Harry Potter and the Church

Today I was shocked to learn that some friends took their children to a birthday party, with a Harry Potter theme, being held at a Church.

It seems that in Christian circles it is now acceptable to do many things that years ago were considered taboo. My question for you and myself is; Have we strayed from the paths of righteousness or has the Church previously just been too straight laced?

Let us start with Harry Potter. Now Harry is fun to watch in the first couple of movies. There’s a cute story line and we find ourselves endeared to Harry as he tries to do the right things. But what are the right things? Do we consider magic to be right? Do we believe in magic and if we do where does that magic come from? After the first few movies the magic and themes get darker and darker and thus it becomes more evident that this may not be something that we want to be involved in.

I have several arguments against having a Harry Potter birthday party but lets start with the idea of having one in the Church building. Exodus 20:5 states that G-d is a jealous G-d. Now why do we want to bring in to the Church a spirit of something ungodly (Yes, my opinion Magic is ungodly)? When the Israelites were in the desert carrying the tabernacle around, if anyone with sin walked into the holy of holies they would immediately die. If G-d was that strict about sin, why would we want to bring even the appearance of something evil into our Church house? (I Thessalonians 5:22 tells us to abstain from the very appearance of evil) Have we learn to be a stiff neck people and decided to do what we want and not what G-d wants?

Now some of you are saying, it’s just some harmless fun. We don’t believe in magic and we just watch Harry Potter movies for entertainment and have the birthday parties for our kids and they know he is not real. Do they know that? Are we setting our children up with a seed of doubt about G-d and Magic and about what is right or wrong? Should we not steer them away from magic considering that G-d said not to suffer a witch to live (exodus 22:18)?

Let me go just a little to an extreme to explain my feeling on this matter. We are the bride of Christ. Now I personally have taken a bride to myself, a wonderful woman by the name of Crystal. Now Crystal loves me with all her heart. She treats me better than I deserve. She cares for me in so many ways and she desires me for herself and does not want to share me with anyone. Now would it be right for me to say “Well it’s my birthday and I just want to have some entertainment and a little fun, I mean no harm but I and my friends are going to the strip club for my birthday.” I can tell you Crystal is a jealous wife and what would happen after a statement about where I am going for my birthday, it wouldn’t be pretty. Remember you are G-d’s bride and you want to go to the strip club on him? Take your children to that strip club?

Now some of you may think I am going to extremes here and saying maybe it’s wrong, but it’s just a small thing. To those who would say that. My answer is read the recipe below where I just added a small wrong thing and tell me if this would be okay for you to eat after cooking? For your children to eat?

Mix together:

1/2 cup safflower oil, 1 cup white sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup unsweetened coca powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, 1/4 teaspoon black tar heroin. After mixing place in greased pan and bake at 325 for 20 to 25 minutes, let cool and eat.

Remember “a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” 1 Corinthians 5:6.