> > That reminds me...how can people
condemn Harry Potter and yet have no
problem with The Lord of the Rings?

> Probably because the world of Tolkien is
completly imaginary. Harry Potter, in part,
takes place in England. It talks about the
London Underground, etc.
> However, this is no worse than "The Lion,
the witch, and the wardrobe." Where the
children go from the "Real world" into a
fantasy one...

...in which there are witches, wizards, and all
manner of mythical creatures... yet I've never
heard any spiritual leaders condemning C.S.
Lewis either.

Perhaps it is because in Narnia, the
characters that practice the arts of sorcery and
witchcraft are always portrayed as the bad
guys and are always defeated by the
protagonists in the end. While in Harry Potter,
the main character and protagonist is himself
a wizard and uses his craft to beat the bad
guys, whoever they may be.

The Bible certainly makes no bones about
comdemning witchcraft; there's no such thing
as a "good witch" in Scripture. The old
testament law said that "thou shalt not suffer a
witch to live" (Ex. 22:19) and in the new
testament, Paul called a sorcerer a "child of
the devil" and rebuked him in Christ's name
(Acts 13:6-11).

I personally find myself torn between two
opinions. Many of the spiritual leaders I look
up to are among those who condemn the
Harry Potter series, and yet there are also
others who I respect and admire who
wholeheartedly recommend the series (you
and Sam among them.) I should probably just
read one of the books; I certainly can't form
a personal opinion of them until I've done so.

Grishny