Subject: Reading Harry Potter |
Bible Note: Tim I think there is a mile and half between fiction and "fantasy" as we like to call it. Fiction - An event, statement or occurrence that has been invented or feigned rather than having actually taken place. Fantasy - The realm of vivid imagination, reverie, depiction, illusion, and the like, the natural conjurings of mental invention and association. Definitions from the New College Edition of The American Heritage Dictionary Houghton and Mifflin publishers. I can watch a murder mystery and I’m made to be disgusted at the crime, action and motivation. However when one reads Harry Potter type fantasy, they have a tendency to get into character imagining being that person or at the very least cheering them on. The involvement of the imagination is where the problem sets in. We can discuss word meanings all day I think the real difference is seen in that murder is never justified as okay or useful, although some may even try to excuse it, no one portray the rightness of it. However in Harry Potter the use of sorcery is encouraged, condoned and even presented in a positive light. God does clearly say shun sorcery therefore is it correct to present it in a positive light either in fact or fantasy? Personally I try to stay away from all fantasy however I’m aware that there are many fantasty type books and movies that are portraying positive things in a positive manner. However even these have a tendency to place in us unrealistic expectations and in many cases directly contribute to negative things. Having counseled with enough people I find fantasy directly linked to most negative things in their life. Creating antisocial behavior, rebellious children, broken marriages, financial mismanagement, plastic surgery, sexual abuse and perversion, and drug abuse. People using bits and pieces from this fantasy and that fantasy construct a world, then they then find life does not meet that fantasy and they fight, rebel, and reject against what they think is holding them back from realizing it. One Example the cost of weddings is going out of sight. Children are taught at a very early age to fantasize about their wedding. Over the years that fantasy grow and grows, when the time comes for the wedding a normal wedding will no longer meet expectations. I have also learned the length of the marriage is almost indirectly proportional to the cost of the wedding. In other words the more the wedding costs the shorter the marriage. The wedding turns out to be a disappointment nothing could really live up to the expectations. Soon this is followed by the realization that marriage partner does not behave as we have fantasized. They snore, have morning mouth, make body noises and yes even pick their noses. Bang goes the fantasy and often the marriage with it. No I think fiction while probably not the best thing to waste time with is far less damaging than fantasy. EdB |