Scripture Reading and Harry Potter.

I've mentioned before that Jordan has recently been campaigning for private ownership of ALL of the Harry Potter books. Up until last week, he'd only read Book 1, and because I am most obviously a mean, cold hearted Mommy, I was making him wait on any subsequent books. It isn't that I don't love Harry Potter. I've read them all, and loved them all. But he's 7, and well, the farther you go through the books, the darker and scarier they get.

But Jordan's begging has been nearly constant, so, after a discussion with his teacher, we decided Book 2, and 3 were okay for now... as long as we hold out another year or so on the others.

(Perhaps your seven year old has read all the Harry Potter books... I'm not being critical. But Jordan is a particularly sensitive kid... based on what I know about him, even if HE thinks he can handle it... I don't want to endure the consequences if he can't.)

It took Jordan a week to finish Book 2. He loved it, lived it, breathed it every spare minute of his afternoons. Last night, as he sat down to start Book 3, we reminded him that while reading Harry Potter is wonderful, we don't want him to forget about reading his Book of Mormon. He set a goal to finish it before he turns eight next spring... an admirable goal, and one, if accomplished, will be 100% of Jordan's own volition. (If only he could pass that discipline of scripture study to his underachieving mother...)

So, Jordan gets out his scriptures and starts reading in the Book of Jacob. I asked him to read out loud, so I could listen as well. It's a chapter where Jacob is chastising the people for being slow to remember their God. As Jordan read on, about whoredoms, and concubines, and lakes of fire and brimstone in the eternal depths of hell, I looked at Josh and joked that if we were going to worry about the content in the pages of Harry Potter, we might ought to worry about the pages in the Book of Mormon as well! At that moment, Jordan paused and asked me to help him with a few words he didn't know... I turned and looked where his little finger pointed.

"Ummm, that first word is fornication," I said. "And the next is lasciviousness."

Oh my, Josh and I laughed so hard. The timing of our exchange was so completely comical, we tried to stifle it, lest Jordan think we were laughing at him.

It's most certainly different - the reading of scripture as compared to that of books of fantasy and fiction, but seriously! If Jordan picked up any other book that used the word fornication, I'm thinking I'd probably have issues with it. I am certain though, the spiritual benefit of his efforts in scripture reading will far outweigh the perusing of a few words beyond his realm of comprehension.

It was a good laugh though, that's for sure.

*For my non-Mormon readers... the Book of Mormon is another Testament of Jesus Christ. It does not replace the Bible, only adds to its teachings. And, lest my post mislead you, it is not all about fire and brimstone and eternal torment. It's actually very uplifting. :) To learn more about the Book of Mormon, click here.