I left the following as a comment on Pilgrimage of the Heart blog, in response to a post entitled Reflecting on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (And Redeeming It). It's rare for me to come out on such specific contemporary issues, but what I wrote in response has a much wider application than whether or not to get hooked on a popular cult film. I hope my readers will understand that I am not taking sides on this issue, but only affirming what has been handed over to me as Orthodox Christian διάκρισις, diákrisis, discernment. Henceforth follow my comments…Is the author of the Harry Potter series a Christian?
Does the author intend to write, as C. S. Lewis did in the Chronicles of Narnia, tales of the supernatural or otherworldly that incorporate under mythical imagery and motifs the utterly true story of what God has done for mankind in Christ?
Granted that every human being instinctively knows right from wrong and even possibly as you say, "this story was written on the hearts of every man and woman," speaking of the plan of salvation, is it really of any value to patronize and even extol writings or films that merely hint at the Christian truths we know and say we accept, when they are framed in terms so suggestive of the "dark side"?
I have noticed that Christians of all stripes either praise and support the Harry Potter series or oppose it vehemently. It almost seems to be a litmus test for where one stands as a Christian. I have also noticed that nothing will convince either the supporters that they should abandon it, or the opponents that they should accept it. It seems human nature, that is, the carnal man, will have what he wants whatever the cost. Not a good sign.
What we choose to learn from, whom we choose to learn from, and how we choose to learn, tell us a lot about where we actually stand.
The magi came to a knowledge of the coming of a prince of peace by searching the stars (that is, by astrology), and in actual fact, they were led to encounter the one they sought by means of the occult. Yet, when they met Him, they realised their error. He was not who they thought He was, but Someone far greater. We can imagine them talking among themselves, "Even the stars knew of Him, but how wrong we were to ask THEM! Why, these Hebrews among whom He has been born, they had it all WRITTEN DOWN!"
If we were pagans, searching and seeking with all our hearts to find out the Truth, what or Who it is, it could be expected that we would try going down many avenues to find it—astrology, numerology, kabbala, eastern mysticism, maybe even magic. I think that all who seek the Lord with their whole heart, even starting out from these base beginnings, He will take to Himself, and reveal Himself as their Lord and Savior. As for those who merely trifle with divine things and the pretended desire for the same, He will elude them, even if they were to search the scriptures themselves. But for those of us to whom the Light of Christ has been revealed, how can we seek Him or seek to reveal Him to ourselves or to others by so base a means as the occult?
The magi knew no better and were led by stars.
We who know better don't need the stars.
We are led, as God's own people, by His Word, that which is written in the only divine scriptures on earth, the Holy Bible.
What will our response be when He asks us, "Lovedst thou Me?"
And Yahweh repays me as I act justly,
as my purity is in His sight.
Faithful You are with the faithful,
blameless with the blameless,
pure with the one who is pure,
but crafty with the devious,
You save a people that is humble
and humiliate eyes that are haughty.
Psalm 18: 24-27 Jerusalem Bible
8 comments:
Interesting post, whichcraft comes from the heart of men, or works of the flesh. Dreaming away that you are lord and able to perform miracles and wonders, which gratify your own flesh. As for me I keep away of these films, too much alligned to the occult.
Interesting thoughts, both in the post and in the comment.
Romanos, just when I start to think that you and I are complete opposites, you write something that's eerily identical to a belief I hold. You're thoughts about those outside of Christ who authentically (though perhaps unknowingly) seek Him, vs. those outside of Christ who are merely playing games, I could not have said them better myself.
I do feel that an important thing to be clear about, when we oppose things in the pop culture, is around the following. Are we saying:
A) It's an evil thing for everybody, everhywhere to be involved with this.
B) Christians ought to tread carefully around this.
C) This is a potential stumbling block for me personally.
Of course, there are stopping points between the extremes of A, B, and C. It seems like often times, we feel judged and assume that somebody is arguing for point A, but really, they were just making a statement about point C, and not judging anyone else at all... However, at differing points along our journey, we ought to be discerning and proclaiming some thing as A, some things as B, and others as C... I don't think we have the luxury of simply saying, "There's no such thing as evil and I'm not going to speak out against anything."
I must be that rare person who doesn't feel either way about Harry Potter. Maybe because fantasy is just not my cup of literary tea. (Stephen King, on the other hand....).
I have had discussions about music with other Christians though. In fact, in wake of a thing going around facebook about MP3 players, the whole badness of secular music issue came up.
I was involved with a college radio station many moons ago and started the eighties with boxes of vinyl culled from my position as music director (and did I mention that this was FREE vinyl??) some of it no doubt was pure crap, but a lot of it was good. When I became a Christian around 88, I got the idea that I was doing something great for God to make this big donation to St. Vinnie's. I regret it. I wish I had hung onto a lot of that stuff. Live and learn, I suppose.
I also had this discussion with a church friend who is a high school English teacher. The topic at hand being Shakespeare and the assorted irate parents whose kids shared with them their discoveries about what the Bard was "really" saying. Her response was that literature (and I would add music and art to that) is about the human condition and therefore, just "hiding" from it rather than learning from it can be a false solution.
In fact some of the kids I know with the most wobbly faith have been the ones whose parents had the approach of just isolating them from the culture rather than using the culture as a jumping off point for discussion.
Thanks for the post Ramonos. My kids have read all the books of Harry Potter though I am sure I could have got them not to-but with some resentment. Personally I would have no desire to read the books except in the case where I could discuss them with those who had,and with a view to hopefully talk to them about Christ.
I'm sure most readers like these books because they are good stories and will never become involved with the occult.
In Athens, as a good Jew, Paul's breath was taken away from him when he saw all the false idols that were there, yet with his evangelistic gift he was able preach to them about one of the altars made for the 'Unknown God'.
I think an ordinary Jew would have run away in disgust wheras the new Paul saw this as an opportunity to preach the good news.In this situation he was prepared to meet with these pagans at their own level in order to engage with them with the hope that he would 'save some'.
In a postmodern culture everyone wants to have a spirituality. THis has both positive and negative aspects as reagards evangelism. The negatives include.Everything is relative as there are no absolutes. and all religions lead to God. THe positives are that people are keen to talk about spirituality and if we are prepared to engage with them, show Chist's love and God opens their hearts to receive the good news the false notions will fall away.
I too have posted a few thoughts on the orginal blog.
The central issue is about denying the existence of God and substituting the need and role that only God should and can, by magic or human bravery or luck or something else.
To an unbelieving world it is adding one more option to the clutter.
The question is no longer right or wrong, the question for the great men of God has been to increase in their service for the Lord. in the pusruit of which, even legitmate things were often given up.
What then can we say for all the good intentions that conjure up a story drenched in witchcraft!?
Gal 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 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.
Thank you, dear brother (Postman), for your clear-headed, insightful and biblically responsible words. Rather than talking circles around this wrongful desire to accept satanic deceptions as if they could convey anything at all that is good and right, you have struck the bad tree at its very roots. Bravo!
We may well have to rehabilitate people who indulge themselves in satanic fantasies, but it does not follow that we must ourselves join them in those fantasies. To be strong in the Lord, that is, in His Word, is enough for us, because by means of this God can demolish everything in fallen man that resists the true and only Good.
While we in "Christian" lands indulge ourselves and debate the relative merits of satan's work to justify us in our indulgence, it takes a man from India to speak a word from God to put us on the right track.
Take it or leave it, brothers, but Uday has spoken the truth.
Isn't there another divine scripture on earth, namely, the Book of Nature?
No, Dharmashaiva, in the sense I am using it, there is only one divine scripture on earth, namely the Holy Bible.
Just as there is only One divine Being, the living God of Israel, and only One only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and only One plan of salvation (through Christ), there is only One divinely-revealed Word in human language, the Bible. This is the mind of the Church, which is the mind of Christ.
What you are referencing is perhaps the teaching of the Two Books, described in detail in the writings of the 19th century Greek Orthodox philosopher Apostolos Makrakis. In his book Tri-Luminal Science: Surveying the Universe and Explaining Everything he enunciates the teaching like this: God has revealed Himself in Two Books, the big Book of Nature, and the small Book of the Bible, and the Two agree. When they appear to disagree, we are not understanding one of them correctly.
In this sense, what you are saying is close to correct, except in your phrase "another divine scripture on earth," which is inaccurate. The earth itself and all of physical nature, is this other scripture, so it cannot be said to exist "on earth" because earth is included in it as a very small but familiar chapter.
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