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What do you think of
the Harry Potter and Tolkien fantasy books?
 n our fundamental psychology,
fantasy experiences constantly run through our minds, so it’s only natural
that writers would consciously create fantasy stories for entertainment. For
Christians, though, it is important to recognize the ways in which fantasy
entertainment can surreptitiously undermine the Christian faith and lead us
into unconscious sin.
The Harry
Potter Books
It may seem on the surface
that the Harry Potter books offer only “harmless”
entertainment.
But magic and sorcery have no place in Christianity. Far from being based in the
true Mystery of Christ’s Body and Blood, occult mysteries are based on the premise
that what you know will give you power to control
affairs of the world; the occult rejects all faith in Jesus the Christ (Christ
means “the Anointed,” that is, the Messiah) who will lead us to God the Father if we
live our lives so as to reject sin and to bear
fruit according to His commandments of
love. In fact, the fantasy emphasis on self-serving power
contradicts basic Christian values of humility
and self-surrender to God. So how can anyone—especially
children— learn to value sacrifice and prayer when
their heads are filled with fantasies of using magic to get what they want?
Such books really have no legitimate
place in a Catholic family—except, perhaps, to illustrate the extent
to which our culture in general, which thrives on anti-Christian
lore, is a breeding ground for lust, hatred, power, and revenge.
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If you want to entertain
yourself by playing with fantasy demons, go ahead; do what you want. To borrow from
an old Beach Boys song, you’ll have fun, fun, fun until real
demons take your soul away. |
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The Tolkien Books and Movies
J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit,
and the Lord of the Rings books, are, well, a different story, literally. Tolkien
was raised in the Roman Catholic tradition, and he attempted in his fantasy writings to
convey some sense of underlying Christian values.
But, ultimately, he really wasn’t
successful, because, if he were, then readers of his books would be flocking to the Church
saying, “Well, we’ve seen the faint imitation, now we want the real thing.”
So, why aren’t Tolkien’s
readers flocking to the Church? Well, they never get past the allure of the fantasy
structure of Tolkien’s writing. Tolkien’s fantasy world was ordered according to Tolkien’s
self-created mythology that had nothing to do with God the Father as Creator of
Heaven and earth. Therefore, most readers get stuck in the romantic appeal of the
Elves’ magic and “natural” purity, or they become fascinated
with the grandeur and power of the sorcerers. Nowhere in the books is there any
mention of God, or religion, or prayer. In the fantasy world that Tolkien created, magic ruled
everything.
For example, in the Lord of the Rings
books, the noble journey of Frodo to Mount Doom, which is supported all along the way by the
Elves’ magic and the sorcerers’ protection, is brought to completion not
by self-sacrificial love but by a final act of blundering, vengeful hatred. Frodo’s journey
to destroy the magic ring is just one step to aid a broader battle of magical powers than a
gripping metaphor for Christ’s journey to the Cross.
The Movies
The movies made from Tolkien’s books are a
matter of deeper psychological and spiritual subversion than found in the books themselves.
The first movie series, the Lord of the Rings, distorted the books by removing
their noble poetic aspirations so as to make them into an action movie intended
to satisfy a mindless thirst for action, adventure, and violence. A newer movie,
The Rings of Power, is based on the Lord of the Rings story and is really
just a politically correct WOKE adaptation of Tolkien meant to appease young minds that
have been brainwashed with liberal social delusions.
The Moral Failure
So, in the end, fantasy
literature such as Tolkien’s must encounter its own conceptual failure: it’s just
not possible to use glamour, power, and magic to convey the deep meaning of
humility and
self-surrender to God.
Furthermore, fantasy literature that
values magic, sorcery, and witchcraft for their own sake gives the false impression that
magical powers are “good,” when really they are diabolical forces of evil. Even children’s
stories that portray witches as endearingly “kind” are seducing children to play with
fire—hell fire.
Putting Away Childish
Things
Nevertheless, some fantasy literature
does have some value. All children need toys and playful fantasy, such as traditional
fairy tales, in order to develop a sense of social functioning; but eventually, as Saint
Paul said, there comes a time to put away childish things and take up the
cross.
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Many of those
who had become believers came forward and openly acknowledged their former
practices. Moreover, a large number of those who had practiced magic collected
their books and burned them in public. They calculated their value and found
it to be fifty thousand silver pieces. Thus did the word of the Lord continue
to spread with influence and power. |
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—Acts 19:18-20 |
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What the
Catechism of the Catholic Church says:
2116 All
forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring
up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to “unveil” the
future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of
omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all
conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis,
other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They
contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.
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