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Religious Warn Kids About ´Harry Potter´ Movies

Updated: February 21, 2006 05:00 PM GMT
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Boy wizard Harry Potter may be a hero to young movie-goers worldwide, but Religious here have warned Catholic children that the movie series contains occult overtones and other "dangerous" influences.

Incarnate Word priests and nuns who run a children´s center in the Tajik capital recently screened two movies in the series for seven Catholic children aged 8 to 14, followed by a discussion on the movies.

According to Incarnate Word Father Pedro Ramiro Lopez, the aim of the whole exercise was to teach the children to view films critically and to be aware of possible negative messages that these movies may convey.

They tried to organize the screenings and ensuing discussions in such a way "that the children could understand themselves what was wrong in the movies and why," Father Lopez told UCA News.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher´s Stone, the movie based on the book of the same name, the first in the Harry Potter series of novels by British author J.K. Rowling, was screened Jan. 26 at the children´s center at St. Joseph parish in Dushanbe. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third in the series, was shown Feb. 1.

Sister Maria Blagoveshenia told UCA News the movies, with their portrayal of witchcraft, are "very dangerous" for children, the "main" dangers being "that ordinary people are given supernatural abilities that belong only to God."

She added that when children watch the movies, they might believe in the existence of "black" or evil magic, and "white" or good magic. This is "absolutely wrong, because there is only one (kind of) magic, that which is aimed against God" and thus evil, she explained.

Father Lopez added that Potter, as a schoolboy in the movies, is not a good role model for students. "He always breaks rules, doesn´t obey his elders, and children may think that a real hero has to behave in that way," he said. "And I´m glad some of them understand that this is wrong," he added.

The children who attended the screenings and discussion sessions said they found the experience more interesting than merely watching the videos at home. There is at present only one cinema in Dushanbe, but ticket prices are expensive and the movies screened are mostly for adults.

"Unlike at home, where we would just be watching movies, Sister asked us to think of what is wrong and what might be good in the movie," said Maksim Gurezov, 13.

Another viewer, 11-year-old Ksenia Nikitina, said she used to like the Harry Potter movies but has decided to stop watching the films after "realizing" the implications of certain scenes.

"Harry Potter speaks the language of snakes, which are symbols of the devil," she said. "I don´t want to watch movies which contain such issues."

The priests and nuns say that movie screenings and discussions will not stop after the Harry Potter movies. "We want to show The Chronicles of Narnia, which allegorically shows the history of salvation," Father Lopez Said. adding that "it will be great to show to the children the differences" between the Harry Potter movies and Narnia movie, which is based on C.S. Lewis´ book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Currently, 15-30 Catholic and non-Catholic children, aged 7 to 15, make regular use of the children´s center in St. Joseph Parish after school. The center aims at keeping children off the streets and away from temptation to indulge in bad habits such as cigarette smoking and drug and alcohol abuse.

In the center, they play games, learn how to draw and to play musical instruments, and watch cartoons.

At present five Incarnate Word priests tend to the pastoral needs of 250 Catholics in three parishes. Three Incarnate Word nuns are responsible for youth formation in St. Joseph parish. Four Missionaries of Charity nuns serve the underprivileged, also in the capital.

Muslims account for 96 percent of the 6.5 million Tajik citizens. Russian Orthodox Christians make up 3 percent.

END

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