Catweazle played by Geoffrey Blayldon was an 11th century wizard who accidentally travels through time to the year 1969 and befriends a young red-headed boy, nicknamed Carrot (Robin Davies), who spends most of the rest of the series attempting to hide Catweazle from his father and farmhand Sam. Meanwhile Catweazle searches for a way to return to his own time whilst hiding out in 'Castle Saburac', a disused water tower, with his familiar, a toad called Touchwood.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catweazle
Mark Tronson explains that in his humble view, if you saw Catweazle, there is neither any need to read Harry Potter, or view any of the Harry Potter movies, as even with all the high techno dramatics, it would be a great disappointment, as in his view, it lacks the reality of every day life that the Catweasle story exhibited. He takes up the story:
One leaves off reading Harry Potter or after seeing a Harry Potter movie, knowing it is all make believe, the high tech machination ensures that the viewer, once they step back into reality, they have to pay the next iPhone account (for many that's the highest techno they possess).
With Catweazle it was nothing of a sort. It was so real, it was made so believable, and as a kid I could imagine myself checking the back shed for Catweazle's cousin. In my child like fantasy world, knowing full well it was just a story, there was nonetheless a firm belief that I too had enough cunning and where-with-all to keep Catweazle's cousin hidden and assist him in what endeavours might come our way. It was terrific imaginary fun.
Two of my adult children are great Harry Potter fans. They read the books, they watch the movies, they even got their long suffering mother to read the books with them. "What rot" I would hear her say after turning a page. It was so science fiction, and quite out of reality, that it did not come near Catweazle's reality.
As Rosie Timmins wrote in her review in Christian Today of the latest Harry Potter movie: "Obviously this is a fantasy movie and is based in a world full of the mystical and magical but this is a movie for the fans and it is one that they will no doubt enjoy."
au.christiantoday.com/article/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-ii-review/11566.htm
What more can one say?
Therefore, I for one, could never understand the drama of some Christians who saw in Harry Potter and that genre, "the devil" at his worst in the modern world, sending this generation of kids into the world of witch craft, cavens, the wiccan religion, paganism and the like.
But Catweazle used devilry, wizardy, spells and the rest of it, leaving poor Harry Potter and his motley crew to shame. That's my humble view. Harry and his mates had nothing on good ol' Catweazle, who was sneaky as, and mind you, the most awful liar, he'd inaugurate the most ill conceived deceitful and misguided strategies, putting any modern day witch, cinematic or real, to shame with his innumerable spells and magic potions. As you can see, I liked the Catweazle series.
Catweazle was the most despicable "wizard" one might find in your back shed. In point of fact, had Harry Potter ever met Catweazle, Harry would have hung his head, put down his watcha-me-call-etts and gone home with his head between his legs.
For all those who think Harry Potter is the worst of all images for children, get hold of Catweazle (back in the '70s) and you'll have kittens…
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catweazle
Mark Tronson said that for those who have little interest in such things, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and that whole genre is a money-making venture for the author and all those on the gravy train. It might be fun, if you like fairy stories. Many didn't even like them as kids, many found the Brothers Grimm distasteful. Science fiction is just not the thing for many poeple. Having said that, programs like Asimov or Jules Verne, or funny, such as Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe had a strong following. Many people see Harry Potter simply as science fiction for kids (along with many adults). Some have even suggested Harry Potter is a type of Christ.
But having said all that, I also recognise there is a community of Christians who see "all such" as inducements, down an avenue by which those without proper Christian guidance, might succumb to the dangers of all such devilry.
Sadly, that applies to everything. I never had any illusions, even as a kid, that Catweazle was anything but entertainment, as do countless millions of Harry Potter enthusiasts. I've seen any number of programs and movies with astonishingly fast car chases and the like, but the reality is something different. Similarly with the 'horror' industry.
If anything Christians are the champions of common sense and a good dose of balance. That balance is based on Jesus Christ who said in John 15 verses 7 and 8:
"If ye abide in me , and my words abide in you, ye shall what ask ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; and ye shall be my disciples."
That requires a good dose of likeable "wisdom and stature" as said of Jesus in Luke 2 verse 52. The New Living Translation says, "and he was loved by God and all who knew him". You can hardly be taken seriously therefore, should you run around being quite silly about such things as Catweazle and Harry Potter. I for one would have been immensely disadvantaged had I been banned as a kid from watching and enjoying Catweazle.
Dr Mark Tronson is the Chairman of Well-Being Australia, a retired Baptist Minister, an author of 24 books, on the international evangelist circuit for many years, served as the Australian Cricket Team Chaplain for 17 years, in 2009 awarded the Olympic Ministry Medal and voted as one of Australia's top 25 evangelicals in 2005.
