-
Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.
If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!
To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
I do understand why some Christians protest against things such as Harry Potter, though I never entirely agreed with their views. I used to go to a church that pretty much boycotted and bedeviled anything that had to do with Harry Potter.
But what I've never understood was, why is the same fuss never made over "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" (and the entire Narnia series. It's FILLED with magic.) Why, when these movies came out, all of a sudden, the church would raise entire outings for the whole congregation to go see these movies.
It is it just because the author of that series is known to be a Christian? Does that somehow make Christians "ok" with it? Because in this situation, the magic is seen an allegory of the Christian faith?
But what I've never understood was, why is the same fuss never made over "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" (and the entire Narnia series. It's FILLED with magic.) Why, when these movies came out, all of a sudden, the church would raise entire outings for the whole congregation to go see these movies.
It is it just because the author of that series is known to be a Christian? Does that somehow make Christians "ok" with it? Because in this situation, the magic is seen an allegory of the Christian faith?
Last edited:
M
The Brothers Grimm stories have magic in them too. Series like Star Wars and LOTR have similar effects as well.
My Pastor preached against Harry Potter once but I didn't take it seriously because he likes superhero movies. Where do those heros get their powers? Isn't that like magic?
I used to think magic was bad and that I should just stay away from everything and anything that even mentioned it. But when I saw all those people that preached against it watching Cinderella with their daughters or Superman, I thought to myself "what's the point and where do we draw the line?"
I think from the outside looking in, Harry Potter does seem evil and wicked. And maybe it is, I could be wrong.
But I know the story and I really like the message; basically love wins and evil will always lose.
I think it also depends on the person. If you have a relationship with Jesus, you tend to see things in a Christian way. Maybe that's why I like HP so much, because I see a lot of good in it. It's the same with other things like secular songs, films and books. Just the other day I posted a song on another thread asking if anyone else though the artist was talking about God. Maybe he wasn't but I saw it that way because God is the most important one in my life. Whenever I enjoy secular works, I see God in them too. LOL Sorry does that make sense?
My Pastor preached against Harry Potter once but I didn't take it seriously because he likes superhero movies. Where do those heros get their powers? Isn't that like magic?
I used to think magic was bad and that I should just stay away from everything and anything that even mentioned it. But when I saw all those people that preached against it watching Cinderella with their daughters or Superman, I thought to myself "what's the point and where do we draw the line?"
I think from the outside looking in, Harry Potter does seem evil and wicked. And maybe it is, I could be wrong.
But I know the story and I really like the message; basically love wins and evil will always lose.
I think it also depends on the person. If you have a relationship with Jesus, you tend to see things in a Christian way. Maybe that's why I like HP so much, because I see a lot of good in it. It's the same with other things like secular songs, films and books. Just the other day I posted a song on another thread asking if anyone else though the artist was talking about God. Maybe he wasn't but I saw it that way because God is the most important one in my life. Whenever I enjoy secular works, I see God in them too. LOL Sorry does that make sense?
Last edited:
S
I saw a lot of God in the HP series. You have someone like Harry that is a powerful wizard that was born to defeat evil. He was born to defeat Voldemort and so many people waited for Harry to come and do so, and followed him. Voldemort tried to kill Harry so many times and take everything away from him. Harry was constantly sacrificing himself for everyone else. Sound like a familiar story to anyone?
Not everything is evil.
Not everything is evil.
Last edited by a moderator:
T
I wouldn't say I'm a Harry Potter nerd, but I thoroughly enjoyed the books and thought the movies were average to quite good. My favourite books are 3 and 7, but mostly 7. My favourite movies are 3, 5 and 7, but mostly 5. My favourite characters include Professor Dumbledore, Ron Wesley, Luna Lovegood and Severus Snape (I've probably missed some). I can't remember my least favourite character, but I greatly dislike James Potter. I was bullied heavily in my high school years and James reminds me of the idiots who bullied me.
I confess, Harry Potter came too late for my childhood, but I experienced his adventures during my high school years (Philosopher's Stone was published my first year there), my tertiary years and my first year of university (my friends bought me Deathly Hallows for my birthday, which was a week after it had been published).
I had no problem recognizing many of the Christian allusions throughout the series, so despite the superficial 'witchcraft' elements, I was often baffled by all of the so-called occult hullabaloo from the Christian world, including my parents. I was more concerned with the children not being disciplined at times when they clearly misbehaved. My childhood was dominated by the likes of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Adventures of Tintin, so they holder a higher place in my heart. But I still love the Harry Potter books.
I confess, Harry Potter came too late for my childhood, but I experienced his adventures during my high school years (Philosopher's Stone was published my first year there), my tertiary years and my first year of university (my friends bought me Deathly Hallows for my birthday, which was a week after it had been published).
I had no problem recognizing many of the Christian allusions throughout the series, so despite the superficial 'witchcraft' elements, I was often baffled by all of the so-called occult hullabaloo from the Christian world, including my parents. I was more concerned with the children not being disciplined at times when they clearly misbehaved. My childhood was dominated by the likes of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Adventures of Tintin, so they holder a higher place in my heart. But I still love the Harry Potter books.
Last edited by a moderator:
D
The idea for the type of magic in the Narnia series was actually based off of Chrisitan principles. For example, a sacrafice made out of love is considered to be the deep magic, the oldest magic. Yada yada. Whereas you do have that in Harry Potter via his mom's sacrafice, in narnia you dont have people splitting their soul into seven pieces via ritualistic murder as the catalyst. You dont have people cursing children with an extremely painful curse designed specifically for torture using latin derived incantations .
Harry Potter has a lot of dark stuff in it if you really think about it. I personally dont think its harmful, its just a fictional story. I could definitely see why someone would have a problem with it and not Narnia though.
.Harry Potter has a lot of dark stuff in it if you really think about it. I personally dont think its harmful, its just a fictional story. I could definitely see why someone would have a problem with it and not Narnia though.
M
I've always loved fantasy, and yes, I'm kiiiiind of a Harry Potter nerd. I've read and re-read the books a ridiculous number of times...but I read them in this order- 4, 5, 7, 3, 6, 1, 2. I'm not as into the movies...they were alright, but kinda meh compared to the combination of the books and my imagination.
M
Which book is the best in you all's opinion?
I liked 3 the best. I just remember thinking when I finished reading it "yes, I am going to grow up a nerd, but it's going to be awesome!" I felt like I had finally found something I was good at and enjoyed doing. Since sports weren't my thing.Something that would help me in school, help me make friends with similar interests and something that I could do with my free time and that was reading. I had read the first two books but I wasn't really that into them as much as Prisoner of Azkaban.
Like I said earlier, I'm also a huge fan of Remus Lupin. I find him relatable. He's an outcast and has always been different. I think he and Harry could have been close but Harry pretty much closed him off in favor of the mischievous and immature, Sirius.
Imagine how I felt when I saw The Boy in the Striped Pajamas!?!? The actor that portrayed Lupin isn't a nice guy in that movie.
Least favorite book? I think mine would be the second one. It's still very good but I like all the others better. I find one and two very similar but one is the original so it's special.
A lot of people complained that book 5, Order of the Phoenix was boring and long. I think that one is my second favorite. People are strange indeed.
I liked 3 the best. I just remember thinking when I finished reading it "yes, I am going to grow up a nerd, but it's going to be awesome!" I felt like I had finally found something I was good at and enjoyed doing. Since sports weren't my thing.
Something that would help me in school, help me make friends with similar interests and something that I could do with my free time and that was reading. I had read the first two books but I wasn't really that into them as much as Prisoner of Azkaban.Like I said earlier, I'm also a huge fan of Remus Lupin. I find him relatable. He's an outcast and has always been different. I think he and Harry could have been close but Harry pretty much closed him off in favor of the mischievous and immature, Sirius.
Imagine how I felt when I saw The Boy in the Striped Pajamas!?!? The actor that portrayed Lupin isn't a nice guy in that movie.
Least favorite book? I think mine would be the second one. It's still very good but I like all the others better. I find one and two very similar but one is the original so it's special.
A lot of people complained that book 5, Order of the Phoenix was boring and long. I think that one is my second favorite. People are strange indeed.
D
Which book is the best in you all's opinion?
I liked 3 the best. I just remember thinking when I finished reading it "yes, I am going to grow up a nerd, but it's going to be awesome!" I felt like I had finally found something I was good at and enjoyed doing. Since sports weren't my thing.Something that would help me in school, help me make friends with similar interests and something that I could do with my free time and that was reading. I had read the first two books but I wasn't really that into them as much as Prisoner of Azkaban.
Like I said earlier, I'm also a huge fan of Remus Lupin. I find him relatable. He's an outcast and has always been different. I think he and Harry could have been close but Harry pretty much closed him off in favor of the mischievous and immature, Sirius.
Imagine how I felt when I saw The Boy in the Striped Pajamas!?!? The actor that portrayed Lupin isn't a nice guy in that movie.
Least favorite book? I think mine would be the second one. It's still very good but I like all the others better. I find one and two very similar but one is the original so it's special.
A lot of people complained that book 5, Order of the Phoenix was boring and long. I think that one is my second favorite. People are strange indeed.
I liked 3 the best. I just remember thinking when I finished reading it "yes, I am going to grow up a nerd, but it's going to be awesome!" I felt like I had finally found something I was good at and enjoyed doing. Since sports weren't my thing.
Something that would help me in school, help me make friends with similar interests and something that I could do with my free time and that was reading. I had read the first two books but I wasn't really that into them as much as Prisoner of Azkaban.Like I said earlier, I'm also a huge fan of Remus Lupin. I find him relatable. He's an outcast and has always been different. I think he and Harry could have been close but Harry pretty much closed him off in favor of the mischievous and immature, Sirius.
Imagine how I felt when I saw The Boy in the Striped Pajamas!?!? The actor that portrayed Lupin isn't a nice guy in that movie.
Least favorite book? I think mine would be the second one. It's still very good but I like all the others better. I find one and two very similar but one is the original so it's special.
A lot of people complained that book 5, Order of the Phoenix was boring and long. I think that one is my second favorite. People are strange indeed.
Speaking of books that go on and on. The wheel of time series is awesome, i still havent finished them. But good lord, when they take a trip to a city a few leagues away....you feel like you have traveled a few leagues yourself. Lots of things drag on too long but its worth it despite that.
Last edited by a moderator:
T
Book 5 is great, but the first 150 or so pages could've been much faster-paced (it took a long time for it to hit the ground running). Also, Harry is incredibly angsty in that book. And while that makes for a realistic teenager, it doesn't always make for a fun read. My least favourite book is probably the first. I mean it's good (and the Roald Dahl flavour is cool), but it just pales in comparison to the rest. My second least favourite would be book 2, but I looooove everything from when Ginny goes missing. Did anyone else have trouble with the pacing of book 7 when our three heroes were camped out in the woods? That's the only bit I didn't really care for.
T
Yes, I too had to wait for each one to come out. It was torturous. I remember what it was like with reading The Lord of the Rings in Grade 7. I read The Fellowship of the Ring, then The Two Towers and then I was about to read Return of the King, but all of the library's copies were out. So I had to wait quite awhile to see what happened next! Poor Sam.
Last edited by a moderator:
D
I read the hobbit when I was about 8. My older brother was in college and had it for a reading class before there was any talk of movies. One of the best reading experiences ever. I tried to watch the movie, but about ten minutes in.....im like nope, no way this experience does the book no justice. I then read fellowship and the two towers, but i could not get through return of the king so I honestly never read that one. I hated the pacing as you say. Lol. Same with HP. After book 5, I didnt like the pacing and the storyline too much even though it was worth reading. I really think Rowling had absolutely no idea how to tie it up and just rushed with creating the ending storyline for the sake of demand.
A
Let's do a synchronized facepalm. I understand why churches do this, but I think, some of them just forget the main thing. Harry Potter won't send anyone to hell. That's for sure. Doesn't even matter if they think it was made by the devil himself lol. I think what they're forgetting to preach is, the only thing that's required of us christians, really. Love the Lord, that includes seeking Him. And an entire lifetime isn't even enough to seek God's face alone - this notion that Christians shouldn't like movies with magic, really isn't because these can send you to hell and get you condemned and stuff. It's really perspective. I mean, the more you want to follow God, the lesser you think about everything and everyone else (and that includes everything and everyone). So really, neither harry potter nor narnia is bad. Church just has this 'religious' disease we're all trying to get rid of
Well, I must confess, I watched LOTR series 3 times... Oh the time wasted but it was absolutely the most beatiful franchise, ever (at least to me, fangirling over Howard Shore and Peter Jackson)
- this notion that Christians shouldn't like movies with magic, really isn't because these can send you to hell and get you condemned and stuff. It's really perspective. I mean, the more you want to follow God, the lesser you think about everything and everyone else (and that includes everything and everyone). So really, neither harry potter nor narnia is bad. Church just has this 'religious' disease we're all trying to get rid of Well, I must confess, I watched LOTR series 3 times... Oh the time wasted
but it was absolutely the most beatiful franchise, ever (at least to me, fangirling over Howard Shore and Peter Jackson)
M
Well for me, I remember the only parts I didn't like much were the quidditch ones haha. But then again that's just because I'm really not into sports of any kind.
I didn't mind them being at the camp. I remember thinking when they got to the Battle of Hogwarts how quickly I felt it all ended. I guess I was just kinda sad that the story was closing up.
I don't understand why people don't like Ginny. I know a few posters above mentioned not liking her...I thought they were cute together. I liked that she liked him from the very beginning and that they ended up together. Did you all know she ended up being a professional quidditch player? Rowling writes little pieces every now and then that tie in with the HP world. Last Halloween she wrote about Umbridge. You can find these at Pottermore.com.
https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/
I didn't mind them being at the camp. I remember thinking when they got to the Battle of Hogwarts how quickly I felt it all ended. I guess I was just kinda sad that the story was closing up.
I don't understand why people don't like Ginny. I know a few posters above mentioned not liking her...I thought they were cute together. I liked that she liked him from the very beginning and that they ended up together. Did you all know she ended up being a professional quidditch player? Rowling writes little pieces every now and then that tie in with the HP world. Last Halloween she wrote about Umbridge. You can find these at Pottermore.com.
https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/
T
Huh. I read The Hobbit around the same age, maybe a little older. I'm mildly dyslexic, so I really struggled with The Lord of the Rings, but I persevered. I love the characters and the story and the world-building, but Tolkien's writing style is rather dry and distant. I'm surprised how you view HP books 6 and 7, but that's okay. I personally don't think anything was rushed with them (but the writing quality could've been tightened from book 4 onwards). Actually, I made a mistake, the epilogue - that seemed rather rushed, or maybe I just found the kid's names mostly super-awkward. Haha! No harm.
T
I'm not sure if we're talking about the same camping episode. This is where Harry, Ron and Hermione camp out to gather their bearings. The problem is, the story just stops cold for about 50 pages. And Ginny, I've never had a problem with her in the books. In the movies though, she was almost forgotten.