[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by EatingPie

It's important to point out that not all of Evangelical Christianity has rejected Harry Potter. Some very famous Evangelists actually came out and said it was okay (one actually switched from "okay" to "not okay" after the last book -- the one I claim includes the Christ Figure!).

I'd be curious to know what prompted that switch of allegiance.

I've actually pointed out the objection, but it's so small, it's easy to miss. It all arose from Rowling's use of the term "witch" for female wizard. But understand that witchcraft is talked about in the Bible, and it's never a good thing, at all. Indeed, I have one friend who dabbled in witchcraft (not the Harry Potter type, but real-world witchcraft), and the results were pretty damn horrifying (taking him at his word). So we have the Biblical admonition of the "evils" of real witchcraft, and a book calling people "witches," and it just take one influential/loud voice to make the association, and others will be willing to run with it (forget that it's a totally invalid association in the first place!).

Once the accusation is made, hysteria sets in, and the facts get lost. This sort of thing operates on a gut level, and is based in emotions, not reason. Reason has all it can do to make itself heard.

One further step is that some groups practicing the occult, using actual witchcraft have used the books as "recruiting tools": to evangelize. I've seen, I think, one thread about real witchcraft (not the Harry Potter type) on The Leaky Cauldron. The pastor of my church said he researched this, and it occurs in many places on the Internet. (There is a certain irony here, since Christians sometimes use the arts to evangelize to their beliefs as well.)

Again, the terms are slippery. I know people who consider themselves "witches" and "warlocks", but they are coming from pagan traditions where Satan isn't even recognized as an entity. They use the terms to refer to people who practice ceremonial magick which is also rooted in pagan tradition, and has no Christian frame of reference involved. Some of the pagan traditions may well have been adopted by and carried over into Christianity - early Christianity was adept at that, to make it easier to convert unbelievers - but this tends to be lost in the noise when the topic arises.

Some Christians would lump them all in the evil category, largely because of the lack of Christianity, but the witches don't fit the standard Christian definition. From their viewpoint, anyone using magic is evil, period. (I recall at least one fantasy story that had fun with the concept, postulating that if you could sell your soul to Satan for power/money/advantage, God might offer a better deal, and the protagonist had taken God's offer. The Satan minion got a rude surprise when God's guy out-magicked him.)

So, it started with the use of the term "witch," and -- at least in my church -- maintains momentum because of people "using" the books to interest others in real-world witchcraft, something Christianity considers destructive, dangerous, and if done correctly, evil because it's sourced in Satanism (my friend's experience involved Satanic imagery).

Satan is a bad place to start from. But the folks I've encountered who started there had issues to begin with, and their bad experiences were rooted in what they brought to the table.

Note that witchcraft has different sects like Christianity, and some are just "paganism" or "new age" ideas repurposed. These are not what I'm referring to as "real" witchcraft; that's the kind that involves occult, Satanic imagery and rituals.

Quite so. I know folks from several different strains of paganism. Paganism may often include the occult (and it's difficult for it not to). Satanic imagery and rituals are another matter. The pagans I know avoid such things and look down on the practitioners. People into Satanism tend to be motivated by quests for power and personal advantage. Folks from the various pagan traditions see that sort of thing as rebounding on the practitioner, and missing the point of the practices.

Now, I agree with Christian mainstream on "real" witchcraft's destructiveness, and I also think the books are a catalyst for some people to seek this out. But I think this even more reason for Christians to read the books. Even if I did not see the Christ Figure allusion I would say this. Because how do you talk to people about a book you've never read? Especially if you plan to "condemn" the book without having read it? (Those are rhetorical!)

I've seen similar issues among the fundamentalists opposed to evolution. Er, read Darwin, and refute what he said, not what someone says he said...

Ideas are important. But if you are to discuss ideas, you need to be informed about those ideas -- and not be afraid of them! That's why I oppose book burnings (unless it's your own copy and you are doing it for personal reasons), and actually encourage book reading regardless of the topic. Heck, I know Christians who've read The Satanic Bible, and I would encourage even that!

Anton LaVey's tome? Personally, I though he was a poser, interested in notoriety, and the book was unintentionally hilarious.
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Dennis