You Cannot Be a Catholic and Be a Coward

I borrowed the title for this article from the lecture given by Fr. Dan Rehill which lasts about an hour.  It is well worth listening to.  It is the story of his conversion and the miraculous things that have happened in his life.  Fr. Rehill is pastor of St. Edward Catholic Church in Nashville, TN and was recently in the limelight for having banned the Harry Potter book series from the St. Edward Catholic School library. 

There was much ado over his decision and some angry parents went to the media with the letter he wrote to parents about that decision.  I became aware of the story when watching The Five on Fox News a few days ago.  I was appalled that all the members of the panel thought it was a poor decision.  They sang the praises of the books and compared his ban to book burning in Germany.  Fr. Rehill has authority over the content of his parish school library and he made it clear that he is exercising that authority after consulting several exorcists in the United States and Rome.  He did not say anyone was going to hell for having the books at home or denied Holy Communion if they read them, but he may as well have if you listen to the objections of people who fail to defend the doctrine of the Church while they race to defend pagan heresy. 

This is Fr. Dan Rehill’s mailing address:  188 Thompson Lane, Nashville, TN 37211.  I encourage you to send him a note letting him know you defend his decision to protect the children in that school from this kind of wickedness that could be the first step in a child’s life to seek out the occult.  Or you can go to the church website for St. Edward Catholic Church in Nashville and leave a comment in the Contact Us section.  (See link above)

About 14 years ago, when our first grandchild was born, I realized the books were selling like wildfire and that most likely any grandparent who didn’t know who Harry Potter was would be considered “so yesterday.”  So I bought the first two books in the series and I began reading book one aloud to my husband who also thought it would be nice to be on the same page with this next generation.  We read about thirty or forty pages and I knew right away this was not going to get better.  I saw it for what it was and said, “We don’t need to read another page because it is clear where this is going.”  The story glorified magic and spells and incantations.  Catholics SHOULD KNOW to avoid that at all costs. 

To believe it is “only fiction” and not see that it is a catechism of witchcraft for kids is a dangerous blunder to make.  I saw in the first 50 pages that trying to raise a child Catholic alongside teaching him that magic wands and broomsticks are ok to read about was a nonstarter.  Why put that kind of trash, evil trash in a child’s mind, an immature mind that does not know the difference in what is good and what is bad in the spirit world. 

In the Book of Enoch we are told that it was fallen angels who revealed such things to humans.  (Enoch Chapter VII:  …and they taught them charms and enchantments, and the cutting of roots .) Witches and sorcerers are mentioned throughout the Bible and those who practice this “art” are always spoken of as evil doers,  ….) Spells and hexes are not a game.  They are real which is why the Church forbids us having anything to do with them.  Revelations 22:14-15 says:

“Blessed are they who wash their robes so as to have the right to the tree of life and enter the city through its gates.  Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the unchaste, the murderers, the idol-worshippers, and all who love and practice deceit.”

Deuteronomy 18:10-12 tells us exactly what God thinks of such people and how we are to react to them. 

“Let there not be found among you anyone who causes their son or daughter to pass through the fire, or practices divination, or is a soothsayer, augur, or sorcerer, or who casts spells, consults ghosts and spirits, or seeks oracles from the dead.  Anyone who does such things is an abomination to the Lord, and because of such abomination the Lord, your God, is dispossessing them before you.” 

Quoting Galatians 5:19-20

“Now the works of the flesh are obvious:  immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like.  I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.   

One article I read said the following: 

“White magic and black magic are not acceptable in Christianity and there is no such thing as “cheap grace”. Christ died on the cross to forgive us for our sins, yet there is no excuse to take sin lightly. Engaging in any sin including sorcery opens one to demonic oppression and with persistent sinful conduct possession.

One cannot rationalize that one is not engaged in witchcraft but merely being entertained by books or movies whose characters participate in witchcraft, even though the protagonists are “good” witches.

The protagonist Harry Potter in the best selling Harry Potter series of books and current movie attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to become a wizard. Harry and his friends are taking classes in casting spells, magical drafts and potions, transfiguration, history of magic, magical theory etc… They are learning to become “good” wizards and witches. Evil is represented by the “Dark Side,” reminiscent of the “Dark Side” of the Force in “Star Wars and embodied (or disembodied and seeking to re-embody) in Voldemort, the evil wizard who killed Harry’s parents.  …………..

From a Christian paradigm, the problem with Harry is that salvation from his predicament comes from leaving home learning witchcraft, a condemned practice. Children interact with ghosts such as the Friar and Professor Binns, a ghost who teaches the History of Magic. Professor Binns was a very old professor who had fallen asleep by a staff room fire and went to teach the next morning, leaving his body behind.

Christianity teaches that witchcraft, even charming, candy coated witchcraft, is evil and that redemption only comes through Jesus Christ and certainly not from the occult. Communication with the dead is actually communication with demons or “fallen angels.” Casting spells is prohibited.

In Christianity, salvation does not come through witchcraft but by accepting the Son of God. Good is what is of God and comes from worshiping Him. “Innocent” or “mechanical” witchcraft is still witchcraft and as such dark. Exposing one’s children to a heavy dose of the supernatural, even if portrayed through the activities of appealing characters, is not acceptable. The siren call of the occult in children’s movies and cartoons can be appealing. Poltergeists, ghosts, flying broomsticks, werewolves, vampires, witches, giants, bats, goblins, and haunted hallways may be captivating but they can instill a spirit of fear.  They can certainly be “dark and heavy” and exposure to the occult can be addictive. This writer is a case in point having been involved in séances, palmistry, astrology and eastern meditation prior to accepting Jesus Christ. Interest in the occult started with late night “Chiller” movies and supernatural comic books.”

 A final word here from the writer of the above quote:  “All occult objects should be destroyed as these items are vehicles or “windows” for occult activity and oppression. They are literally magnets, which draw the demonic host.” 

This includes in my opinion, children’s books and movies that glorify witchcraft and try to make it appear harmless.  Beware! When I had read those first 50 pages of Harry Potter, I ripped the covers off the books---so they would not tempt anyone else, and put them both in the garbage where they belong.  I know parents and grandparents who brag openly about how much their kids and grandkids love reading Harry Potter and what voracious readers they have become from these stories.  I am poo pooed when I say they are evil.  I’m always told, “Anything that gets them to read is fine with me.”  Really?  Going back to the title of this post, I can only say they are more coward than Catholic.