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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Books Books Books

Sometimes, I feel guilty for reading books that don’t have anything to do with God, such as Harry Potter or Twilight. But when I really start to think about it, it seems silly. God created the universe and then created us in His image. So we humans get our creativity from the Lord. Authors like J. K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer are just using that gift in order to create other worlds. People have compared Harry Potter to Christian themes- the way Harry dies for everyone who is fighting with him, his friends, teachers, and even some enemies. I can see why people compare the two; however, I can also see how the two are completely different. Many people have gotten very up in arms about this subject, mainly Christians. They think it’s horrible to say that a story about witchcraft and wizardry could ever be compared to the story of Jesus and that it’s a doorway into that witchcraft. Once again I can see both sides to this argument. On one hand it is absolutely ridiculous to compare the world of Harry Potter to real witchcraft. Those who have practiced Wicca may laugh at the thought of it because if Wicca was so easy as to just wave a wand and say a ‘magic’ word then many more people would be involved. But it’s not. The real world of witchcraft is much more complicated. On the other hand, I understand the doorway opinion because the world of Harry Potter is enchanting (which, by the way, is exactly the way any story should be) and some readers may wish, desperately, that it were real. So, they go in search of witchcraft on the Internet or library and what do they find? The Wicca section. Great. So, yes, I understand both sides. So I suppose those secure in their salvation through Jesus could read the book series and appreciate it for what it is; a story, and not be influenced by any “doorways” that may or may not be there.

Lets go back to the first sentence of the above paragraph. Why do I feel guilty? Well, the first answer that pops into my head is because I probably should be reading something more biblical or at least in some way Christian. But why? I go to school and have to read about non-Christian things all the time in class… why is this so different? I think the real issue of this is how I view my relationship with God. A good example of this could go like this: When classes are in session and I have work, I usually get fairly stressed out about my relationship with God. This is because throughout my day I am holding up one hand to God, as if to say “Wait, wait, let me just finish this and then I’ll spend time with You” and using the rest of my energy to do homework for classes or get a project for work done. But if I invited God into my day to share it with me and to invite Him to teach me anything He may want to teach me, I think the day would go very differently. The same goes for reading books. Instead of saying to God, “Wait, let me just finish this series and then Ill start reading Your Word again,” I could talk to Him about the book- the themes, characters, and overall creativeness of it. This may help me to see more in the story and may also strengthen my relationship with Jesus.

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