Thank you for that! I thoroughly agree and it's definitely something worth articulating and putting out there. I just hope more take note (even from such a comparitively small audience). It frustrates me hugely when Christians find their hobby horse and stick on it without considering the bigger picture.

Dave,
you nailed it in your last sentence. I'm not a father yet, but when I am it will be my duty to teach my kids how to be discerning in their entertainment choices, not bitch about the type of movies that Hollywood makes.

This underlying theme of picking and choosing what we deem "good" or "bad" in life continues to remain a true "pet-peeve" of mine, as well. Though this will sound highly judgmental ("bad" for those keeping track) the truth is that MOST of us (in fact, I believe ALL of us) usually deem something right or wrong based on OUR OWN LEVELS OF COMFORT rather than on what Scripture teaches. We do this with just about everything ... music, movies, foods, habits. For some, smoking is a terrible sin. For others, no biggie. For some, you are tampering with Satan if you are fat - for others, hey, it's your body. For some, the hymnal is on the same level of holiness as God's Word. For others, a hymn is simply another song choice.

We certainly can point our fingers as we wish. It is our right to point our fingers and reveal the darkness (or presumed darkness) that is all around us... OR, we can love one another.

As I often say - sometimes we are so busy pointing our fingers, we have no time to lift our hands...

Yo Ho, Yo Ho - a Christian life for me!

Dave--Good point. The same inconsistency can be found in politics (focus on marriage and abortion, but not poverty, sex trafficking, etc.) Back to film ... we are so concerned with spells, we neglect our moral compass.

I love telling stories to my children, made up off the top of my head. And a recurring theme in those stories is conflict--dangers from without, and tensions within. That's what makes a good story.

And one of the complicating factors is that you can never predict where good and bad might show up. A hawk might be good ... or bad. A bunny rabbit might be good ... or bad.

This isn't original. In the Bible, an adulterous woman might be bad (Proverbs) ... or good (John's Gospel). A thief might be bad (on the road to Jericho) ... or good (on the cross).

Badness or goodness has little to do with the outer appearance. More to do with the heart. But then, that concept's not original either.

I love both movie series, so I have no beef here. I think the reason why get Christians their undies in a bundle over Potter is that it shows children doing these evil things, not adults. If my hunch is accurate, then the message this sends is that when kids do bad things it is bad, but when adults do bad things, it's nothing to get upset about.

Is that the message we want to send to our kids? Frankly, I think there are too many Christian homes out there already sending that double message on a daily basis.

Rather, what parents should do is to glean good where ever they can find it. Focus on Potter's and Sparrow's goodness while understanding that there is a context of fantasy that makes for a good story.

Oops, maybe I should rethink our children's ministry program. One of our recurring characters is a pirate struggling to understand the lessons of the bible.

Garrr! The speak o' the sweet trade be too fun not to share with the young sprogs in our church!

I must be a true hypocrite, because I love Jesus and I like both movies, sort of. There are parts of both franchises I wish were different. But that's another matter.

The root of difference between the reactions of many, which Terpstra is missing, is that Christian parents are afraid their kids will be drawn into the occult, but they are not worried they will become pirates.

As a Father I knew my boys (two sons only) well enough to know that they weren't going to go out and blow up the world, so I wasn't too concerned about movies rated because of violence. I was more discerning about movies rated for sexuality, because there we males are all vulnerable.

So, if a movie causes you to fall, don't watch it, even with the one good eye you have left.

I think it's because pirates are seen as sort of a joke in our popular culture. Just look at the long history of movies, comic books, toys, etc. I doubt if many really take them seriously. But the pirates that really operate nowadays, such as in the Pacific or Southeast Asia, sure aren't much to joke about.

Seems to me that we would be less apt to condemn the movies in metion if they were written by professing Christians. Brother Lewis sure included magic and sorcery in his books, and yet we don't shake our finger at him.

We, as Christian parents, would find a better use of our time teaching our children to discern bewteen good and evil, so that when they do happen upon it in life, whether that life is real or a fictional tale, they would be able to see it for what it is, and be able to state the truth.

The stories will always be told, our responsibility is to read and respond and live in light of the truth, that is God.

You are so right. Excuse me while I go craft my anti-pirating protest signs!
Arrrggg!

And, I suppose, if we are going to pick on Potter and Pirates, we should also pick on Lord of the Rings and the Narnia series. But we don't. Both of the latter also contain "witchcraft" or "scorcery"--Gandalf, for instance, one of the heros of Lord of the Rings, is clearly quite capable of supernatural action and does so on numerous occasions. One might argue that he is using his powers for good against evil, but then so is Harry Potter...

I've yet to meet a child who thinks that Harry Potter' Hogwarts or Jack Sparrow's Caribbean are real. The children know they are stories and set within the fanatsy world that mirrors aspects of our world or history but is not the real world. All the characters in movies act in keeping within the rules of the fantasy world (or at least if it is well written they do) - so Harry living in his non-muggle world is a good character and Malfoy is a bad character. Equally Jack Sparrow is good although a pirate, whilst the English captain is of dubious nature and other pirates are definitely bad.
Why do we adults get so hung up on the setting when children are fully aware that it is not real. Perhaps it is that adults are less able to truly judge what is real and what is unreal - especially if a good writer has created a "what-if" scenario overlaid on a very close approximation to the world we know - witness the response of some non-Christians (and some Christians) to the Da Vinci code. It looks that adults are more susceptible to believe anything {more than little children}.
As Christians we know the REAL world and it is not of this earth but is the Kingdom of Heaven. So let us not protest at fiction, but show we can identify fiction and argue clearly that it is fiction. Then we can use what the writers show of life, both good and evil, within their fictional world to point to the TRUTH - the Lord Jesus who lived in the real world and lived a good life, and sent the Holy Spirit who enables flawed men (women and children) to change and choose good not evil.

I get so annoyed when Christians pull the Harry Potter thing out, as if revealing the final straw that breaks the camel's back. No, Harry is not the worst thing to happen to the church since the the Spanish Inquisition. I have read the series several times, and am eagerly awaiting the seventh book. Does that make me a bad Christian? No. Is Harry making me rething my decision to follow Christ? No. So what is the problem? It's the same with Pirates of the Carabbean. So it has undead pirates, and curses, so what? It's fiction, and that's they key. And everyone knows it's fiction (unless, of course, you've seen a skeletal pirate walking around). The problem with some Christians is that they're picketing everything. It's getting rediculous, and making us look like a laughingstock. And every time you do it for some small thing, it makes others take the whole of Christianity less seriously.
So for heaven's sake, don't picket Pirates, and make the rest of us look silly... again.

perhaps an important difference to some parents would be that Harry Potter is not just movies, but books that their children are reading, over and over again. i happen to enjoy HP and Pirates immensely.

JK Rowling is a Christian, and she said the following in an interview:

"If this subject offends people, that isn't what I want to do, but I don't believe in censorship for any age group, and this is what I wanted to write about. The book is really about the power of the imagination. What Harry is learning to do is to develop his full potential. Wizardry is just the analogy I use. If anyone expects it to be a book that seriously advocates learning magic, they will be disappointed. Not least because the author does not believe in magic in that way."

I never really saw a problem with Harry Potter in the first place, as I saw it very much as a fantasy novel (just like The Wizard of Oz), but after reading Ms. Rowling's comments, I now find it difficult to see why people are so upset with her analogy. It's clearly fictional.

I find Christians protesting fantasy fiction amusing, taking yourselves way too seriously. I am surprised that I have read absolutely nothing from Christians about (athiest)Philip Pullmans trilogy, HIS DARK MATERIALS, that series is not only a fascinating read, but makes Harry Potter look like a choir boy. And speaking of Harry Potter, if you had actually read the books you would know they celebrate Christian holidays in the normal manner and never speak of satanic practices.It is just a good old fashioned good vs evil coming of age story. Christians would have more credibility if they knew what they were condemning instead of just running around shouting about nothing.

I have a different viewpoint, but it might help explain the seeming discrepancy. I am the mother of three teenagers, and I allowed them all to see both Harry Potter and Pirates. I even watched Pirates with the kids, although it wasn't a memorable event for me. My thoughts on the matter are that there is a much higher likelihood of kids imitating the spells found in Harry Potter than in the kids running off to become a pirate...there just isn't the same opportunity. If you know anything about the occult, and check out the statistics (I have) you will see that Harry has definitely piqued the interest of our young people to delve deeper into witchcraft and the occult, and that is definitely not a good thing.

Here I go again being a kill-joy. It would appear the very fact we are having this conversation means, to some extent or other, that we have failed to heed the warning of John in his first letter: "Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him". Are we perhaps a little too cosy with the world that we can't discern between "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the boastful pride of life" and the ways of our loving heavenly Father? A question I am pondering -- who has read some Harry Potter and enjoyed viewing Pirates of the Carribean.

First, both films focus on activities contrary to the teachings Scripture, piracy and witchcraft.

Please clarify which passage of Scripture denounces piracy. I can't seem to find one.

Thanks,
Brenda

I vote for keeping our mouths shut... at least until we Christians learn how to move beyond mere reactionary moralism and actually think for ourselves (and how to enjoy good literature and good storytelling without needing to always "clean it up").

This is why we should have more movies about monkeys. Monkeys are funny. Monkeys are created by God. There is nothing intrinsically evil about monkeys.

This conversation raises another issue: Why is a matter of conviction in a "non-essential" (an essential would be something clearly delineated in Scripture) a matter for critique? It seems to me to be argument for the sake of argument to say "if we must pick on one, then we MUST pick on the other." One man's child may not be affected by either Potter or Pirates (or any other literary or film work under critique) and can enjoy either or both with clear conscience, but another man's child may be negatively influenced by one or both, and he must discern whether to expose his family to it. It's a matter of parental judgment, knowing an individual child, and inner convictions to which one is accountable to the Lord -- something an outsider cannot determine nor should an outsider demand explanation to his own satisfaction. Each should be fully convinced in his own mind, and follow his conscience in it, but allow grace to others who do not share his point of view. Wasn't this Paul's point in the dispute over meat? Why marginalize ourselves over such things? Does not the world already see the Church as straining gnats and swallowing camels?

Maybe if we as Christians focused more on the saving, redeeming work of Christ, and spent a bit less time in judgment about what was awful and wrong about what other people do – maybe then a larger portion of the American, nay, WORLD population would not be forced to snicker when we tell them that we value peace, love and acceptance.

This sort of knee-jerk diatribe is exactly what makes Christians irrelevant, and absurd to the world – particularly the youth of the world.

Who gives a fat diddly squat about what Harry Potter, Superman, Jack Sparrow, or Da Vinci do in their spare time – it is FICTION people – FICTION – just like left behind and every other pointless money making scheme foisted upon us by Hollywood. STOP giving up your credibility by fighting FICTION.

H. Richard Neibuhr's age-old question of Christ and culture just won't go away. We could all stand to go back and read that positively brilliant reminder that there is no one Christian approach to culture, and that each has its weaknesses and strengths. His best reminder is that whatever our approach to Christ and culture, the only approach that fails is the one that fails to communicate with another perspective.

Perhaps we don't hear the objections simply because pirates are undeniably a part of the real history of this here earth, whereas magic and wizards live in a world of myth and legend (I am not denying the existence of the occult -- I just don't see it as consistent with the type of magical activity evidenced in the Potter movies/books). The unknown seems to be far more scary to us than the known, although personally I find the known to be much more disturbing -- we are capable of much more evil towards one another than I would have thought possible. I recently returned from a trip to the Caribbean and visited the pirate museum at Nassau. When I saw the "Pirates" movie, I was impressed by some details that were well-researched and consistent with history, terrible though they be. Unfortunately, it had to do with what the "good guys" did to the "bad guys (aka the pirates) once said pirates had been caught.

It's not so easy to categorize a person as "good" or "evil" -- I think that is the point of the "Pirates" AND "Potter" movies: People are not always what they seem.

"Please clarify which passage of Scripture denounces piracy. I can't seem to find one."

Maybe not piracy, but try coveting, greed, murder, rape, pillage, theft, destruction of property, lawlessness, rebellion...

Have we become so undiscerning as to not be able to identify good and evil? There in lies the danger.

Personally I loved the first Pirates, the second lost its gloss somewhat - but with young kids there's no way they'll be watching for a while yet (as with LotR, which I loved). And I've sidestepped the HP question altogether (our kids haven't taken a particular interest, so hasn't been a huge issue).

This seems to be a repeat about what we are against, rather than what we are for.

We spend so much of our time attacking things (sometimes rightly defending values). We always seem to be on the defensive, rather than on an 'offensive of love'

>>Likewise...Harry, Hermione, and Ron are true heroes as well.

Sorry, but Harry and his friends are not "true heroes". True heroes do not lie, cheat, break the rules, and then silently take the reward ~

I don't know much about Pirates (though based on your review, I have some reason for concern) but I do know a lot about Harry Potter. I have talked to several young people who've researched or become Wiccan or Pagan because of a fascination with HP. If anyone doubts the fallout of Harry Potter, go to your local bookstore and thumb through the children's book section. Look specifically for titles like "The Wizard's Handbook" or worse, "Wizardology" - these are books that our 5-12 year olds are wanting to read now.

Can't say what "Pirates" will leave them wanting to read. Though I doubt it will be books on how to call animal spirits into themselves and cast protective circles? (Wizardology)

Romans 14. Let us not be stumbling blocks to one another, and to the world. Let us understand that warnings have a place - they WARN us of potential danger. Let us pray that we are able to, and more importantly, be able to teach others - to discern good from evil and to know when to flee from temptation.
I enjoy both HP and Pirates - but I won't advocate it to my kids till I know that they can understand what is fiction and what is right in the eyes of God.

I vote for the monkeys!

As a fan of Harry Potter, I can tell you that there is nothing that would threaten my relationsip with our Father in heaven. It is very similar to another generation's love of Lord of the Rings.

Just a thought, but the last I checked nobody has been out in our schools and neighborhoods recuiting pirates, but have you heard of wicca? They are very active and very real and they want our children. I think this may be the cause for a lack of concern about "pirates" and a pretty good reason to get our panties in a wad over "potter".

Racist Stereotypes in Pirates of the Caribbean
By: Cheryl L. Noralez, President and Founder of the Garifuna American Heritage Foundation, United

Long before the film “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” opened to record-breaking box office numbers, indigenous groups raised strong concerns over the film’s racist depiction of the native Carib peoples as cannibals. Prior to production of the Pirates sequel, Michael Polonio of the National Garifuna Council of Belize accused Disney of perpetuating an unjust myth that harms the Caribs and their descendents. Carib Chief Charles Williams criticized Disney’s producers and stated that, “Our ancestors stood up against early European conquerors and because they stood up…we were labeled savages and cannibals up to today.” Despite such objections to the script’s racist portrayal of the indigenous people, Disney refused to make alterations. In response, Los Angeles area Garifuna leaders organized a protest outside of Disneyland for the film’s premiere on June 24th.

The Garifuna American Heritage Foundation, United can be found here.

By: Rony Figueroa

It’s hard to understand the issue of degradation against the Garifuna when people all over the world have been brainwashed by movies and television shows glamorizing pirates lifestyles and natives playing the role of the bad guys. Try to reverse that thinking when people have been conditioned all of their lives to believe what they see. It’s time to get educated about the indigenous peoples of our planet in order to stop this erroneous thinking. Garifuna, Kalinago, Taino, etc. -peoples of the caribbean- are not cannibals, never were cannibals…It was just warfare tactics used by the British to overcome the so called enemy of the time. These tactics are still being used against the enemy…it’s called character assassination!!

Points very, very well made! My kids have read almost all of the Potter series so far and we have talked to them about witchcraft and evil and the concerns some people have that are understandable. We believe that we have made the right choice and it is not a problem for them. I get tired of the same issue and it wears on me as a pastor and a Christian.