Wizarding World of Harry Potter Castle (Wikicommons: Carlos Cruz)Even though the Harry Potter series is finished, these wizardry tales remain the most widely-read books among youth. But as this world-renowned exorcist warns, just because they’re popular and everyone’s reading them, doesn’t make them safe.
In this YouTube video, Father Chad Ripperger, a noted theologian and exorcist, lays out a few eye-opening facts about Harry Potter books that ought to put the fear of God into the heart of any parent who thinks it’s okay to let their child read Harry Potter.
First, people should be aware that even though J. K. Rowling denies that she’s a witch, she went to “witch school” before writing the books, he said, which could explain why so many of the spells in the books are real spells.
“How do we know that? Well, witches tell us they are,” Ripperger said.
As an example, he told the audience about a woman in Spain who decided to try one of the spells for fire that is included in one of the books and it burned her house to the ground.
Personally speaking, he has had to exorcise three children just for reading the books.
Exorcists have told him that as many as 60 percent of the names in the Potter books are the names of demons who have been booted out of people. He is personally familiar with a case of possession in which the person was possessed by five demons who claim they were the spirits who inspired J. K. Rowling to write the books.
“Demons are always looking to get glory,” he explained. "What is glory? It’s a manifestation of excellence, according to Thomas Aquinas. And they get glory in this life by their name being pronounced under certain circumstances – obviously when you’re talking about subjugating Satan he’s not getting any glory out of it – but when their names are pronounced, they can say to their buddies, ‘look my name is up there.’ That’s one of the reasons why every time you read these books or pronounce those words - without being in the proper context - you’re actually giving glory to them.”
For this reason, “I tell people, avoid it" he said about the books. "All the other exorcists I know that are experienced, are very clear, stay away from it."
To those who get upset when they’re told to keep their children away from Harry Potter, he has this to say:
“The fact of the matter is that when you tell people you shouldn't let your kids read that [Harry Potter], the purely visceral response you get as a result - that tells me there is something diabolic about the whole thing."
It’s very difficult to argue with exorcists who have first-hand knowledge of the demonic. They don’t have the luxury of hiding behind the excuses that we often erect about these books, such as how “everyone else is reading them,” and how “they’re in our school library!” and how such-and-such said they’re okay. Instead, they must confront the reality of evil and can attest to the fact that demons are regularly destroying lives as a result of the trivialization of the occult in our time.
Regardless of what the prevailing culture has to say, let us humble ourselves and learn from those whom God has appointed to keep us safe from evil.
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
