Greeting to you Bro. Ray,
  My name is Elton, I have only received a few of the pastors forum
mail outs. So a lot of this is replying to mail is new to me.  I found a
very interesting articleby a well versed Bro. by the Name of David Benoit
 on "Harry Potter."
  You may have already seen it, it's about 4 pages long, but I believe
he has zeroed in on the truth here..  Hope you can use it....
                                            God Bless

On Mon, 1 Dec 2003 17:12:33 -0900 "Pastor Ray Searan"
<pastorray@...> writes:
> Greetings my dear brethren in the wonderful name of the Lord Jesus
> Christ! I trust that all of you brethren had a wonderful and 
> exceedingly
> blessed Thanksgiving weekend. I need to seek the advice of you 
> brethren
> on an issue that has arisen that I am dealing with. At the bottom of
> this email is a link to our denominational website that contains an
> article that was published in one of our periodicals concerning 
> Harry
> Potter. The full text of the article is also included in this email. 
> The
> reason why I want to seek the advice of you brethren on this issue 
> is
> due to scripture in Proverbs 15:22 which declares, "Without counsel
> purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they 
> are
> established." (KJV)  I really would appreciate the help of as many 
> of
> you brethren as possible who would take the time to give me your 
> opinion
> on this article.
>  
> Blessings, 
> 
>  
> 
>  
>  
>   
> 
> Here is the text of the article. If you prefer to read the article
> online at the official Assemblies of God website here is the link.
> http://ag.org/pentecostal-evangel/Articles2003/4667_potter.cfm 
> 
>  
> 
> What's Harry doing in the Potter's house?
> 
> 
> By
> <http://ag.org/pentecostal-evangel/Articles2003/4667_potter.cfm#author>
> Joan Rhoden
> 
> Editor's note: Since the first Harry Potter book burst on the scene 
> in
> 1998, Today's Pentecostal Evangel readers have raised questions 
> about
> the series. With the fifth title released this summer, those 
> questions
> have continued. The following article addresses parental concerns
> connected with this publishing phenomenon and the need for 
> discernment
> when selecting any entertainment in a Christian home.
> 
> Harry Potter is a household name. J.K. Rowling's bespectacled 
> fictional
> hero has invaded our landscape in a flurry of mixed notions and 
> magic
> potions. Book sales and box office profits have soared worldwide to 
> a
> staggering $1.8 billion. Breaking all previous records for a 
> writer's
> income, Rowling is worth about $500 million. With more than 200 
> million
> copies in print, and translations in 55 languages, the books are
> available around the world.
> 
> What would launch children and adults together into such a reading
> frenzy? Certainly not the size of the formidably thick volumes, and
> obviously not the illustrations (none exist). And the books are 
> hardly
> bargain priced at $29.99 for the most recently published.
> 
> Are these books harmless entertainment, parents ask? Or do they 
> smack of
> the occult? Clever marketing campaigns and media hype have offered
> plenty of Harry trivia, but is it information that will aid parents 
> in
> guiding their children? The purpose of this article is to equip 
> parents
> with tools for selecting wholesome reading and viewing material in a
> culture where trash abounds. What each parent gleans should be 
> tailored
> to suit his or her family. One size does not fit all.
> 
> The Bible repeatedly exhorts believers to know the truth, and 
> seeking
> the truth plainly mandates an honest look at both sides of an issue. 
> For
> Christians Harry Potter is, indeed, an issue.
> 
> Who is Harry Potter? Daniel Eaton from the Atlanta Christian 
> Apologetics
> Project offers a concise review:
> 
>  
> 
> In the first book, "He's a 10-year-old orphan living with relatives 
> who
> despise him. It's not until his 11th birthday that Harry learns he 
> has
> magical abilities and a rather interesting past. When he was only a 
> baby
> his parents were both killed while trying to fight the most evil 
> wizard
> on earth, Lord Voldemort. Miraculously, Baby Harry escaped the 
> wicked
> wizard with . little memory of the incident. .
> 
> "Harry is forced to live with his aunt and uncle. They . do not like
> anything associated with Harry or his parents.
> 
> "Identified as a wizard, Harry is invited to enroll at Hogwarts 
> School
> of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Dursleys, Harry's relatives, are 
> more
> than happy to get him out of the house. .
> 
> "Hogwarts is an enchanted place, invisible to Muggles (non-magical
> people). . Harry learns more than just the mechanics of wizardry. 
> Beyond
> the spells and potions, Hogwarts is a place to learn the importance 
> of
> friendship, honesty and loyalty. . Harry gains self-confidence as he
> learns to think for himself and make important decisions."
> 
> Much of the subject matter deals with the struggle of good and evil
> symbolized in Harry and the vile Lord Voldemort. Harry always wins,
> using his magic to defeat the darker magic.
> 
> Who is J.K. Rowling? Joanne Kathleen Rowling was a 32-year-old 
> single
> parent struggling to make ends meet when the first Harry Potter book 
> was
> published in 1997. It was an instant success. She has since 
> remarried.
> The Potter name was borrowed from childhood friends, a brother and
> sister whose last name was Potter. Rowling vehemently defends her 
> world
> of magic as purely imaginative. She denies any link with the occult 
> and
> cringes at the suggestion of intentionally luring children into
> witchcraft.
> 
> Never has a children's book been so globally popular and protested 
> at
> the same time. In 2000, the Potter books made Number 1 on the 
> American
> Library Association's "Ten Most Challenged Books" list. The New York
> Times ran the headline "Don't Give Us Little Wizards"; and the 
> Toronto
> Globe and Mail reported, "Anti-Potter parents seem to fear that
> Rowling's books are how-to manuals on wizardry." Bob Kellogg from 
> Family
> News in Focus says, "As soon as Harry Potter hit the book stands, a
> cauldron of controversy started brewing among Christians."
> 
> Some 500 members of Christ Community Church in Alamogordo, N.M., 
> burned
> Harry Potter books along with various occult items. Well-known
> television evangelists suggested that Harry Potter books are an 
> attempt
> by Wiccans to recruit young children into the practices of 
> witchcraft.
> (Wiccans have responded in outrage at this.)
> 
> Mark Morrow, an Assemblies of God pastor in Williamsburg, Va., 
> published
> an article, "What Would Jesus Say to Harry Potter?" Jesus would 
> address
> the vacuum in Harry's life and offer him acceptance by the God of 
> the
> universe, Morrow says. But the books and movies, he warns, are 
> marketed
> to impressionable children and pose a long-term threat to
> Judeo-Christian faith and culture.
> 
> Christian leaders are divided in their Potter opinions. Charles 
> Colson
> says, "Harry and his friends develop courage, loyalty and a 
> willingness
> to sacrifice for one another - even at the risk of their lives. Not 
> bad
> lessons in a self-centered world." He dismisses the magic and 
> sorcery as
> "purely mechanical" as opposed to occult.
> 
> Lindy Beam of Focus on the Family says, "[Rowling] creates a world 
> where
> magic is portrayed creatively and yet stereotypically. Children who 
> read
> about Harry will probably discover little about the true world of 
> the
> occult. That's why some Christian leaders and publications find 
> these
> books to be more fantastical than threatening."
> 
> Concerned parents flinch at the words magic and sorcery. Fantasy is 
> more
> comfortable for some. By definition, fantasy is creative 
> imagination;
> magic is control over natural occurrences by supernatural means or
> trickery; sorcery is the use of supernatural power granted by evil
> spirits (the Bible clearly teaches against this). Differentiating
> between fantasy and real sorcery seems to be the crux of the whole
> Potter controversy. Rowling uses all of these words interchangeably, 
> so
> they must be considered in context.
> 
> Beam cautions Christians on both sides of the issue to conduct
> themselves carefully in controversial matters: "While the Bible 
> tells us
> specifically that witchcraft is a sin, it also warns against being
> divisive, spreading falsehoods and slandering."
> 
> Connie Neal, author of What's a Christian to Do With Harry Potter?
> offers some sound advice: Those who see the books as occult, she
> advises, should not go against their conscience. Those who see the 
> books
> as fantasy should use them to teach about discernment and spiritual
> warfare.
> 
> The Bible obviously doesn't speak of Harry Potter. But it does talk
> about living a life of discretion and shunning evil. Spiritualizing 
> the
> characters would supersede the intent of the author and stir up more
> controversy. At worst, the Harry Potter books are epic volumes of 
> vain
> imagination that activate fears of witchcraft. At best, they are
> children's stories with a solid opting for the "good" in the battle 
> of
> good vs. evil. So what is Harry doing on a growing number of 
> Christian
> bookshelves? Probably, some say, nothing more than Cinderella, Peter 
> Pan
> or C.S. Lewis' Aslan.
> 
> And that brings up the broader issue connected to this controversy. 
> Any
> fictional character - even the most apparently innocuous - has the
> potential to influence a young reader. Christian parents must be 
> aware
> of that influence and be faithful gatekeepers for their children. 
> The
> world pushes any and all moral viewpoints on impressionable kids 
> through
> myriad larger-than-life imaginary heroes. Moms and dads need to be 
> aware
> of the worldview connected with anything their children find
> entertaining. Consider these points:
> 
> When you disallow books or other entertainment in your home:
> 
> . Research the material.
> . Have reasons for your objections.
> . Be consistent with your children.
> . Act and speak in love.
> . Be honest, even if you have to say, "I just feel uncomfortable 
> with
> these books."
> 
> When you allow books or other entertainment in your home:
> 
> . Read or watch them with your children.
> . Use them to reinforce good values.
> . Make sure your children know the difference between fantasy and 
> things
> like the occult.
> . Teach them to respect differing views without flaunting their own.
> 
> Jesus used parables in His day to teach spiritual lessons. Tapping 
> into
> the social currency of any culture is an engaging way to advance the
> Kingdom of the divine Potter who is shaping our lives daily. Parents 
> who
> partner with the Holy Spirit, prayerfully listening for His warning 
> or
> encouraging voice, can navigate with their children through an
> increasingly diverse world of imagination. 
> 
>   _____  
> 
> Joan Rhoden lives in Fairfax, Va., and is the wife of H. Robert 
> Rhoden,
> superintendent of the Potomac District and an executive presbyter of 
> the
> Assemblies of God.
>