THE HERESY OF HARRY POTTER - Deuteronomy 18:9-13 - "When thou art come into the land
which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or sdaughter to pass through the fire,
or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a
consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.  For all that do these things are an
abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out

from before thee."  See also Lev. 19:31; Lev. 20:6; Lev. 20:27; Isa. 8:19-20; Eph. 5:11

 

Introduction:  The Harry Potter books have been sold on the website of the Children's Book Council. 

Now not only the books, but the movie, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," is also being promoted
by Religious organizations, the News Media, and the Secular Education groups.

 

I. THE PERSON OF HARRY POTTER

   A. Harry Potter, an 11-year-old is a wizard-in-training, who is 

      competing for the attention of young children.  He is trying to be more  

      successful than Poke'mon.  Books about Harry Potter are so successful

      that like Poke'mon, Harry Potter will have its own movie debut in Nov. 

      2001 after the 4^th sequel is released in July, 2000.  Rowling just signed

      a six-figure contract with Warner Brothers in which she will assist in

      writing the script. The NY post reports Steven Spielberg, Rob Reiner,

      Chris Columbus, Jonathan Demme and Brad Silberling are all begging

      Warner Brothers for the chance to direct the film.

   B. Harry is a skinny kid who wears glasses and has a thunder-bolt

      scar on his forehead.   He attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and 

      Wizardry.  Harry became an orphan at age one, when he survived a

      murderous assault by the evil wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed his

      parents.  His parents were also wizards. Voldemort lost much of his

      power when he tried  unsuccessfully to kill their one year old son. 

      From this encounter Harry inherited a thunderbolt scar on his forehead

      marking his unusual psychic strength and triumph over evil.

   C. Harry is adopted and lives for the next ten years in the home of his

      aunt and uncle (the Dursleys) in London.  But it is a miserable muggle

      life ("muggles" are mundane, non-magical humans) as he is constantly

      tormented by his cruel guardians and a spoiled bully of a cousin.  His

      bedroom is a closet under the stairs. In the mundane human world

      Harry is a nobody, but everything changes on his eleventh birthday. He

      discovers that he is a wizard of great renown. Harry's discovery of his
      mysterious power reminds him that he's altogether different from     

      others.  One day a mysterious letter is delivered by the friendly giant

      Hagrid, "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at

      Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Uncle Vernon protests

      but to no avail as Harry is rescued (or not depending on how you look

      at it) from the clutches of his nasty aunt and uncle. They are depicted

      as mean, selfish, unloving, everything one would not want their

      parents to be.  Hogwarts is a desirable boarding school for aspiring

      wizards (witches and warlocks).  Harry attends classes on Potions,

      Spells, Transformation, Divination etc.  Learning the basic deeds of

      the old Sorcerers Craft Harry begins to sharpen his innate magical

      talents.  Harry and others learn to know the future as the author

      accurately describes the functions of divination.  

   D. After he enrolls in the wizard school he is still required to spend

      most of his summer vacations with the Dursleys.  They are portrayed 

      as going from denial of his world of wizardry to fear and hatred of

      both magic and him.  This becomes a challenge to Harry's new world.

      Those who don't believe in the world of witches, who despise it as evil

      are cast as blind, and biased. This includes Harry’s cruel aunt and

      uncle and anyone else, who sees witchcraft as a danger.  This message

      is sent to the child who is reading the story and makes it personal.

      Children accept and believe easily when they are young and

      impressionable.

   E. Harry's destiny is to rid the evil hidden within the depths of

      Hogwarts.  With his new friends, Hermione, Hedwig (owl), Ron, the 

      giant Hagrid, and the guidance from the Head Wizard Dumbledore,

      Harry summons his courage and common sense to discover the enemy

      that is stalking Hogwarts.  He finds it is Voldemort the evil wizard

      who killed his parents.  Once discovered Harry and his friends

      combine their magical talents and they send the evil sorcerer away. 

      They eat jelly beans that come in every flavor, including strawberry,

      grass, snot, and even sardine. While this may be seen as imaginative     

      and humorous, it just adds to the negative content of occult themes,

      with its characters practicing nonsense along with Witchcraft.

 

II. THE POISON OF HARRY POTTER

   A. His Persuasion

      1. What's wrong with the books and the movie?  It persuades  

         children to be open to pagan spirituality.  It is taking "magic"

         and making it fashionable, the "thing to do."  "Magic" is a

         misnomer, it is clear occultish and witchcraft.

      2. According to the Bible, God has forbidden these abominations

         and no Christian should promote or commend what God has

         condemned.

      3. II Kings 21:6--"And he (Manasseh) made his son pass through

         the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt

         with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness  

         in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger." The Bible said

         it was "wicked."

   B. His Poison--Does it Affect Kids?

      1. "Jesus died because He was weak and stupid"; This is a quote

         from 6 year old Jessica Lehman of Easley, SC, after reading the

         HARRY POTTER BOOKS!  "Hermione is my favorite, because

         she's smart and has a kitty,"

      2. "The Harry Potter books are cool, `cause they teach you all

         about magic and how you can use it to control people and get

         revenge on your enemies" said Hartland, WI, 10-year old Craig

         Nowell, a recent convert to the New Satanic Order Of The Black

         Circle. "I want to learn the Cruciatus Curse, to make my muggle

         science teacher suffer for giving me a D." (A `muggle' is an

         unbeliever of magic.)

      3. And here is dear Ashley, a 9 year old, the typical average age

         reader of Harry Potter: "I used to believe in what they taught us

         at Sunday School," said Ashley, conjuring up an ancient spell to

         summon Cerebus, the three-headed hound of hell. "But the Harry

         Potter books showed me that magic is real, something I can learn

         and use right now, and that the Bible is nothing but boring lies."

      4. DOES THIS GET YOUR ATTENTION?  If not, how about a  

         quote from a High Priest of Satanism: "Harry is an absolute godsend

         to our cause," said High Priest Egan of the First Church Of Satan in

         Salem, MA.  An organization like ours thrives on new blood, no pun

         intended, and we've had more applicants than we can handle lately.

         And, of course, practically all of them are virgins, which is gravy."

      5. You can spot some of the committed Harry Potter fans by the purple

         thunderbolt stickers on their forehead.  This mark bonds them to

         Harry Potter, a wizard with amazing powers and an exciting scary

         destiny.  In many ancient mythologies, sky gods would hurl

         thunderbolts as judgment.       

      6. (Since 1995, open applicants to Satan worship has increased from   

         around 100,000 to now... 20 MILLION children and young adults!)

      7. Still not convinced? I will leave you with something to let you make

         up your own mind.  And finally, a quote from the author herself, J.K.

         Rowling, describing the objections of Christian reviewers to her

         writings: "I think it's absolute rubbish to protest children's books on

         the grounds that they are luring children to Satan," Rowling told a

         London Times reporter in a July 17 interview. "People should be

         praising them for that! These books guide children to an

         understanding that the weak, idiotic Son Of God is a living hoax

         who will be humiliated when the rain of fire comes ... while we, his

         faithful servants, laugh and cavort in victory."

      8. In an interview with author J. K. Rowling presented by Stories from

         the Web she was asked, "Any clues about the next book? "I don't

         want to give anything away, but I can tell you that the books are

         getting darker... Harry's going to have quite a bit to deal with as he

         gets older. Sorry if they get too scary! " The most recent book is the

         darkest of the series and as promised, they will progress to be darker

         as they continue.

      9. One church in England held a special "Harry Potter" family service

         with the pastor wearing a Harry Potter wizard's robe.

      10. "Witchcraft is the fastest-growing religion in America today."

         (`E',"Hollywood Spirituality," July 25, 1999) "You're famous, Harry

         Potter."

 

III. THE PROPHECY OF HARRY POTTER--The Bible declares 

that in the last days witchcraft and sorcery will be widespread.

   A. I Tim. 4:1--“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter

      times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing

      spirits, and doctrines of devils.”
      1. Gal. 5:20-21--“Idolatry, WITCHCRAFT, hatred, variance,

         emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders,

         drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before,

         as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things

         shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

   B. Even during the tribulation period, men will not repent and it

      gives the reasons--Rev. 9:20-21--“And the rest of the men which

      were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of

      their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold,  

      and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can

      see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders,

      nor of their SORCERIES, nor of their fornication, nor of their

      thefts.”

   C. Do Harry Potter books contain "Sorceries?"

      1. God-like--Voldemort (a character in the book) "I have form

         only when I can share another's body…but there have always

         been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds (Need

         human bodies to do his work--so do demons)

      2. Wizards--Hogwart's school for Witchcraft and Wizardry.

      3. Spells & Curses--Hogwarts teaches spells and potions, curses,  

         and counter-curses, divination, transfiguration, etc.

      4. Shape-shifting wizards--"It's a shape-shifter…It takes the shape 

         of whatever it thinks will frighten us most."

      5. Evil Wizards--"But when a wizard goes over to the Dark Side."

      6. Giants--"I would trust Hagrid with my life…He was almost

         twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide…and

         so wild."

      7. Magic alphabet (Rune)--"Hermione's rune translation…"

      8. Dragons--"They say there's a dragon guarding the high security

         vault."

      9. Unicorns--"The cloaked figure reached the unicorn…and began

         to drink its blood."

      10. Divination--"Crystal gazing…relaxing the conscious mind and 

         external eyes so as to clear the Inner Eye and Subconscious."

      11. Conjuring--"He was conjuring stretchers and lifting the limp

         forms of Harry, Hermione, and Black onto them, a fourth  

         stretcher…was already floating at his side."

   D. There is no way a Bible believer can mix with Harry Potter books

      or movies. Rom. 12:2; II Cor. 6:15-17;  There is an essential difference

      between the believer and the world which rouses the contempt of the

      word and the disgust and hatred of the spirit that is in the world.  John

      15:19-21

 

IV. THE PREVENTION OF HARRY P0TTER

   A. Flood your mind with the Word--Rom. 12:2--"…be transformed by 

      the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and

      acceptable and perfect will of God."

   B.  Memorize God's warnings--Col. 2:8--"Beward lest any man spoil

      you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men,

      after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."

   C. Get wrapped up in the Work of God--Eph. 6:10-13

   D. Keep up a Heavenly Lookout--II Cor. 4:16-18

   E. Don't Run from the Battle--John 12:27

   F. Keep a Pure Thought Life--II Cor. 10:4-5

   G. Find the Will of God for Your Life--Psa. 1:1-3

   H. Rehearse History's Lessons--Every time a nation turned from God

      to serve idols, God sends judgments.