Alarms, Alarmists, All that said....

I (Deanie) apologize for not updating our blog more regularly. Tim/Dad and I have been making and enjoying some spare moments this summer. I hope you will forgive us this "selfish time."

In my first RE-entry, I would like to share an opinion. (Not dictum ~ Just my thoughts.) Here goes...

My father was born into a family of German immigrants. He and my mother taught me and my siblings:

"Blind obedience is the tool Hitler used to gain power.
He couldn't do what he did
if the people had questioned and investigated for themselves. "

"It is imperative for faith and freedom be trustorthy.
If it cannot be tested,
or it does not hold up to be true,
do not trust it."

"If it doesn't hold water, you shouldn't pour yourself into it."

Consequently, as a legacy from my father and mother, while I believe in blind faith, I do not believe in blind trust. I learned to see fanatics as those who do not test teachings (or teachers or leaders or alarms) for truth or trustworthiness.

Alarms

When the Harry Potter books first came out, they created quite a stir in the Christian community. I believe that is because they were written by a professed wicken (witch), and they were about witchcraft and magic. Certain Christian leaders sent out a warning that because the books were sourced by pagan thinking, Christians should not read them.

I realized, few to none of the Christian leaders who raised the alarm had actually read the books. (Many were the same leaders who warned us not to see the movie The Passion of the Christ.) I remember thinking my God is more powerful than some bit of fiction I might read... Their opinion sounds a lot like book banning... The Scriptures tell us we are supposed to judge for ourselves, and not be blind followers.... God gave us good minds and a free will to discern what is good, bad or worthless.

Over the years I have seen many alarms
banning "unChristian" books and movies.
Often, the warnings are unjustifiably "alarmist."

Alarmists

I regret to say, that overly alarming and under-investigated reports have discredited my opinion of many Christian leaders. I am pleased to say that I have not found that to be the case with either Billy Graham or R C Sproul. Yes, they do give advice and warnings, but only after their own investigation, and always with encouragement that others investigate as well. More often than not, these two men refrain from giving their opinion so that people will ask questions and look for the answers themselves.

In spite of what you may think, I did not previously read the Potter books simply because I did not have the time. It was not because I was afraid a demonic or pagan influence would take over my mind and infiltrate my thinking. I have learned to trust the power of my Christ Jesus as truer and stronger than any other influence.

All that having been said.....

Upon the release of the seventh and final Harry Potter book (and realizing Jeremy had already purchased all of them), I decided to read the entire series in one fell swoop. It took me nearly three weeks to read all seven books. At the conclusion, I wish to say, I think J. K Rowling is a most gifted author, and I greatly enjoyed her entire series. Though I disagree with her religious beliefs, I do not fear her, or hate her, or worry that her writings may have mystically brainwashed me. I simply, greatly enjoyed her writings.

I found the Potter series to be a very long and very enjoyable fairy tale.

I found the Potter series to be filled with stories of mythical, magical beings
much like those that have been told for hundreds of generations.

The books were filled with old themes found in fairy tales and in pagan Roman and Greek mythology, and throughout human history. I did not find any dangerous philosophies that could undermine my Christian faith. It was no more religious than Lord of the Flies, but the theme was the same. There was a parallel to the bigotry and rise and fall of the Third Reich (and, in essence, most other dictatorships in history). Long familiar themes were good versus evil ~ love versus greed ~ bigotry versus tolerance ~ love of brother versus love of power ~ knowledge versus ignorance...

Within the secular pagan storyline, there were two things that piqued my Christian curiosity. Firstly, I wondered why Rowling made reference to Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter. She presented these holidays with no true import or understanding. They might as well have been Memorial Day or Labor Day. And so, I wonder why she even bothered to include the Christian holidays in the story. I suppose she thought children might feel confused by the chronology of Harry Potter's school year if she did not use familiar holiday vacation periods .

Secondly, I was intrigued by Rowling's impressions of an afterlife. She conveyed a picture of the "dearly departed" living happily for eternity. But, she did not address the afterlife of the "not so dearly departed." Did they continue their conflict after death? Would dead villans help the living villans in the same way "good guys" were helped? I found such holes in her story line to be disturbing. (Come to think of it, those were the ONLY holes I found. She did a really good job with that.)

In closing, I found the Potter books to be "enchanting" and of no more threat to my Christian faith than the Hardy Boys, or Huck Finn, or Roman mythology, or urban legends related around a campfire. I know a fairy tale is fantasy. Likewise, I have tested my Christian faith, and I know the truth of WHO I trust and why.

Mizpah......