Harry Potter? Are witnesses told not to read it????

annalice

I have not been to a meeting for some years now so I would not know if it has been said ,but have the witnesses actually been told straight out NOT to read the Harry Potter books? I ask this because my in-laws have seen me reading them and now think I am into evil stuff because I have them . So is it just them or is this what is now taught in the orginization? And if so are they also not allowed to read or watch the Wizard of Oz? since this has witches and magic in it also and so does almost every fairy tale and Disney movie. so are all of these banned? I mean if Harry Potter is banned should not all of these other stories be also? How do they argue on this point?

pratt1

They are strongly encouraged not to read or see anything to do with Harry Potter.

I made the mistake of suggesting buying the DVD for my Godson whose parents are Dubs. The had a fit.

The Lord of the Rings is also forbidden.

Nellie

They are told straight out not to read or watch or listen to anything that has mystical, magical or supernatural themes.

When I was "in" that meant, I didn't let my children read Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or even Snow White. Funny, I let them watch Wizard of Oz, Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast - but not without some hesitation. I knew many who disagreed with my husband and I loving Star Trek - they disagreed with the idea that God could have created life on other planets.

P.S. We now own them all !

undercover

I don't know of anything in print forbidding the reading of HP...the WTS is careful these days to not name names when condemning things, they just lump a lot of things into categories.

But...I do know that in some congregations there has been mention of avoiding the HP books and movies, sometimes from the platform but usually it is done through peer pressure.

As for LOTR however, I have not heard of pressure to not read or watch. In fact, I know several JWs who were excited about the movies coming out and went to see them at the theater.

Of course, when it comes to these type things, it comes down to each congregation and how conservative its members and elders are. One congregation may not have issues with LOTR, while a congregation across town may have an uptight elder who sees Satan in everything and makes sure that the "friends" are warned to avoid it. But for the most part poor ole 'Arry Potter has been shunned by most JWs.

I had JW relatives visiting and staying with us and I remember watching an HP movie on HBO and one JW relative made a huff about it and left the room and refused to come through the room while the movie was on.

blondie

The last time the WTS trashed movies by name in print it was ET and Star Wars. Since then, they do it by word of mouth through talks by the COs, DOs, and elders. Somethings individual JWs even talk it farther. When many elders visit, they will check what videos, dvds, and cds you have and if they are "approved." Lock them up.

Blondie

*** g84 1/22 p. 29 Watching the World ***

A New "Theology"?

Whatever else the proliferation of science-fiction movies is doing, it may be changing the image of God in the minds of some of today’s youth. "The grandfather and father images of God don’t do anything for me," explains a 17-year-old, quoted in the newspaper USAToday. "God is more of a spirit, like The Force in StarWars and TheReturnoftheJedi."

Some clergymen apparently are capitalizing on the fad. "These new movies are good because they’re symbolic of a transcendent being and the power of God in life today," says a Baptist Church official. "We utilize these themes from these movies in our teaching." And a rabbi, who sees the trend as "a revival of theology under a different name: E.T.,StarWars,WarGames,Superman, whatever," claims that "theology is so important it is best not left solely to churches and synagogues." Does this mean it should be left to science-fiction movie producers?

*** g83 7/8 p. 27 Christ or E.T.? ***

E.T.—The

Extra-Terrestrial burst on the scene in the United States this past summer, attracting theater audiences in record numbers. In only six weeks it grossed nearly $150 million. With spin-offs in E.T. dolls, toys and other merchandise—as well as the movie’s release in other parts of the world—it is estimated the public could spend a whopping $1 billion on E.T. Why the E.T. fever?

The movie depicts an ungainly 3-foot (90-cm)-high creature from space, stranded on earth, who befriends a ten-year-old boy named Elliott. E.T.’s friendliness and benign powers, such as healing the boy’s cut finger and bringing flowers to life, win the affection of Elliott and his family. Sadly, a wasting illness appears to take the creature’s life. But when he is inexplicably "resurrected" before Elliott’s eyes audiences cheer. His touching good-bye, when E.T.’s alien friends take him home, leaves hardly a dry eye in the theater.

Interestingly, many have noted parallels in the story to that of the life of Jesus Christ. Said Professor Albert E. Millar, Jr.: "I think the thing that struck me most was the idea of the capacity to heal, and then when E.T. died and was resurrected." We have in E.T., then, an enchanting Messiahlike figure that gives momentary emotional release to our need for a true friend with powers greater than ours. Therein lies the movie’s great appeal.

Despite its seemingly Christian message, however, the movie subtly condones youthful misbehavior. In an early scene we find youths playing "Dungeons and Dragons" in a smoke-filled room with a lighted cigarette on the table. Later on, when E.T. gets drunk sampling beer, and Elliott in telepathic sympathy feels the effects, it is all portrayed as something cute. Further, some of the language used by these children is gross profanity. This, along with the supernatural aspects of the movie, has bothered many Christians.

Whether parents or their children see this movie is, of course, a matter of personal choice. But because of the movie’s great popularity, let us not forget that it becomes an effective vehicle for sugarcoating youthful conduct that is definitely wrong.

E.T.

may be a skillfully constructed and highly entertaining movie. But it provides no substitute for our True Friend, Jesus Christ, who saves us from this dying, wicked world. After all, E.T. is make-believe. Christ is reality.

Tristram

As for LOTR however, I have not heard of pressure to not read or watch. In fact, I know several JWs who were excited about the movies coming out and went to see them at the theater.

Ditto for this area. Many JW's were at the LOTR movie's on opening night and are avid fans of the books. I personally preferred the Harry Potter movies, which were incongruously labeled "demonic" by the LOTR fans. Go figure.

SirNose586

Ditto for this area. Many JW's were at the LOTR movie's on opening night and are avid fans of the books. I personally preferred the Harry Potter movies, which were incongruously labeled "demonic" by the LOTR fans. Go figure.

Wow! So, in LoTR you have a massive army of evil orcs, bred with uncanny dark magic, led by evil wizards and a HUGELY evil eye...

Wow. Just wow...and yet, HP is demonic.

I remember this topic in another thread. I think it came down to the fact that HP's magic was practiced by humans in the "primary world," whereas everything in LoTR was fantasy...

It's all just the pot calling the kettle black.

stillajwexelder

Yes - books and films banned at our Kingdom Hall

blondie

I was told LOTR was okay because the humans did not practice magic...................I wonder what brain thought that up?

betterdaze

Nellie said: ***They are told straight out not to read or watch or listen to anything that has mystical, magical or supernatural themes.***

This should include the Watchtower publications and videos. The mystical magicians in Brooklyn interpret and predict supernatural themes that cannot be proved!

~Sue

Harry Potter? Are witnesses told not to read it????

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