HARRY POTTER remains a phenomenon that’s still attracting millions of children. Thus, the movie version of HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX is liable to still do great business at the box office. Regrettably, however, this means that even more children will be lured away from God and His Infallible Word, which says that witchcraft is evil and abhorrent. Instead of dreaming about the joys that God gives us through Jesus Christ, they will be dreaming of casting spells, using magic spells, riding brooms, and rebelling against their parents...
...when Harry's godfather tells him, “You are not a bad person. Every person has light and darkness in them. You have a choice.” Imagine saying this to Michael Cho after he has had his killing spree. Or, Adolf Hitler.
Contrary to the godfather's idiotic aphorisms, there are bad people, and, without God, you cannot choose the good. But, there is a Name above all names who can solve this problems and banish the darkness. And, that name is Jesus Christ.
67 comments
And yet, people of other faiths have chosen not to nuke the planet into oblivion.
This seems to contradict your statement.
Are your parenting skills really so bad that you have to blame fiction ?
Also, kids and teenagers rebelling against authority figures is called Human Nature
“You are not a bad person. Every person has light and darkness in them. You have a choice.”
So that is an 'idiotic aphorism'?
The sort of self righteous crap you spout makes me angry.
You need god in order to be able to choose between good and bad/evil? Just how pathetically weak do you need people to be?
Accchhh! (*expression of disgust*)
without God, you cannot choose the good
Once again people: You don't need some invisible sky pervert (he watches everything you do, every time you shower, have sex, take a shit and jerk off) to have a moral compass and sense of right and wrong. Truly i hate to think what these people would do when they discovered that they didn't have the threat of eternal burning hanging over their heads
It's a movie, based on a FICTIONAL book, my seven year old granddaughter can distinguish fiction from reality, why can't you, a supposed adult?
Jesus christ is right. As in, jesus fucking christ in a blender, how can you be so wrong?
You compare a fictional character that casts spells to a spree-killer and a megalomaniacal, genocidal dictator with a christ complex?
This is highly concentrated wrong.
Dear Ted,
Stop trying to blame unseen spirits for evil. Face it, it’s US! The capacity for great evil is inherent within us but that doesn't mean it always has free reign. Use your own will-power and common sense and you'll be fine. Now go read Harry Potter for the fun of it; after all, it is just fiction.
WRONG WRONG WRONG.
Isn't the fundamental belief of Christianity ( and Islam ) that all people, without exception, can be saved?
And the bibble is better? At least J.K. Rowling's storyline is solid and not full of holes. You talk about casting spells; what about the so-called 'parting of the red-sea'? or the little parlor tricks Moses played on Pharoah? Or how about bringing people back from the dead? Yeah, THAT was real believable. And speaking of rebelling.... man, those angels sure were naughty to disobey gawd like that.
@DFox
There's an easy way to defeat the darkness , simply cast magic missle at it.
yes,exactly.
@Rhys: I worry about these people even though they do have eternal hell hanging over their heads. Remember, as long as their god says it's okay, then it's okay.
"With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion." - Steven Weinberg
The word 'good' is not etymologically related to the word 'god'. That's a myth.
There were two 'gods' in Old English - one with a long 'o' (which became 'good') and one without (which became 'god'); and they had quite different meanings.
Oh, right.
You see the difference being that Harry really isn't a bad person, but the other two are.
Just had to bring Hitler in though didn't you. He's such a famous... Christian.
"Instead of dreaming about the joys that God gives us through Jesus Christ, they will be dreaming of casting spells, using magic spells, riding brooms, and rebelling against their parents..."
Sounds like a real blockbuster.
Oh, wait, it already was.
“You are not a bad person. Every person has light and darkness in them. You have a choice.”
Is that not exactly what Christians say? Hate the sin, love the sinner; anyone can choose God and be forgiven all their sins etc
This man is a total fraud who reviews movies based on his narrow right-wing religious and political agenda. He attempts to censor IDEAS, not actions, in movies based on his value system and sometimes inserts IDIOTIC complaints ("Violence and cursing" in a WAR movie, DUH, "sexual innuendos" in a romantic comedy, heaven forbid). What a joke!
"'You are not a bad person. Every person has light and darkness in them. You have a choice.' Imagine saying this to Michael Cho after he has had his killing spree. Or, Adolf Hitler"
Imagine saying that, before they did the evil that they did.
The difference is, HP is a teenager who hasn't done anything yet. Therefore, for the analogy to work, you'd also have to speak to teenage Micheal Cho and Adolf Hitler; namely, before they made their choice to go down in infamy.
You can paraphrase the quote into, basically, "you have free will". So very unchristian, that idea.
Actually, if people couldn't choose between good or bad and needed a third person to choose for them, the original sin and all the Christian ethos wouldn't exist, to begin with. And this guy is so naive. One, kids have NEVER dreamed with the joys of Christ or whatever, not even the most religious ones. Kids at that age prefer the Playstation or Transformers.
So whens god coming in to the rescue, appearing out of nowhere asking for the children to join his religion? If that happens, I'll glady convert, but only if.
Everyone is a hero, Michael Cho may be a hero to himself (though that idea bugs me a little) and Adolf Hitler was a hero (NO OFFENSE to any Jews!) to the German people during pre-World War II, who vowed to restore Germany to its former glory. A horrible thing to kill so many Jews though.
Good and bad are subjected to opinions and twisted ideas. Frankly, Richard Dawkins is good, I'll say. But to a bunch of fundies, he's just a heretic spreading blasphemy. And Jesus Christ? I'm so sorry, I really am. Religion sure has its influence now, I feel real sad. A tool of manipulation forces innocent people into depths of stupidity. Actually, I really feel like crying. (think that I can't refute your argument? I'll go sob for while while I wonder how religion will destroy our world)
There is a difference between dreaming of casting spells and riding brooms and actually attempting to do so, which I strongly doubt any reasonable children would do unless they were playing games of make-believe (which, of course, must be sinful in the eyes of this idiot since it requires that oh-so-wicked act of imagination).
Maybe the reason that Harry Potter remains a phenomenon is because it's popular, exciting, imaginative, fun? Nothing in the books tells kids to not be Christian, to not go to church, to go out and kill people. The books are also easier for kids to relate to.
And what was so idiotic about Sirius' "aphorisms" when he's essentially correct? People do have good sides and bad sides, and they almost always have a choice in their decisions. Isn't there a little thing called free will, according to Christianity? And you're saying that people need God to be good? So all those atheists and agnostics are basically bad people, right? What would you rather have Sirius tell Harry? "My poor godless godson, I regret to tell you that you are doomed to hell because you're a wizard and you're just a helpless pawn of God. You had no choice in the matter, He just condemned you to be a wizard and thus be eternally damned because He felt like it."
There are so many real bad things going on in the world, and you're worried about Harry Potter? Get a life.
1) Harry Potter is bloody boring, if you are worried about that drawing people away from God, wait until you come across some interesting fantasy books (other than the Bible ofc) then you'll shit your pants.
2) Seeing people as *only* bad? "only the sith deal in absolutes" =P
They also hate Potter because of the simularities. Lessons are being taught without evoking God as the high Law-Giver. Miracles and creation are possible without the big G. The road to goodness is within you, no outside source to call to or blame.
Hogsworth is teaching values for their own sake.
They think Potter books are stealing their act
Not to mention that, like LotR, Harry Potter is in part INFORMED by Christian ideals (do not forget that Rowling herself is Christian). I think the problem here is that Baehr can't conceive of any ideal as Christian if it isn't qualified with "complete surrender to the Christ". Rowling and Tolkien (and, perhaps, Lewis), on the other hand, can.
"You have a choice.” Imagine saying this to Michael Cho after he has had his killing spree. Or, Adolf Hitler."
Yeah, it's SOOOO much easier to believe that some people are simply BAAAAD, from birth, with no choice in their own destiny.
But, then that's exactly what some "Christians" do preach, forgetting some of the inconvienient passages in the Bible along the way.
eg., Why did Pharoh decide to persue the Israelites after he had decided to let them go? "God hardened Pharoh's heart" Yep, Pharoh didn't have a choice in the matter, God decided to force pharoh to chase the Israelites, so He coud destroy them.
What a pathetic version of faith (and reality) you have.
They think Potter books are stealing their act
Guess what? They are right, and HP is doing it with more class and relavance.
I've read the HP books. The biggest lessons? Loyalty to friends, opposition to evil, and love is stronger than hate.
Some horrible unchristian values there, folks!
...when Harry's godfather tells him, “You are not a bad person. Every person has light and darkness in them. You have a choice.” Imagine saying this to Michael Cho after he has had his killing spree. Or, Adolf Hitler.
NEWSFLASH! They did! They made a conscious choice to do what they did. Admittedly spurred on by external forces, but still.
You are all completely and utterly mistaken, and in desperate need of schooling in the Bible and of God's Word on Earth.
Visit my website at www.movieguide.org , and donate to our mission to Redeem Our Culture and join our comment boards. Or, use this link :
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I pray that you will all turn away from your foolish, Left-leaning socialist ways, and surrender your heart to jesus Christ.
If a parent takes a child to see Harry Potter it's their business. We're talking about the motion pictures here. Hello??
before one knows it we'll all be forced to watch "Veggie Tales."
Good and evil are only perspectives. Its what enables muslim radicals to kill and consider themselves good. Harry Potter is innocent fiction! The writer clearly uses her BRAIN to make the story interesting, something you clearly stopped doing. If you were not so blinded by religion you would understand that Harry Potter is fiction, and unlike the bible, does not feature rape, genocide and contradictions.
But, there is a Name above all names who can solve this problems and banish the darkness.
And that name is . . . Teddy Bear ?
I like this (bottom) line the best;www.movieguide.org , and donate to our mission
Harry Potter not only attract children, it attracts older people too (40-year-old me, for example).
Harry Potter is a Christian allegory about the fight between good and evil (Harry is the good part). Witchcraft is not the pivotal ingredient in the stories. Growing up and taking responsibility for your actions is the focus point. Harry is not rebelling against his parents (as they are dead), he is rather following in their footprints.
Harry didn't have any killing spree, so that comparison works very bad.
Sure there are bad people; those who have more darkness than light in them; those who gloat at other people's misery; those who force others to comply with their religion or philosophy; those who kill others or destroy other people's lives.
Sure you can choose to be a good person without gods. Btw, Jesus has had about 2000 years in which to banish the darkness...
"...when Harry's godfather tells him, “You are not a bad person. Every person has light and darkness in them. You have a choice.” Imagine saying this to Michael Cho after he has had his killing spree. Or, Adolf Hitler."
Because Harry Potter ran concentration camps and killed 12 million people?
Wait, don't you as christians believe Hitler will go to heaven scot-free if he simply submits to Jesus?
Michael Cho? The guy from my 11th grade computer science class? He wouldn't kill anybody, he's probably one of the nicest people ever. We're still in contact today.
Oh, wait, you meant Seung-hui Cho, the Virginia Tech shooter, right? Did he ever go by Michael? I've never heard that before.
"...when Harry's godfather tells him, “You are not a bad person. Every person has light and darkness in them. You have a choice.” Imagine saying this to Michael Cho after he has had his killing spree. Or, Adolf Hitler."
Maybe someone should have said this to Hitler.
Our last large convention was so great, where we learned the wonderful teachings of Harry Potter. Then we went door to door to spread the good news. I can't wait for this year's!
But jokes apart, sure, it is possible for someone to be good while not necessarily subscribing to your particular favorite doctrines. Human societies have law codes and people can have ethics. Then nothing indicates that your particular tradition has a divine origin. Especially when crimes against humanity have also been justified on the same.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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