I knew there was something I didn't like about the new Pope

[5stringJeff]

Jeff, this is not at all meant to be condescending, it's an honest question that I'm curious about, but do you think of regular magicians like David Blane or David Copperfield as "evil" as well?

Dan, I see a huge difference between David Copperfield, and other "magicians" who use optical illusions and sleight-of-hand, and people who use magic in a religious sense by casting spells and calling on spirits, etc. to accomplish supernatural things. The former is entertainment and based on optical illusions. The latter draws upon spiritual forces that can be very harmful.

 

[dmp]

The former is entertainment and based on optical illusions. The latter draws upon spiritual forces that can be very harmful.

I could argue Harry Potter movies aren't of magic, they are of 'digital illusions'.

 

[5stringJeff]

I could argue Harry Potter movies aren't of magic, they are of 'digital illusions'.

But in doing so, you would be intellectually dishonest with yourself.

 

[dmp]

But in doing so, you would be intellectually dishonest with yourself.

David Blane - Street Magician....
Lance Burton: Master Magician
Welcome to the Magic of David Copperfield

I'm still on the fence, I suppose...but I'm thinking Harry Potter's use of 'good magic/witchcraft' to battle 'bad magic/witchcraft' could be compared with Luke Skywalker's use of "The Force" to battle the "Dark Side". Not exactly comparible...but I think it's close. The imagery in HP series is darker, more spiritual I'd guess...however the powers used by Harry aren't exactly different that those used by The Lion, and other 'good guys' in the Narnia series.

 

[Merlin1047]

Okay, let me approach this "magic" thing from a different angle. First, I resolutely maintain that there is no such thing. "Magic" is simply an age old superstition which some people see as harmless fantasy and others view as a real and palpable threat. To me, those who fall into the latter category need to take a really hard look at the facts surrounding so-called "magic". Once you are capable of looking at this whole thing rationally, you can only come to one inescapable conclusion - that "magic" does not now, nor has it ever existed.

But to get to the other angle. Several people have posted that they worry that reading books like Harry Potter will lead to the erosion of religous beliefs. In some rare cases, that might be true. There are lots of idiots out there who got caught up in the Dungeons and Dragons thing and certainly I suppose that the possibility exists that self-delusional types will try to conjure up dragons after reading a few paragraphs of Harry Potter. If you have a child whose sense of reality is so tenuous that he or she might actually believe that Harry Potter is real - then by all means keep the kid the hell away from the books - if you can.

But to those who seem to equate reading fantasy books with sin - please people - give God a little more credit. The Almighty sent his Son to die for our sins so that we may be granted entry to Heaven. Do you really believe that after giving mankind a gift so precious, that the Father would pull the rug out from under you because you like to read a little magical fantasy fiction? I think that God loves us more than some people give Him credit for. I think you need to relax a little and have confidence in the fact that God is not looking for an excuse to flush us into hell, He wants us with Him in Heaven. There is no harm in reading Harry Potter. Just as long as you don't start worshipping Voldemort.

 

[no1tovote4]

For me it is truly all moot, I only argue that I can understand why some would believe such a thing and don't necessarily find it surprising or upsetting that they may have such a view.

 

[fuzzykitten99]

Personally I think they are great books and plan on reading them to my children when they get to the right age for understanding. I will also encourage them to read the books as well.

Great! If you can, buy a copy of "The Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter" to read along with the books. They give a play-by-play of the events in the books, as well as names, and how JKR came up with them, as well as clues that help foretell what will happen in the coming books.

Most of the names of the characters (even seemingly insignificant ones) are actually foreign-language derived, or Latin-based. Like Albus Dumbledore. Albus means 'white' in Latin, and Dumbledore is Olde English for bumblebee.

All the wands mentioned in the book are made from different types of wood and various 'cores'. The wood comes from trees that, in Ireland (old Celtic), are tied like birthstones, to the person based on their birthdate. Like Harry's wand, which is made of holly. The holly tree, according to European tradition, repels evil, and would be the correct 'birth-tree' for his birthday of July 31. While Voldemort's wand, which is made of Yew, which can live a long time, longer than most trees, symbolizes death and ressurection, and the sap is poisonous, however his was not assigned according to birthdate. -This info I got from JKRowling.com, because I didn't have my book to remember the page #.

This is an interesting way to learn about words in other languages and lead to other good reads.