Harry Potter... Twilight... etc. Opinions please.

jenningz

Okay so, yes. It's about witches, vampires and werewolves. But in my opinion, it's just a book/movie, and I watch it solely for that purpose. I'm not going to go out and drink peoples blood, or cast spells. And yes, some people do experiment with stuff like that which is dangerous, but I really feel it's just been overexagerated.

So, I just wanted to get y'all's opinions on HP and Twilight and the like. Do you think we should steer clear from it? Do you think it's a personal decision as to whether it's okay to watch it?

and... GO.

joe&cassie

I will defend Harry Potter to the ends of the earth.  I am such a huge Harry Potter fanatic.  But like you said you take it at face value.  It's a book/movie that you read/watch for entertainment.  Would I ever run around trying to cast spells on people... heck no.  As for twilight I absolutely hate the books and movies but mainly for the way the main character is portrayed as being completely dependent on her man.  I do like other vampire stories.  I really do think it's a personal choice and that people should make those decisions for themselves.

jenningz

There's plenty of stuff that makes my heart pang if I watch it - meaning, God stirs something in me telling me I shouldn't. But it's like one of the leaders at summer camp said "If you have problems lusting at the beach, don't go to the beach. I'm going to go to the beach because I don't have that problem, but if you do, don't do it" So yes, if you've had issues with Witchcraft in the past, then maybe it's not such a good idea.

Yes, there's plenty in the Bible about witchcraft, drinking blood, and all kinds of nasty, and no I don't agree with the whole "times have changed thing" but people take stuff WAY out of context. In all honesty, it's a book, and that's as far as it goes for me. Lol.

SugarFoote

As with most everything, it is a personal descion.

I have watched all Harry Potter movies and read/watched all of Twilight (except for Breaking Dawn part 2...)

I think as long as a person is well aware that such things don't exist then I see nothing wrong with it.

FI and I would allow future children to watch them if they were of a suitable age. If they seriously thought such things were real then we would talk to them about it.

When it comes to movies/books IMO as long as there is not strong language/sex scenes/etc. (basically I won't watch a R rated because it includes all of this), and as long as you don't put it before God, it's fine.

SugarFoote

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[QUOTE]<strong>I will defend Harry Potter to the ends of the earth.</strong>  I am such a huge Harry Potter fanatic.  But like you said you take it at face value.  It's a book/movie that you read/watch for entertainment.  Would I ever run around trying to cast spells on people... heck no.  As for twilight I absolutely hate the books and movies but mainly for the way the main character is portrayed as being completely dependent on her man.  I do like other vampire stories.  I really do think it's a personal choice and that people should make those decisions for themselves.
Posted by joe&cassie[/QUOTE]

I cracked up at this! :)

joe&cassie

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[QUOTE]As with most everything, it is a personal descion. I have watched all Harry Potter movies and read/watched all of Twilight (except for Breaking Dawn part 2...) I think as long as a person is well aware that such things don't exist then I see nothing wrong with it. FI and I would allow future children to watch them if they were of a suitable age. If they seriously thought such things were real then we would talk to them about it. When it comes to movies/books IMO as long as there is not strong language/sex scenes/etc. (basically I won't watch a R rated because it includes all of this), and as long as you don't put it before God, it's fine.
Posted by SugarFoote[/QUOTE]

you say what I am thinking alot better than I do.

Edit: Sugar I didn't see your post... I was one of those crazies who got the Ultimate Unoffical Guide to the Wizarding World of Harry potter (I think that's what it was called) when only 4 books were out.  I grew up reading and watching Harry Potter.  It got me through some rough times because I could retreat into the book and forget about my life for a while.

jenningz

I totally agree SugarFoote

AshNoel8

I can't say how I feel about them because I have never seen or watched any Harry Potter, Twilight, etc. I did go see Hunger Games and, while it was a great movie, it made me sick to think about the concept. 

I like to read a lot of nonfiction (like Francis Chan, Louie Giglio, etc.) so I never got into the fantasy series'. But I do agree that they are just for entertainment- fiction. 

SugarFoote

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[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Harry Potter... Twilight... etc. Opinions please. : you say what I am thinking alot better than I do. Edit: Sugar I didn't see your post... I was one of those crazies who got the Ultimate Unoffical Guide to the Wizarding World of Harry potter (I think that's what it was called) when only 4 books were out.  I grew up reading and watching Harry Potter.  It got me through some rough times because I could retreat into the book and forget about my life for a while.
Posted by joe&cassie[/QUOTE]

...Your siggy along with this new information now reminds me this...


<a href="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/images/store/7/13/f71e5a8d-e762-4ec7-9d8e-4c542a6dca6a.large.jpg" title="Click to view a larger photo" class="PhotoLink"> <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/images/store/7/13/f71e5a8d-e762-4ec7-9d8e-4c542a6dca6a.medium.jpg" alt="" /></a>

I didn't watch this movie by the way...The Simpson's get on my last nerve lol.

orangehills

I'm all about Harry Potter! But Twilight, ehhh. I wouldn't want a daughter of mine reading it and thinking that some obsessive, controlling boy is what is hot and romantic. No- that's called emotionally abusive. Plus, the writing is horrible.

Harry Potter is just awesome! But my kids won't be allowed to read it until they are old enough.

midgetthemighty

As long as people realize it's a book/movie and don't put it before God, I have no issue with it. People need to take things as they are and not over-analyze things because the characters in the book are fictional supernatural beings.

ochemjenn

I love Harry Potter!  It's fiction, just like The Wizard of Oz, which is really the first book in which there are witches who are GOOD.  I don't think it's wrong for other people to read/watch Twilight.  I have no interest in Twilight because from what I've heard is that the relationships in the books/movies are not healthy and Bella just sounds like a weak female character.  However, Dracula is one of my favorite books.  DH watches vampire and zombie movies, but they're too violent for me. 

catwine

i was never allowed to read harry potter as a kid adn all my teachers in school and church taught us that it's evil.  in college i watched most of the movies with my boyfriend who is now my fiance.  they were interesting...at a bible study a little while later we were talking about how Satan can enter your mind in any way.  I personally believe that media like that is bad because the content is clearly goes against Bible teachings.  I had a really hard time when my brother went to see HP in the theatre recently...I told him I feel like he is brining evil into our house but he didn't care what I said.
That being said, I'm not going to judge others for watching, so I'm sorry if it came across that way. 

as for Twilight and such: I watched the first one adn thought it was too dramatic so I'm leaving them alone. 

SuMmErKuTiE

Another Harry Potter fanatic here :-P

I will never understand why people shun the HP books/movies. JK Rowling, herself is a Christian and the overall theme of the books is that good will always overcome evil.

As for Twilight, ehhh... I read the books and have watched the movies but don't get the obsession. The story is "ok" not great, and again, it's a fictional story and in my opinion is not promoting anything that Christians should shun.

naomikb

I have no qualms with either of those series.

Yes, of course it's a personal decision to choose whether to watch them or not.

drama1308

Looks like I'm getting in late, but I am not the biggestfan of either one, but ot because of witchcraft, vampires, werewolves, ect. I read all th twilight books before they were so popular. The first two were good and then they got progressively worse in quality. Have not read Harry potter, but did enjoy the movies and they storyline. I see nothing wrong with either of them, they are fantasy. It's not supposed to be real.

musicalsunlight

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[QUOTE]i was never allowed to read harry potter as a kid adn all my teachers in school and church taught us that it's evil.  in college i watched most of the movies with my boyfriend who is now my fiance.  they were interesting...at a bible study a little while later we were talking about how Satan can enter your mind in any way.  I personally believe that media like that is bad because the content is clearly goes against Bible teachings.  I had a really hard time when my brother went to see HP in the theatre recently<strong>...I told him I feel like he is brining evil into our house but he didn't care what I said</strong>. That being said, I'm not going to judge others for watching, so I'm sorry if it came across that way.  as for Twilight and such: I watched the first one adn thought it was too dramatic so I'm leaving them alone. 
Posted by christinavy[/QUOTE]


Um, what? How is a book about fantasy bringing evil into the house? As PP have said, the author herself is a practicing Christian and there are Christian themes throughout the book. But of course since you didn't read the books, this would be hard to glean by just going off of what other people have told you is wrong with it.

I have a hard time believing that you don't judge others for reading the books when you flat out told your brother that he is bringing evil into your home.

musicalsunlight

Also, we had a discussion here like, a year ago or something on this and here was my response then, and it still stands now;

"In both LOTR and HP there is a single male that has a destiny to meet with the overarching evil entity in order to save humanity. Both are under the impression that their lives must be (or likely will be) sacrificed for this reason. Sound a little familiar? I mean obviously it is not overtly the same as Jesus' life, but the allegory is there. These books in fact, as RebeccaJac said, promote the idea that evil must be fought with love and bravery and belief in the good. (Spoiler) The reason HP defeated the Dark Lord was because of love, which I believe is a pretty powerful reference to God's love"

sessionswedding

I have to agree with a PP, only if this is a problem for you should you try earnestly to avoid it.  For instance, I might have a glass of champagne at a celebration, because I never drink and alcohol is not a problem or temptation for me.  An alcoholic who is a year into AA, however, should not have that same glass of champagne AT ALL, even though it's not a biblical sin to drink under excess.  Since I'm not tempted to try witchcraft, nor have I ever been involved in it, reading HP would do me no spiritual harm.

SugarFoote

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[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Harry Potter... Twilight... etc. Opinions please. : Um, what? How is a book about fantasy bringing evil into the house? As PP have said, the author herself is a practicing Christian and there are Christian themes throughout the book. But of course since you didn't read the books, this would be hard to glean by just going off of what other people have told you is wrong with it. I have a hard time believing that you don't judge others for reading the books when you flat out told your brother that he is bringing evil into your home.
Posted by musicalsunlight[/QUOTE]

I just want to co-sign this...

DeannaCW

For Harry Potter, I couldn't find a darn thing wrong with it. My parents didn't let us read it until they read it because of all the "OMG Witchcraft!" paranoia that was going around at the time. They read it and couldn't find a problem, and they're some of the more conservative people I know. Even my grandma, the conservative Nazarene former missionary who had a meltdown when her oldest had wine at his wedding and grounded my mom for a month for saying "darn" as a kid, couldn't see the problem with it.
I didn't read it for a long time out of lack of interest, but I guarantee I was not harmed by it. I did spend quite a bit of time imagining what a Christian who was accepted to Hogwarts might go through though, debating whether or not to use their magical abilities :P But a story is a story, it had good moral lessons, used some stuff that doesn't exist, that's it.

I do, however, support the parents of twins I used to babysit at the time.  The twins were adopted and regularly incontact with their birth family, who were heavily into witchcraft and New Age religion, and they didn't want to encourage it.

As for Twilight? My cousin told me the entire story, beginning to end, because it just always sounded bad to me, and even the well written "this is why you should read it" reviews made it sound terrible to me.  I was amazed at it's badness very quickly, and it just got worse. Quite frankly it sounds like the most horrendous story ever. Plus? She didn't really write about vampires, she wrote about fairies. You sparkle in sunlight, you're a fairy. The utter lack of respect for the actual mythology of vampires is disgusting.

As my best friend's boyfriend once texted her, "Harry Potter is about searching within yourself and finding the strength to carry through and do what's right. Twilight is about the importance of having a boyfriend"

GunzNRoses213

I had a bigger problem with hunger games...we talked about that before... but yet i shouldnt since i like harry potter... FI does not and the kids wont be reading it ...I think if they know the story isnt real and it's a story no biggie but FI says it's still wicthcraft [which he is kinda right] .. So i kinda went back and forth but I will keep it away from them ... 

i did twilight... but again not for kids later ...

joe&cassie

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[QUOTE]As my best friend's boyfriend once texted her, "Harry Potter is about searching within yourself and finding the strength to carry through and do what's right. Twilight is about the importance of having a boyfriend"
Posted by DeannaCW[/QUOTE]

Ooo he's a smart one.  lol I like how he put it.  And to Ditto PP HP really is a story about triumphing over evil.  He even sacrificed himself so that others could defeat the evil... sounds familar if you stretch it.  Jesus died on the cross so that our sins may be forgiven.  Like I said not entirely the same thing but the message is still there that we should do the right thing even when it isn't what we really want to do. (spoiler ahead)  Harry didn't want to die but he did the right thing.  He was protected by his mother's love.  Love is what got him through everything in the books.  But like I said earlier it's a personal choice and we should make the choice on whether our children read it or not. 

DeannaCW

Question: Can someone please explain the "It's still witchcraft" argument to me? It just seems like such a last resort argument.  If you don't let them read books due to it being witchcraft, will they be allowed to read Chronicles of Narnia? How about Lord of the Rings? After all, those have witchcraft in them too. Or is it just that they're specifically labelled as "Christian books" that makes them ok?

GunzNRoses213

theres a verse in the bible... it says to obstain from wichcraft etc... My FI takes this to mean anything having to do with it ...Even in the fictional sense it's still wicthcraft...  

He dosnt actually like Narnia too much either ....My kid already read those so too bad...

DeannaCW

I always figured it to mean don't practice...

If it's across the board nothing to do with, I get that. I've just heard so many say that, but then say Narnia and LOTR were okay because they were written by theologians and therefore "Christian" books. At least your FI is consistent about it :P

GunzNRoses213

Well he dosnt care for fantasty books period... But with that in it he really really dosnt like it ...

we've gone ten rounds on it already ... he can just try to explaine it to the kids later as to why everyone else can read it except them and maybe he'll agree to disagree and change his mind but he is pretty solid to taking it that way ...

naomikb

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[QUOTE]theres a verse in the bible... it says to obstain from wichcraft etc... My FI takes this to mean anything having to do with it ...Even in the fictional sense it's still wicthcraft...  <strong> He dosnt actually like Narnia too much either ....My kid already read those so too bad...</strong>
Posted by GunzNRoses213[/QUOTE]
If the Chronicles of Narnia isn't a only-so-slightly disguised Christian book then I don't know what is.  Its Christian undertones/themes are WAY more prominent than HP!

DramaGeek

I love the HP booka and reread them often. My ILs are of the "it beings evil in the house" variety. When MIL told me that her friends son was misbehaving and stopped when the HP book was reminded from the home, thus proving it is evil, I laughed. I thought it was a joke. I just don't get that line of thinking at ail, especially from people like them who adore the Narnia books.

ravenray

I have never seen a problem with them, and I have read all the books and seen most of the movies.  My mother wouldn't let me read them because she was persuaded the rest of her friends that they were evil.  Finally I got her to let me read them, except I had to read them with her so we could talk about any ideas that were wrong.  We read through three books without finding anything.  I read the rest by myself. 
These books aren't like you are reading 50 Shades of Gray, which certain can be argued isn't a Christian book to be reading. 
I am not a fan of Twilight but I think it is rather harmless reading material.  I love fantasy and I know it's not real.  Nor will I ever be tempted to go bite someone and hope they turn into a vampire.  However I do agree it is a personal choice.  I don't see anything wrong with them but others may struggle with it.  I'll admit I have read books before that I wish I hadn't read.  It's hard to remove those images out of my mind once they are in.  But they are only good images from Harry Potter                                                                                                                                                                     

jenningz

I have a friend who's very anti it - she told me that the writer or HP is a self professed witch... (what) and that we shouldn't mess with stuff like that. I understand if she doesn't wanna watch it, she's had dealings with witchcraft in the past and it's been quite a strong prescence in her family. But I really didn't like how she preached to our girls bible study that they should throw away all their HP books etc. It's a book.