[SccHarpGirl]

I will also say that in Harry Potter, magic is NOT something that anyone can learn, as shown by the Squib, Filch. Only certain people can learn it...if you are a muggle or a squib you cannot learn magic no matter how hard you want to or try. Those who can are born with the ability to learn magic, Hogwarts only exists to teach them how to harness and control their powers that they are born with. The magic of the wizards was an "intrinsic trait", so to speak.

OK, I'm done derailing this thread

[bandgeek]

Originally Posted by Sean

What I don't get is why you started this thread and haven't come back to it for a week. If you honestly wanted opinions, discussion or to find others then you would have returned to the thread. Instead you merely posted a scripture less moral lecture, disguised as a series of questions, and left it for others to read.

If you honestly have a problem with other christians enjoying Narnia or Harry Potter or whatever else, you need to actually take their spiritual development seriously and discuss it with them instead of merely throwing up a random post in hopes of convicting a few people that have a different conviction than you. Romans 14 might make for a good read.


This is correct. We are not to be invovled in witchcraft. However, as far as I know the bible says nothing about enjoying FANTASY.

By definition, fantasy has little to do with the real world or real witchcraft. For Narnia or Harry Potter to be bad you must prove that they involve real witchcraft. And even if you do, then you STILL must prove that its sinful to read a story about real witchcraft. OR you must prove its wrong to read fantasy. I would be amazed if you could prove its wrong to do any of these things.

Further, when we take a verse in the Bible about witchcraft, WE MUST TAKE IT IN ITS ORIGINAL CONTEXT. Otherwise we're reading meaning into scripture. This is especially true with a word like "witchcraft." Our modern understanding of the terms "witchcraft" or "sorcery" or "magic" are completely tainted by 500 to 1000 year old european folklore and such. When the Jew were writing the Bible 2000 to 3000 years ago in the ancient near east they had something completely different in mind than we have. We must look to what those terms meant when they wrote the scriptures to understand these verses. So what was Moses writing about....


Deuteronomy 18:9-11 (New International Version)

Detestable Practices
9 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.

BLUE : So human sacrifise is forbidden

RED: So seeing foretune tellers is unacceptable

ORANGE: Casting actual spells is out. An example of this would be when pharaoh's magicians turned a staff into a snake. THEY ACTUALLY DID THAT. Moses wasn't talking about reading stories about boys at wizard school or talking Lions. Moses is talking about people who actually summon demon (or whatever) forces to perform actual magic. There is a big difference here..

OLIVE: So consulting the dead is out.


All four things have modern day equals. There are people in the world that still sacrifise humans. There are lots of people here in the US who look to astrology or fortune tellers to see their future. There are people who actually attempt to perform magic by summoning evil power. And there are people who attempt to talk to the dead. These are REAL things. Narnia and Harry Potter ARE NOT REAL. They are fantasy. PERIOD!

sorry. i got kicked off the computer for a week and wasn't alowed on. thanks for everyones advice and i get it now. i didn't even think anyone ever posted on this anymore untill i saw it in the most pop section on the community thing. thank you all for helping me understand. sorry if i bothered any of you.
bandgeek

ps i was taking the poll serisely but i really did get kicked off.

[Narcil]

Originally Posted by OneHope

There was Cornelius (from Prince Caspian) who attempted to use and learn magic and it worked out for good. The centaurs were all about astrology and looking at the stars to figure out the present and future. There was also the magic horn, magic bow and magic elixor that Santa gave to the children in LW&W. And usually when something bad happens because of the Witch's magic, it is not because she uses magic but because she is evil and tries to use her powers for evil.

Out of curiousity, where are the centaurs described as being astrologists? Forgive me, it's been quite a few years since the last time I read through the series.

Also, I thought that Cornelius somewhat bumbled the whole magic thing, and that Aslan basicly stated that it was something that he should not have been dabbling in. Please correct me if I'm wrong, I may be way off.

Yes, the horn, the bow and the elixor were "magical" items, but given to them by Aslan, and really having very little to do with "magic" of the White Witch's sort.

[OneHope]

Originally Posted by Narcil

Out of curiousity, where are the centaurs described as being astrologists? Forgive me, it's been quite a few years since the last time I read through the series.

I'm not sure in the first 6 books but I just read the Last Battle. At the very beginning when there is talk of Aslan returning, Roonwit the centaur visits King Tirian and tells him that it is not written in the stars that Aslan is back in Narnia or will be back soon. He says "men and beast lie, the stars do not".

Originally Posted by Narcil

Also, I thought that Cornelius somewhat bumbled the whole magic thing, and that Aslan basicly stated that it was something that he should not have been dabbling in. Please correct me if I'm wrong, I may be way off.

Yes, he did kind of bumble his magic but he still performed some magic and it did help the Narnians to achieve their victory. I can't remember if Aslan reprimanded him though.

Also, there is also the magician on the island of the monopods in the 'Voyage of the Dawn Treader'. Lucy casts two spells. One spell she uses to eavesdrop on a friend of hers and the second she uses to make the monopods visible. She is reprimanded by Aslan for the first spell but not the second. Also, the magician explains that he was put on the island by Aslan to take care of the monopods (from what I remember).


I think what it comes down to in the Narnia books is that these were gifts (one might even say spiritual gifts) that Aslan gave to the Narnians to use. You could say that Aslan gave the centaurs the ability to read the stars and then he planted messages in the stars for the Narnians.


From reading the Narnia books I get the sense that in that world magic is neither good nor bad, its how one uses the magic that makes that person good or bad.

[OzMan]

Originally Posted by bandgeek

thanks for everyones advice and i get it now. i didn't even think anyone ever posted on this anymore untill i saw it in the most pop section on the community thing. thank you all for helping me understand. sorry if i bothered any of you.
bandgeek

I'm sure you didn't bother people, bandgeek. In fact you started what I consider a really good thread! I've been impressed with the 'quality' (for want of a better word) of so many of the posts here.

We get TLWW here in Australia on Dec 26. I can't wait to see what the movie is like, and even moreso, how many lives it changes!

~ Lindsay (definitely male)