The Goliath of Young Adults fiction, Scholastic Books, has come out with another really big project–the Spirit Animals series by Brandon Mull.
Check out the website, http://spiritanimals.scholastic.com/about# . Has this got bells and whistles, or what? They’ve even got a Spirit Animals game you can play.
Scholastic’s last big thing was Philip Pullman’s venom-spewing atheist fantasy trilogy, His Dark Materials.They pushed it like crazy in the public schools, and managed to parley it into a feature film. I am happy to say the movie sank like a stone.
So what’re these new books about? Why, “a quest to find legendary talismans” that’ll save the fantasy world from an “ancient evil”–can you say “Harry Potter Wannabe?” The heroes are kids with super-powers, which they acquire by being able to link to and bond with special Spirit Animals.(Pullman had the same motif with kids bonded to friendly, loving “daemons” which could take animal form.) “Every kid dreams of calling a Spirit Animal,” says the voice-over in the promotional video on the website.
I’m sure they’re hoping to turns this into a series of blockbluster movies, down the road, to step into the No. 1 Franchise spot when Hunger Games gets worn out.
Anyway, that’s my competition, folks.
Now go out and buy Bell Mountain and its sequels, and make the big boys at Scholastic feel all kinds of frustrated.
Long ago I outlawed Scolastic as a supplier of any literature to us-and told them so . Lots of junk and rubbish
Sounds much like more material from the devil’s workshop, unlike your work, Lee. It’ readily apparent that your Bell Mountain Series is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Calling up “spirits” of any kind is seldom a good idea. Even King Solomon got in trouble for it.
One of my professors in graduate school had a record of nervous breakdowns. Her colleagues could always tell when one of these was coming on by the way she started playing with tarot cards and ouija boards. Another of my professors was of the opinion that people had cause and effect reversed; i.e., the nervous breakdowns didn’t lead to the occultism, but rather the occultism led to the breakdowns. In any case, the two definitely seemed to be intertwined. So one can only imagine what this kind of thing can do to children.
Yeah, but it’s Scholastic Press! So it absolutely must be good–right?
Here in my hometown there’s a la-dee-dah gift shop where they’ll teach you how to consult with your favorite “animal spirit.” (“Yo, hamster! Should I sell my stock or hold on to it longer?”)
I’m not persuaded there’s any such thing as an animal spirit. People who get into the occult have no idea what they’re messing around with.
PS–I’ll lay you dollars to donuts that this professor with the ouija board also believed in Evolution. ‘Cause it wouldn’t be Scientific not to!
I can tell you what happens when one messes around with Ouija boards. My dad and I went to my younger sister’s house (she was 24 and lived alone) to find out why she wasn’t answering her phone. To our utter horror we found she had passed away. We got no answers from autopsy and unfortunately my dad turned to a Ouija board, after which he began hearing voices (and they all had names). Those voices eventually caused him to commit suicide – and in a most brutal fashion. Please, everyone, take heed and stay away from those wicked instruments of the devil!
I know our Christian brothers and sisters here would never dream of it, but I share this with the hope that someone who isn’t a believer may stop by and see this and thinks twice.
Oh, Linda, I’m so sorry this happened to your family! My heart goes out to you. And I’ll pray that both your sister and your father saw the Truth at the very last moment and turned back to God. After all, God is outside of time, so when all this happened, He knew / knows that people would be / will have been / are praying. (Verb tenses are so difficult when talking about the Infinite and Eternal God.)
I’m holding you up in prayer, too, that the Lord will heal any wounds of sorrow and horror that remain from these dreadful events. “He will wipe away every tear.”
Linda, I don’t know what to say. God keep you!
Some of my co-workers used to get together with ouija board sessions, and then gab about the “friendly spirits” they were meeting. Definitely creeped me out. But I was too young to speak up when I should have.
Thank you Phoebe and Lee. Prayer is the best gift we can give or receive. Our kind and merciful Father has given me much comfort over the years since then. I do sometimes still talk to Him about those things and I still have some questions that one day will have answers. God is good, and as you said, Phoebe, He exists outside of time and knew their hearts. My sister loved the Lord, and before all this happened, my dad did too. I pray that their last moments were spent calling out to Him. Why he turned to such an evil thing for answers is beyond me, but I praise our Mighty God for not letting me get pulled along into it. Our Lord knows my dad tried (and failed) – until one day when he made an announcement that he was able to operate the durned thing by himself and needed no other person! Talk about getting creeped out!
Bless you both for your love and prayers. We all have trials in our lives, and hopefully, those same trials draw us nearer to Our Savior. You’re always in my prayers.
In fact, Lee, there’s an appropriate song by Chuck Girard reminding us – “Lay Your Burden Down”
I think that is probably right. Occultism doesn’t seem to lead to anything good. The notion of spirit animals sounds spiritually dangerous to me. The first commandment, which was reiterated by Jesus, is: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”
“You shall have no other gods before me.
So who am I going to listen to, the One True God, or an animal claiming to be a spirit guide. How did things work out for Eve when she allowed a serpent to be her guide? Not well, as I recall.
If an animal is somehow conveying amazing insights that go far beyond the capabilities of a normal animal there is cause for alarm. When a serpent misled Eve, it was being exploited by a spirit creature, the snake wasn’t coming up with any of these ideas of its own accord.
Trusted brand names seem to be losing meaning rapidly. Scholastic Press brings back positive memories, but companies change over time and apparently they have changed considerably from their roots. When I was a kid, Disney was a name synonymous with wholesome, child-friendly entertainment. IIRC, wasn’t there a discussion on this blog recently about a Disney product for children which bore a striking resemblance to a sex toy? So much for Disney.