DANGEROUS HARRY POTTER

Hidden Dangers in Harry Potter


Note: Below is only a portion of Steve Wohlberg's popular little sharing book, Hidden Dangers in Harry Potter. The entire booklet may be purchased on this web site (it's only 95 cents!), or by calling (866) 862-6334. All rights reserved. No part of this manuscript may be duplicated without the Author's permission.

An Amazing Fact: The Japanese word for it is, "tsunami." Phonetic breakdown: "Tsu," meaning, "harbor or port," and "nami," meaning, "wave." Often translated: "Ocean wave," but most commonly, tidal wave.

One of the largest tsunamis swept into history May 22, 1960. Off the coast of Chile - on the western edge of South America - a 9.5 earthquake jolted earth's crust far below unsuspecting fishing boats. That deadly seismic shift resulted in a massive tsunami, with waves rising up to 100 feet, which within 15 minutes caused devastation for miles along the South American coast. That wasn't all. A gigantic, swirling ripple began rolling its way across the entire Pacific Ocean. Fifteen hours later it smashed into Hawaii. Within 22 hours, the tsunami struck Japan. The whole Pacific basin was affected, resulting in over 2,000 fatalities, half a billion dollars in damage, and over two million homeless.

Like A Rolling Tidal WaveWithin the realm of books, another tsunami of gigantic proportions is now rolling like an unstoppable tidal wave across the entire surface of Planet Earth. The name of this incredibly powerful current is composed of two simple words, Harry Potter. The facts are unbelievable.
Written by Scottish author, Joanne Kathleen Rowling - now the richest woman in England (1) - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone first splashed into bookstores in September of 1998 with an impressive first print run of 50,000 copies. The next volume (number two in a seven-part series), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, broke out in June of '99 with an initial printing of 250,000. A mere three months later (September, 1999), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban swept across Earth's surface with 500,000 copies. Yet the tsunami had just begun.

The fourth title, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (July, 2000), became "the fastest selling book in history" (2). Its initial run was 3.8 million copies, with the majority entering eager hands in only one weekend, an all-time publishing record. Believe it or not, this was easily topped by the fifth installment, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (June, 2003), which the publisher cranked out to the profitable tune of 8.5 million books. At the date of this writing, over 200 million copies have been sold worldwide (with translations in over 55 languages), with two more books still looming on the horizon. How big will this tidal wave get? Only God knows.

PottermaniaHere's a few more fast facts:

· The legendary Warner Brothers, Inc. has committed to producing seven full-length Harry Potter movies to coincide with each book. Two have been released so far, grossing about $3.8 billion (including DVD and video sales), with the next film slated to air June 2004.

· Amazon.com sold over one million DVDs of the second movie in only one day. Before the release of the fifth book, it received advance payments for 1.3 million copies. The world's largest online
bookseller, Amazon has made more money from Potter products than from any other line, ever.

· In June of 1999, Sorcerer's Stone became #1 on The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestsellers lists - at the same time. By September, book three was not only #1 on The Wall Street Journal list, but books one and two carried the #2 and #3 slots, a first in U.S. publishing history.

· Harry Potter books have not only been incorporated into the U.S. public school curriculum (with teachers manuals and discussion guides), but they have also spawned a vast, multi-million dollar line of Potter merchandise, which includes games, puzzles, posters, toys, clocks, shirts, hats, costumes, eye-glasses, towels, blankets, playing cards, markers, pens, lunch boxes, bookmarks, jelly beans, etc. etc. etc.

Get the picture? Potter Power - as a retail phenomenon and cultural force in the 21st century - is staggering.

What's it all about anyway? Why has Harry Potter become "as addicting as chocolate" (The Denver Post), especially to kids? Is it all harmless fun, or is there legitimate cause for concern among parents and educators? Beyond this, from a spiritual perspective, can humanity's all-time bestselling volume - not Harry Potter, but the Holy Bible - provide any penetrating insights into Pottermania? Let's find out.

The Harry Potter StoryIt all began on an apparently uneventful day as Rowling was traveling by train. Suddenly - like a revelation out of nowhere - she saw "very, very clearly" the crystal clear image of Harry as it popped into her mind. "The character of Harry just strolled into my head… I really did feel he was someone who walked up and introduced himself in my mind's eye" (3). She saw an odd-looking black-haired boy, on the homely side, with big spectacles. Somehow she understood he was a wizard who didn't know he was wizard. After pondering the idea, Rowling soon began writing what was destined to become "the most popular children's series ever written" (4).

Harry Potter books are a highly imaginative, can't-put-them-down sequence of fantasy novels chronicling the adventures of an orphan boy named Harry whose parents (a wizard and a witch) were brutally murdered by "the greatest Dark sorcerer of all time, Lord Voldemort" (5), when Harry was one year old. The King of the Dark Arts tried to kill baby Harry, too, but somehow the toddler survived - as a result of his mother's love - his only wound being a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. The death-curse Voldemort cast upon Harry unexplainably rebounded back on himself, stripping him of his powers, before he vanished into thin air.

Shortly after the horrible death of Harry's parents (who were much-loved in the wizard world), Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of the prestigious 1000-year-old Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, leaves baby Harry inside a basket on the doorstep of his non-magical relatives - the Dursley family - with a note in the child's hand explaining what happened. Reluctantly, the Dursleys raise the boy but withhold the contents of the letter.

On Harry's eleventh birthday (after an awful childhood during which he was forced to sleep in a cupboard under the stairs), the Dursley family is unexpectedly visited by Hagrid, the Keeper of the Keys at Hogwarts, who is sent by Headmaster Dumbledore to prepare the boy for his first semester at wizard school. To Harry's utter amazement, Hagrid tells him he is a wizard and is even famous throughout the world of witches and sorcerers because he is the only one to have ever survived an assault from "He-Who-Cannot-Be-Named." Happily packing his bags, Harry heads to Hogwarts.

Thus the plot is laid, and it intensifies with each sequential book and high-budget film. Around the globe, on every continent, millions of young readers can hardly wait for the next book as the captivating drama not only follows the development of Harry's magical abilities but moves steadily toward some sort of on-the-edge-of-your-seat, blood-curdling showdown between Harry Potter and Mr. Blackness himself who is determined to regain his power, finish Harry off, and rule over the entire wizard world.

Many Parents are ConcernedHarry Potter supporters praise the series for its ability to get a generation of twenty-first century, MTV kids to actually read books, and for its supposedly timeless insights into the classic struggle between "good and evil." The fact that witchcraft and wizardry form the framework for the entire drama is simply seen as a benign teaching device used to capture the active imaginations of children, leading to moral lessons. This is why the novels are being introduced into the U.S. public school system and why some teachers are even decorating their classrooms Hogwarts-style. Beyond this, the series is touted as good ol', harmless fun.

But is it all really harmless? If so, then why has the American Library Association ranked Harry Potter books as "the most challenged in the country," and why is it that "more parents have requested that Harry be banished from bookshelves" than any other book in U.S. history? (6). Here's the reason: Many parents are concerned about a Dark Side behind the craze. The purpose of this little book is not only to explore those concerns, but also to uncover a hidden menace behind the magic.

Problems and Muggle MessagesFirst of all, the very beginning of the Potter drama blurs the line between fantasy and reality when Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone opens with the Dursley family living in England and refers to actual places like Kent, Yorkshire, the Isle of Wight and the famous Kings Cross subway station in London (from which Harry later catches a train to Hogwarts). The Dursleys are also portrayed as real people who fight traffic jams, watch the nightly news, own computers and VCRs and are incorrigibly prejudiced against anyone who practices magic.

In contrast to the stick-in-the-mud Dursley family is Albus Dumbledore, "the greatest wizard in the world" (7), whose "blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles" (8). Albus first appears out of nowhere - by using supernatural power - as a representative of a vast and adventuresome underworld filled with hidden knowledge. Harry's life also blazes with adventure and intrigue, except when he returns from a semester at Hogwarts to spend the summer with the unimaginative Dursleys.

Here's a key point: Throughout the Potter drama there is a definite contrast made between friendly, exciting and intelligent wizards who have access to supernatural power - like Dumbledore, Harry and his friends - and stuffy, boring, unintelligent "members of the non-magical community" (9) whom all wizards refer to as Muggles. The idea being communicated to kids is: Being a wizard like Albus Dumbledore or Harry Potter is fun, cool and exciting, while being part of "the dark Muggle world" (10) and seeing through "Muggle eyes" (11) is the pits.

Are children being confused by this mingling of facts with fiction? Yes they are. Rowling herself confessed to Newsweek:
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I get letters from children addressed to Professor Dumbledore, 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 its true. (12)
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How about Harry Potter's Wizards vs. Muggles message?

The ordinary person is typified as being bad because they have no (magic) powers, and heroes are the people who are using the occult. [This] is an inversion of morality… (13)

Thus children are not only being confused by Harry Potter, but they are also reading books that turn moral standards upside down by portraying witches as wise and all non-wizards (Muggles) as stupid.

Real WitchcraftNext point: Witchcraft. It's true, Rowling's series is filled with fantastic things kids know don't exist, like fire-breathing dragons, goblins, elves and even a sporting event called Quidditch where wizard teams compete on flying broomsticks. Yet beyond the obvious fantasy, Potter books are also jam-packed with mysterious information about witches, warlocks, sorcerers, crystal balls, spells, curses, potions, charms, numerology, divination, astrology, palmistry, out-of-body travel, and communication with spirits - all of which reflect actual beliefs and practices in the real world of both ancient and modern occultism.

In fact, much of the occult information inside the Potter novels is so real that during one call-in radio interview Rowling was asked by an eager inquirer if she herself was a member of the "Craft." When she said no, the caller replied, "…you've done your homework quite well." This man then expressed his deep love for Harry Potter because it not only portrayed his own beliefs positively but also made his daughter more comfortable with his involvement in real witchcraft (14).

This cannot be overemphasized: Many of the occult practices so tantalizingly depicted in Harry Potter are actually performed by living members of the Black Arts throughout the world. Potter books are also speckled with the names of real historical people, like Nicholas Flamel (15), a French alchemist who lived in the 1300s (16), and Adalbert Waffling, whose book, Magical Theory, is on Harry's list of required reading at Hogwarts (17). Adalbert Waffling was a real person convicted of practicing real sorcery in 744-745 A.D. and was imprisoned in the monastery of Fulda (18). Thus Rowling, a graduate of mythology studies from Exeter University in England, is not only an imaginative writer, but a thorough researcher, with "an extremely well-developed and sophisticated knowledge of the occult world, its legends, history and nuances" (19). In another interview on The Diane Rehm Show, Rowling admitted that fully one-third of her material is based on actual occultism (20).

The most popular form of real occultism now spreading rapidly around the globe is Wicca witchcraft, or simply, The Craft. Its adherents literally call themselves "wiccans," "witches," or "wizards." Countless books such as The Wicca Source Book: A Complete Guide for the Modern Witch by well-known witch Gerina Dunwich (1988), or Witchcraft: Exploring the World of Wicca by Craig Hawkins (1996), explain this mysterious, real-life, growing movement. In the U.S. alone, the sale of occult books (in bookstores or online) has become a multi-million dollar industry.

What makes real witchcraft so appealing today - especially to young people from broken homes who are searching for guidance - is its claim to offer a degree of personal power, strength-to-cope, adventure and inner fulfillment not accessible to the average Joe (the uninitiated). Wicca says all of these perks come through access - via occult techniques - to supernatural powers which trained witches can "tap into." Such power supposedly comes from three primary sources: From within oneself, from nature, or from contact with the spirits of dead people. That's what Harry Potter's life is all about. He's a young wizard-in-training studying occult techniques at Hogwarts who becomes increasingly powerful through learning the arts of the "Craft."

Fiction Affects Children I know, Harry Potter is mostly fiction, but does this mean it has no effect on its readers? The truth is: Fiction is a powerful communicator of ideas which can affect human behavior. One need only think of John Bunyan's immortal classic, The Pilgrim's Progress (1684). Bunyan's book is an imaginative allegory about a young man named Christian who, upon leaving the City of Destruction, embarks on a dangerous journey toward the Celestial City (representing Heaven). En route, he encounters friends - like Prudence, Piety, Hopeful and Faithful - and subtle foes - such as Worldly Wise Man, Ignorance, Flatterer, Vain Confidence, and Giant Despair who lives in Doubting Castle.

As Christian meanders along the Narrow Way, he eventually meets a hideous, scaly fiend named Apollyon (who represents the Devil), and after a fierce fight, finally pierce its heart with his Sword (representing the Bible) delivering the death blow. Of course, The Pilgrim's Progress is also entirely fiction, yet for over 300 years it has inspired young people to turn from sin and to live upright, righteous lives by the grace of God.

Potter Fans Turning to WitchcraftHow does Harry Potter affect young people? Obviously, its impact is varied, and it's true, there are positive lessons within its pages about the struggle between good and evil, yet Robert Night of The Family Research Council warns that in the midst of the fun and magic, Harry Potter also "gives children an appetite for the occult" (21).

Here's proof: The Pagan Federation, a well-organized promoter of Wicca in England (22), finally decided to appoint a special youth officer to deal with the "flood of inquiries following the success of the Harry Potter books" (23). A British publication, This is London, reported the phenomenon in an article titled, "Potter Fans Turning to Witchcraft," in which the Federation's official media officer, Andy Norfolk, explained:
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In response to increased inquiries coming from youngsters we established a youth officer… 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 have a huge surge in calls, mostly from young girls (24).
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Kids themselves have testified how Harry Potter has drawn them toward witchcraft.
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I thought the story really made you feel like you could be a witch or a wizard. - Lily, eleven years old (25)
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I like what they learned there [at Hogwarts] and I want to be a witch. - Gioia Bishop, ten years old (26)
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From Fantasy to Dangerous RealityHere's one way a young person can transition from Harry's world into real witchcraft: Joe Teenager loves Sorcerer's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, and all the other Potter books. As Joe is increasingly hooked by Rowling's intensely dramatic story-telling abilities, the magical world of Harry Potter seems awesome compared to his unhappy, boring life in a single-parent home with an alcoholic mother and mean brother. One dark night (after another bout with Math and English), Joe quietly sits down before his refurbished Sony computer, boots up, logs onto the Net through an inexpensive dial-up connection, and types in, www.yahoo.com. In the blank field he pecks, HARRY POTTER, and clicks, "Find." As Yahoo's search engine instantaneously scours the vast world of internet cyber space, it quickly registers 4,240,000 (I just did it) Potter-related web sites to surf around in.

Of course, Joe finds Warner Brother's official site filled with fantastic images of Hogwarts and the magical world of the homely, dark-haired, orphaned wizard-boy with big spectacles (whom he can relate to). Yet in the midst of apparently harmless fun, Joe becomes curious to learn about real witches and the actual things his spell-casting hero is into. Returning to Yahoo, he types in, WITCH, which quickly registers 2,310,000 web site options. The very first site reads, "We are the right place for all your Witchcraft, Wiccan, Pagan, Occult, and ritual supplies … receive our free catalog." With a click he enters an online store with 4,000 fascinating occult products easily shipped UPS Ground Services and paid for by Visa, MasterCard or Pay Pal.

After a bit more surfing, Joe discovers other witchcraft books specifically targeting his age group, such as Teen Witch: Wicca for a New Generation by Silver Ravenwolf (Llewellyn Publications, 1998), or Spellbound: The Teenage Witch's Wiccan Handbook (Ulysses Press, 2002). One reviewer commented, "Spellbound is a great book for teens who are still unsure of the religious path they want to follow. It gives a good background of where Wicca originated, tells of ancient traditions and then gives suggestions on how teens can incorporate these ideas into their lives in the 21st century."

Hmm, Joe ponders, After thinking a few moments, he logs onto one of many online booksellers and orders a copy of Teen Witch which he can informatively read along side of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. After finishing Teen Witch, Joe surfs a bit more. Soon he discovers one of many online "Simple Steps to Becoming a Witch" study courses claiming to offer him supernatural power to cope with his unahppy life, deal with his mother's alcoholism, cast a spell on his nasty brother, and even entice a girl he may like. He chooses one, zips through it, and soon becomes a real initiate, thus joining thousands of other curious and unhappy teenagers intrigued by the idea of becoming powerful wizards-in-training, just like their hero, Harry Potter.

Richard Abanes, author of Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace behind the Magick, warns:
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Ultimately, only a short distance needs to be covered in order to cross over from Harry's world into the realm of real occultism (27).
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Linda Beam with Focus on the Family echoes a similar concern:
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Any time the dark side of the supernatural world is presented as harmless or even imaginary, there is the danger that children will become curious and find out too late that witchcraft is neither harmless nor imaginary (28).
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What Does the Bible Say?It's time to shift into the sobering reality of what the Bible literally says about "wizards," "witchcraft," and "sorcery." Unlike the Potter series, it describes no battle between good and bad wizards; between practitioners of "white magic" (Albus Dumbledore or Harry Potter) and those who have yielded to the "dark side" (Lord Voldemort). And all "non-magical folks" are certainly not classified as Muggles. Yet there is a real Dark Side created by a non-fictitious Sinister One - a being vastly more wicked than "He-Who-Cannot-Be-Named."

The exact word, "Wicca," is not in the Bible, but there are many references to "witches," "wizards," "witchcraft," and "sorcery." It seems the "Craft" has been around for centuries, and even in Bible days there were witches and wizards living near the Israelites. Are any of these occult practitioners presented as wise, insightful adventurers like Albus Dumbledore whose "blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles"? Far from it!

Here's a brief survey of just a few Old Testament passages:
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You shall not permit a sorcerer to live (Exodus 22:18).
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Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God (Leviticus 19:31, KJV).
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A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them (Leviticus 20:27, KJV).
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Now for the New Testament:
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Now the works of the flesh are evident … sorcery … those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21).
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These are from "Revelation," God's last book at the end of the Bible:
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But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Revelation 21:8).
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But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie (Revelation 22:15)
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There's no getting around it, God's Word categorically condemns sorcery and witchcraft in the strongest language possible. In the Old Testament, all witches were to suffer the death penalty. The New Testament says they will "not inherit the kingdom of God." In Revelation, sorcery does not lead to an exciting life of fantastic adventures through accessing supernatural powers unavailable to Muggles, but to an infernal place in "the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." And again, the Bible doesn't differentiate between white and dark magic. In Scripture, even Hogwarts itself leads to hell.

Why are sorcery and witchcraft so bad anyway? Is God the ultimate Muggle-in-the-Sky who enjoys preventing us from learning the secrets of the universe and from having fun? Not at all! Rather, He is the Supreme Lover of our souls who sees hidden dangers beneath the magic. The Bible condemns sorcery because God wants to protect us from real Dark Forces led by a very real - yet invisible - being whose power, cunning and expertise in deception make Lord Voldemort look like a mini-action figure on a Toys "R" Us shelf (which is all he is anyway).

You may order the complete book, Hidden Dangers in Harry Potter, on this web site, or by calling (866) 862-6334.

Endnotes:

(1) Time Magazine, June 23, 2003, p. 67
(2) Newsweek, June 30, 2003, p. 52.
(3) Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace Behind the Magick, by Richard Abanes. Horizon Books (2001), p. 21. J.K. Rowling, quoted in Reuters, "Harry Potter 'Strolled into My Head,'" July 17, 2000.
(4) Time Magazine, June 23, 2003, p. 63
(5) Chamber of Secrets, p. 4
(6) Time Magazine, June 23, 2003, p. 63
(7) Chamber of Secrets, p. 314
(8) Sorcerer's Stone, p. 8
(9) Chamber of Secrets, p. 341
(10) Prisoner of Azkaban, p. 31.
(11) Chamber of Secrets, p. 150
(12) Malcolm Jones, "The Return of Harry Potter!," Newsweek (Online), July 1, 2000, 4. Quoted by Abanes, p. 124.
(13) Robert Frisken of Christian Community Schools Ltd in Australia, quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald, March 27, 2001.
(14) WMUR interview J.K. Rowling, Oct. 12, 1999, available at www.wbur.org. Quoted by Abanes, p. 24.
(15) Sorcerer's Stone, p. 193
(16) Maurice Magree, Magicians, Seers, and Mystics, (Kessinger Publications, 1997; transl. Reginald Merton, available at www.alchemylab.com).
(17) Sorcerer's Stone, p. 66.
(18) Leslie A. Shepard's, Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, Detroit: Gale Research, 1991, Ch. 1, pp. 6-7.
(19) Abanes, p. 24
(20) Rowling interview on The Diane Rehm Show, WAMU, National Public Radio, October 20, 1999, available at www.wamu.org.
(21) Robert Night, quoted in Deidre Donahue, "Are Parents Pushing 'Potter' on the Young," Tulsa World, June 20, 2000; cf. USA Today article of the same title, available at www.northernlight.com.
(22) See www.paganfed.demon.co.uk
(23) Reported in This is London, in an article entitled, "Potter Fans Turning to Witchcraft," August 4, 2000, available at www.thisislondon.co.uk. Referenced from Abanes, p. 66.
(24) Andy Norfolk, quoted in This is London (ibid).
(25) Lily, "Reader Comments," http://hosted.ukoln.ac.uk/stories/gallery/reviews/rowling/rowling-stone.htm.
(26) Letters to the Editor, "What Readers Think about 'Goblet," San Francisco Chronicle, July 26, 2000, available at sfgate.com.
(27) Abanes, p. 173.
(28) Linda Beam, in an article entitled, "Exploring Harry Potter's World," Teachers in Focus, Dec. 1999, available at www.focusonthefamily.org

Other fascinating books by Steve Wohlberg
The Left Behind Deception

Exploding the Israel Deception

The Antichrist Chronicles
End Time Delusions

Will my pet go to Heaven?

Source: http/www.endtimeinsights.com/site/v2_3/content/view/46/63/