Why Is Darth Maul Cooler than Obi-Wan?
Is Harry Potter bad for kids (“The Morals of Magic,” July-August 2001)? Yes, but Harry Potter is only the tip of the iceberg. As a parent, I have always closely monitored the interests of my children because I am personally offended by much of the modern music, movies, TV programming, video and computer games, magazines, books, et cetera.
The most serious evolution of game-playing that I have seen is what my eleven-year-old son calls the RPG (role-playing game). When my oldest son, who is now nineteen, played “Dungeons and Dragons” at recess in school at age twelve, it was without a game board or playing pieces. My son and his friends were the playing pieces who became intimately involved in magical play and developed the game as they went along. I told my son that the danger of this play is that children can find it difficult to separate reality from imagination. He eventually understood.
As a child, I dabbled in the Ouija board, witchcraft, voodoo, and other practices I thought were games and was surprised by diabolical experiences. Therefore, I am always cautious that my children not to fall into the same type of play and find themselves in similar if not worse situations.
With Harry Potter, “Dungeons and Dragons,” and many video and computer games, kids use the RPG method of play. If an adult plays such a game, it may only be fun, but if a child plays such a game, it could be a dangerous fantasy for them. Also be aware that when your children play a video or computer game they can “die” and come back to life again. Certainly this is not reality-based and should be discussed with your children.
In the video-computer realm you can be evil and have more power and win more often than if you are a good guy, who is usually portrayed as less exciting. I discovered, much to my dismay, that my two sons would prefer to be Darth Maul (evil) in Star Wars rather than Obi-Wan Kenobi (good). Did the authors intend to make evil appear more appealing? It’s possible.
As parents we must discuss with our children the disordered thinking that our society pushes on our kids and try to correct it. And pray very hard for your children as St. Monica prayed for St. Augustine, because they need very much to be God-centered.
Karen Kupris
Newport, Pennsylvania
Catholicism Is a Temperate Religion
This Rock is right. There is something about Harry (“The Morals of Magic,” July-August 2001). The books about Potter’s life are fun and exciting. The child grounded in Catholicism, who knows reality from fantasy, will enjoy a good read.
That’s because Catholicism is a temperate religion—it does not go off the deep end to the left or to the right. The Church militant lives in a fallen world. Yet God’s creation is good. Catholics don’t see a bogeyman behind every imperfection.
After all, the Bible says, “The love of money is the root of all evils” (1 Tim. 6:10), but Catholics don’t forsake money (and, judging from the number of appeal letters, Catholic Answers hasn’t given up money, either). Money is a tool, and we rely on the grace of God to keep it from turning into an idol.
Likewise, the Harry Potter books are not Christian morality stories, but with grace and common sense they can be an entertaining read. Let’s not overreact and throw Harry out with the bath water.
Linus Behne
Omaha, Nebraska
Left Up to Parents
I was disappointed in the articles about Harry Potter (“The Morals of Magic” and “No Catholic Consensus,” July-August 2001). I felt that both articles were weak. People look to Catholic Answers for concrete answers, and it seems that how this topic was handled was not of much help, as it was left up to the parents to decide for themselves.
While it was good to compare and contrast the C. S. Lewis books to Harry Potter, I am at a point where I am trying to teach my children how to choose books, movies, music, et cetera for themselves. How will they know which book on wizardry is okay and which is not? We need to follow the word of God in Scripture warning us about these practices, and stay away from them (see Lev. 19:31, Deut. 18:10–12, Is. 8:19, Rev. 21:8; also, see Catechism of the Catholic Church 2115–2117). I feel that these books are stepping stones to the occult and that they are dangerous for our children to read or watch.
Often it the things that seem as harmless as fantasy that Satan can twist to bring children (or adults) deeper into it without realizing it. They have already been on the slippery slope, so they don’t recognize the harm in going farther down that path as they grow older and are exposed to other New Age and occult practices as mere fun. If we, as parents, do not warn our children about this, and if we allow them to read these types of books, then when they get to be teen-agers and young adults and are around occult practices, they will think that it is okay. They will not have their consciences properly formed about the evil of the occult. I feel that our children are exposed to too much already, even with my trying to monitor the TV, radio, et cetera.
Thank you for the many wonderful articles in which you stand firm for our faith. May God bless you all.
Anna Gronauer
via the Internet
I Don’t Know Why So Many Condemn Him
I want to say I love This Rock magazine! I am so happy such a wonderful magazine exists. I was very happy with the article about Harry Potter (“The Morals of Magic,” July-August 2001). I don’t know why so many condemn him. When I was a kid I watched Sabrina the Teenage Witch cartoons and managed to live a normal childhood. I thought it was about time an article was written that didn’t condemn Harry Potter.
Although I admit I haven’t read any of the Potter books yet, it just seems like there are more important things people should condemn besides a child’s story. Take Snow White, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel—they all had witches in them. Even “The Three Billy Goats Gruff” has an evil troll. These characters can frighten kids just as much as Harry Potter.
Thanks for the article and for being fair about Harry Potter. I believe it’s the parents’ responsibility to decide what their kids read.
Mark
via the Internet
You’ve Been Had
I’m an evangelical Christian who enjoys borrowing This Rock from a Catholic friend. I just got the July-August issue and was shocked. The staff at This Rock has been “had” by the contract artist who did the cover and inside illustration for the Harry Potter article (“The Morals of Magic”). As sick as this is to notice, I assure you that everyone in the office also noticed the blatant, not-so-subliminal practical joke. At first I thought that the cover was just an unintentional, unfortunate juxtaposition, but when I saw the full-page inside graphic for the Harry Potter article, I had no doubt.
Despite this gaff, your magazine is well written and has helped dispel many misconceptions that I, like many non-Catholics, have about Catholicism.
Jim LaRoche
via the Internet
Caution Harry on Cautionary Grounds?
In “The Morals of Magic” (July-August 2001), Steven Greydanus notes, “Even the more sober voices . . . generally caution Harry on prudential grounds rather than moral ones.”
The use of prudential in this context is sloppy and colloquial. Aquinas (ST I–II:61:2) tells us that “prudence is the principal of all the virtues simply.” It is, according to Josef Pieper, precisely the virtue that enables our minds to reason morally. To oppose prudence to morality is, quite simply, wrong. A better word would be cautionary.
W. Patrick Cunningham
San Antonio, Texas
Let’s Be Careful Not to Overreact
What should we do about Harry Potter (“The Morals of Magic,” July-August 2001)? There is a culture war going on, and popular entertainment is part of it. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, for instance, stopped wearing a cross after losing her virginity. But that’s not a problem because her friend Willow, who used to worry about Christian symbols, converted from Judaism to Wicca. And after Buffy’s creator talked to the folks at the Gay/Lesbian Alliance against Defamation, Willow also converted to lesbianism.
But let’s be careful not to overreact. Dorothy, after all, found the good witch’s kisses to be sweet and discovered that the great Oz was just the product of “priestcraft” without too many young lives being destroyed. And overreacting only plays into the hands of the enemies of truth by reinforcing our culture’s negative stereotype of Christians.
It is important that we give children a solid understanding of the faith and a love of experiencing the supernatural through the liturgy. And to assure them that, as Athanasius put it in about A.D. 318 in his Treatise on the Incarnation of the Word (47:2):
“While in past times demons, occupying springs or rivers or trees or stones, cheated men by their deceptive appearances and imposed upon the credulous their subterfuges, now, after the divine coming of the Word, an end is put to their deceptions. For by the sign of the cross, a man but using it, their wiles are put to flight.”
Don Schenk
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Staggering and Sorrowful
Great issue (July-August 2001)! I’m trying to get a single copy to send to my mom (no way am I going to part with my copy. Ever since she tossed my National Review . . .).
I sympathize with your “lack of patience” mentioned in “Frontispiece” (“A Lack of Honesty”). Here in Austin I don’t hear much distorted theology—what I hear is “I used to be Catholic, but my husband was Presbyterian and we used to fight all the time, so we became Baptist.” Or “I was raised Methodist and my husband was raised Catholic, so now we go to the Presbyterian church across the street.”
The deficit of formation among Catholics is staggering and sorrowful. In the very gentlest assessment, there’s going to be a lot of folks spending extra time in purgatory, and their suffering could have been averted. Not to mention the chaos they spread while they’re on the earth.
Pray and teach, pray and teach.
Grace-Marie K.
Austin, Texas
More Evasive Than Informative
Your “Quick Questions” answers are usually delightfully informative, but some answers in the July-August 2001 issue were simply “non-answers”—more evasive than informative.
Examples: 1) Reiki “involves non-Christian religious principles” such as manipulating life energy and is “not consonant with Christian spirituality.” That is a non-answer. (The real answer is far more complex).
2) The answer to the yoga question (for exercise, yes; for Hindu spirituality, no) states, again in reference to bodily energy manipulation, that it is “not appropriate for Catholics.” This too is a non-answer, leaving a dangling “Why not?”
Fr. John H. Hampsch, C.M.F.
Los Angeles, California
Editor’s reply: We thought the incompatibility of Catholic thought and the idea of manipulating “life energy” was obvious, but the details can be spelled out.
Christian anthropology holds that man is a union of body and soul such that the soul is the essential form of the body (a point infallibly defined by the Council of Vienna). The soul is a substantial form, not a type of energy. The Catechism points out that “it is because of its spiritual soul that the body made of matter becomes a living, human body” (CCC 365). From a spiritual perspective, it is the soul that is the life-principle of the body, not something else.
Consequently, there is no spiritual “life energy” animating the body. Any energy used as part of the body’s operations—such as the electricity in our nervous systems—is material in nature, not spiritual. The various forms of Hinduism and Buddhism that posit the existence of a life energy (ki or kundalini) interpret that energy as spiritual. Since this is contrary to Christian theology, it is inappropriate for Christians to participate in activities based on this belief.
A Package to India
Your magazine was kind to publish our appeal for Catholic literature (“We Implore Your Gracious Readers,” “Letters,” September 2000). An amazing number of your readers responded to our plea with boxloads of materials.
Initially, the Legion of Mary in our parish set up a book-borrow on Sundays that encouraged parishioners to avail themselves of Catholic literature after Sunday Masses. The word spread and four other parishes have begun similar stalls in their churches. All come and take the materials that you mail to our Mary Kids’ Krusade.
I have been asked to conduct and train the children’s choir that sings each Sunday for the children’s Mass. I will use your gifts of children’s books, pin-ons, medals, scapulars, and other children’s items you send us to enthuse and motivate our choir children to make practices and bring other children to choir with them. Also, if you have any children’s hymnals or audiocassettes of English hymns, we would love to have them.
We have designed a room in the parish house that will stock magazines and books. Audiocassettes of Catholic talks will be played to interested audiences and made available for home listening. I’ve called it the Sound Faith Club.
So you see how your materials are being put to great use. Most of my ministry is with the children, so I request you to kindly concentrate on sending us materials specially suited for these younger ones. Even books that you use in your Sunday school programs are welcome. Stories of the saints, children’s Bibles, medals, pin-ons, rosaries, audiocassettes of teachings and talks of Catholic substance, and children’s hymnals are really needed.
We in Mumbai have benefited tremendously by your faith and assistance. We earnestly look forward to your continued support and help. May God bless you. You are always in our prayers.
Neil Azavedo
Mary Kids’ Krusade
12 St. Michael Bhavan, LJ Road
Mahim, Mumbai 400 016 India
Amazing Article
I was wondering when I could expect to receive my first issue of This Rock, as I am a new subscriber. I did pick up a copy of the July-August 2001 issue at a local Catholic conference, and found it wonderful. The article about the book of Sirach (“The Amazing Book of Sirach”) was packed with interesting info. It coincided with my Bible study, as we just finished talking about the seven deuterocanonical books. Your article illuminated this subject for me—I never realized how Jesus’ and Paul’s words so closely related to these ancient books written before Christ. Thanks, and keep the great writing coming!
Mark Bodziak
Pasadena, California
Editor’s reply: Normally, it takes four to six weeks for a new subscription to begin.