“Nox Potter?”

Friday, September 08, 2017

There is a large interest in vampires and magic in books and movies.  It concerns me that they glorify witchcraft, including the Harry Potter books.  Young people today can't seem to get enough of this stuff.  I have been told they are harmless books and movies, but when I watched a Harry Potter movie, it looked like kids doing black magic and having fun.  The Bible tells us black magic is from the devil.  When we allow our children to read these books and see these movies, aren't we saying a little magic and vampires are okay when it is totally against God’s teaching?

Sincerely,
Not Bewitched

Dear Not Bewitched,

Harry Potter books, just like Halloween, can be sinful or harmless – it all depends on how we treat them (read “Costumes, Candy, And Controversy” for more on the subject of Halloween).  If someone is treating the Harry Potter books as factual, or if they are glorifying Satan worship, occult practices, etc., that is obviously a problem.  However, most readers are well-informed that the Harry Potter books are fiction (just like vampires) and aren’t how-to guides for life.

We must remember that the magic and occult practices that the Bible strictly condemned (1 Sam 15:23) were actually performed as a form of worship and a way to gain supernatural power.  Harry Potter books are similar to watching a magician – everybody knows it isn’t real.  This isn’t anything like the witchcraft condemned by the Bible.  Those who practiced magical arts really did believe that they worked, and they really did believe there was supernatural power in their various spells and recipes.  Every parent must make their own decisions regarding what is best for their children (and that includes what reading material they can handle), but it is unfair to say that Harry Potter books in and of themselves are a direct correlation to an occult lifestyle.

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