PARENTING FREEDOM

carol | July 12, 2010

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Trailer Official HD

Harry Potter: What is a Christian Parent to Do?
http://parentingfreedom.com/2009/05/03/harry-potter-what-is-a-christian-parent-to-do/

Category: Books, Movies, Television, Harry Potter | No Comments »
Tags:

carol | February 19, 2010

‘Anne of Green Gables’ and Harry Potter
http://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/anne-of-green-gables-and-harry-potter/

Category: Books, Movies, Television, Harry Potter | No Comments »
Tags:

carol | December 8, 2009

Benedictine monk publishes ‘Christian reading’ of Harry Potter
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/harry-potter/6468179/Benedictine-monk-publishes-Christian-reading-of-Harry-Potter.html

“Some Christians have condemned JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books, accusing them of promoting witchcraft and paganism, but Fr Luke said his studies highlighted their strong references to Christian principles.”

“‘I was hooked on the books since reading the first one.’”

“‘I do not think there is any intelligent view out there that says these books are evil. They are the sort of objections that come from people who have not read them…’”

“‘I don’t feel at all that the books were leading children away from Christian spirituality.’”

“‘They are full of Christian themes of love and sacrifice.’”

Category: Books, Movies, Television, Christianity, Harry Potter | No Comments »
Tags:

carol | July 22, 2009

CAROL’S REVIEW

We are big Harry Potter fans. My boys have read the series and watched the movies many times. Last week, N15, B10, and I went to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. We had soooooo wanted to go to the midnight showing like we did for the last HP movie, but it didn’t work out. Going to the midnight show is more fun because you get to join the biggest fans who are the most enthusiastic and excitable. Even so, I was still pretty excited when we went a couple days later.

I really liked the Half-Blood Prince. I love how they can make a movie just like I pictured it in my mind when reading the book. I had frequent déjà vu feelings when I watched it the first time. There were some things that were different from the book, but nothing that ruined the story.

We went again the next night with Derek and C7. By previewing the movie, I could prepare C7 for the scary parts and even cover her eyes when necessary. She didn’t jump at the inferius like I did the first time. (I expected them to be more boney.)

I loved the good and evil spiritual elements which were clearly demonstrated in this movie. I found the Christian symbolism to be right in line with C.S. Lewis and Tolkien.

What touched me the most in the movie was the young Tom Riddle. His face and his voice and his destiny saddened me. He had no parents. He was a child who had no one to love him. As an adult, he had no children on which to release his rage and anger which is a typical (unfortunate) result of such pain, thus he went down a (different) very dark road. Very Hitleresque.

It was hard to see Draco cope with his conflicts. You could feel his torment. He reminded me of Judas.

How Dumbledore treated Draco at the end was quite an example of sacrificial love. In that scene, Dumbledore saved Harry, Malfoy and Snape. I have always been a big fan of Snape’s, so it is hard to see him pictured as the bad guy in this movie. He was GREAT in the movie, still my favorite character/actor in the series. I didn’t hear “half-blood prince” explained – just his identity. The movie should have had more of Snape – it was named for him.

The phoenix flying in freedom gave me goosebumps. It made me feel like Dumbledore must still be alive.

I loved Luna and Slughorn. I missed seeing the Dursleys… and Dobby.

Dumbledore should have looked in the mirror when commenting on HARRY needing a shave. LOL

I’m still not a big Ginny fan. Maybe because many of her scenes are stupid – like in the Room of Requirement. Why did they need to hide the book in the first place? I did wonder who on earth ties shoes at bedtime? Who would have thought it would come in so handy for running through a corn field to a big puddle in time to escape a burning house!

Ron was funny, but slightly annoying. I loved Fred and George’s store!

I enjoyed both times the liquid luck was used (or thought to have been used).

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was definitely my favorite book of the series and my favorite HP movie so far.

As a side note, I was very excited to see the preview for New Moon coming in November, although it contained a spoiler of the coolest thing uncovered in the book. It looks great though. Woohoo!

***********************************************************************

Vatican praises latest ‘Potter’
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-07-13-vatican-harry-potter_N.htm?obref=obnetwork

“The Vatican lauded the latest Harry Potter film on Monday, saying Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince made the age-old debate over good vs. evil crystal clear.”

“The Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano even gave two thumbs up to the film’s treatment of adolescent love, saying it achieved the ‘correct balance’ and made the stars more credible to the general audience.”

“The newspaper said the film, which opens Wednesday, was the best adaptation yet of the J.K. Rowling series about the adventures of the bespectacled child wizard Harry Potter and his Hogwarts chums as they battle Harry’s nemesis, the evil sorcerer Voldemort.”

“While criticizing Rowling for omitting any explicit ‘reference to the transcendent’ in her books, L’Osservatore said the latest installment nevertheless makes clear that good should overcome evil ‘and that sometimes this requires costs and sacrifice.’”

“‘In addition, the spastic search for immortality epitomized by Voldemort is stigmatized,’ the review said.”

***********************************************************************

N15′S REVIEW

-I think most of the actors fit their roles quite well.

-Draco gets a radically different role in this movie, and it’s played out very well.

-The movie is actually pretty funny at times.

-Ginny and Harry’s relationship was poorly done. Ginny herself is the worst developed character in the movies so far. Understandable because this is pretty much the first HP movie in which she actually has a talking role. It all seemed to just come out of no where.

-Severus doesn’t get enough screen time in the movie. Heck, they didn’t even have one Defence Against the Dark Arts class the movie. Alan Rickman is, IMO, the the best actor in the movie, and Severus is arguably one of the four most important characters in the book. So….you get the idea.

-The whole ‘who is the Half-Blood Prince!!!’ sub-plot was a disappointment to me in the book. Before the 6th book came out, I had all these theories about who it could be and all that. But then the book came out and  ‘the identity of the Half-Blood Prince’ was just an afterthought that didn’t affect the main-storyline. And here we are with the movie, which didn’t even bother to fully explain ‘WHY’ Severus called himself that nickname in the first place.

-There are some important plot elements missing from the movie. ‘Most’ of the backstories about Tom Riddle, were taken out in the movie for example. Obviously it was to simplify things for the big screen, but I found those backstories to some of the most interesting parts of the book itself. Especially the story of Riddle’s parents, which is crucial to understanding Voldemort as a character.

-It also creates some story problems for the two Deathly Hallow’s movies, because right now in the movie storyline; Harry knows absolutely nothing about what the other Horcruxes might be. It was in the book’s stories about Riddle’s past that Dumbledore and Harry managed to narrow down what objects the Horcruxes might be. 

-So…I guess Harry’s going to find out that crucial information from a different source in the next movie. Perhaps Harry and Company will sneak into Dumbledore’s study and go through all the memories he had stored there?

-Minor fan-criticisms aside, I really enjoyed the movie*. It’s easily the best of the series so far.

*in-fact, it’s only the second movie this year I truly enjoyed watching.

***********************************************************************

B10′S REVIEW

I liked the Half-Blood Prince movie. Most of it was exactly like the book. There were some parts where it was not that much like the book, but most of it was.

My favorite part was when McLaggen threw up on Snape and Snape said, “That just earned you a month’s worth of detentions.”

I think that when the Death Eaters burned the Weasley’s house down that it was a fine addition.

I noticed it was blurry at times.

One thing I do not like, is that Dumbledore only has two sessions with Harry, which means Harry will have to find out about the other memorys in the next movie. Another thing I do not like is that they completely leave out Dobby and Kreacher, the house elves. I think they are going to make someone else rescue them from the Malfoy Manor and catch Mundungus Fletcher.

Category: Books, Movies, Television, Christianity, Harry Potter, Homeschooling Controversy | No Comments »
Tags:

carol | July 13, 2009

http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/harrypotterandthehalf-bloodprince/#/home

The sixth was my favorite book of the series.

Category: Books, Movies, Television, Harry Potter | No Comments »
Tags:

carol | May 3, 2009

I have had several conversations with Christians who are afraid of the Harry Potter books and movies because they connect them with the occult. Oddly, NOT ONE of those people actually read the books.

 LISTEN to the excellent audio lecture at the following link. It is 95 minutes. The article is just a summary of the speech.

J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter by Jerram Barrs
http://www.bethinking.org/your-course/j-k-rowling-and-harry-potter.htm

“However none of these books are encouraging occult practice. The magic is simply a part of the imaginative worlds that Lewis, Tolkien, and Rowling have created. In such an imaginary world, people can become invisible; animals talk; mythical creatures like unicorns and centaurs exist; and rings and spells work wonders.”

“Some people have gone on record as stating that they believe that J.K. Rowling is purposely and explicitly teaching occult and even Satanic practice.”

“As a Christian, I have to say I am profoundly ashamed of those who have responded with this kind of malicious gossip. Rowling has stated that she does not believe in the occult, and she certainly does not wish to promote it.”

Yep. No occult. I actually read ALL the books.

“J.K. Rowling also has a very deep understanding of the folly of those who turn their eyes blindly towards evil and of evil’s destructive consequences.”

I agree with this completely. This theme throughout the books so aptly represents our times.

“The Word of God challenges us to be prepared to celebrate anything that is good and true, wherever it is found.”

I also agree with this. This can be an invention, or a scientific discovery, or simply wisdom in a children’s book.

I appreciated the reference to John Calvin at the end of the above link. Read more…

Hat Tip: TulipGirl

Here are some great books to give you more insight into the Harry Potter series:

My favorite Harry Potter blogs:

http://thehogshead.org/
http://hogwartsprofessor.com

A wonderful addition to your Christian home library!

Category: Books, Movies, Television, Harry Potter, Homeschooling Activities | 3 Comments »
Tags:

carol | March 9, 2009

“And then the thing beneath the hood, whatever it was, drew a long, slow, rattling breath, as though it was trying to suck something more than air from its surroundings.”

“An intense cold swept over them them all. Harry felt his own breath catch in his chest. The cold went deeper than his skin. It was inside his chest, it was inside his very heart…”

“‘It felt weird,’ said Ron, shifting his shoulders uncomfortably. ‘Like I’d never be cheerful again…’”

“‘Dad had to go out to Azkaban one time, remember Fred? And he said it was the worst place he’d ever been. He came back all weak and shaking… They suck the happiness out of a place, Dementors.’” George Weasley

“‘They [Dementors] sort of freeze your insides, don’t they?’” Fred Weasley

“‘Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. Even Muggles feel their presence, though they can’t see them. Get too near a Dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the Dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself…soul-less and evil. You will be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life.’” Remus Lupin

“‘The Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the Dementor feeds upon – hope, happiness, the desire to survive.’” Remus Lupin

Quotes from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

http://unbornbabyjournal.com/river.html

Category: Books, Movies, Television, Harry Potter, Miscarriage | No Comments »
Tags:

carol | January 14, 2009

I have been enjoying the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. They make a good, easy read. I would say I do like the books, but I can easily put them down for a week at a time. I’ve owned them all for months and still have not finished them. I find them very drawn out. I thought the movie followed the book quite well. My 15yo son kind of liked the movie, and then read the book, but was not impressed.

I am half-way through the third book, so I can only say what I think based on what I have read so far. I do like the pro-abstinence before marriage theme. I find Edward’s controlling ways to be getting hard to take. I think Edward is robbing the cradle. I think Bella’s parents are so selfish and preoccupied that they did nothing to prevent her from getting into these relationships that cause her to be so obsessive and stressed. Somebody needed to tell her that it wasn’t too late. I don’t see Bella’s relationships as healthy at all. She sure does sound like a child raised (or neglected) by divorced parents. Like many teenage girls, you could tell she was just ripe to be bitten. I’d like to have been there to be the only one to talk some sense into her, but she wouldn’t have listened. I wish Bella would dream bigger and better. The front cover of Twilight sums it up. I wish I could tell Bella, Eve, and Snow White to, “Leave that apple alone!”

I don’t see the excellence in writing or depth of symbolism that I found in the Harry Potter books, although Meyer is definitely creative. There seems to be an LDS influence.

All in all, I am a Twilight fan, and I will finish the books and see all the movies. I will be unlikely to stand in the midnight line like I did with my boys for Harry Potter, BUT my girl will be old enough before I turn around, so you never know. I do know that I want someone for my daughter that would be better for her than Edward or Jacob.

Turn Around
Harry Belafonte, Alan Greene, Malvina Reynolds

Where are you going
My little one, little one
Where are you going
My baby, my own
Turn around and you’re two
Turn around and you’re four
Turn around and you’re a young girl
Going out of the door

Turn around, turn around
Turn around and you’re a young girl
Going out of the door

Where are you going
My little one, little one
Little pigtails, petticoats
Where have they gone
Turn around and you’re tiny
Turn around and you’re grown
Turn around and you’re a young wife
With babes of your own

Turn around, turn around
Turn around and you’re a young wife
With babes of your own

Where have they gone
My little ones, little ones
Where have they gone
My babies, my own
Turn around and they’re young
Turn around and they’re old
Turn around and they’re gone
And we’ve no one to hold

Turn around, turn around
Turn around and they’re gone
And we’ve no one to hold

Where are you going
My baby, my own

Category: Books, Movies, Television, Harry Potter, Marriage, Music | 9 Comments »
Tags:

carol | October 30, 2008

When we go trick-or-treating, we almost always come across a flaming roadblock on the drive home, sometimes forcing us to take a detour. Here is N in front of one of those roadblocks in 2002. We thought he looked like Harry Potter.

Category: Children, Harry Potter, Holidays, Journal 2008 | No Comments »
Tags:

carol | June 24, 2008

I have been having a hard time even mentioning this guy. I feel like I shouldn’t even be talking about “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named”.

10 Concerns about Barack Obama
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MzQ4YTY4YjQyMzRjYjA5MGZlNDBiZTkwYmEyODg5NTc=&w=MA==

9. Barack Obama is to the left of Hillary Clinton and NARAL on the issue of life. As a state senator in Illinois, Barack Obama voted against the Induced Infant Liability Act, a law that would have protected babies if they survived an attempted abortion and were delivered alive.

10. Barack Obama is actually to the left of every member of the U.S. Senate. According to the National Journal, “Sen. Barack Obama…was the most liberal senator in 2007.”

Whom will a man this far left appoint to the Supreme Court?

Barack Obama Is Not a Christian
http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/06/02/barack-obama-is-not-a-christian/

Obama is the Most Pro-Abortion Candidate Ever
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerenceJeffrey/2008/01/09/obama_is_the_most_pro-abortion_candidate_ever

Jill Stanek, who was a nurse at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Ill., testified in the U.S. Congress in 2000 and 2001 about how “induced labor abortions” were handled at her hospital.

“One night,” she said in testimony entered into the Congressional Record, “a nursing co-worker was taking an aborted Down’s Syndrome baby who was born alive to our Soiled Utility Room because his parents did not want to hold him, and she did not have the time to hold him. I couldn’t bear the thought of this suffering child lying alone in a Soiled Utility Room, so I cradled and rocked him for the 45 minutes that he lived.”

Stanek testified about these bills in the Illinois Senate Judiciary Committee, where Obama served. She told me this week he was “unfazed” by her story of holding the baby who survived an induced labor abortion.

On the Illinois Senate floor, Obama was the only senator to speak against the baby-protecting bills.

Category: Abortion, Harry Potter, Politics Barack Obama | No Comments »
Tags:

carol | June 19, 2008

The Philosopher’s Stone was published in Canada in 2000. The evening before it was released, we were in a Chapters bookstore in a nearby city. We had never heard of Harry Potter. Derek, N (who was 6), and I (wearing B) happened to walk by a table which appeared to hold secret books hidden under a large table cloth. A news reporter and photographer were hanging around and quickly approached us to borrow N for a picture. They explained a bit about the book, and for some reason, I consented. N pretended to peek under the table cloth while the photographer took the picture. N was wearing a Tilley hat. The photo made the front page of the city newspaper – in color. It was a couple more years before N actually read the book. We were soon addicted to the books and the movies, even to the point of waiting in the midnight line for the last two books and the last movie.

Category: Books, Movies, Television, Harry Potter, Homeschooling Controversy | No Comments »
Tags:

carol | June 16, 2008

Have you read the Harry Potter prequel yet? The original is here, but there is an easier-to-read copy here:

http://www.hpprogs.com/2008/06/11/jk-rowlings-800-word-potter-prequel-now-online/

Hat Tip: http://thehogshead.org/

Category: Books, Movies, Television, Harry Potter, Homeschooling Controversy | No Comments »
Tags: