I have no idea why someone uploaded a video of how to close a door. Most of us already know how to close a door. But do we know how to shut the door on Satan? Halloween is a time when many find it amusing to dress up their kids as witches and ghosts. But as Christians, should we find these representations of evil and spirits of the dead a source of entertainment? The answer seems clear in Scripture. There are a number of references indicating God’s displeasure with occult practices. One clear reference is Deuteronomy 18:10-12. It says, “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, or casts spell, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you.”

What is a Sorcerer?

According to Google’s dictionary,  a “sorcerer” is “one who claims to have magical powers.” One of the synonyms for “sorcerer” is “witch.” Sorcery is not something to take lightly. Revelation 21:8 lists sorcerers among those who will burn in the lake of fire (hell). Being a sorcerer or consulting one is one of the lifestyle choices that must be forsaken if anyone wants to repent and turn to God. (The New International Version of the Bible uses the term “those who practice magic arts” instead of “sorcery.” This, of course, is not the-hands-are-quicker-than-the-eye type of magic, but magic involving spiritual powers.) Other terms not so commonly used that we will find in certain versions of the Scripture are “necromancers” and “divination.”  Merriam-Webster tells us that “necromancy” is “conjuration of the spirits of the dead.” Google’s dictionary defines “divination” as “seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means.” If we are not getting our supernatural guidance from God, the only other supernatural source is Satan and his demons. At truthaboutdeath.com, there is an explanation that I believe is a consensus of many Christians. When you try to talk to the dead, you are really communicating with demons impersonating that person.

Why is God so angered by occult practices? Isaiah 8:19 says, “should not a people inquire of their God?” Asking for guidance from another source is a slap in the face to the only true God, who created us and is the only reliable source of knowledge and wisdom. And He will not deceive us.

Enter Harry Potter

Another Halloween costume parents may decide to use to dress up their kids these days is that of the young wizard of “Hogwarts School,” Harry Potter. The first book in the Harry Potter series was released in 1997, and they have taken the world by storm. According to Wikipedia, more than 500 million copies of the Harry Potter books have been sold around the world. That makes them “the best-selling book series in history.” Author J. K. Rowling states that the main theme is death. Some other top themes are “prejudice, corruption, and madness.” The film series begotten by the books is said to be “the third highest-grossing film series of all time as of February 2018.”

To Read or not to Read

I know there are lots of Christians who would disagree with me, but I believe that God must be very displeased with seeing children around the world—and especially Christian children—reading Harry Potter books and watching the movies.  Many parents feel that the Harry Potter books are a great boon for getting children interested in reading.  If your child were reading pornographic books, would you applaud the fact that they kept their attention and encouraged them to read? (I’m not certain if I thought of this illustration on my own. I later saw the same thought in a couple of articles as I re-studied some articles I had read much earlier.)

That comparison may seem ridiculous, but “sexual immorality” and “those who practice magic arts” are lifestyle sins listed side by side in Revelation 21:8 [NIV wording]. The Bible clearly says in Deuteronomy 18:10-12 that God “detests” occult practices. Some of the synonyms for “detest” at Thesaurus.com are “abhor, despise, and loathe.” Could God possibly be smiling down as He watches children—and even adults—thoroughly enjoying stories of the adventures of a young wizard and other characters performing occult activities? Since I cannot even imagine that, I cannot change my strong conviction that the books are the wrong choice for reading material.

There are other arguments as to why some feel that the Harry Potter books have value for Christians. According to learnreligion.com, some Christian parents see no danger in the Harry Potter series because it portrays a fantasy world. Some think the books have value in pointing out that good and evil are not always obvious. Some feel the characters teach loyalty, courage, and friendship. According to Wikipedia, J. K. Rowling herself states that the books contain Christian morals.  Some see Christian allegories, such as in The Chamber of Secrets when Harry descends to an underworld and is rescued from death by his faith in Dumbledore. I am aware that one of Satan’s favorite tricks is to mix some truth into his deceptions to make his victims more susceptible to falling for the deceptions. Despite standing up for her books’ moral teachings and allegories of the Christian faith, Ms. Rowling’s answers to questions about her own faith seem to waver constantly. Speaking to an interviewer from a Spanish newspaper in 2008, she said that she lives “in a state of spiritual flux.” Some feel the books provide a reason for discussion between parents and children. In light of God’s strong displeasure with the occult, I feel there surely must be better vehicles for delivering the positive aspects that Christian parents desire. Though some Christians feel the books belong in the category of debatable issues, I seem to find it impossible to place them in that category.

One argument I have heard in defense of the Harry Potter series is that it shows magic can be used for good or evil. For me, that’s precisely one of the best arguments against them. There is no such thing as good magic. The idea of good witches, etc., is misleading.  Any time you give credence to a power other than God, it is an insult to God. God wants to be our one and only source of power. Witches who say they worship nature rather than Satan are still falling into Satan’s trap of worshipping something other than the true and living God. They are erroneously worshipping the created instead of the Creator, as mentioned in Romans 1:25. Nature has no power on its own, so any supernatural power other than God is really Satan in disguise. The Wikipedia article states that though some compare the Harry Potter books to writings by Tolkein and C. S. Lewis, Steven D. Greydanus has brought out the fact that in the writings of Tolkein and Lewis magic is relegated to outside worlds. He says that Lewis makes it very clear that magic is wrong and conflicts with Christianity.  John Andrew Murray has stated that, in contrast to Tolkien and Lewis books, the Harry Potter books portray witchcraft as “neutral.”

Muggles

In the Harry Potter stories, “muggles” are those who have not inherited any magical blood and choose not to believe in magic. On the harrypotter.fandom.com website, J. K. Rowling is quoted as saying the following about “muggles”: “They are plainly outcasts and comfortable with being so. Nothing is more unnerving to the truly conventional than the unashamed misfit!” A friend of mine who is familiar with the content of some of the books was surprised when she read Ms. Rowling’s comments about the muggles. She had the impression that it was the muggles who believed the wizards to be unconventional outcasts. Could this mean that the author’s perspective was influenced by her own beliefs?

More Than a Fantasy  

Do you think readers of Harry Potter believe witchcraft is just a fantasy? Hmmm. Check out this Newsweek article written November 18, 2018, called “Number of Witches Rises Dramatically Across the U.S.” The article states that the number of witches and Wiccans has greatly increased since the 1990’s. [At allaboutreligion.org, Wiccans are reported to “reverence the natural world as a living, breathing organism, and revere people as ‘gods’ and ‘goddesses.’ . . .Futhermore, the supreme ethical rule of Wicca is the Wiccan Rede: ‘if it harms none, do as ye Will.’ Despite this proscription against harming others, Wiccans hold that moral and religious truths are ultimately relative.”] The qz.com website states that a 1990 study by Trinity College estimated 8,000 Wiccans in the U.S., and their study of 2008 indicated about 340,000. In 2014 a Pew Research Center study showed that about 1.5 million consider themselves Wiccans or Pagans. The Newsweek article says that the rise has been fueled by rejection of Christianity and an increase in occultism. If there are 1.5 million Wiccans and Pagans in the U.S., they would already outnumber the 1.4 million Presbyterians. The article also says that Millennials  are desiring more “freedom in their spirituality.” They are showing greatly increased interest in astrology and tarot cards. A coven in Brooklyn recently placed hexes on Judge Brett Kavanaugh and President Donald Trump.

Let’s see. Millennials were born from 1981 to 1996 and are now (in 2019) ages 23 to 38. The Harry Potter books were released between 1997 and 2007. The movies were released between 2001 and 2011. In 1997 Millennials were between ages 1 and 16. In 2007 they were between 11 and 26. In 2011 they were between 15 and 30. Could the Millennial generation have been heavily influenced by Harry Potter? It would seem so.

Swimming Against the Stream

I feel vastly outnumbered in my belief that reading Harry Potter is a bad idea, but I know I’m not entirely alone.  James Dobson, respected founder of the Focus on the Family organization, was once mistakenly quoted by the Washington Post as being supportive of the Harry Potter series, but they were dead wrong. Actually, he had strongly denounced the Harry Potter series. He feels that, with the current popularity of witchcraft and New Age teachings, the magical characters of Harry Potter stories could be a danger to “young, impressionable minds.” Although supporters seem in the majority, it’s never good to blindly follow the crowd. The crowd is often wrong. We should remember that in Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

According to a report by WTVF TV Station in Nashville, Tennessee, of September 3, 2019, Rev. Dan Reehil of St. Edward Catholic School recently pulled the Harry Potter books from the school library. He was concerned about the books deceptively presenting magic as being “both good and evil” and that the books glorify occult acts. He is quoted as saying, “The curses and spells in the books are actual curses and spells, which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits into the person reading the text.” Exorcists he consulted shared his concerns. Although the books were frequently banned and burned in the years between 1997 and 2007, Rev. Reehil received little support from his school community for pulling the books from the library. Fans of the books mocked him on social media.​

In Acts 19:18-20 we are told of believers who began to confess their evil deeds. Some brought sorcery books they had used and burned them. The books were worth 50,000 “drachmas.” Sources seem to agree that a drachma was worth a day’s wages. To put it into today’s perspective, if a person earned $100 per day, the books’ value would be equivalent to $5 million today. Yet the books’ monetary value did not stop them from realizing the harm the books caused and the necessity of destroying them. I confess that I, for one, would enjoy attending a Harry Potter book-burning party.

The Enemy’s Foot in the Door

Of course we can’t place all the blame on Harry for our society turning toward occultism. Occult TV shows and occult movies have enjoyed great popularity in America for quite some time. The “Twilight” series of books about vampires was quite a rage not long ago. “Innocent” TV sitcoms such as “Bewitched,”  “I Dream of Jeannie,”  and  “The Addams Family” helped to subtly open the door in the 60’s. I know I didn’t see the reality of what we were getting into at the time.

Preparation for Shutting the Door on Satan

Ephesians 6:10-17 gives instructions for how you can “take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” It warns that our battle is really “against the spiritual forces of evil.” Our armor is to consist of “the belt of truth,” “the breastplate of righteousness,” “the gospel of peace” for our feet, “the shield of faith,” “the helmet of salvation,” and “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Below you will find a song with a fun beat and an important message about shutting the door on the devil. Although it sounds like a very old, traditional Caribbean song, it was actually released in 1982 by an American singer-songwriter by the name of Randy Stonehill

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark  Office by Biblica, Inc. TM

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