Trying to buy the UK Harry Potter ebooks

Started by Bernadette, September 10, 2018, 09:21:38 PM

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Bernadette

My Lord and my God.

GloriaPatri

Tbh, I disliked Umbridge much more than Voldemort. I mean, he's evil but he's also obviously evil. Umbridge is evil covered up in a faux-sweet disposition and a belief in extreme governmental order.

Bernadette

Oh, I disliked Umbridge, too. She was sickening.
My Lord and my God.

Daniel

#18
If anyone wants further information on why Harry Potter is "evil", I'd suggest reading Harry Potter and the Paganization of Culture. The author O'Brien makes some good points, though I would say that some of his points fall into the realm of opinion.

Here's a brief summary of some of the topics in his book (not an exhaustive list):

1.) The cosmology found in Harry Potter is inherently dualistic/gnostic. (Star Wars is also dualistic/gnostic.) O'Brien does a good job explaining what this means exactly, and why it's problematic.

2.) The Harry Potter books contain some satanic symbolism and a lot of inverted Christian symbolism (symbols which traditionally mean one thing have had their meanings switched around to mean something else). O'Brien says that this is dangerous because it weakens the reader's symbolic literacy and it subliminally distorts the reader's perception of the spiritual realities which the symbols signify. I'd take what he's saying here with a grain of salt, but it may have some truth in it.

3.) Harry Potter is based in "values" instead of "virtues", and in relativistic ethics. There's a lot of good stuff in Harry Potter, but there's also quite a lot of bad stuff as well. This is why it's so controversial: some people say kids should read it, since it teaches good values, but other people say kids shouldn't read it, since it's basically the spiritual equivalent to eating good food which has been tainted with poison. O'Brien takes the latter stance and says that kids simply shouldn't read this sort of literature (though they can read Tolkien and Lewis and traditional fairy tales which don't have this problem).

4.) Harry Potter uses rhetorical techniques to encourage the reader to feel a sense of satisfaction whenever Harry gets revenge (not justice but revenge... and sometimes that revenge is pretty violent). And this is problematic (especially in children) because it subliminally enters into the person's experiential memory. If revenge makes him feel good, (even if it's in fiction,) he begins to lose the sense that revenge is wrong.

5.) There is one scene in Harry Potter (the mandrake root which looks like a human infant but which must be chopped up to make a certain potion) which O'Brien thinks can subliminally weaken a child's sense that abortion is wrong, and there's one scene (Snape kills Dumbledore) which promotes the idea of "mercy killing". I think O'Brien is going a little too far with the first example, but I definitely agree with him on the second example. (It goes right back to the subjectivistic ethics (#3 above). Too many antiheroes and "the end justifies the means"... not enough true heroes and real ethics.)

6.) The way magic is portrayed in Harry Potter is far too close to real-world wicca. This goes back to the whole thing about the dualistic philosophy (#1 above) and also the subjectivist ethics (#3): wiccans believe that magic is not objectively evil but that there's good magic (white magic) and bad magic (black magic), and that it is the witch's intention which determines whether the particular use of magic is good or bad. Magic in Harry Potter works in pretty much the same way. Harry uses many of the same spells as the Death Eaters, yet when Harry uses them they're good but when the bad guys use them then they're bad. Harry has even on occasion used the three unforgivable curses as a means to a good end. This depiction of magic is entirely different than the way magic is depicted in Tolkien or Lewis (in which the bad guys use a different kind of magic than the good guys, and in which the magic of the bad guys signifies the preternatural while the magic of the good guys signifies grace. Traditional fairy tales are the same... two distinct kinds of magic: the evil magic signifying real-world/occult magic; the good magic signifying grace). Also, Tolkien and Lewis include warnings against the occult.

Heinrich

Thanks, Daniel. When exorcists say not to read Harry Potter, that should be good enough for everyone. Some people think they know better.
Schaff Recht mir Gott und führe meine Sache gegen ein unheiliges Volk . . .   .                          
Lex Orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi.
"Die Welt sucht nach Ehre, Ansehen, Reichtum, Vergnügen; die Heiligen aber suchen Demütigung, Verachtung, Armut, Abtötung und Buße." --Ausschnitt von der Geschichte des Lebens St. Bennos.

Graham

 if someone writes a story about a gang of active pedophiles but it's set in a universe where pedophilia is morally good, is that also ok to read

Gardener

"If anyone does not wish to have Mary Immaculate for his Mother, he will not have Christ for his Brother." - St. Maximilian Kolbe

Elizabeth

Quote from: Heinrich on September 11, 2018, 10:44:01 AM
My pastor reaffirmed just this past Sunday the evil nature of Harry Potter and the inspirations the author used to write. Stay away.
I couldn't agree more.

TheReturnofLive

#23
Quote from: martin88nyc on September 10, 2018, 10:19:05 PM
This is a comment to a video from sensum fidelium youtube channel" "Fr Chad Ripperger in one of his excellent talks said that J K Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, wrote them under the influence of the occult practice of automatic writing . Fr Ripperger screenshotted her admittance of this fact which she later removed. Truly, the source of the Harry Potter books is Hell. For anyone with these books in their house burn them and tell others to do the same.?"

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGNaruEYOE0[/yt]

I've decided to watch this, and I don't mean to be disrespectful to Fr. Ripperger, but I think he's wrong in many of the points he brings up.

As someone who has read the Harry Potter books once and has, for Christian apologetic purposes, only briefly looked into some of the sources of the Occult - and I could be wrong, I don't have a Theology degree and haven't actually dealt with exorcism or have dealt with the Occult in any real spiritual way -

but about 75% of the spells used in Harry Potter are just Latin words that mean what the spell does.

Like the spell for summoning a protector - "Expecto Patronum" - is just "I expect my guardian"
Or "accio" - which summons an object - "I summon"
Or "protego" - "I protect"

The rest seem to be just parodies of well known pop-culture spells like "Avada Kadavra" (which is just a play on "Abba Kadabra") or just Latin sounding words ("Expelliarmus" - to disarm).

He's the exorcist - and while it may be possible that some phrases might have been clipped from some Satanic or Occultic rituals that parody Roman Catholicism (hence the Latin), I don't see any evidence of this whatsoever.

And let's assume that it is - how could just the mention of a Latin word used in such a ritual be equivalent to the ritual itself?

From what I can gather, and this is from books that I was exposed to as a kid that I would deem far more dangerous that can get kids into the Occult ("The Wizardology Handbook"), from reading about the Gnostic Catholic Church online, reading about Wicca and Magick, and reading Medieval descriptions of Black Masses and other similar rituals, "spells" are way more elaborate and ritualistic than simply muttering one to two Latin words, and can involve physical movements / actions, body fluids, animals, candles, idols, etc.

Furthermore, how is it possible for someone to be possessed if they do not have a conscious will to be possessed? From what I understand, possession is the complete giving up of the will to a demon - how can someone do that on a spiritual level if they have no intention to do that? How can you get possessed then by reading Harry Potter, if you have no intention of actually trying to use the magic?

I think the only danger that come from Harry Potter is the same kind of danger that can come from kids reading about Egyptian Mythology or wanting to cook food - some percentage I think will invariably get carried away and go way above just being interested in it to something spiritually dangerous. Some kids will want to learn about the magic behind Egyptian rituals and want to get involved, some kids will become gluttonous and fat and obsess over food - and some kids will just go overboard with interest in wizardry and as a parent, you have to stop them.

If your priest tells you to stay away - good. He's the Priest, you should obey him.

But in my personal opinion, Fr. Ripperger is way off on this one, and I don't agree with his reasoning why
"The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but irrigate deserts." - C.S. Lewis

Maximilian

Quote from: TheReturnofLive on March 19, 2019, 07:26:29 PM

Furthermore, how is it possible for someone to be possessed if they do not have a conscious will to be possessed? From what I understand, possession is the complete giving up of the will to a demon - how can someone do that on a spiritual level if they have no intention to do that?

If your knowledge of the other subjects you discuss is as lacking as your knowledge of demonic possession, then perhaps it's best if you avoid such subjects.

Fr. Ripperger, in contrast, is a qualified professional in the area of demonic possession.  To argue with him in his own field, a field in which he is a world-renowned expert, can only result in embarrassment.

As Fr. Ripperger points out in his video on "Intellectual Pride" recently posted here at SD:

https://www.suscipedomine.com/forum/index.php?topic=21503.0

TheReturnofLive

Quote from: Maximilian on March 19, 2019, 07:55:58 PM
Quote from: TheReturnofLive on March 19, 2019, 07:26:29 PM

Furthermore, how is it possible for someone to be possessed if they do not have a conscious will to be possessed? From what I understand, possession is the complete giving up of the will to a demon - how can someone do that on a spiritual level if they have no intention to do that?

If your knowledge of the other subjects you discuss is as lacking as your knowledge of demonic possession, then perhaps it's best if you avoid such subjects.

Fr. Ripperger, in contrast, is a qualified professional in the area of demonic possession.  To argue with him in his own field, a field in which he is a world-renowned expert, can only result in embarrassment.

As Fr. Ripperger points out in his video on "Intellectual Pride" recently posted here at SD:

https://www.suscipedomine.com/forum/index.php?topic=21503.0

Well congratulations, you put me in a rhetorical deadlock.

The moment that I say that I have any amount of adequate knowledge for any other field, you will just accuse me of being intellectually prideful.

The moment I show any amount of self depreciation - warranted or unwarranted - you will seize that opportunity to make me look like an idiot.


I've already stated where my thoughts come from on this field - having read the Harry Potter books - and how qualified I am in terms of the content that I have engaged myself in. Take it or leave it.

Also, an appeal to authority argument isn't the best one.

Authorities can be wrong - for instance, I remember listening to Father Hesse, and although he had a Doctorate Thomistic Theology Degree, his knowledge on the 1st Millennium Ecumenical Councils is staggeringly erroneous - he said that the Pope of Rome attended all of the first 7 Ecumenical Councils except a couple of them (which isn't true - he didn't attend a single one, cause they were all in the East - he sent a Legate to most of them), he said that Pope Honorius was cast into the Tiber (he's conflating Pope Honorius with Pope Formosus - the former was only posthumously anathematized by the 6th Ecumenical Council, the latter was judged posthumously by the then-reigning Pope and then thrown into the Tiber), and he said that Pope Liberius wasn't a Saint (although he's been recognized as a Saint by the Church Fathers according to Denzinger and is a Saint in the Eastern Churches).

Let's rephrase that argument.

"Richard Dawkins, in contrast, is a qualified professional in the area of biology. To argue with him in his own field, a field in which he is a world-renowned expert, can only result in embarrassment."
"The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but irrigate deserts." - C.S. Lewis

Maximilian

Quote from: TheReturnofLive on March 19, 2019, 08:31:22 PM

Let's rephrase that argument.

"Richard Dawkins, in contrast, is a qualified professional in the area of biology. To argue with him in his own field, a field in which he is a world-renowned expert, can only result in embarrassment."

Richard Dawkins is a world-renowned expert in the field of biology. That is still a fact even if we believe he is wrong about some things like evolution. If I know nothing about biology, then I will only embarrass myself by arguing with him in public. Rather than help my cause, it will only discredit my position.

Fortunately, there are also world-renowned biologists like Michael Behe on my side. Rather than embarrass myself, I can simply post what they have to say. Then it's an apples-to-apples comparison between the views of Richard Dawkins and the views of Michael Behe.

In this instance, what you would need is a well-known, qualified, experienced exorcist who disagrees with Fr. Ripperger and states that reading Harry Potter books is harmless and couldn't possibly be a contributing cause to demonic influence on children.

If you find someone like that, then please post it.

TheReturnofLive

#27
Quote from: Maximilian on March 20, 2019, 08:12:44 AM
Quote from: TheReturnofLive on March 19, 2019, 08:31:22 PM

Let's rephrase that argument.

"Richard Dawkins, in contrast, is a qualified professional in the area of biology. To argue with him in his own field, a field in which he is a world-renowned expert, can only result in embarrassment."

Richard Dawkins is a world-renowned expert in the field of biology. That is still a fact even if we believe he is wrong about some things like evolution. If I know nothing about biology, then I will only embarrass myself by arguing with him in public. Rather than help my cause, it will only discredit my position.

Fortunately, there are also world-renowned biologists like Michael Behe on my side. Rather than embarrass myself, I can simply post what they have to say. Then it's an apples-to-apples comparison between the views of Richard Dawkins and the views of Michael Behe.

In this instance, what you would need is a well-known, qualified, experienced exorcist who disagrees with Fr. Ripperger and states that reading Harry Potter books is harmless and couldn't possibly be a contributing cause to demonic influence on children.

If you find someone like that, then please post it.

What makes someone a "qualified" and "experienced" exorcist?

This guy?


These people?


This guy?



Richard Dawkins and Michael Behe have PhD's - academic accreditation - for biology.

Yes, Fr. Ripperger has a PhD of Philosophy, but that's not a qualification for exorcism.

I firmly believe in demonic possession and the need for exorcism by trained professionals.

But I also firmly believe that Evangelical Protestantism - like it usually does - has created sects with an overly emphasized aspect of the Church that is so over emphasized that it's completely disconnected from the practice of the Church and the reality we live in. Much like "Speaking in Tongues", "Deliverance Ministries" have ridiculously claimed that any mention of magic is Satanic, liturgical practice is Satanic, that Disney is Satanic, that Super Heroes are Satanic, that C.S. Lewis is Satanic, etc. etc., and believe that demonic possession can occur due to innocuous activities like Liturgy or playing Magic the Gathering or Reading Harry Potter.

And Evangelical Protestantism, in part due to contact over time with Catholics, and in part due to Vatican II allowing Catholic versions of Protestant theological movements and ideas (the Charismatic Movement for example) to an extent, I believe these completely foreign practices have tainted Catholicism in how it views Exorcism compared to how the Church has viewed Exorcism in the past, and have even tainted some Exorcists in how they view how the Devil works in the world in terms of the Occult, witchcraft, etc.

Can you find me a Church Father that says reading Greek Mythology will get you possessed by Satan? What about reading Near Eastern Mythology? Egyptian Mythology?

According to his Confession, if memory serves correctly, Saint Augustine read Greek Mythology in his education, but he was off-put by the hedonic characters of the narratives.
"The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but irrigate deserts." - C.S. Lewis

TheReturnofLive

Again, don't listen to me - if your Priest tells you to stay away from Harry Potter, obey him.

But I don't think that Harry Potter leads to possession in of itself.
"The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but irrigate deserts." - C.S. Lewis

Kreuzritter

Anyone who claims the Harry Potter books are some kind of witchcraft training manual or contain real spellcasting, demonic names or occult philosophy doesn't know what he's talking about and is either duping or duped. I say this from a position of two decades of study and involvement in these things, that it's clear as day that Rowling does not understand anything about the subject and presents only a bookish caricature of the most superficial and passing sort.

Other criticisms stand.