|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
A Parent's Guide to Harry Potter
The author of the Harry Potter books, J. K. Rowling said this: “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!” With each new book, Harry becomes a year older. His wizardry becomes more advanced. A human sacrifice is being talked about for one of the later books. Children are being presented with the idea that the dark side of the supernatural world is harmless or even imaginary. They will find out too late that witchcraft is neither harmless nor imaginary. Look at Webster’s definitions: Wizard – 1) a male who practices black magic, 2) A
conjurer; to summon a devil or spirit by invocation or spell; 3) to produce
by magic There are only two sources of supernatural power in the world – God’s power and Satan’s power. Through Harry Potter, children are being influenced to think positive about magic and evil spirits. Consider this quote by a practicing witch, Phyllis Curott - “Sure, you are seeing witches in Harry Potter do things they don’t do in real life. But it is positive. They are friendly. They are good. The book might change the way people feel about us.” The partnership of Coke and Warner Brothers in the release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone marks one of the largest global entertainment initiatives ever undertaken by the Coca-Cola Company. All kinds of toys are going to be offered that will get children to play with items that have to do with witchcraft. Some of the games involve mixing potions, casting spells, and levitating objects. The spells they cast are more New Age, having to do with concentration or meditation. They are trying to teach children that there is this “force” that runs through all the universe and we can move up the evolutionary scale by all kinds of meditation. This is not something new. One of the things Satan said in the Garden was “You will become like God.” It’s the same old lie. In the Harry Potter books, Satan appears as an angel of light. The books have great appeal to children who are in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. They tend to like things that are a little on the gross side. In Deuteronomy, we are told “don’t get involved with things that are detestable.” We need to teach our children to submit everything to the Word of God, whether it’s Tarot Cards being interpreted by Madam So & So, New Age ideas, a psychic hotline, or Harry Potter. If God doesn’t say that it is a legitimate way for us to find out truth, then we shouldn’t’ be trying to find out truth that way. What Does the Bible Say? Ephesians 6:4 “ Fathers provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 6:6 “ And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart; And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Deuteronomy 18:9-12 “ When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire or one who practices witchcraft or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells (wizard) or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord. What Parents Can Do • Talk to your children about miracles and answers to prayer. Children need to see the power of God at work in the Church and in the family. When the supernatural part of Christianity is missing, there is a vacuum of power and Satan is rushing in to fill it – offering children supernatural power by casting spells and mixing potions. • Read the Bible and pray with your children. Each day as they go to school, pray with them to put on the “Armor of God” found in Ephesians, chapter 6. Put on the helmet of salvation to protect their mind from the lies of the enemy; put on the breastplate of righteousness to help them always be honest and do the right thing: put on the girdle of truth to enable them to only speak the truth and to recognize and defeat all the lies of the enemy; put on the shoes of peace so they can be a peacemaker and walk in peace; take up the shield of faith so they can stop everything the enemy shoots at them. • Lead you children in making Scriptural Confessions each day about who they are in Christ and what they can do through Christ. • Require your children to memorize Scripture. Our son, Randal, recently told us how thankful he was that we had required him to memorize passages from the Bible as he was growing up. He said that this has stayed with him from childhood and has given him direction for his life. • Bring your children to church and prayer meetings regularly. As your pastors, we can testify to the impact made upon us because our parents took us to God’s House. As a child, Jetta experienced a miracle from God. When she was born, a large strawberry red birthmark covered half of her face. Doctors predicted that the ugly birthmark would continue to grow larger and advised Jetta’s parents to consider having it removed with radiation (which could possibly have left her blind in one eye). Jetta’s mother was a woman of faith and believed God to perform a miracle for her daughter. As she prayed, the birthmark began to shrink until it finally disappeared completely. Whenever Jetta sees her face in the mirror, she is always reminded personally of God’s love and power. When Pastor Smolchuck was young, his mother had tuberculosis. She was taken from the family to a sanitarium. The church fasted and prayed until she was healed and could return home. As a teenager, he went to an Oral Roberts meeting and saw a friend of the family healed of MS. In Conclusion God promises to give us a spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind. There is a vacuum of power in most churches. Our desire is to see God’s healing power, signs, wonders, and miracles returned to the church. When children see God’s power is being manifest and when they are grounded in God’s Word, they will recognize the deception of the enemy’s enticement. Resources Available: Church Library: |
Ministry Links
• Children's
Ministry
Testimony "Recently one of the boys in our KidsTime was sharing Jesus with his classmates at school. As he invited them to receive Christ in their hearts, four of them joined him in praying the sinner’s prayer. This fourth-grader is living out the truths he has been taught through the Children’s Ministries at First Assembly as well as from his parents." |
|
|
|
Why
Your Children Should Avoid Harry Potter