Harry won't leave 'em all spellbound
By Anthony Breznican
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — The new Harry Potter movie heading to theaters next week has enraged conservative Christian critics who claim the boy wizard is a tool leading children to witchcraft and sin.
Warner Bros. Photo
But as anticipation grows for "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," other Christians insist the stories are harmless fantasies about magic and morals.
Maggie Smith plays Professor McGonagall, in "Harry Potter and the Socerer's Stone," which is expected to attract huge crowds — and some religious criticism.
"I'm so tired of people saying he's evil," says Connie Neal, a Christian author. "They're choosing to interpret the books in a very selective way."
Neal — a mother of three and author of "What's a Christian to do with Harry Potter?" — characterized herself as a "discreet fan."
Yet other authors maintain reservations about the mysticism of Harry's world, in which magical people predict the future, change shapes and talk with ghosts.
"Although the story is fictional, Harry Potter has real-world occult parallels," said Richard Abanes.
"The books present astrology, numerology mediumship, crystal gazing," said Abanes, author of "Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace Behind the Magick."
"Kids are enthralled with it. And kids like to copy."
Abanes has been promoting his book before the Nov. 16 release of the Potter film.
•
On the Web:
Jana Riess of Publishers Weekly moderated a debate between Neal and Abanes in July at a convention of Christian retailers.
"Evangelical Christians believe that witchcraft is real," she noted, likening it to parallel complaints that surfaced when "The Wizard of Oz" was first published.
J.K. Rowling, author of the best-selling books, calls the accusations "absurd."
"I have met thousands of children now, and not even one time has a child come up to me and said, 'Ms. Rowling, I'm so glad I've read these books because now I want to be a witch,' " she has said.
Andy Norfolk of the London-based Pagan Federation, said the youth-aimed Potter books have created no serious interest in his movement because the books don't appeal to older people seeking spiritual options.
More than 50 million copies of the books are in print worldwide. Yet, the Potter books top the banned-book listing for 2000, compiled by the American Library Association.
Some justify calls for a ban by saying the stories about witches and wizards violate church-state separation. Others have circulated phony reports that claim the novels have inspired children to join satanic cults.
A Kansas library canceled a reading because of complaints about the books' magical content. Some children in Florida must show parental permission to read the books at school libraries.
"Satan is up to his old tricks again and the main focus is the children of the world," wrote Jon Watkins, a Baptist activist. "The whole purpose of these (Potter) books is to desensitize readers and introduce them to the occult."
On the Web page of self described Christian occult investigator David Bay, a drawing shows a boy reading a Potter book while sitting on the lap of a grotesque demon that gorily pierces his skull.
"Harry Potter conditions children to think of witchcraft as harmless and even fun. That way, when the real Antichrist arrives on the scene, they will be preconditioned to accept him," Bay said.
Neal fears that parents will prejudge the books without reading them. She thinks most children won't be harmed so long as parents help them understand the difference between fantasy and reality. Christians, she says, "should use the help of God and our own common sense to do our best to be light in the world, not a laughing stock."
• On the Web:
- "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" movie: www.harrypotter.com/
- Connie Neal official site: www.connieneal.com/
- Richard Abanes official site: www.abanes.com/
