Here’s Katherine:
I’m not a big fan of demonising anything in popular culture. When I was a kid it was Rock Music (boo-hiss). When my mom was a kid it was the internal combustion engine. Or playing cards–one or the other. I do understand the reasons behind decrying these types of things. It’s not always the things themselves but the company they lead to or the corrupting influence they may have. And as Christians we do need to take that VERY seriously. But why start teaching that the thing is wrong, instead of explaining that why the situations or ideas behind the thing are the wrong/bad?
Where did I ever say it’s not necessary to explain the how and the why? Some rock music is fine, some isn’t. We play cards in my home, but we don’t gamble on it. There are some fine movies out there, but there are also some that will never find their way into our home. It’s called d-i-s-c-e-r-n-m-e-n-t, and that’s a parent’s job. But here’s the funny part:
I used to have a close relationship with some children who were brought up from cradle to voting age with this singular rearing tactic. Beer is evil, rock is evil, cards and PG-13 movies are evil. When these boys got out into the world and drank their first beer without going straight to hell they naturally began to doubt everything about the faith. Wouldn’t you?
Ah, no. A child that’s been properly reared knows good from bad, and knows WHY there’s a difference. For example, I’ve never smoked crack. I was brought up knowing that drugs can destroy your life, and have never had the desire to try drugs. I listened to rock music as a child, and still do, but there is some demonically-influenced rock music I stayed away from then (Led Zeppelin, for example), and still do. The idea that children are going to automatically reject the values they were brought up with the moment they leave home crumbles under Proverbs 22:6, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”
I believe my parents adopted that philosophy, and it worked. Imagine that.
Next, Katherine Coble writes:
Funnily enough, both Mark and Dan admit to not having read Harry Potter. Which is their right as well as their loss. Even more funnily, Mark admits to reading the Chronicles of Narnia and Dan admits to reading The Wizard of Oz. So clearly the problem isn’t with fantastical use of magic and wizardry in fiction.
Somewhat correct. Chronicles was written by a Christian, and is heavily symbolic of the Christian faith. Christ himself used parables to teach, and performed miracles (which weren’t, of course, fiction). Since I haven’t read or watched any Potter, I’m going to post an excerpt from Focus on the Family’s review of The Sorcerer’s Stone:
Also very troubling is the overarching idea that Harry is “rescued” from a miserable life by a bunch of wizards and witches. Of course, there are two ways to see this. Viewers who bring to the movie a background in Christian fantasy may see it as somewhat similar to C.S. Lewis’ Narnia-a magical world far more exciting and “fitting” for the human spirit than the plain physical world. On the other hand, there’s the likely interpretation that Harry is being “saved” by witchcraft, a disturbing idea to say the least. The immediate emotional impact of film makes the concept even more dangerous, because passive thrill-seekers won’t necessarily ponder and process it as they might while reading a book.
That’s a striking difference from Chronicles. Anything that portrays witchcraft other than being demonically-influenced does not pass muster with me. (That’s why Bedknobs and Broomsticks, which I have seen, is not in our home, either.)
And by the way, Michael (see comments), is it fair that some who’ve never read the Bible make criticisms and judgements of it? Absolutely. It’s a free country. I try to be tolerant even of those who are hostile to something that I hold as dear as the Bible.
One more Scripture verse. “Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Just because “the world” (popular culture, if you like) says we’re supposed to be into Potter doesn’t mean we have do. I’m not out to please anyone, so I don’t feel it’s my duty to bring Potter into my home. Katherine isn’t big fan of demonising anything in popular culture. I’m not a big fan of demonising just to be demonising, but when popular culture produces something that runs counter to Scripture, then I have to reject it. And believe me, popular culture produces a lot of things that run counter to Scripture. You can think my rejection of Harry Potter is my loss, but I consider it my gain.
