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Catholic
Church Releases
Pope
Benedict Opposes Harry Potter Novels RIMSTING, Germany, June
27, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com)
Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger, prior to his elevation to the Pontificate, had
denounced the wildly popular series has resurfaced. In 2003, a month
after the English press throughout the world falsely proclaimed
that Pope John Paul II approved of Harry Potter, the man who was
to become his successor sent a letter to a Catholic German critic
of Harry Potter outlining his agreement with her opposition to Rowling's
offerings.
In
the Zenit interview, Kuby quotes from the letter she received from
Cardinal Ratzinger. In the letter, then-Cardinal Ratzinger specifically
pointed to the fact that the danger in the Potter books is hidden
was greatly concerning. "It is good that you shed light and inform
us on the Harry Potter matter, for these are subtle seductions that
are barely noticeable and precisely because of that deeply affect
(children) and corrupt the Christian faith in souls even before
it (the Faith) could properly grow," said Cardinal Ratzinger.
The
most prominent Potter critic in North America, Catholic novelist
and painter Michael O'Brien commented to LifeSiteNews.com on the
comments of now-Pope Benedict saying, "This discernment on the part
of Benedict XVI reveals the Holy Father's depth and wide ranging
gifts of spiritual discernment." O'Brien, author of a book dealing
with fantasy literature for children added, "it's consistent with
many of the statements he's been making since his election to the
Chair of Peter, indeed for the past 20 years - a probing accurate
read of the massing spiritual warfare that is moving to a new level
of struggle in western civilization. He is a man in whom a prodigious
intellect is integrated with great spiritual gifts. He is the father
of the universal church and we would do well to listen to him."
Vatican's
Chief Exorcist Repeats Condemnation of Harry Potter Novels By
John-Henry Westen ROME, March 1, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com)
The
Vatican's chief exorcist, Rev. Gabriele Amorth, is reported to have
repeated his condemnations of the Harry Potter novels yesterday.
According to press reports, Fr. Amorth, said of the books, "You
start off with Harry Potter, who comes across as a likeable wizard,
but you end up with the Devil. There is no doubt that the signature
of the Prince of Darkness is clearly within these books."
"By
reading Harry Potter a young child will be drawn into magic and
from there it is a simple step to Satanism and the Devil," he said.
In
a 2002 interview with the Italian ANSA news agency, Rev. Amorth
said "Behind Harry Potter hides the signature of the king of the
darkness, the devil." The exorcist, with his decades of experience
in directly combating evil, explained that J.K. Rowling's books
contain innumerable positive references to magic, "the satanic art".
He noted that the books attempt to make a false distinction between
black and white magic, when in fact, the distinction "does not exist,
because magic is always a turn to the devil."
Another
condemnation of Harry Potter coming from Rome was not widely reported
until LifeSiteNews.com's intervention. When in 2003, then-Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger allowed his comments against the novels to be aired
publicly, the news was reported in Europe, but not in America. However,
when in 2005 LifeSiteNews.com published Ratzinger's letter concerning
Potter online, the international media exploded with the news that
the new Pope opposed Harry Potter.
New
York Times:January 1, 2002
Father
Gabriele Amorth, author of An Exorcist Tells His Story, explains
… "The Devil is behind Harry, luring little children into supernatural
adventures."
Father
Amorth knows what he's doing. He's described as the Vatican's #1
exorcist and is a man who "sees 10 people a day, give or take, for
demonic possessions, obsessions and low-grade infestations."
Is
Harry Harmless? By Anne Feaster
The
Harry Potter Phenomena has spread very quickly all over the world
with hundreds of millions of readers. It has been hailed as outstanding
and imaginative story-telling, with the promotion of "good values,"
even by well known Christian leaders. It was even reported by the
media that it had "Vatican approval" which is not the case. (One
priest at the Vatican had made some positive comments.)
Rome's
official exorcist, Fr. Gabrielle Amorth, who is also the President
of the International Assn. of Exorcists, said bluntly, 'Behind Harry
Potter hides the signature of the king of the darkness, the devil.'
He maintained that many of the ideas expressed in the books were
from the realm of darkness, that they contain innumerable positive
references to magic, "the satanic art", and attempt to make a false
distinction between black and white magic, when in fact, the distinction
'does not exist, because magic is always a recourse to the devil.'
Pope
Benedict XVI also warns against the Potter series. He said in a
letter to a lady complaining about Potter: "It is good that
you enlighten us on the Harry Potter matter, for these are subtle
seductions that are barely noticeable, and precisely because of
that have a deep effect and corrupt the Christian faith in souls
even before it could properly grow." (March 7, 2003)
The
Catholic World Report, April 2001, p.58
"In
an interview with Newsweek, a spokesman for the Pagan Federation
in England reported that he receives an average of 100 calls per
month from young people who want to become witches-an unprecedented
phenomenon which he in part contributes to the Potter books. An
article in Dec. l7, 2000, issue of Time reports that a similar organization
in Germany deals with an increasing number of inquiries, which it
also credits to the Potter factor. Rowling herself expressed surprise
at the volume of mail she receives from young reader writing to
her as if Hogwarts was real, wanting to know how they might enter
the school in order to become witches and wizards." The magazine
goes on to say that "A recent search of the Internet for Harry Potter
references yielded more than 500,000 "hits". Selective searches
turned up more than 100 high profile websites under titles, such
as "Learn more about the Secrets of the Occult" and "How to Become
a Witch". It also stated that "Librarians in diverse social settings
report that children in increasing numbers are requesting material
from the occult sections of their collections.
Lutheran
Church Releases
Lutheran
Parent Magazine by Jacqui L. Komschlies, November - December
2000 issue:
Most
children who read Harry Potter books may be unaffected, but some
may start down the same path I traveled. For them, Harry Potter
will start a hunger for more of the same. With hundreds of choices
of books, games, TV shows, and even an upcoming Harry Potter movie,
there will be plenty of opportunities to nurture their interest
in wizards and witchcraft, and it will grow.
As
Christians, we know that real supernatural power comes from only
two places: God and Satan. God's power can't be manipulated - only
Satan allows the deception. We pray "Thy will be done," not "My
will be done." But people who practice authentic witchcraft use
power directly from the devil, even when their intentions are good.
Where does that leave Harry Potter?
The
reader learns the supernatural arts with Harry. Harry sometimes
studies magic that is silly and cute; there is an obvious innocence
to it. But mix up his "Draught of Living Death," and you risk real
hallucinogenic nightmares. Pay attention in divination class, and
you'll also learn actual fortune-telling techniques. Stop in at
a large bookstore or go to Amazon.com with a list of Harry's textbooks,
such as "Standard Book of Spells," "A History of Magic," and "The
Dark Forces - A Guide to Self - Protection." You can go home with
"The Book of Spells," "The History of Magic: Including a Clear,
and Precise Exposition of its Procedure, Rites and Mysteries," and
"Battling Dark Forces - A Guide to Psychic Self - Defense." These
are real books about witchcraft and sorcery; there is nothing innocent
about their purpose or their subject matter.
General
Articles
Quotes
from the American Academy of Pediatrics Website
Article:
Does your patient have sleep problems?
Ask
about TV first by Joanne Cantor, Ph.D. “When trying to predict the
types of media messages most likely to frighten young children (2-
to 7-year-olds), keep in mind the phrase, "Seeing is believing."
“Second,
because this age group has not fully grasped the fantasy-reality
distinction,…”
“Even
teen-agers often have long-term fright responses to mass media presentations,
whether fictional (in drama) or real (in the news). The two themes
that emerge as the most terrifying to this age group are sexual
assault and stories involving the supernatural and the occult.”
Article:
Some Things You Should Know About Media Violence and Media Literacy
"Media
Violence," AAP Committee on Communications, in Pediatrics, Vol.
95, No. 6, June 1995
“Media
violence is especially damaging to young children (under age 8)
because they cannot easily tell the difference between real life
and fantasy. Violent images on television and in movies may seem
real to young children. They can be traumatized by viewing these
images.
WONG’S
ESSENTIALS OF PEDEATRIC NURSING Sixth Edition - Now being used in
College
Page
114
“To
children who are unable to distinguish between reality and fantasy,
these films play on their deepest fears and result in bedtime fears,
nightmares, and a fearful view of the world.”
Nursing
Alert
Children
as young as 4 years can recognize that cartoons are “make believe,”
but children as old as age 6 continue to assume that noncartoon
features are at least roughly analogous to social reality (Downs,
1990). Therefore young children are especially vulnerable to misinterpreting
what they see and need guidance in choosing appropriate programs.
FACTORS
THAT ENCOURAGE LEARNING OR PERFORMING TV-INFLUENCED BEHAVIORS
Reward
and punishment syndrome. Children will imitate behaviors they see
rewarded or not punished when it is expected. They are less likely
to repeat an act they see punished; their attention is immediately
attracted when they see an act committed that they know should be
punished.
Nursing
Tip: During an assessment, consider that fact that parents may not
be aware of how much time their children spend watching TV. Parents
may also not understand the child’s inability to distinguish between
the “fantasy” of television and life events. (Vessey, Yim-Chiplis,
and MacKenzie, 1998) Page 115
ROWLING
INTERVIEW ON WBUR - OCTOBER 12, 1999
Page
68 from the book Hour of the Witch
The
list of parallels between the semi-fantasy world of Harry Potter
and the real-life world of ancient and modern occultism is endless.
There’s no question about it: J.K. Rowling knows her stuff. In fact,
during one call in radio interview an eager inquirer asked Rowling
if she herself was a member of the “Craft”. When she replied with
an unexpected “No”, the caller said, “You’ve done your homework
quite well.” This person then expressed his deep love for the Harry
Potter books because they not only portray his own beliefs positively
but were making his step daughter more comfortable with his involvement
in real witchcraft.
(I
HAVE THIS INTERVIEW ON CD)
QUOTE
FROM HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE
“See
what I have become,” the face said “mere shadow and vapor. 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. Unicorn
blood has strengthened me these past weeks.”
(This
clearly is demon possession, and nothing less.)
NEWSWEEK
INTERVIEW BY MALCOLM JONES JULY 1, 2000 – PAGE 4
J.K.
Rowling said, “I get letters from children addressed to Professor
Dumbledore (headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
in the books.) and it’s not a joke, begging to be let into Hogwarts,
and some of them are really sad. Because they want it to be true
so badly they’ve convinced themselves it’s true.”
J.K.
ROWLING INTERVIEW ON THE TODAY SHOW
“I
made the conscious decision that I was writing about someone evil.
I am not going to tell a lie. I wasn’t going to pretend an evil
person was a cobble cut out and no one would get hurt. If your writing
about evil you have a responsibility to show what that means.”
A
REAL LIFE HOGWARTS? HOGWASH THE OBSERVER (UK) BY VICTORIA COREN
SUNDAY,
AUGUST 14, 2005
“An
Austrian school for witchcraft and wizardry has reported a surge
in recruitment since the publication of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood
Prince . When the Hexenschule first opened in 2003, the world’s
press scoffed, but two years later, it is booming.”
CONSIDER
THE SORCERY BY DONNA FREYDKIN, USA TODAY, POSTED NOVEMBER 13, 2002
Hexenschule’s
founders freely thank Harry Potter for the surge in attendance.
“Before
the movie came out last year, we had 40 students, “ Kulmitzer says.
“Now we have more than double that. We think it’s quite funny how
the movie benefited us.”
STATEMENT
MADE BY PETER SMITH, GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION
OF TEACHERS AND LECTURERS.
"...Harry
Potter...will lead to a whole new generation of youngsters discovering
witchcraft and wizardry....Increasing numbers of children are spending
hours alone browsing the internet in search of Satanic websites
and we are concerned that nobody is monitoring this growing fascination."
HARRY
POTTER LURES KIDS TO WITCHCRAFT BY BERIT KJOS
Great
Britain's Pagan Federation is pleased. Although it refuses to admit
members under age 18, "it deals with an average of 100 inquiries
a month from youngsters who want to become witches, and claims it
has occasionally been 'swamped' with calls." Pagan Federation media
officer, Andy Norfolk, explains, "Every time an article on witchcraft
or paganism appears, we have a huge surge in calls, mostly from
young girls."
RELIGION
NEWS REPORT – JULY 4, 2000
(Kate
West) Now she is writing a handbook for young witches for the post-Harry
Potter market, offering stepbystep guidance to becoming a witch.
U.S.
CONSUMERS RESEARCH SURVEY:
“OVER
HALF OF ALL CHILDREN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 6 AND 17 HAVE READ AT LEAST
ONE HARRY POTTER BOOK. WITH THOUSANDS MULTIPLE READINGS OF ALL BOOKS.”
QUOTE
FROM: ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS AND LECTURERS:
“THIS
GOES FAR BEYOND A CASE OF READING A HARRY POTTER STORY. THIS REPRESENTS
AN EXTREMELY WORRYING TREND AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE.”
QUOTE
FROM: THE COMMUNIST REVOLUTIONARY VLADIMIR LENIN SAID:
“GIVE
ME ONE GENERATION OF YOUTH, AND I WILL TRANSFORM THE ENTIRE WORLD.”
STATEMENT
MADE BY ANDY NORFOLK: THE MEDIA OFFICER FOR THE PAGAN FEDERATION
NEWSPAPER: THIS IS LONDON AUGUST 4, 1999
"In
response to the increased queries coming from youngsters we established
a youth officer, not to promote paganism, because that would be
against pagan ethics, but merely to answer these queries and allow
someone to offer advice and information.”
"It
is quite probably linked to things like Harry Potter, Sabrina The
Teenage Witch and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Every time an article
on witchcraft or paganism appears, we had a huge surge in calls,
mostly from young girls."
Mr.
Norfolk said that parents should not be alarmed by their children's
sudden interest in magic. "Paganism is recognized as a valid religion,"
he said. "In no way is it a cult and certainly it offers nothing
untoward. “
"We
do not allow members under 18. As for children, I think a lot of
young people think that witchcraft will help them sort out problems
in a quick and easy way.”
"Some
of them may wish to find out more about paganism and they will discover
that it is a nature-based spiritual religion which places responsibility
on people's individual actions.”
I
CONTACTED THE PAGAN FEDERATION AND INQUIRED ABOUT THIS QUOTE. YOU
MUST BE 18 TO BE ELIGIBLE TO JOIN, SO THEY REFERRED ME AND THE CHILDREN
INQUIRING, TO MINOR ARCANA. MINOR ARCANA IS A PAGAN FEDERATION THAT
FOCUSES ON CHILDREN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 12-18.
JOHN
HAGEE’S NEWSLETTER - OCTOBER 2005
“When
demons invade your life, they do so by your invitation. You accomplish
this by the books you read. When you read the Bible, you are inviting
the presence of the Holy Spirit into your life. When you read occult
books such as, Ann Rice and gothic books, you invite demons in.
Similarly, when you allow your children to read Harry Potter, whose
theme is witchcraft; you give Satan an invitation to invade your
life and the lives of your children. “
-Harry
Potter is the American Library Society’s #1 book wanted to be banned.
-
No other series of books in the history of this country has had
so much opposition.
Scholastic,
Inc., a major supplier of public school teaching aids has added
the Potter literature to its line of curriculum materials. When
the name “Harry Potter” is keyed into the Scholastic.com website
search engine, it returns 268 matches. “Jesus” returned only 23.
MAJOR
THINGS WRONG WITH HARRY POTTER (from Steve Wohlberg, author of Hour
of the Witch)
1.
The Muggle vs. Magic Message
- Inversion
of morality
- Wizards
and Witches are wise, smart and exciting people
- Muggles
are stupid, dull and boring
2.
Many references to real occult practices.
QUOTES
FROM THE BOOK: FACT, FICTION, AND FOLKLORE IN HARRY POTTERS WORLD
BY GEORGE BEAHM
Abraxan
– The inspiration for the name likely came from the word abraxas,
which has a place as a god in Egyptian culture and also in demonology.
Page 5
Banshee
– Finnigan, his worst fear is a banshee, a nonmalevolent female
spirit specifically associated with Irish mythology. Page 8
Dementor
– Seeking Sirius Black, and escapee from Azkaban prison, dementors
are on the hunt, looking everywhere to reclaim him and give the
dreaded Dementor’s Kiss, a “kiss” that sucks the soul out of a person,
leaving only an empty shell, alive but “gone”. Page 20
Ghoul
– Derived from Arabic (Ghyul), this demonic creature takes a female
form to try and distract travelers, so it can kill and eat them.
Page 38 Grindylow – The grindylow, Lupin explains, is a water demon
known for its tenacious grip. Page 41
Hellhound
– The hellhound, better known as Cerberus, stood guard at the entrance
of Hades, the underworld, the place of the dead. ….his dual task
was to bar the living from entering Hades and the dead from leaving.
Page 42
Imp
– Like other creatures of its kind, the imp is more mischievous
than malicious. In common mythology, in the hierarchy of demons,
the imp occupies the lowest rung. Small and usually male, imps often
serve more powerful demons.
The
book suggests: For a delightful fantasy about imps and demons, try
Jonathan Stroud’s the Bartimaeus Trilogy. Page 44
Kelpie
– It is a shape-shifting water demon that typically takes the form
of a horse. Page 47
Manticore
– A symbol of the devil in medieval times, the manticore is a creature
of Persian origin. Page 50
Nogtail
– This demon resembles a piglet. Page 54
Pogrebin
– A Russian demon that pounces on its victims when they are in utter
despair. Page 57
Poltergeist
– Traditionally, a poltergeist focuses its attention on a child,
Peeves is visible to students and annoying, and sometimes engages
in wanton destruction, but he does not focus his attention on any
one student-he’s an equal opportunity offender.
Harry
Potter fact :”Peeves isn’t a ghost; he was never a living person”
(from J.K. Rowling’s website, www.jkrowling.com). Page 58
(If
Peeves was never a living person than that would make him a demon.)
Red
Cap – Red Caps, malevolent creatures who haunt battlefields, dungeons,
and other places where blood is shed with the intent of bludgeoning
their victims. Haunting castles on the Scottish border, the Red
Cap-so named because of the human blood-soaked cap he wears…the
only defense against this awful creature is to quote a few words
from the bible or bear a cross or cross-handled sword. Page 60
Snake:
Nagini – A 12-foot (or longer) snake belonging to Lord Voldemort,
she is milked for her venom by his handservant, Wormtail, since
in order to survive, the Dark Lord needs a drink every few hours
of an elixir of snake venom and unicorn blood. Page 64
ACCORDING
TO THE LETTER FROM AN EX-WITCH THESE NAMES ARE OF ACTUAL DEMONS
:
Quote
from the San Francisco Chronicle on July 26, 2000
The
question asked: Did you think the Quidditch World Cup was exciting,
or were you eager to get to Hogwarts?
I
was eager to get to Hogwarts first because I like what they learned
there and I want to be a witch. Gioia Bishop, 10 yrs old, Napa
Quotes
from a book by Sharon Moore entitled, We Love Harry Potter We’ll
tell you why
“I
want to learn magic, so I’d like to go to wizard school. I’d like
to be able to put voodoo on bullies and enemies.” Sarah – age 9
Page 34
“I
want to go to wizard school and learn magic. I’d like to learn to
use a wand to cast spells.” Dylan – age 10 Page 35
“If
I could go to wizard school, I might be able to do spells and potions
and fly a broomstick.” Mara – age 12 Page 60
“It
would be great to be a wizard because you could control situations
and things like teachers.” Jeffery – age 11 Page 51
“I’d
like to go to wizard school, learn magic and put spells on people.
I’d make up an ugly spell, and then it’s payback time.” Catherine
– age 9 Page 31
I
wish I could do magic. Not just like making people rise up into
the air, but real magic like turning them into newts and frogs.
And making people do something, or stop doing something. Shanti
– age 13 Page 27
“I
liked it when the bad guys were in the woods, and killed the unicorn
and Voldemort drank its blood…” Julie - age 13 Page 29,30
These
children are wishing they can do what God has clearly said is an
abomination, and what will cause them to spend eternity in the lake
of sulfur. (Rev.21:8) Has this fiction effected the outlook of these
children?
JUST
WILD ABOUT HARRY Study: Potter readers more occultic
Research
finds teen-age devotees interested in witchcraft Posted: June 30,
2002 By Mandi Steele
“Teen-agers
who have read Harry Potter books or have seen the Harry Potter movie
were more likely to have experimented with psychic or occult activities
than those teens who had not, a recent study found.”
“The
study revealed that 41 percent of teens have either seen the Potter
film or have read one or more of the Potter books. As a result of
watching the movie or reading the books, 12 percent said they were
more interested in witchcraft…”
“Barna
Research Group, Ltd., polled 612 teen-agers, ages 13-19. Researchers
looked at more than just the influence of Harry Potter on teens.
The study also included questions on a variety of different spiritual
matters. Matlock says it was interesting to find out how prevalent
the supernatural theme was in today's society. The number of kids
who watch supernatural-themed movies or TV shows on a normal basis
was very high (86 percent), he says.”
“To
see how many teen-agers were dabbling in psychic-occult experimentation,
researchers listed a variety of activities and asked teens which
ones they had participated in. The list included: palm reading,
fortune telling, going to a spiritual medium, calling or visiting
a psychic, playing with a Ouija board, playing a game that featured
witchcraft elements, participating in a séance, trying to cast a
spell and trying to mix a potion. One in four teens had experimented
with three items on the list; one in 20 had done all the items and
met a profile Matlock labeled as "heavily involved."
“Roughly
66 percent of all teens polled had participated in at least one
of the occult-oriented activities, says Matlock. Research showed
55 percent of those who said they were youth-group attendees had
also tried their hand at one of the experiments. Out of all the
teens that had either seen the Harry Potter movie or read the books,
74 percent told researchers they had tried at least one item on
the list.”
THIS
IS FROM A 15 YR. OLD GIRL’S WEBSITE
THIS
IS A TEEN FROM FLINT, MI
GET
THEM AS A CHILD YOU HAVE THEM FOR LIFE
Proverbs
22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old,
he will not stray from it.”
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