Should Christians Watch Movies Like Harry Potter?

Genesis Apologetics

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:01

Should Christians seek entertainment from movies that are based on themes that God says are an abomination to Him?

00:08

Many Christians soak themselves in movies like Harry Potter and Vampire sagas, movies that are centered around occult practices that God says are an abomination to Him.

00:18

Can Christians be entertained for hours on end by such movies without it impacting their spiritual lives, without grieving the

00:25

Holy Spirit and reducing the power and effectiveness of their Christian lives? Are movies and shows like these just mere entertainment, or do they promote the occult to unsuspecting people in subtle ways?

00:37

Let's look to find out. First, let's explore what the Bible says about occult practices.

00:43

Ephesians 6 states, Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

00:50

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

01:01

So, apparently there are real principalities, powers, and rulers of darkness. Are these on the radar of most

01:08

Christians today? Exodus 7 records that Pharaoh's magicians were able to turn their staffs into snakes, turn water to blood, and summon frogs, possibly using illusions or deceiving power from Satan.

01:22

Jesus cast out numerous evil spirits. So did his disciples under the power and authority he gave them.

01:29

Paul cast out demons, including one from a girl who foretold the future by its power.

01:35

Deuteronomy 18 says, 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.

01:44

There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or 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, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.

02:00

For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations, the

02:06

Lord your God drives them out from before you. It just so happens that all eight of these practices are well represented in the

02:13

Harry Potter series. For Christians wanting scriptural support for being entertained by occult themed movies, plays, or books like Harry Potter, here's a list of supporting

02:23

Bible verses. On the contrary, the Bible goes so far to say that we should not even listen to those who practice the occult.

02:30

Wait, doesn't the Bible prescribe grace so that what some might find offensive, others might find as innocent entertainment?

02:37

Well, not really. These verses deal with dietary convictions and the observance of certain holy days, not even close to being entertained by content that God calls an abomination.

02:49

Next, let's look at occult practices today. Witchcraft is one of the fastest growing religions in the world.

02:56

Surveys show Wicca had an average annual growth of 143 % between 1990 to 2001, and experts report that it's the fastest growing spiritual identification in America, with the number of Americans that are

03:10

Wiccans doubling every 30 months. Even Newsweek is picking up on this. Police departments nationwide now even have detectives assigned to finding and prosecuting satanic ritual abuse crimes.

03:23

Dr. Don Perlmutter is a ritualistic crimes expert who trains law enforcement officers to identify and solve these difficult cases.

03:31

Pennsylvania woman says she has killed at least 22 people from Alaska to North Carolina in the last six years as part of her involvement in a satanic cult.

03:41

Numerous people are incarcerated for these offenses. Many more seek healing from its effect in their lives.

03:47

Just how did we get here? Perhaps one reason is the heavy occult push of TV shows and movies.

03:54

The Hollywood entry into the occult started in the 1960s with the show Bewitched, but it wasn't long before we were bombarded with The Witches of East Wick, The Craft, Practical Magic, Sabrina the

04:06

Teenage Witch, a show so close to the real thing, it was even caught up in a legal battle with the

04:11

Satanic Temple for its use of their satanic baphomet symbol. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, The Originals, and many others.

04:20

Let's not forget all the vampire movies that were box -office hits and The Vampire Diaries TV show.

04:26

It's also remarkable how the influx of these shows has normalized the occult to the point that public school reading programs are now saturated with occult content.

04:36

Harry Potter books have been on the bestseller list for many years running with leading public textbook distributor,

04:42

Scholastic. Yes, the largest publisher of children's books in the world is distributing repackaged witchcraft to millions of schoolchildren.

04:51

But isn't all this occult emphasis in media just for show and thrills? Something interesting to base a good story on.

04:58

Actually, Hollywood is soaked with the occult. Consider Angelina Jolie's experiences.

05:05

Next, look at a couple NFL halftime shows drenched with occult symbolism. First of all, it's the

05:10

Super Bowl. I mean the Super Bowl is kind of like the Holy of Holies in America, right? So like here

05:16

I am, I'm gonna come into the halfway between like the church, the church experience, and I'm gonna have to deliver a sermon.

05:25

It's gonna have to be very impactful. It really shouldn't have been much of a shock to watch Madonna steal the stage for the

05:31

Super Bowl 46 halftime show as she rode in upon her Illuminati throne. Aside from dancing alongside depictions of Baphomet and a fallen angel, this halftime show performance also had its fill of subliminal messaging.

05:46

But the real focal point of this Illuminati ritual for me was during the closing song where Madonna took the stage with the gospel choir standing before the

05:55

Illuminati all -seeing eye and openly worshiping Lucifer when she sings her famous song,

06:01

Like a Prayer. Switching gears from blatant witchcraft and satanic rituals to the seemingly mundane by comparison performance in 2013 when

06:10

Beyonce took the stage at the Super Bowl halftime show. Despite flashing the Illuminati hand sign or the giant illuminated eye taking center stage during the final number, this relatively tame halftime show performance showcased one of the

06:24

Illuminati's and Hollywood's darkest agendas. I raised my hands up and it was kind of the first time

06:31

I felt something else come into me. Closing out our list is the

06:37

Queen herself appearing in the 2015 halftime show, Katy Perry. That's how

06:42

I got introduced to the music industry. I swear I wanted to be like the Amy Grant of music. But it didn't work out, so I sold my soul to the devil.

06:52

Katy Perry has dabbled in a little bit of everything. So when it came time to choose a musical artist to represent the whore of Babylon, Katy Perry was undoubtedly the obvious choice.

07:02

Dressed in flames to represent a phoenix, Katy Perry took to the checkerboard stage where the pieces for the ultimate

07:09

Illuminati halftime show fell into place. Capping off both ends of the performance representing the light of Lucifer, this

07:17

Freemasonic virtual went right under the noses of the general public. Occult hand signs and symbols like the covered eye, the triple six or six six six, taken from Revelations 13 as the number of the beast or Satan's number, and satanic horns are commonly displayed.

07:34

The all -seeing eye, the symbol of the Sun God Lucifer or the eye of Horus, who is Lucifer in Egyptian satanic mysteries, is frequently shown.

07:43

Even the satanic pentagram that has been used for centuries in satanic churches is now proudly displayed in many movies, including some of the latest

07:51

Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts movies. Harry Potter star Emma Watson proudly sports satanic signs and Daniel Radcliffe recently starred in a movie called

08:01

Horns that's full of occult symbolism and themes. Next, let's turn to Harry Potter specifically.

08:08

Not to single it out, but because it's one of the leading movie franchises in history and one that is openly based on occultic themes.

08:16

Over the last 20 years, over 500 million Harry Potter books have been sold. The movie series has grossed over 8 billion dollars at the box office.

08:25

The entire Potter franchise, with all of the books, films, theme parks, tours, theater shows, and toys, now exceeds 25 billion dollars.

08:35

Consumer research shows that over half of all the children between the ages of 6 and 17 have read at least one

08:42

Harry Potter book and 25 % of Americans have seen all of the movies and 61 % had seen at least one.

08:50

Does Harry Potter stir up interest in witchcraft? That's certainly what Ed Hubbard thinks, the guy who founded the witch school that has campuses in Illinois and Massachusetts.

09:00

J .K. Rowling created a phenomena that brought magic to the forefront of human thought and unwittingly reopened a new round of ancient battle.

09:09

Christianity's battle to destroy witchcraft in all its forms. Harry Potter has rekindled interest in beliefs that were already growing in the

09:16

United Kingdom and the United States for more than 50 years and that belief is a faith called

09:22

Wicca. Film producer Warner Brothers admits that the first Harry Potter movie was an accurate portrayal of witchcraft and even the author herself claims that one -third of the material was drawn from real witchcraft practices.

09:34

A new exhibition at the British Library in London reveals how she relied on the real history of magic and alchemy to create her wizarding world in Harry Potter.

09:43

I think what I'm hoping people take away from the exhibition is that there's this huge rich historical history of magic and folklore that kind of lies behind the

09:52

Harry Potter books and that a lot of things that they might have thought were imaginary are actually based on fact.

10:00

So the idea about bizarre stones, they can come and see a real bizarre stone, they can come and see alchemical manuscripts describing how to make the

10:07

Philosopher's Stone, they can see Nicholas Flamel's tombstone. Hopefully they'll be really inspired by that and inspired by the history in the stories and understand that J .K.

10:15

Rowling knew a huge amount about the mythology, the folklore and the science and the magic behind the stories that she incorporated very lightly into her stories, which gave them a huge amount of layers of depth and interest.

10:29

So at the moment we're in the divination room. This is my favourite room in the exhibition and I think divination is kind of treated with a bit of humour in the books and as if it's not too serious a subject, but I actually love the kind of historical accounts of it and all the different ways that people have tried to work out what's going to happen in the future.

11:02

I have a lot of fun with divination in the Potter books because I make it quite clear that it you get lucky once every million times.

11:09

We've got books about palmistry and tea leaf reading and some kind of practical equipment that you could use for those things.

11:17

I think one of the things I learned about witches is that they get a really bad rep through history and that it's quite hard to find positive accounts of them, which is what we really wanted to focus on in the exhibition.

11:28

But once we did start looking for positive accounts, they were out there, they were just a bit rarer. And I'm really excited that we're able to show a painting by John William Waterhouse called the

11:38

Magic Circle, which is a very positive portrayal of a witch. She's very kind of beautiful and she's doing protective magic and it's different from the kind of more traditional negative view of witches that you get in a lot of books of the time.

11:57

Well, I think the Harry Potter books have done a lot to change that. I think trying to think about magic as something that can be used for good in the books is a really important part of them.

12:17

Witches and wizards in the Potterverse, they are morally neutral. You are as good or as bad as you decide to be.

12:23

There's nothing inherently wrong about performing magic. It's simply an ability that some people have. Harry Potter books and films are full of magic, witchcraft and wizardry.

12:36

The lead roles are played by wizards, witches and other magical creatures. Unlike other fantasy children's stories that contain witches and the like, such as the

12:46

Chronicles of Narnia, the Harry Potter books do not have a positive biblical worldview. The distinction between good and bad can become blurred as both the good and evil characters participate in different types of witchcraft and magic.

12:59

Witches and wizards in the Potterverse, they are morally neutral. You are as good or as bad as you decide to be.

13:04

There's nothing inherently wrong about performing magic. It's simply an ability that some people have.

13:10

The Bible clearly condemns all kinds of witchcraft, sorcery and spiritism. In fact, there's not a single instance in the

13:17

Bible where the occult is represented favorably or as acceptable fantasy or entertainment. Further, Potter movies include dozens of references to real life, nonfiction places, persons and occult practices that make it vastly different than other movies.

13:32

Does every Christian develop a fascination for the occult after watching Harry Potter? Certainly not.

13:39

Do some? Yes, absolutely. At least that's what the official Wiccan religious organizations are saying.

13:45

In fact, the Pagan Federation in England had to appoint a special youth officer to reply to the flood of inquiries following the success of the

13:53

Harry Potter books, stating it was quite probably linked to things like Harry Potter, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Buffy the

13:59

Vampire Slayer. According to this London article titled Potter Fans Turning to Witchcraft, the

14:05

Pagan Federation deals with an average of 100 inquiries a month from youngsters who want to become witches and it claims it has occasionally been swamped with calls.

14:14

So, what's the problem with Harry Potter? As we see it, there are several. First, there's the fundamental issue of seeking entertainment from movies that are based on content that God calls an abomination.

14:26

There was a strong reason that God wanted to drive out such practices from his people and we doubt his views have changed.

14:33

Next, non -Christians and Christians with shallow roots are likely to be swayed by these influences to explore occult practices, entering directly into what

14:42

God calls an abomination. In the words of ex -occultist Stephen Dollins, here is

14:47

Satan's plan. You whet the appetites of children who are confused and not quite grounded in family morals, values and standards and introduce them to Harry Potter, a boy wizard who learns and practices the art of witchcraft and sorcery.

15:01

You then bolster their interest in these practices and instill in them the idea that there is no good or evil, only magic, and that it's okay to practice witchcraft because it's a moral wholesome thing to do, as well as the fact that you will receive a reward from it.

15:15

Finally, when their interest in these practices is at its highest peak, offer use of the internet, which is exploding with information that is theirs for the taking.

15:24

Teach them how they too can be just like Harry Potter. Just because a book is fiction, does this mean it has no effect on its readers?

15:31

The sober reality is that fiction is a powerful communicator of ideas that influence both thought and behavior.

15:38

With the leading book publisher in the US flooding students with Harry Potter books, it's not surprising that there is such an increase in those joining in the practice of witchcraft and magic arts.

15:47

The internet is full of kids attempting to develop their spell -casting abilities. There are untold numbers of people who are rooted away from exploring

15:56

Christianity and its truths because their fascination is captured by occult -based movies. We also believe that all

16:03

Christians who soak in these movies are, at a very minimum, desensitizing themselves to occult themes, relegating them from actual satanic forces to the places of harmless entertainment, not knowing the extent to which the enemy uses these movies to lead people astray.

16:18

Movies like Harry Potter desensitize people to the reality of the occult, shifting evil to the place of myth, fantasy, and entertainment.

16:27

We guarantee that people would think twice about enjoying a Harry Potter movie after observing actual satanic ritual abuse, a practice that goes on more often than most know about.

16:37

If the occult is all just fantasy, then why does the Bible condemn it so strongly? God's Word certainly doesn't endorse the fake or fantasy kind either.

16:47

For some grounded Christians, the effects may seem to be minimal. However, they can do something just as bad.

16:53

They can reduce their effectiveness for living powerful, faith, and spirit -filled life. If Scripture tells us to strive to be full of the

17:00

Holy Spirit and not to grieve the Holy Spirit, it's logical to conclude that our actions and lack of actions play a part in the same.

17:07

Scripture says repeatedly that we should be filled with the Holy Spirit. Is this going to happen by saturating our minds and hearts with occult -themed movies like Harry Potter?

17:18

The Bible also admonishes that we should not grieve the Holy Spirit. Can we grieve the

17:23

Holy Spirit without even knowing it? While God Himself is the one who fills and the one who is grieved, we certainly play a part by protecting our vessels, the very container

17:32

He wants to fill and empower. The prophet Ezekiel warned us against occult practices that can actually drive

17:39

God far away from His own sanctuary. Today, we are that sanctuary, the temple of the

17:45

Holy Spirit. The Bible says that we should have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness but rather expose them.

17:52

Psalms warns us not to set anything wicked before my eyes. Deuteronomy cautions us not to even bring abominations or detestable things into our houses but to destroy and abhor it.

18:04

Thessalonians cautions us to examine or test everything carefully, hold fast to that which is good and to abstain from every form of evil.

18:13

Leviticus 20 states, and the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits to prostitute himself with them,

18:20

I will set my face against that person and cut him off from his people and continues by saying that we should consecrate ourselves and be holy and keep

18:27

God's statutes because He is the Lord who sanctifies us. Finally, Ephesians says that we should have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather expose them.

18:39

Would Jesus watch hours of Harry Potter movies, especially given His act of ministry against demonic oppression of His day?

18:46

What should you do if you feel like you've already crossed over the line, gone too far? Fortunately, with God's power, the solution is simple.

18:55

First, expunge these movies and paraphernalia from your life and home. Next, repent, asking

19:01

God to cleanse your life and your mind, will, and emotions from these things. Next, replace these with things that are true, noble, just, pure, and lovely and meditate on these things.

19:13

Focus on setting your minds on things above, not on things on the earth, and learn to not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that you can prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

19:28

Acts 19 describes how God's Spirit convicted many who were practicing magic. They confessed their deeds and burned all their books valued at 50 ,000 silver pieces.

19:38

When I was younger, I enjoyed playing competitive paintball games. I'll never forget sharing some of my fun paintball experiences with Yvette who fought in the

19:46

Vietnam War. After trying to persuade him to come out to some of our battles, he grew quiet. Finally, he said, why would

19:53

I want to go reenact battle when I've seen the real thing? Friends, witchcraft is real.

19:59

Movies like Harry Potter make it look like fun and games. It's not. It also lures many to directly or indirectly engage in practices that are specifically forbidden in God's word and for good reason.

20:12

As Focus on the Family's Lindy Beames said, anytime the dark side of the supernatural world is presented as either harmless or even imaginary, there is the danger that children will become curious and find out too late that witchcraft is neither harmless or imaginary.

20:28

The Bible says that these things are an abomination to the Lord, so why would you want to be entertained by them?

20:33

If David said that he will set no vile thing before my eyes so he wouldn't offend the Lord, why would you want to go watch hours of movies that promote and exalt the very thing that God says is an abomination to him?

20:46

Are you a Christian student looking for answers about what the Bible teaches about creation, the fossil record, dinosaurs?

20:53

Download the Genesis Apologetics app from the iTunes or Google Play stores for answers to these questions and more.