Should Christians be watching harry potter movies

[JoJo]

TaemJ, did you once see, in any of my posts on the subject, any mention of anyone going to hell? No... So before you start bashing Christians, get to know them first, at least.

My issue isn't with whether an author or creator or reader will go to hell because of some fictional material. In my opinion, if they are Christian, they are saved from their sins and will never lose that salvation. No, my issue is with indoctrinating our children with messages that defy biblical commands to stay away from sorcery. And mock if you will, but the dark arts are very real and very present in the modern age. But I'm not on a witch hunt. My concern is with Christian parents allowing the introduction to the world of magic through children's entertainment. My issue is with Christians who rail against certain subjects being introduced in schools, but fail to see what is being introduced right in their own living rooms.

Perhaps you think I'm overreacting. But I saw my own child, who I raised to know God and follow His commands, be sucked into the realms of darkness. And it all started with a little curiosity.

 

[JoJo]

Thanks, Reido.

 

[jasoncran]

i would be nice to have some good christian fanstasty slash sci-fi. good lord must we look back to the jrr tolkein/c.s lewis and tolstoy days. i have an imagination and would like to indulge that, i have mostly given up tv, because of the excessive hedonism. but what if some christians got together and said hey lets create something for the whole family that has action, and is entertaining, and it could include the redemptive message, but doesnt have too all the time

jojo, i see your point on potter, i dont watch it anymore because of the dumbledore thing, but i'm me and noone else should be a cookie cutter christain, ie watch only sports,the food network and so on, not that those things are bad, but i like sci-fi/fantasy.

jason

 

[JoJo]

Sports! Egad! Don't get me started on the evils of sports!

(j/k)

 

[jasoncran]

fooseball is of the devil :biglol

 

[Nick]

fooseball is of the devil :biglol

no, that's wall-mart :rolling

 

[ChattyMute]

There seems to be a huge obsession with harry potter and I want to know if you think that Christians should be watching it? I say no because it's full of wizardtree and witchcraft. I even don't see what's so great about it. I find the movie to be really boring. I want to know what your opinion is about this?

It is just a movie. Fiction. Made up. A story to entertain. It is not inherently evil like you are suggesting.

 

[Nick]

There seems to be a huge obsession with harry potter and I want to know if you think that Christians should be watching it? I say no because it's full of wizardtree and witchcraft. I even don't see what's so great about it. I find the movie to be really boring. I want to know what your opinion is about this?

It is just a movie. Fiction. Made up. A story to entertain. It is not inherently evil like you are suggesting.

.....essentially yes....but if it casues you to sin, then you shouldn't watch it. Read Romans 14.

 

[ChattyMute]

.....essentially yes....but if it casues you to sin, then you shouldn't watch it. Read Romans 14.

If some stupid book or movie causes you to sin, then you need to learn some self control an possible the difference between reality and fiction.

And I'm not Christian.... just saying. So I don't have a bible with me.... but I could go hunt one up from a dorm mate. /ramble

 

[Nick]

.....essentially yes....but if it casues you to sin, then you shouldn't watch it. Read Romans 14.

If some stupid book or movie causes you to sin, then you need to learn some self control an possible the difference between reality and fiction.

And I'm not Christian.... just saying. So I don't have a bible with me.... but I could go hunt one up from a dorm mate. /ramble

The practise of witchcraft is sinful. Now if you're watching Harry Potter and it causes you to pratise witchcraft...then it has caused you to sin, whether it is fiction or not. So you shouldn't be watching it. It's very similar to say, a movie with a sex scene in it. If the sex scene casues you to stumble and be lustful, then you shouldn't watch that bit, or possibly even the whole movie. For me, the sex xcene will cause me to stumle, so I tend to avoid those in movies. But for me (and it seems yourself) we are not going to stumble watching witchcraft movies like Harry Potter, so I don't think, if this is the case, there is anything wrong with watching them.

Since you are not Christian, I don't expect you to fully understand this. BTW, if you need a Bible (and if you're on these forums it's a great idea to have one), then check out this great online Bible - http://www.biblegateway.com

 

[ChattyMute]

The practise of witchcraft is sinful. Now if you're watching Harry Potter and it causes you to pratise witchcraft...then it has caused you to sin, whether it is fiction or not. So you shouldn't be watching it. It's very similar to say, a movie with a sex scene in it. If the sex scene casues you to stumble and be lustful, then you shouldn't watch that bit, or possibly even the whole movie. For me, the sex xcene will cause me to stumle, so I tend to avoid those in movies. But for me (and it seems yourself) we are not going to stumble watching witchcraft movies like Harry Potter, so I don't think, if this is the case, there is anything wrong with watching them.

xD If a movie like HP causes you to sin, you are truly an idiot.
But it is still that persons choice whether they watch or not. Also, not everyone is going to know if it will "make" them sin or not.
I doubt this debate will go any further so...

Since you are not Christian, I don't expect you to fully understand this. BTW, if you need a Bible (and if you're on these forums it's a great idea to have one), then check out this great online Bible - http://www.biblegateway.com

I used to be Christian. I have many Christian friends. And my family is Christian. I understand it just fine. Doesn't mean I have to agree with it.
And I do not /need/ a bible. I know about the site; I was just too lazy to go look it up as I am doing other work while taking breaks to post on here.

 

[Caroline H]

Chatty, You are new here so I will cut you some slack on this. Please read our Terms of service, insults to other users will not be tolerated on this site...calling someone an idiot falls under that category. Also, this thread is titled "should Christians be watching Harry Potter movies". As you are an agnostic I'm not sure what input you would have here that would be helpful from a Christian point of view, but since this isn't the CT&A forum you are free to post here. Keep in mind, however, that any advice you give on these boards must not go against Scripture.

 

[ChattyMute]

Chatty, You are new here so I will cut you some slack on this. Please read our Terms of service, insults to other users will not be tolerated on this site...calling someone an idiot falls under that category. Also, this thread is titled "should Christians be watching Harry Potter movies". As you are an agnostic I'm not sure what input you would have here that would be helpful from a Christian point of view, but since this isn't the CT&A forum you are free to post here. Keep in mind, however, that any advice you give on these boards must not go against Scripture.

o_O I didn't insult other users... Well. I don't consider that much of an insult. But okay.

I'm agnostic atheist. Difference.

And I don't consider this giving advice as much as stating my opinion, but okay again. xD

 

[JoJo]

.....essentially yes....but if it casues you to sin, then you shouldn't watch it. Read Romans 14.

If some stupid book or movie causes you to sin, then you need to learn some self control an possible the difference between reality and fiction.

And I'm not Christian.... just saying. So I don't have a bible with me.... but I could go hunt one up from a dorm mate. /ramble

If a book or movie causes an adult to sin, then yes, perhaps they could learn some self-control. But what about children? They are learning everything, but would they recognize the need for self-control should they begin to grow curious about witchcraft?

 

[ChattyMute]

If a book or movie causes an adult to sin, then yes, perhaps they could learn some self-control. But what about children? They are learning everything, but would they recognize the need for self-control should they begin to grow curious about witchcraft?

Depends on the age of the child. Teens should also know better. As for younger children, it is the duty of the parents to make sure the child understands that it is just fiction and not reality.

 

[JoJo]

Children have difficulty distinguishing fantasy from reality. Sure, their parents can stand there and say, "This is just fiction. It's not real." But how far does that go? Would the same Christian parent allow their child to watch a rape or murder scene in a cop show? Or a sex scene in a soap opera or movie? Somehow I think "This isn't real. It's just fiction," won't cut it. Children have big eyes and impressionable minds.

 

[manicrabbit]

I think that watching movies of this sort is not evil by itself. Take Harry Potter for example, it is categorized as fiction so they are not claiming it to be real. I personally enjoy watching it, and I own copies of the books but I do not think that it makes me less of a Christian nor does it take away my faith. I think that we should be able to discern fiction from reality.
Dental Clearwater | Dentist Clearwater

 

[ChattyMute]

Children have difficulty distinguishing fantasy from reality. Sure, their parents can stand there and say, "This is just fiction. It's not real." But how far does that go? Would the same Christian parent allow their child to watch a rape or murder scene in a cop show? Or a sex scene in a soap opera or movie? Somehow I think "This isn't real. It's just fiction," won't cut it. Children have big eyes and impressionable minds.

Well.. sex, rape, and murder are real. So I think you need a more appropriate comparison.
But just because they are real doesn't mean a young child should be watching sex or rape. I agree with that.

I don't see anything wrong with a murder scene, though. The kid isn't watching the murder, just hearing about it. As long as it isn't incredibly graphic in speech or pictures, I don't see the problem. But that is completely a matter of opinion.

A parent might not want their kids hearing about murder at all, but that again is completely a matter of opinion and parenting styles.

This might be getting off topic a tad. =/ Iunno.

Also. I don't think you are giving kids enough credit. A child around 7 or8, at least 7 and 8 years old I know, can tell the difference between fantasy and reality.
I don't personally know many kids younger than 6, so I can't say anything about that age group.

 

[JoJo]

I personally enjoy watching it, and I own copies of the books but I do not think that it makes me less of a Christian nor does it take away my faith.

I absolutely agree. Jesus saved us from our sins forever. I'm not talking about compromising our position in Christ. I'm talking about opening our children's eyes to the ways of the world -- protecting them from all forms of evil.

Well.. sex, rape, and murder are real. So I think you need a more appropriate comparison.

And witchcraft isn't? For Christians, witchcraft is a very real form of evil. Playing around with it in the "fictional" sense is just spiritually dangerous, if you ask me.

It's not that I'm not giving children enough credit. Having worked with children in a professional setting and having four children of my own (ages 11 to 19), I know from experience that children tend to emulate (even if in play) what they see on TV and in movies. And this pretend play can lead to genuine curiosity.

 

[ChattyMute]

And witchcraft isn't? For Christians, witchcraft is a very real form of evil. Playing around with it in the "fictional" sense is just spiritually dangerous, if you ask me.

It's not that I'm not giving children enough credit. Having worked with children in a professional setting and having four children of my own (ages 11 to 19), I know from experience that children tend to emulate (even if in play) what they see on TV and in movies. And this pretend play can lead to genuine curiosity.

You are the first Christian I have met to think witchcraft is real. Most Christians I know do not believe in witchcraft.

Why? It is just playing. Just like kids play cops and robbers. Doesn't mean the kid will grow up to be either a cop or a robber. And just like most kids know they are pretending when they play cops and robbers, most kids will know they are pretending when they "play" Harry Potter.