Parenting

Harry Potter: The Hero For Modern Witchcraft - continued...
By Jack M. Roper October 27, 2000
Courtesy of Christian Broadcasting Network

Question: Does evil play an important role in this childrens’ series?

One of the salient figures in the Harry Potter occult adventure is the wizard Voldemort. The scholarly book, Exploring Harry Potter, by Elizabeth D. Schafer ( ISBN: 0-933833-57-1) gives us some insights. Dr. Schafer has her Ph.D in the History of Science and Technology from Auburn University. Schafer is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and the Children’s Literature Association.

Dr. Schafer states, “Rowling confirms that Lord Voldemort’s powers are strengthening and that more characters will die to emphasize the dastardly nature of evil. She says that only after careful consideration did she decide to include so many deaths to accentuate the deepening conflict between good and evil forces and the resulting victimization of innocents... As the books’ dark tones intensify, there will probably be more anti-Potter attempts to ban the books” (page 426).

Do we protect our children from such violence or will they end up in the Potter’s Field?

Why does J.K.Rowling use witchcraft in this 7-to-be book series? Because it sells well today in our society? Such TV programs as Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Buffy the Vampire have preconditioned our children and even some adults to accept Harry Potter’s powers as an acceptable norm. Dr. Schafer writes, “The evils presented in the Harry Potter series parallel modern horrors... The college town of Iowa City, Iowa, has enforced restrictions on children dressing as witches or devils or wearing clothing with those images at school” (p 207).

Dr. Schafer’s book is secular in its’ reasoning. The strength of her book is in its decontructing the Potter series which J.K. Rowling constructed. Schafer’s book does not present a Christian view point but a worldly view. She states, “Modern witches proclaim to practice pagan rituals of nature worship... Known as ‘Wicca’ this witchcraft is not Satanic." Witchcraft (Wicca) is not Satanism but its powers are Satanic in its spiritual nature. Wicca is not from the true God. The Bible warns about witchcraft in Deuteronomy chapter 18. Dr. Schafer also recommends various books that strongly promote magic and witchcraft in Section IV of her book. Stephen King, the Horror writer, endorsed her book jacket “Elizabeth Schafer’s book will help enrich the Harry Potter experience, and that is a very good thing."

Examining Harry Potter

The following is a brief overview of some of the contents and key words in the present Potter series of Book 1 and 2. Books 3 and 4 will be discussed in Part 2 of this article. Page numbers are given to examine the contents and context.

Note: As you assess the witchcraft terminology or vocabulary, two sources to consider:

Dictionary of Mysticism and the Occult by Nevill Drury. Harper-Collins (ISBN:: 0-06-062094-3). Drury is an occultist. No pictures. Paper back , 281 pages.1985

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