"The fact that any Christians would not recognize J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books (and the corresponding movies) as a ploy of the Devil to introduce witchcraft to millions of people, especially children, is a sad testimony to the dearth of biblical knowledge in the Church today. The fact that some go so far as to endorse the books as advancing good-versus-evil “Christian” principles is even more discouraging.
For example, in John Granger’s article titled Harry Potter and the Inklings: The Christian Meaning of The Chamber of Secrets, he misses the boat by not seeing how Satan often tries to get people to choose between two alternatives, neither of which is true. In this case, the Devil promotes the whole modernistic, naturalistic, materialistic, no-spiritual-dimension belief system and then comes along with Rowling’s supposedly Christian antithesis to that. Granger says that “Rowling asks us to look at the world magically,” and he speaks of her “edifying use of magic in literature.” If God’s Word is true, both of those things are exposed as untrue. Granger uses no Scripture to document his assertions.
We don’t need J.K. Rowling to lead an attack on modernism, etc., as we already have Jesus Christ and the Word of God, which has none of the harmful side effects that come with ingesting Harry Potter.
Perhaps there are some Christian principles (e.g., good versus evil) woven into the H.P. narratives, but really, how many people, especially kids, do you think will come away with a Christian orientation or hunger and pursue that hunger by delving into the Bible? I’d say few, if any, for it doesn’t give them any real direction. And I think that even those who do notice anything akin to Christian ideology will be drawn in by that and then led astray by the more powerful message Rowling is promoting, which is that magic is anything but evil.
If we allow God to speak for Himself, we can see things as they really are. First, what does He say about Satan, His arch-enemy?
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
God makes it clear that the Devil is the Master Counterfeiter. The main characteristic about a counterfeit is that it looks a lot like the real thing. You or I would be fooled by an excellent counterfeit $20 bill. Why? Because we have not sufficiently studied the genuine article in minute detail, but the women I once saw at the U.S. Mint in D.C. could quickly go through bills and pull out the bogus ones—it was amazing. Of course they had been there 20 years.
There is no such thing as the “good magic,” “good spirits,” “good force,” etc., that Rowling promotes in the H.P. series. That rhetoric is a trick of the Devil to entice people into his realm of the spiritual, but it wouldn’t work if people took even a quick look at The Book. For example, here are some things God says about what Harry Potter, many kids’ new hero, epitomizes...."
One of the silliest arguments I have heard in the ongoing dialogue between Christian and atheist is the question of which worldview has caused the most casualties. The discussion generally goes like this:
Atheist: "Religion is the root of all evil."
Christian: "What about Mao or Stalin? They caused great atrocities and they were humanists."
Atheist: "Their actions were not spawned from their worldview..."
That is usually as far as the dialogue gets. This discussion is a moot point, regardless. Even if one accepted where the goalposts were (i.e. who is a humanist, who is a Christian and what either was acting upon), added up the body count (which is a disappointing simplification of these atrocities) and reached a final conclusion this wouldn't determine whether a God did or did not exist. It wouldn't even establish which worldview is actually "less evil". No matter what worldview we prescribe to we all do good and bad things.
Perhaps this is the actual point. Mao and Stalin were responsible for their own actions, as were all other tyrants in history. But the catch is that we too are responsible for our actions. We are in a war of the worldviews but it is not a worldview that causes the casualties, it is our sin. And sin claims the most casualties of anyone. It is also having the greatest say in government policy decisions in nearly every country around the world.
Standing against atheism, Islam or Buddhism is about standing against sin. And we should desire to do so. In our own lives, in our country and in the lives of others around us. This will make us perhaps the most hated people in our community. Very few people like to be told that their actions are not a good way of behaving. Yet, we know there is no freedom in the entanglements of sin. There is nothing to be gained from our sinful lives. As Paul tells us:
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
It will be said that such behaviours should concern no-one but those participating in them. However, these are the deeds of the damned and should concern us greatly. Sometimes you've got to try and rescue someone even when they don't won't to be rescued. After all that's what Jesus did for us.
It may be claimed that "there is nothing about atheism that necessarily leads to mass murder or genocide" but substitute sin for atheism and this sentence makes sense. Atheists are condemning of the followers of religion. When I look at atheism I see what I expect to see. Broken, sinful people. Same as Christianity. However, the ideology behind atheism derives itself from idolatry. It is a flesh-enslaving worldview that chortles as it condemns its subject to an eternal abyss.
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
"Don't blame the kid" were the words uttered by a shell-shocked Gary Lyon on last night's Footy Classified. To be fair Gary was probably the only one in the large AFL community that wasn't expecting it. I actually appreciate his naivety to believe that Tom Scully was actually going to stay at the Melbourne Football Club.
Yet, as we have suspected all along, Tom Scully walked. And he had 2 million good reasons to walk as well. That's right, next year his contract will be front-loaded (that is he will be paid excessively his first year and scaled back in the years to come) and he will be paid $2 million to play for new franchise club Greater Western Sydney. To put this into perspective he is getting paid more than Gary Ablett and much more than Chris Judd despite them being the best two players of the competition for the last three years. Given that Tom is also seven years younger (20-years old) than either Judd or Ablett this is impressive money.
Of course, compared to contracts in the EPL this is slim-pickings, yet this is big bucks for an Australia sports star (well, maybe not Sam Stoser). Of note is the reason why he is being paid so much. Looking at his list of achievements does not reveal the necessity of a large pay packet. The kid has only played 31 games and averaged 21 disposals and only received 3 Brownlow votes. By comparison both Judd and Ablett have played over the two-hundred games average over 23 touches (both significantly more than this in the past three years) and have combined for 279 Brownlow votes (and that is before this years count which, it is likely, one of them will win).
It is clear that what Greater Western Sydney are paying for, and why Melbourne are so disappointed in losing Tom, comes down to potential. And Tom Scully has oodles of it. I can't blame Melbourne supporters for feeling utterly crushed by this decision. After all, Tom was compensation for coming last in 2009, he was supposed to be their ticket into the top 8. Yet some, like Gary Lyon, believe a "don't blame the kid" mentality. That it was not his fault that the carrot dangled in front of his face was so enticing. Even fellow GWS recruit Callan Ward's mother has "blasted" the AFL for the system in place.
It is interesting that sometimes we can fall into this mentality as Christians. We blame the system that has seen us born in sin. We may not say we were "born this way" specifically but we do rationalise to ourselves that we are in a system that we can't break out of. Sin, after all, is continuously practiced by everyone on the planet. So, if God has dealt us a bad hand of cards, then why is it our fault that we succumb to our inane desires? Surely God allows us to sin so His grace is more powerful? Paul has much to say on this in his letter to the church in Rome:
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as rChrist was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
Romans 6:1-4
The fact that we cannot be free from all sin is not a justification for continuing to flaunt God's laws. The vast majority of times we step out of bounds we are aware of what we are doing but we insist, at least to ourselves, that our own way is far more important than the way given to us by our designer. We may not do this consciously but, intuitively, we know that we can make the decision between our way and God's way. In the end, no amount of pointing the finger at the system will save us from the wrath we deserve.
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So there's a new Christian movie on the block called Courageous. Usually I don't promote movies directly on this website but this movie looks like it could be a great change from the regular mainstream Hollywood movie.
Besides I like people who are unapologetically Christian. Particularly when they are trying to shake up what it means to be a father:
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Looking at his list of achievements does not reveal the necessity of a large pay packet. The kid has only played 31 games and averaged 21 disposals and only received 3 Brownlow votes. By comparison both Judd and Ablett have played over the two-hundred games average over 23 touches (both significantly more than this in the past three years) and have combined for 279 Brownlow votes (and that is before this years count which, it is likely, one of them will win).