Christianity and Harry Potter

"…It is neither absurd, nor laughable, to suppose that the Harry Potter books might lead some children into the world of occultism since the series contains actual beliefs and practices associated with witchcraft and paganism, including: divination, astrology, numerology, familiars, pagan gods/goddesses, spellcasting, potions, necromancy (i.e., communicating with the dead/ghosts), mediumship/channeling, crystal gazing, palmistry, charms, arithmancy and magick…" (p. 173; Harry Potter and the Bible).


...This stuff makes my blood boil. What is it about well received books or other media that attract so much criticism? Jealousy maybe? Who knows. The quote above is from a book called "Harry Potter and the Bible"; the author, Richard Abanes, references all the ways in which Harry Potter has created a cult for future witches and wizards. Even as I write this, I take a brief second to giggle. Somebody should tell this guy that jealousy, or envy, is a sin. The crazy thing is that more and more people are jumping on board this "Harry Potter bashing wagon". The irony is in the fact that the majority of these losers have never even read the book. One woman, a member of the DOC (Daughters of the Church), slashed the novels and is currently on a crusade to have the books taken out of all school libraries. Instead, she recommended that novels such as "Lord of the Rings" and "The Chronicles of Narnia" be emphasized instead. Geeze! No witchcraft or weirdness there! After being interviewed, she admitted that she had, in fact, never read the books. So, it would be safe to assume that she plagiarizes the words and ideas of her pastor and deems them as her own. Does she have any thoughts of her own on this matter or does she just enjoy being a sheep following the big black dog?

Lets totally disregard the fact that J.K. Rowling has single handedly jump started active reading for millions upon millions of children...and adults for that matter. Lets totally disregard the fact that the books are about good triumphing over evil. Lets totally disregard the fact that the story is unbelievably engaging. No; we should only focus on brief instances in the books where Harry might talk back to a teacher or tell a lie. Oh lord....he is taking an astronomy class. Devil's work! The fact that Harry and his friends are wizards are merely a vehicle to get people curious and reading the books. The real theme of the novels are about goodness and sacrifice...kinda like the stuff Jesus did.

Did we not all grow up with "The Wizard of Oz"? Why are the fanatics not working to get that thrown out? Witchcraft? Yes. Disobeying and lies?? Yes. Careful Dorothy, the DOC may be after you honey.

I think the head of the cultural arts division for the Vatican said it best when he stated:

"I think the people that try to find the devil in Harry Potter are the very people who find the devil in everything, and that is not a good way to live your life."

-Jeffrey