Wild About Harry

I have done articles about Pokémon and other popular figures. And for quite a while, I have intentionally avoided mentioning Harry Potter. I avoided it because I didn’t want to be, or even appear to be, jumping on a bandwagon. However, over the last month, I have been so concerned about the growing influence of witchcraft on our kids, that I felt I needed to take a stand.

I think to a certain degree, Harry Potter will end up getting the brunt of my discussion here. But let me be clear that Harry Potter is not the lone cause of this epidemic.

J.K. Rowling is the author of the Harry Potter series. I don’t know much about her at this time. I strongly suspect that she is either Wiccan or sympathetic to Wicca.

The basic premise of the Harry Potter series is that Harry is invited to and eventually attends Hogwarts school of sorcery. Harry’s parents were killed by the evil Voldemort and he lives with his aunt. Harry has magical power and is considered a “great,” yet inexperienced, wizard. The books, while focusing mainly on the adventures and misadventures of Harry and his cohorts, also delves into the world of Wicca with practices like spells, herbology, and potions.

I recently heard just a brief excerpt of a radio show in which a speaker was responding, in defense of Harry Potter, that the books were not teaching Satanism or devil worship in any way—that these books were good moral stories in which the characters happen to be witches. I reflected back on shows like “Bewitched” and “I Dream Of Genie.” In these shows, the story focused on the cultural blending of mortals and witches (or immortals). I was recently forced to ask myself how Harry Potter differed from these. From that introspection comes my opinion on Harry Potter and current witch themed books and shows.

We don’t market cigarettes to minors because they are not capable of making sound decisions about their life and health. I don’t mean to belittle kids, but the fact remains that they don’t make the best decisions. It takes maturity, training and discipline to make good life decisions.

George Anderson, a well-known psychic reader, states that he got his start in the occult from a game of ouija at the age of 8. Silver RavenWolf, states that she got started in Wicca at the age of 13 because of a gift of Tarot cards from her cousin. I think it is naïve of adults to think that allowing kids to “play” in the mystical realms is harmless.

Harry Potter is geared directly towards 8 to 10 year old children. It is targeting them with a drug more addictive than nicotine—power. The lust for power is so strong that even adults fall prey to it and lose everything they have in pursuit of power. So, here we have a story of a kid who has power, and lots of it. This lure is wrapped in a clever shroud of “morals” and juvenile literary style so that it easily passes through the hands of parents and teachers to their kids.

And on the heels of the four Harry Potter books (there are at least three more to come) there is the movie which premiers in the next few days. Also, I recently visited a toy store where I counted no less than 3 different Harry Potter parlor games for kids, countless LEGO sets, entire aisles of Harry Potter action figures and play sets, and even a play witch broom. The onslaught of marketing is nothing short of phenomenal. And all of it is selling one thing—power in the form of witchcraft.

So what’s so bad about power? In the case of Harry Potter, where it comes from. According to Wicca, magic power comes from energy that just exists – not from God. They don’t believe that their power is coming from any supernatural being, good or evil. How it is used, according to Wicca, defines whether the power is good or evil. The oriental religions call this power Chi, Wicca calls it spirit or ether, and the New Age movement calls it life force.

Let’s concede for a moment that Harry Potter is totally innocent and in no way promotes witchcraft. What is the harm? Well, any curious kid, whose appetite for witchcraft has been whetted by Harry Potter, can go to their local bookstore or public library (not to mention the internet) and find a treasure trove of serious Wicca books that are aimed specifically at young kids. These are not fun little storybooks, but rather all-out instruction books on how to become a witch.

Case in point, the book “Teen Witch” by Silver RavenWolfe specifically targets pre-teen and teenaged kids with detailed information on how to become a witch.

Of course, spirituality as defined by Wicca is entirely different that that of the Christian faith. But the themes of Harry Potter are not as secular as supporters would have you believe. Which brings me to my next point.

In my lifetime, I have seen atheists and secularists push God and the Bible out of the classrooms. We stopped saying The Pledge Of Allegiance because of the words “under God.” You can’t find a Bible in any public school any more. And further, you would be hard pressed to find any books that even hint at any Christian values.

So where does that leave us? It leaves us with a gaping hole and in through that hole came the New Age movement and every non-Christian religion.

Did you know that a kid will learn more about Hinduism than Christianity in school? And I’m talking about from the authorized textbooks. In social studies, when the kids study India and South Asia, they will learn the basic principles of Hinduism. They will study and be tested on the caste system and Brahma (the Hindu notion of the supreme deity) and the concept of reincarnation. Why? Because Hinduism is considered to be inseparable from the culture of that region whereas, Christianity is not considered cultural.

But back to our topic. In 1990, the United States military issued a revision to their guidebook for chaplains explaining how they were to “minister” to Wiccan servicemen.

In other words, the United States Military officially recognized Wicca (witchcraft) as a religion. Further, the book “Teen Witch” by Silver RavenWolf describes Wicca as:

A nature based, life-affirming religion that follows a moral code and seeks to build harmony among people and empower the self and others. (RavenWolf, page 4)

Since Wicca, by it’s own definition and that of the U.S. military, it is a religion, then why is it allowed in school? I didn’t find out until after the fact that my son had to listen to the entire first Harry Potter book in third grade. His teacher read the book to the entire class. Harry Potter books are in school libraries and are available through school sponsored book sales. In fact, a recent flyer from Scholastic Book Clubs was sent home with my son. This is a flyer that lists recommended reading for elementary kids to purchase. In it, I was shocked at the number of books that touch on magic or witchcraft. Let me share a few with you.

“T*Witches: The Power of Two” H.B. Gilmour and Randi Reisfeld, 320 pages. Twin witches—separated at birth—are reunited! Now their power is amazing.

“Conversations with J.K. Rowling”. Did you know “Snape” is partially based on J.K. Rowlings least favorite teacher? (J.K. Rowling is the author of Harry Potter)

“Deltora Quest: The Forest of Silence” Emily Rodda, 128 pages.
The Shadow Lord has invaded Deltora! Can Lief and Barba find the magic gems and save the kingdom?

“The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons” 96 pages. Help Link rescue the Sorceress! You decide what happens!

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Poster Book” 15 posters from the new movie.

“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban” J.K. Rowling, 448 pages. Lord Voldemort’s evil follower is on the loose—and he’s after Harry!

In addition to these, I counted 5 other books that dealt with ghosts or other para-normal activity. And out of the approximately 80 items listed, only one came close to qualifying as Christian: “Chicken Soup for the Teenaged Soul” which I would classify as "inspirational" rather than Christian.

And while I was writing this article, my son showed me yet another Harry Potter item from school. Time magazine distributes a mini-magazine for kids: Time For Kids. This particular edition featured Harry Potter (from the movie) on the cover and a full two-page article about the movie.

Again, I ask, if Wicca is a religion, then why is it being distributed so freely in school?

Under the auspices of separation of church and state, Christianity was removed from school. It’s time that we insist that the law be enforced equally and that either all religion should be removed from school or Christians should be allowed to supply school libraries with Christian literature.

The sheer magnitude of literature and imagery about witchcraft is mind-boggling. In addition to the books themselves, the October 12 TV Guide featured Harry Potter on the cover, I see commercials for the movie, the games, and Lego sets. And schools are pushing Harry Potter just because they are ecstatic that kids actually want to read something.

In a local book store I (quite unintentionally) ran across at least 6 Harry Potter companion books and articles, even a Harry Potter calendar. Located with eyeshot from the Harry Potter items was a "Spell of the day" daily calendar and other Wiccan oriented material. Harry Potter items were placed along side of openly Wiccan literature. But one could hardly miss the display, as it consumed the entire display case by the register and along the center isles of the store.

I hope you will take a week and just keep a mental tally of all of the references of magic and Harry Potter that you encounter. Now, keep in mind that those references all bear a religious message that is in direct conflict with the Gospel of Jesus.

In that same week, keep a second tally of all references to Jesus that you encounter outside of church. These must be references to Jesus specifically, because even Witches will talk about God, but they mean something totally different than the Christian concept of God.

Finally, I want you to understand that although this article has been primarily about Harry Potter, that the problem goes way beyond Harry Potter. The problem is the blatant assault on your kids by witchcraft. They probably hear 20 invitations to enter witchcraft for every invitation to a Christian church.

Having just read your poorly researched, and religiously biased opinion on Harry Potter I felt the overwhelming need to try to steer you toward medication for your mental Health. Religious preoccupation is an actual diagnosis you do realize? You are taking life way the hell to seriously pal. Lighten up. no-one is doing anything except showing the constant we all face everyday with good and evil. That’s it. Calm down and enjoy. You are on the edge.

I think you fail to realize that an opinion is just that. It is personal and I just expressed my view. You are free to disagree.

In light of that, it seems that you have gotten very up tight over my opinion. I am curious why.

I think everyone is free to voice their opinion, I ran across yours accidently while searching for stuff about the movie release date. It took me by surprise, I don't deal well with stupidity, and soooooo, my e-mail.

I am sorry you saw only bad in the books. I find them delightful. but then, as you said,...............

I must say that I did not see "only bad" in the books. In lakes and marinas, signs are posted asking boats to maintain a low speed around the docks and slips. The reason is the wake could be harmful to moored vessels.

This is somewhat like the impression I got from the Harry Potter deal. I really do not think that the books in and of themselves are harmful. I worry more about the affect that trails them. That is, when kids think this witchcraft thing must be fun. Then they go out and seek real wicca/witchcraft literature.

I am sure that many read the books and go away unaffected by the genre. However, I am equally convinced that some go away and seek wicca/witchcraft so as to emulate Harry Potter's magic.

I am a very faithful Catholic. I attend Mass every Sunday, read my Bible on a daily basis, pray before nearly every meal, and make an honest effort to do what is right and to spread the word about Jesus Christ our Lord. I am also a very avid reader. I love good classic books such as those by Charles Dickens, Jules Verne, Frances Burnett, and Louisa May Alcott but I also like to keep up with the times and see what is being read in current trends of literature. As such, I have read quite a few of the books that you mentioned in your article. Specifically, all five of the Harry Potter books and the Deltora Quest books. Having said this, I must say, sir, that I do not believe that you read them before you wrote your article. Had you read at least one or two of each series, you might have had a different idea. The magic in Harry Potter is really just the setting. The true theme and plot of the story is one of the oldest and best known to storytelling: the fight between good versus evil. If you condemn the Harry Potter books, you would condemn the most timeless theme in the art of telling stories. It is the job of the parents to enforce to their children that magic isn't real and though it's fun to read about, in reality you must use your head to solve problems, which is what the characters end up doing to get themselves out of problems, anyhow. In the Harry Potter books, the characters magic is shown to fail them when they really need it and they must rely on things such as friendship, wits, courage, and strength to save themselves. Magic is shown to be not nearly as powerful as simple human aspects that are available to us on a daily basis.

As for the Deltora Quest, it did not appear that you knew anything about the series besides what was stated in that one sentence in that one Scholastic newsletter. These books are not based upon magic at all. They are based on one young man's struggle to free the land and the people he loves. With the help of his friends, he works hard to save everything and everyone he cares about. They do not use magic, but rather "fight the good fight", literally. This story is almost exactly a child's version of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Behind the main story line lay many noble themes, such as friendship, loyalty to country, determination, and perseverance in the face of obstacles. I don't know about you, but those are lessons that I would be delighted for my children to learn.

I agree that there is far too much New Age paraphernalia going around in bookstores and libraries all over this country and it is not right. However, I do not believe that stories such as Harry Potter and Deltora Quest are helping this sick fad along. Rather, I believe that they are helping children to learn of the more important things in life and doing it subtly enough for children to grasp them. The children may not even realize it, but they are really learning that you cannot depend on things like magic to save you. They are learning instead that you must depend on your own wits, courage, and strength to help you through troubles, not to mention that through these books they are able to witness the value of true friendship.

So, sir, you condemn these books for magic that is such a very small part of the whole of the real story within these books. If you took the time to really look through and carefully read these books, I believe that you would find that instead of promoting evil and being satanic, these books instead promote the virtues that we want our children to know: the values of friendship and of courage and the benefits of using your head to solve problems.

You are correct that I have not read the Harry Potter books. I have read sections of them and other periphery information about the books. The article was not intended to be a Harry Potter bashing. Perhaps I did not make that entirely clear. The article was intended to express my displeasure for entertainment involving witchcraft and/or magic targeted at kids. Harry Potter ended up being the crux of this article.

As I mentioned in the article, there may indeed be nothing amiss with the Harry Potter series, but in the bookstores, the Harry Potter books and periphery literature are positioned DIRECTLY NEXT TO full-fledged Wiccan literature that is SPECIFICALLY TARGETED AT KIDS. How easy will it be for kids to reach just a few feet over and pick up a book that teaches them how to be a witch when they went in the store to get a Harry Potter book. I was also disturbed by the number if kids that I saw running around in black capes in the months following the movie debut.

Again, my issue was not necessarily with Harry Potter so much as the influence and proximity of true Wiccan material, and with the sheer volume of witchcraft and magic oriented entertainment that kids are bombarded with daily. This includes everything from the Power Rangers to Sailor Moon -- all of which involve some form of magic or supernatural ability. In my opinion, this only whets kid's appetite for the supernatural/magical.

Wild About Harry

Jeff Justus