Today when I came across this article, written just a week or so ago, I was struck by this quote from a letter written by then-Cardinal Ratzinger to a critic of the Harry Potter books. "It is good, that you enlighten people about Harry Potter, because those are subtle seductions, which act unnoticed and by this deeply distort Christianity in the soul, before it can grow properly," wrote Cardinal Ratzinger.
The reason that this particular quote struck me, has to do with something that recently happened in a nearby community. Two young teens were found to be plotting to kill all of the people inside the local Catholic Church during Mass. They planned to chain the doors of the church and kill everyone inside, and afterward kill themselves. They went so far as to climb up on the church roof to plan the location of bombs they intended to detonate. The saddest part is, these teens are former students of the same Catholic school. They attended for all of their grade school years, one boy's mother even worked at the school.How could these boys go so wrong?
Certain elements of this story are connected to two of my recent posts: one about the book Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult about a high school shooter. Now, the difference between this local case and this novel is that these local kids didn't apparently have a grievance against some bullies at school. They apparently had a grievance against their entire church. I've been wondering what could possibly cause such hatred in the hearts of young people? Well, yesterday evening I saw a news story that showed a sketch that one of the teens made in a notebook which had been recovered by police from his bedroom. It was an image of a pentagram with "Hail 666" written on it. It sends chills up my spine to think that these kids could possibly have been doing Satan's work.
I'm sure eventually I'll learn more about what the teens actually planned, and whether or not they were serious, as well as whether they were actually "Satan worshippers." But in the meantime, I can't help but wonder about the connection between these kids and Harry Potter, the other post I referred to. When I saw Cardinal Ratzinger's quote this morning, I had an "ah-ha" moment -- subtle seductions, which act unnoticed and by this deeply distort Christianity in the soul, before it can grow properly. Those subtle seductions are what I was referring to in my post about Harry -- the desensitization to evil -- it's not overt -- that would turn off parents and teachers. It's the subtle seduction of which we have to be careful. These local boys are in the Harry Potter generation. Their formative years have been filled with all things Harry. Is it possible that they been seduced by Satan; that they were subtly seduced?
Like I said, I'm sure more details about this story will be revealed and I hope it's not what it looks like.
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How scary is that and so close to home!
ReplyDeleteInteresting post - I've never really cared about the Harry Potter stuff one way or another, as it never really appealed. You make a good point though - and there's so much other stuff out there that kids are exposed to on TV. My thing at the moment is those Baby Bratz TV shows and dolls - they're dressed like prostitutes and marketed to three year olds!? All my daughters friends have them and she just can't understand why she can't have a doll or watch the show. *SIGH* And so it begins...
Stick to your guns, Mama. My 5 yo is not permitted to have Bratz either and she just says, "I'm not allowed to have those, right Mom?" I know the fights will get bigger, but I have to raise my kids my way, not someone else's way.
ReplyDeleteStories like that freak me out.
ReplyDeleteYou, however, do not. :) You are such a sweetie, Barbara. Thank you for making your blog such a welcoming place.
(I know my thanks may seem out of place, being tacked as they are on this post of all posts!), but I'm odd that way.
And pressed for time. I've been up for an hour and haven't made my morning meditation yet. Shame on me!
Have a beautiful weekend, Hon!
What a frightening story about the boys in your area. I think it is important however, to not so easily look to one piece of pop culture as a cause. If these boys have gone this far away from the Truth, than I'm sure it is due to many different factors.
ReplyDeleteMany sides have debated on Harry Potter and Cardinal R.'s words were written in a private letter, not as a large scale proclamation. I completely agree that Harry Potter is not right for all young adults and families. And I support your decision to keep HP out of your home. We each must make decisions that are right for our family. My children are certainly too young to read them, but I, as an adult, have found much to be enjoyed in the books.
Particularly in the last installment--JK Rowling uses scripture quotes and even a bit of the resurrection story. I understand that for some, the use of any magic in the tales is enough for them to avoid Harry and I respect that. But I also feel that with parental guidance, HP can be a useful tool to discuss faith in our world.
I know this is a long-winded post from a lurker, but I just felt it important to mention my thoughts on the unfairness of looking towards Harry Potter as a reason behind a horrific plan.
If the plans you mentioned were being plotted out, than certainly Satan and Evil are at work. I just don't think JK Rowling has ever meant to encourage or support any kind of satanic works.
Thanks for letting me share my thoughts.
If you are interested, there is a great write up by Nancy Brown discussing the last book of HP.
http://www.osv.com/Portals/0/images/pdf/thelastchapter.pdf
Again, not trying to persuade or argue with you, just presenting another side of the coin.
God Bless-
Denise-- Certainly yours to disagree. Like you said, we all have to do it our way. Last night our house was blessed by a friend who is a priest. A whole house blessing -- he went from room to room and blessed every window and every door. I'm sure that wasn't just for show, and I'm not opening any figurative doors that don't need to be opened.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure HP is very interesting to adults, but it is certainly NOT marketed to adults. I have no idea what JK Rowling's intent is, but I know that there are many paths to the real deal occult through HP -- through other books and the internet.
Take care. Thanks for reading.
Thanks--for your feedback. I think your point about it not being marketed to adults is truly important.
ReplyDeleteAnd one I probably overlook since I don't have any children of reading age.
What a blessing (no pun intended) to have a priest over to bless your whole house---that's an awesome gift to have a close friend as a priest.
Take care,