In 1997 author J.K. Rowling took the world by storm with the introduction of her wildly popular series of books about an underdog wizard and his band of friends. Today – after eleven years, seven books, five movies and $15 million dollars worth of merchandise and paraphernalia – Harry has successfully enchanted the hearts of children all over the world, and solicited the concern and animus of Christians.
And rightfully so….
For many years I have been an outspoken adversary of the book and movie franchise which depicts a wizard as a hero. The Bible speaks very plainly about witchcraft.
“There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son
or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination,
or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.”
- Deuteronomy 18:10 -
“And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand;
and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:”
- Micah 5:12 -
“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.”
- Exodus 22:18 -
And of king Manasseh God said,
“But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD,
like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD
had cast out before the children of Israel. "
- II Chronicles 33:2 -
Why?
“he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.”
- II Chronicles 33:6 -
And in the New Testament God said,
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;
Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
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.”
- Galatians 5:19-21 -
God does not hide his feelings regarding the sin of witchcraft. It is tantamount to murder, hatred, adultery, alcoholism, and every other vile sin.
Unfortunately Hell has been successful in convincing many people that witchcraft and divination are superstitions of the past, and the only reality of its existence today is what we see in movies, books, and television.
I was dumb founded the day I surveyed our preteens and found that not one of them believed in the reality of witchcraft. Even those raised in our Sunday school believed it was only fantasy and nothing to be concerned about.
Survey your kids and see if you get similar results.
Hollywood and other entertainment mediums, have painted witches, and other hellish spirits, as make believe. When we think of a witch, we get the distorted image of a greenish figure dressed in black apparel with a long pointy, warty, nose. Since that is the antithesis of what actual witches look like, we tend to not recognize them in society and eventually disbelieve they exist at all.
Hollywood has been on the forefront in promoting this deception, and they’re at it again.
Today another vile movie targeting preteens is being released. This time it isn’t a witch or wizard that has come to enchant our children. This time it’s a vampire.
Twilight…
Move over J.K. Rowling, Stephanie Meyer is the new author to put pen to paper and recreate and evil to make it good. Twilight is a vampire/romance story that includes a teenage girl and a 17 – going on 100 – year old male vampire named Edward.
Released in 2005 Twilight has made its way into preteen hearts and is sucking the blood out of Potter’s reign as the supernatural evil turned good guy for kids. It has been followed by three sequels already and makes its way to the silver screen today.
There is a danger in this kind of fantasy. The Bible prophecies of a day when evil will be called good, and it is movies like these that serve as a clarion call that we are living in that day.
I’ve heard it many times before, “but Harry is a good wizard.” Now it’s “but Edward is a good vampire trying to beat his natural tendency to do evil.” I’ve even heard some liken it to the Christian struggle against the flesh. We must never forget that these movies DO NOT depict good vs evil. What ever the fictional intentions of a wizard or a vampire, both are inherently evil in the sight of God.
These movies are not about good vs evil, they are about a lesser evil vs a greater evil. However, in the eyes of God they are ALL evil.
A person once told me, “its just entertainment.” Unfortunately that is not true. It’s more than that. First, as Christians we should not allow the evil abominations of this world, and of hell, to be our source of entertainment. Second, in my opinion, movies like these only reinforce the inability of many to distinguish between reality and fantasy. They continue to paint these evils as fiction and help to disconnect humanity from the reality of satanic spirits.
Because of a dropped guard, hell has dazzled, enchanted, and romanced its way into the hearts and lives of kids, teenagers, and adults alike.
The underlying theme of Twilight proclaims “Forbidden Fruit Tastes the Best.” The author’s intentions were to mimic Adam & Eve’s temptation for the forbidden tree through the unacceptable romance between a normal teenage girl and an underworld killer.
Curious as to why preteens would love this movie I asked parents why their girls longed to be bitten by Twilight. Unequivocally the answer was – The Romance.
They are enthralled by the romance of the story.
With the release of this movie, it would be a good time for children’s ministers, parents, and pastors to remind their kids that in this world there is no such thing as “good evil.” Abominations, no matter how innocent Hollywood makes them appear, are still damnable in the eyes of God.
It would also be a good time to remind them about the greatest love story ever told. About the man who loved them so much that he didn’t take their blood, but GAVE his, so that they may have eternal life.
If they are looking for romance, what better place to show them true love than to remind them about the lover of their souls.
If they are looking for a love story, what about the bride groom who defeated death, hell, and the grave so that they could be freed from the prison of sin?
Isabella & Edward, Harry & Hermione, Their love can not compare to the ultimate display of love found in Christ and the cross. Their love is carnal, but his is supernatural. Their love is rooted in evil – despite its appearance – but his love is the greatest act of mercy and grace mankind could ever know.
Their love ends at the end of the story. The love of Christ will be revealed throughout all eternity and lavished upon those who delight themselves in him.
Our world increasingly places pressure on our girls to conform to lasciviousness and promiscuity in order to satisfy their inherent need for love and romance. These movies only reinforce that ideal and compound it with the notion that they can find such fulfillment in the arms of the forbidden.
What our girls need today is a realization that true romance is found not in the arms of the ungodly, but in the purity of a Biblical relationship. They need to know that the source of that romance is the one whose very nature is love.
Harry Potter….
Twilight…
We live in a world where evil is called good, and good seems less than desirable. Our children are not immune to the fads and fantasies of this world. Unfortunately, like Lot, we live in a society that daily vexes the souls of those who love righteousness.
While we may not be able to do anything about the emergence of these movies, we can definitely combat them by reminding those they target that their essence is evil and their messages wrong.
Love is not found in the arms of the sadistic….
It is found in the bosom of God.
And rightfully so….
For many years I have been an outspoken adversary of the book and movie franchise which depicts a wizard as a hero. The Bible speaks very plainly about witchcraft.
“There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son
or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination,
or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.”
- Deuteronomy 18:10 -
“And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand;
and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:”
- Micah 5:12 -
“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.”
- Exodus 22:18 -
And of king Manasseh God said,
“But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD,
like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD
had cast out before the children of Israel. "
- II Chronicles 33:2 -
Why?
“he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.”
- II Chronicles 33:6 -
And in the New Testament God said,
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;
Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
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.”
- Galatians 5:19-21 -
God does not hide his feelings regarding the sin of witchcraft. It is tantamount to murder, hatred, adultery, alcoholism, and every other vile sin.
Unfortunately Hell has been successful in convincing many people that witchcraft and divination are superstitions of the past, and the only reality of its existence today is what we see in movies, books, and television.
I was dumb founded the day I surveyed our preteens and found that not one of them believed in the reality of witchcraft. Even those raised in our Sunday school believed it was only fantasy and nothing to be concerned about.
Survey your kids and see if you get similar results.
Hollywood and other entertainment mediums, have painted witches, and other hellish spirits, as make believe. When we think of a witch, we get the distorted image of a greenish figure dressed in black apparel with a long pointy, warty, nose. Since that is the antithesis of what actual witches look like, we tend to not recognize them in society and eventually disbelieve they exist at all.
Hollywood has been on the forefront in promoting this deception, and they’re at it again.
Today another vile movie targeting preteens is being released. This time it isn’t a witch or wizard that has come to enchant our children. This time it’s a vampire.
Twilight…
Move over J.K. Rowling, Stephanie Meyer is the new author to put pen to paper and recreate and evil to make it good. Twilight is a vampire/romance story that includes a teenage girl and a 17 – going on 100 – year old male vampire named Edward.
Released in 2005 Twilight has made its way into preteen hearts and is sucking the blood out of Potter’s reign as the supernatural evil turned good guy for kids. It has been followed by three sequels already and makes its way to the silver screen today.
There is a danger in this kind of fantasy. The Bible prophecies of a day when evil will be called good, and it is movies like these that serve as a clarion call that we are living in that day.
I’ve heard it many times before, “but Harry is a good wizard.” Now it’s “but Edward is a good vampire trying to beat his natural tendency to do evil.” I’ve even heard some liken it to the Christian struggle against the flesh. We must never forget that these movies DO NOT depict good vs evil. What ever the fictional intentions of a wizard or a vampire, both are inherently evil in the sight of God.
These movies are not about good vs evil, they are about a lesser evil vs a greater evil. However, in the eyes of God they are ALL evil.
A person once told me, “its just entertainment.” Unfortunately that is not true. It’s more than that. First, as Christians we should not allow the evil abominations of this world, and of hell, to be our source of entertainment. Second, in my opinion, movies like these only reinforce the inability of many to distinguish between reality and fantasy. They continue to paint these evils as fiction and help to disconnect humanity from the reality of satanic spirits.
Because of a dropped guard, hell has dazzled, enchanted, and romanced its way into the hearts and lives of kids, teenagers, and adults alike.
The underlying theme of Twilight proclaims “Forbidden Fruit Tastes the Best.” The author’s intentions were to mimic Adam & Eve’s temptation for the forbidden tree through the unacceptable romance between a normal teenage girl and an underworld killer.
Curious as to why preteens would love this movie I asked parents why their girls longed to be bitten by Twilight. Unequivocally the answer was – The Romance.
They are enthralled by the romance of the story.With the release of this movie, it would be a good time for children’s ministers, parents, and pastors to remind their kids that in this world there is no such thing as “good evil.” Abominations, no matter how innocent Hollywood makes them appear, are still damnable in the eyes of God.
It would also be a good time to remind them about the greatest love story ever told. About the man who loved them so much that he didn’t take their blood, but GAVE his, so that they may have eternal life.
If they are looking for romance, what better place to show them true love than to remind them about the lover of their souls.
If they are looking for a love story, what about the bride groom who defeated death, hell, and the grave so that they could be freed from the prison of sin?
Isabella & Edward, Harry & Hermione, Their love can not compare to the ultimate display of love found in Christ and the cross. Their love is carnal, but his is supernatural. Their love is rooted in evil – despite its appearance – but his love is the greatest act of mercy and grace mankind could ever know.
Their love ends at the end of the story. The love of Christ will be revealed throughout all eternity and lavished upon those who delight themselves in him.
Our world increasingly places pressure on our girls to conform to lasciviousness and promiscuity in order to satisfy their inherent need for love and romance. These movies only reinforce that ideal and compound it with the notion that they can find such fulfillment in the arms of the forbidden.
What our girls need today is a realization that true romance is found not in the arms of the ungodly, but in the purity of a Biblical relationship. They need to know that the source of that romance is the one whose very nature is love.
Harry Potter….
Twilight…
We live in a world where evil is called good, and good seems less than desirable. Our children are not immune to the fads and fantasies of this world. Unfortunately, like Lot, we live in a society that daily vexes the souls of those who love righteousness.
While we may not be able to do anything about the emergence of these movies, we can definitely combat them by reminding those they target that their essence is evil and their messages wrong.
Love is not found in the arms of the sadistic….
It is found in the bosom of God.
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