandments; even though we're using the same terminology, we know that based on context, it's not at all the same thing. Rowling's use of magic parallels that of other fantasy writers Lewis, Tolkien, Charles Williams, Edmund Spenser, and others, who use magic not as it is condemned in the Bible, but as a metaphor for a spiritual reality that can't be demonstrated in the physical world. The fantasy epics of Narnia, Hogwarts, and Middle Earth, far from weakening our defenses against spiritual darkness, make us aware of the constant unseen spiritual battle that is being waged between Satan and God. Sadly, when Christians are distracted by non-issues (like Harry Potter) from fighting what's really evil and dangerous, Satan scores a victory.
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