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Hope Chest Extra: My View on Harry Potter
#1 · November 15, 2001, 8:07 pm
Posted by: homenews <homenews@...>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hope Chest Extras
November 15, 2001
My View of Harry Potter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello Hope Chest friends!
Last week, I was interviewed by the Orlando Sentinels Senior Religion
Editor, Mark Pinsky, about what Christian parents think about Harry
Potter. He told me the article would appear tomorrow, but it actually
came out today. I dont have a web link to show it to all of you (I dont
think that article made it on-line, but Ill let you know if it does),
and its WAY too long to type in. He had quotes from many Christians,
including a pastor who produced an anti-HP video. I spoke against Harry
Potter, but a few other Christian parents, including two good friends of
mine, came out in support of the books and movie on the grounds that they
are harmless fantasy. Its obvious that there is a difference of opinion
among Christians on the topic of Harry Potter. We have Christian leaders
like Chuck Colson saying that Harry Potter is delightful, and others like
Berit Kjos who decry the it as occultic and evil.
http://www.crossroad.to/articles/harry9-99.html
I can only speak for myself on this. I read part of the first book at the
behest of my sister, who is both a Harry Potter fan and a Christian home
school mom. I quickly determined that Harry Potter is not at all welcome
in my home. This was a rather quiet decision on my part. The issue never
came up for more than a few moments among my children, maybe because they
arent subject to the onslaught of cultural exposure and peer pressure
that is rife on school campuses. So I didnt give it too much thought
until a friend called asking if she could refer me to the editor (one of
her friends) for the interview. When I said yes, I knew I would have to
do some more research. I hit the web, trying to discern what was really
true. Myriad sensational stories fly around the Internet, perhaps the
most notable being the spoof that appeared on the Onion web page (the one
about "Ashley Daniels", the Pennsylvania girl who supposedly says that
now she thinks that the Bible is dumb, because magic is so exciting)
which many Christians took to be serious. But I did find a few good solid
sites and drained my printer cartridge printing them out. More
importantly, I opened my concordance and my Bible and studied what God
had to say about the subject. I wrote an outline of my response,
including some specific "sound bite" phrases that I felt would be most
effective. When Mr. Pinsky called, I talked to him for about 40 minutes.
He offered me a pass to see the press preview of the movie, but I had to
decline.
Anyway, it was with bated breath that I raced to the nearest bookstore to
buy a copy of the Orlando Sentinel today. Sure enough, on the front page
of the Living section, they had a short portion of my quote right next to
the headline. Later in the article, they expanded on this. I am quoting
here from the article:
"Virginia Knowles, 38, of Maitland, a mother of eight who home-schools
her children, sharply disagrees with the views of parents such as Dickey
and Martin. As a Christian parent, the Bible tells me that sorcery,
witchcraft and casting spells are detestable to God and an abomination,
she says. To me, that doesnt leave much room for using them as
entertainment," she says. "The Harry Potter stories put witchcraft in a
positive light, and cast skeptics as narrow and mean. But things that
seem harmless and amusing may actually be quite damaging. The devil
doesnt play fair. Knowles says she read several chapters of the first
book, and then decided that Harry Potter, in print or on celluloid, is
not for her family."
Later in the article, in a discussion about the use of fantasy by
Christian writers such as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis:
"But Christian critics of Harry Potter say the situation is different
because Lewis and Tolkien -- unlike Rowling -- were declared believers,
and they used their fables to further their faith. And besides, their
witches were always and unquestionably evil. In the case of Lewis, says
Virginia Knowles, "its not the presence of evil, but the attitude toward
it, how is it presented."
Another quote which was not included in the article is:
"We become who we are largely because of the books we read and the
entertainment we choose. I believe that parents need to be gatekeepers of
these things, to make judgment calls about what's acceptable, and to
cultivate our children's tastes in the right direction. There are enough
other good books and movies out there which affirm and don't undermine a
family's faith and values."
In my initial e-mail to him, I also told Mr. Pinsky:
"In my opinion, the overall worldview espoused in the Harry Potter books
is incompatible with the Biblical teachings our family holds dear. Yes, I
could read them with my children and talk about such objectionable
elements as the young hero casting spells to exact revenge on his
enemies. However, it doesn't seem fair to excite their imaginations with
a thrilling tale, only to be a party-pooper and shoot it all down again.
If I'm going to take the time to enjoy a story with them, or even let
them read it independently, I want it to affirm, rather than undermine,
our faith and values. I believe it is each parent's privilege and
obligation to monitor their children's entertainment and education,
rather than acquiescing to what is popular or convenient. For that
liberty, and for the abundance of truly great books on the shelves of our
public library, I am most thankful."
Speaking of literature selection, Ive heard people say that the Harry
Potter books are so beneficial because they encourage reluctant readers
to READ. Public school teachers are reading them to their classes for
that very reason. Yes, literacy is important. But why? Because the WORDS
and IDEAS are important! It does matter WHAT we read, not just that we
ARE reading! Garbage in, garbage out! (Philippians 4:8 -- "Finally,
brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything
is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.") Coincidentally,
even before this whole Harry Potter deal came up, I ordered several
copies of Cindy Rushtons book The Never Ending Rushton Reading List on
the enthusiastic advice of my friend Bonnie, who had misplaced her copy
and called me frantically to see if I had it in my inventory. My copy is
now all dinged up from taking it to the library. (I recently checked out
one of the books she listed, The Door in the Wall, for our unit study on
the Middle Ages. Its a Newbery Medal winner by Marguerite DeAngeli.
Rachel (10) walked up to me as I was making dinner and said, "This is a
GOOD book!" Joanna (almost 9) already polished it off, after professing
no interest in the Middle Ages. I started reading it to Lydia before
lunch today, and only the promise of french fries tore her away from the
couch. I personally like the book because of its emphasis on kindness,
courage, and perseverence, and because one of the heroes, Brother Luke,
is a devout Christian monk.) If you are interested in The Never Ending
Rushton Reading List, please let me know! Its only $6 plus shipping.
But I digress, so now its back to the Harry Potter controversy. Other
people say that Harry Potter is good because of the moral lessons shared.
Quoting from the Sentinel article, Rev. Helen DeBevoise says, "I see
lessons in it on kindness and friendship, power struggles between
children and between adults. I dont think its devoid of a lesson." OK,
so maybe there IS a lesson in it, but if so, who do you want teaching
your child lessons about right and wrong? Someone who is casting spells,
which is a practice that is detestable to God? We can do better than
this...
The main Scripture I shared with Mr. Pinsky, who is Jewish, is from
Deuteronomy 18:9-14:
"When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to
imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found
among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices
divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts
spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone
who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these
detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations
before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God. The nations
you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination.
But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so."
In 1 Corinthians 11:14-15, Paul reminds us that: "... Satan himself
masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his
servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what
their actions deserve."
In Ephesians 5:11, it says, "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds
of darkness, but rather expose them."
In closing, I also recounted how I had been memorizing Psalm 145, and
told Mr. Pinsky that if my theme in life is to glorify God, to teach my
children his mighty acts, to sing his praises, and to celebrate his
goodness, then I would be "shooting myself in the foot" to then turn
around and make light of the things which deeply grieve God.
This whole process has led to much soul-searching on my part as I
evaluate the literature and entertainment we do allow in our home. I know
that many of you will think I am being a bit straight-laced about this.
Im not trying to castigate those who have made different choices for
their families, but I do want to encourage you to think seriously about
these things.
On another subject, I will be sending out the next issue of the Hope
Chest Home School News in the next week or so. The theme is A
Cross-Cultural Christmas, but I also have something about Thanksgiving. I
would love to include your thoughts on this or any other topic pertaining
to home education! If you have received this message from someone else,
and have not yet subscribed to the Hope Chest Home School News, you may
do so by sending an e-mail to the automated list server at:
[email protected]
Please feel free to forward this message to anyone who might benefit from
it.
May our Gracious and Almighty God bless you and your family abundantly!
Virginia Knowles
http://www.hopechest.homestead.com/welcome.html
Hope Chest Extras
November 15, 2001
My View of Harry Potter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello Hope Chest friends!
Last week, I was interviewed by the Orlando Sentinels Senior Religion
Editor, Mark Pinsky, about what Christian parents think about Harry
Potter. He told me the article would appear tomorrow, but it actually
came out today. I dont have a web link to show it to all of you (I dont
think that article made it on-line, but Ill let you know if it does),
and its WAY too long to type in. He had quotes from many Christians,
including a pastor who produced an anti-HP video. I spoke against Harry
Potter, but a few other Christian parents, including two good friends of
mine, came out in support of the books and movie on the grounds that they
are harmless fantasy. Its obvious that there is a difference of opinion
among Christians on the topic of Harry Potter. We have Christian leaders
like Chuck Colson saying that Harry Potter is delightful, and others like
Berit Kjos who decry the it as occultic and evil.
http://www.crossroad.to/articles/harry9-99.html
I can only speak for myself on this. I read part of the first book at the
behest of my sister, who is both a Harry Potter fan and a Christian home
school mom. I quickly determined that Harry Potter is not at all welcome
in my home. This was a rather quiet decision on my part. The issue never
came up for more than a few moments among my children, maybe because they
arent subject to the onslaught of cultural exposure and peer pressure
that is rife on school campuses. So I didnt give it too much thought
until a friend called asking if she could refer me to the editor (one of
her friends) for the interview. When I said yes, I knew I would have to
do some more research. I hit the web, trying to discern what was really
true. Myriad sensational stories fly around the Internet, perhaps the
most notable being the spoof that appeared on the Onion web page (the one
about "Ashley Daniels", the Pennsylvania girl who supposedly says that
now she thinks that the Bible is dumb, because magic is so exciting)
which many Christians took to be serious. But I did find a few good solid
sites and drained my printer cartridge printing them out. More
importantly, I opened my concordance and my Bible and studied what God
had to say about the subject. I wrote an outline of my response,
including some specific "sound bite" phrases that I felt would be most
effective. When Mr. Pinsky called, I talked to him for about 40 minutes.
He offered me a pass to see the press preview of the movie, but I had to
decline.
Anyway, it was with bated breath that I raced to the nearest bookstore to
buy a copy of the Orlando Sentinel today. Sure enough, on the front page
of the Living section, they had a short portion of my quote right next to
the headline. Later in the article, they expanded on this. I am quoting
here from the article:
"Virginia Knowles, 38, of Maitland, a mother of eight who home-schools
her children, sharply disagrees with the views of parents such as Dickey
and Martin. As a Christian parent, the Bible tells me that sorcery,
witchcraft and casting spells are detestable to God and an abomination,
she says. To me, that doesnt leave much room for using them as
entertainment," she says. "The Harry Potter stories put witchcraft in a
positive light, and cast skeptics as narrow and mean. But things that
seem harmless and amusing may actually be quite damaging. The devil
doesnt play fair. Knowles says she read several chapters of the first
book, and then decided that Harry Potter, in print or on celluloid, is
not for her family."
Later in the article, in a discussion about the use of fantasy by
Christian writers such as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis:
"But Christian critics of Harry Potter say the situation is different
because Lewis and Tolkien -- unlike Rowling -- were declared believers,
and they used their fables to further their faith. And besides, their
witches were always and unquestionably evil. In the case of Lewis, says
Virginia Knowles, "its not the presence of evil, but the attitude toward
it, how is it presented."
Another quote which was not included in the article is:
"We become who we are largely because of the books we read and the
entertainment we choose. I believe that parents need to be gatekeepers of
these things, to make judgment calls about what's acceptable, and to
cultivate our children's tastes in the right direction. There are enough
other good books and movies out there which affirm and don't undermine a
family's faith and values."
In my initial e-mail to him, I also told Mr. Pinsky:
"In my opinion, the overall worldview espoused in the Harry Potter books
is incompatible with the Biblical teachings our family holds dear. Yes, I
could read them with my children and talk about such objectionable
elements as the young hero casting spells to exact revenge on his
enemies. However, it doesn't seem fair to excite their imaginations with
a thrilling tale, only to be a party-pooper and shoot it all down again.
If I'm going to take the time to enjoy a story with them, or even let
them read it independently, I want it to affirm, rather than undermine,
our faith and values. I believe it is each parent's privilege and
obligation to monitor their children's entertainment and education,
rather than acquiescing to what is popular or convenient. For that
liberty, and for the abundance of truly great books on the shelves of our
public library, I am most thankful."
Speaking of literature selection, Ive heard people say that the Harry
Potter books are so beneficial because they encourage reluctant readers
to READ. Public school teachers are reading them to their classes for
that very reason. Yes, literacy is important. But why? Because the WORDS
and IDEAS are important! It does matter WHAT we read, not just that we
ARE reading! Garbage in, garbage out! (Philippians 4:8 -- "Finally,
brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything
is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.") Coincidentally,
even before this whole Harry Potter deal came up, I ordered several
copies of Cindy Rushtons book The Never Ending Rushton Reading List on
the enthusiastic advice of my friend Bonnie, who had misplaced her copy
and called me frantically to see if I had it in my inventory. My copy is
now all dinged up from taking it to the library. (I recently checked out
one of the books she listed, The Door in the Wall, for our unit study on
the Middle Ages. Its a Newbery Medal winner by Marguerite DeAngeli.
Rachel (10) walked up to me as I was making dinner and said, "This is a
GOOD book!" Joanna (almost 9) already polished it off, after professing
no interest in the Middle Ages. I started reading it to Lydia before
lunch today, and only the promise of french fries tore her away from the
couch. I personally like the book because of its emphasis on kindness,
courage, and perseverence, and because one of the heroes, Brother Luke,
is a devout Christian monk.) If you are interested in The Never Ending
Rushton Reading List, please let me know! Its only $6 plus shipping.
But I digress, so now its back to the Harry Potter controversy. Other
people say that Harry Potter is good because of the moral lessons shared.
Quoting from the Sentinel article, Rev. Helen DeBevoise says, "I see
lessons in it on kindness and friendship, power struggles between
children and between adults. I dont think its devoid of a lesson." OK,
so maybe there IS a lesson in it, but if so, who do you want teaching
your child lessons about right and wrong? Someone who is casting spells,
which is a practice that is detestable to God? We can do better than
this...
The main Scripture I shared with Mr. Pinsky, who is Jewish, is from
Deuteronomy 18:9-14:
"When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to
imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found
among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices
divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts
spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone
who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these
detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations
before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God. The nations
you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination.
But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so."
In 1 Corinthians 11:14-15, Paul reminds us that: "... Satan himself
masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his
servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what
their actions deserve."
In Ephesians 5:11, it says, "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds
of darkness, but rather expose them."
In closing, I also recounted how I had been memorizing Psalm 145, and
told Mr. Pinsky that if my theme in life is to glorify God, to teach my
children his mighty acts, to sing his praises, and to celebrate his
goodness, then I would be "shooting myself in the foot" to then turn
around and make light of the things which deeply grieve God.
This whole process has led to much soul-searching on my part as I
evaluate the literature and entertainment we do allow in our home. I know
that many of you will think I am being a bit straight-laced about this.
Im not trying to castigate those who have made different choices for
their families, but I do want to encourage you to think seriously about
these things.
On another subject, I will be sending out the next issue of the Hope
Chest Home School News in the next week or so. The theme is A
Cross-Cultural Christmas, but I also have something about Thanksgiving. I
would love to include your thoughts on this or any other topic pertaining
to home education! If you have received this message from someone else,
and have not yet subscribed to the Hope Chest Home School News, you may
do so by sending an e-mail to the automated list server at:
[email protected]
Please feel free to forward this message to anyone who might benefit from
it.
May our Gracious and Almighty God bless you and your family abundantly!
Virginia Knowles
http://www.hopechest.homestead.com/welcome.html