Professor compares biblical magic to Potter magic
___By Mark Wingfield
___Managing Editor
___Is the kind of magic done by Harry Potter what the Bible refers to in its multiple admonitions against sorcery?
___Not exactly, according to a New Testament scholar who has studied ancient sorcery scrolls and teaches a course on spiritual warfare.
___Clinton Arnold, professor of New Testament at Biola University's Talbot Theological Seminary, has done first-hand research on ancient manuscripts from the Middle East--scrolls believed to be similar to those described in Acts 19.
___In that biblical passage, the writer describes how the Apostle Paul preached in Ephesus in the first century and "a number who had practice
d sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly" as part of their conversion to Christianity.
___"Archaeologists have uncovered 250 papyri in Egypt representing the same kinds of practices all over the Mediterranean world," Arnold explained.
___Through this, they have learned that the sorcery practiced in Ephesus involved "a vibrant belief in the spirit realm, that there were good and evil spirits ... that could cause a famine, could cause your crops not to grow well, keep your animals from being fertile, give you headaches," he said.
___"A lot of the texts were recipes on how to make curses. ... Archaeologists have uncovered hundreds and hundreds of curse tablets."
___A fundamental element of this practice was an "intentional calling on spirits that could go out and do these curses," Arnold added. "It was a very animistic view of the world."
___This is different than what is portrayed in the Harry Potter books, he asserted. "With Harry Potter, you do have people doing spells, ... but you don't see the spirit emphasis there."
___From his perspective, Harry Potter is much more akin to Disney's Fantasia than to ancient sorcery practices condemned in the New Testament. "There's a lot of difference between that and ancient magic."
___Also, the whimsical elements of Harry Potter such as flying broomsticks and giants and dragons and a game called quidditch have no basis in the reality of ancient magic, he added. These themes actually are drawn from medieval legends, he suggested.
___All this is not to say Arnold doesn't believe in demons today. He team-teaches a course in spiritual warfare at Talbot, a course where professors help students "try to make sense of modern phenomena," he explained.
___The course was featured in a recent issue of Christianity Today in relation to a larger set of stories on exorcism.
___He has dealt with students--often from non-Western cultures--who report they hear voices or see strange apparitions.
___This is serious business, he insisted. "We see the evil one as trying to exploit people in the areas of their weakness and vulnerabilities."
___And at this point, he agrees with critics of the Harry Potter books.
___"We can give a place to the devil. If we as believers keep turning our backs to the Lord, willfully in our behavior, we open ourselves to a deeper level of spiritual bondage," he said. "I don't want to be superstitious, but on the other hand I have a Scripture that tells me this stuff is real."
___So can reading Harry Potter books or seeing the movie open a child to demon-possession?
___Arnold doesn't think that's likely.
___"It would be possible if it arouses interest in wanting to find more about supernatural reality," he acknowledged. "I see that as a potential real danger.
___"On the other hand, I see in those books a whole other set of things that are really attractive. They illustrate dynamics of human relationships, ... themes of the power of friendship, bringing good from adversity, a lot of relational themes."
___And the magic portrayed in Harry Potter is "very stereotypical," he added.
___
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