I'll tell you straight out that I actually used to be on the side of the argument that claimed they were evil books that taught witchcraft but that all changed once I actually read the books. I'm not going to say anything against the people who feel that they aren't good books and use real witchcraft because I used to think that way and I know people who still think that way. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and everyone has the right to voice their opinion.
Now, I'm not going to just go on a tangent about Harry Potter and how it's not evil like some people claim because that would be long and confusing to type out and probably wouldn't end up in any organized fashion. I found a specific attack on the books to which I will be responding. That being said, this post will be longer than my others but bear with me.
I know this article I will be addressing is pretty much old news, but it's still out there for people to read so I wanted to put something out there to sort of beg people not to pay any attention to it.
Before I get into the actual article, there are a couple of things I need to point out about it. First of all, it's titled A Letter From an Ex-Witch Writing About Harry Potter. A lot of you may already know about this letter and know the all the reasons that it isn't credible. I'm not asking anyone to read this. I'm just putting it out there because I want to write my opinion, too. If you haven't read it and would like to so you can follow along with this blog post, just click on the link.
Okay, I'm assuming we all know this, but just to remind you, when reading something like this one should always figure out how reliable the source is. From what I found, the source is not reliable at all. If you didn't notice, the letter has no author listed. We have no idea who wrote this. Someone did but apparently thought it was unnecessary to say who they were which authors and credible people rarely do. That is the first clue that this source may not be one we can trust.
I also noticed that the author (whoever it is) listed no sources at the end of the letter and only mentioned, like, on source in the body that is a film called Harry Potter: Witchcraft Repackaged. I have seen this video and it's as ridiculous as the letter.
This letter is posted on a website called pacinst.com. They got this letter from a website called harrypottermagic.org, and they did link to it but the page no longer exists. I looked around on pacinst.com and found that it is not a reliable source. There are no names associated with the site, no sources listed on it, just other random articles that look much the same as the one about Harry Potter.
Now we come to the letter itself and what is written inside. Let me just tell you now, I think the whole thing is nonsense from start to finish and there are so many problems with it, we would be here forever if I were to attempt to address them all. And that doesn't include the grammar and punctuation errors. So, I am only going to address the ones I find the most outrageous.
As I read this letter, I counted at least four times the author mentioned they were a former witch but there could be more. So, what? you may be asking. Well, the issue there is that, really, we don't need to be continuously reminded of the fact. Tell us once, maybe twice, that you were a former witch but when you start reminding us four or five times, you become less credible. I have my doubts that this person was ever an actual witch simply because they said they were a former witch too many times. You may think that is a tad harsh, but think of it this way: if you are talking to doctor, how many times do you need him to mention he's a doctor? Never, right? You'll probably already knows he's a doctor and if he tells you, like, five times throughout the conversation that he's a doctor ("and I know this because I'm a doctor...being a doctor, I think that...well, I'm a doctor, so....") then you might start to think that something was a little odd.
One thing I would like to address is the fact that the author says the books teach witchcraft and are witchcraft manuals. This letter was written when only four of the seven books had been published. I don't know about you, but even after reading all seven books, I couldn't do witchcraft if I tried, so J.K. Rowling is not a very good teacher. After making the accusatory statements, the letter writer says, "I know this because I was once very much a part of that world" (Okay, who else started singing Little Mermaid after that? :D ). The author doesn't know this because he/she has read the books and studied their origins, the author "knows" this because they were, maybe, once a witch themselves. I don't even know if this person has ever opened a Harry Potter book.
"As a former witch, I can speak with authority when I say that I have examined the works of Rowling and that the Harry Potter books are training manuals for the occult." As someone who has actually read the series, I can speak with authority when I say that these books are a work of fiction and not any kind of manual at all. If they teach anything, it's unconditional and sacrificial love, standing up for what is good and right even when it doesn't seem worth it, the love and power of family and friends and very many other qualities that I would be pleased to see practiced in any individual. But not magic. I didn't see any teaching of that at all.
This ignorant letter writer barely says anything about what goes on inside the story to prove their point. What they do is pick on the vocabulary. They take a couple of words that they heard were in the story that happen to be real words and use them to try and prove the books are evil. What that proves, however, is that J.K. Rowling researched before writing and I, generally, do not have a problem with that. The words this person mentions are in the series, it's true, but many of them happen to be character names and J.K. Rowling does not define any of them. If she does, it's a definition she made up to fit her story, not the real one. Suffice it to say, many of the kids who read these books are not even going to realize the words are real unless they go look them up, but not many children look up character names to see what "evil" meaning hides behind it.
I almost laughed out loud at the next part of the letter where the author uses the title of the books to support their claim. If they wanted stronger evidence, there are plenty of things they could have pulled out of the story, but, no, they chose to go for the title. Probably because they haven't bothered to read the books. This person actually wrote, "The titles of the books should be warning enough to make us realize how satanic and anti-christ these books are. The afore mentioned title of the first book, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", was a real give away. The second book was called "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", while the third book was entitled "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." Nothing could be more obvious than that Harry Potter books are pure witchcraft and of the devil." If the most obvious piece of evidence this person has is the titles of the books, their argument is even weaker than I originally thought. Titles can be misleading. I could write a book about children who play on the playground while eating some yummy ice cream and getting along and title it I Love Satan if I wanted to. I'm just saying, this person needs a heck of a lot more evidence than the title if they want anyone to think they even deserve to be listened to.
This person goes on to say that having Voldemort being called He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is evil because in the real occult there is a "nameless one." But, I would like to point out that having a character that people don't speak the name of does not necessarily prove the books are of the devil and teach children witchcraft. J.K. Rowling, even if she does take some ideas from real witchcraft and twist them to fit her story, is not teaching children that these are okay and that they should endeavor to be part of the occult. It's okay to research your writing. That's a big part of what makes it any good. After reading these books, children don't generally go looking to join the occult. They just put them down and pick up a new series to read.
And the part of the letter that says public schools are planning to use Harry Potter magic in schools and become witchcraft training centers??? Yeah, I couldn't keep a straight face at that part, either.
After saying that, the author quotes a verse from the Bible and quotes some of the things that a couple of children have said about the books. Let me pause right here and tell you something: I'm a Christian. I have been for a very long time. I believe the things that God says, and I honestly don't believe that he would hate the Harry Potter books. The Bible verse this person quotes is Acts 19:18-20. All it mentions is that a bunch of people came together to worship God, some of them from the occult who burned their books. That's great. I understand Jesus disapproves of real witchcraft and these were real witches, not Harry Potter fiction.
The next part, with the children's quotes, is really not that big of a deal. If kids really did say those things, for the most part, it's okay. Often, after finishing an enjoyable book series, kids are still wrapped up in the story and imagine themselves as part of it. This is called imagination and one of the greatest qualities that humans posses. I'm not denying that literature can influence the way we think and what we believe, but, these are children. They are vulnerable. That is why parents need to need to be involved in the things their children are reading, watching and the music they are listening too. If your child is far too easily influenced and can't understand the difference between fiction and reality, maybe they shouldn't read the books. If parents discuss the books with their children, talk about the differences of fiction and truth, discuss the issues, then they can be a part of ensuring that their kids don't turn to a world of evil. I do think the books are intense, though, and I wouldn't suggest that young children read them. But that's not because I think they are evil. It's because some aspects of the story are too dark and tense for little kids.
This letter goes on to say that there are millions of resources available to people who want to start practicing Wicca, and there are. But Harry Potter is not the reason for that. Those sources would be out there without Harry Potter. Anyone who thinks the magic in Harry Potter is similar to real magic doesn't know much about either real magic or Harry Potter, and I think it's safe to say that the author of this letter is ignorant of Harry Potter.
Another reason I am fairly confident that this person has never read the books is what they wrote next: "But is it just fantasy literature like Snow White and Cinderella? In the Harry Potter video, cult expert Caryl Matrisciana points out that in the older stories, evil never prevails." This doesn't help prove their point at all, because, as anyone who has read the books knows because it's extremely obvious, evil doesn't prevail in these stories. Good prevails. Of course, this letter was written when there were only four books, and Voldemort had just returned at the end of it, but, obviously, there was more to come. And, if we're honest, in the real world, good doesn't always prevail. It's not always about who comes out on top, but how the good people behave, what their motivation is and what they believe.
Except for a couple more paragraphs that basically tell us, again, why Harry Potter is evil, the letter has come to an end. After reading it, I was not convinced that Harry Potter was evil, I was convinced that the letter didn't know what they were talking about.
I do believe that people need to be careful about what they read, and if you're too easily influenced, stay away from Harry Potter. But what the book teaches are very good morals and values that are actually very Christian. I'm not saying everyone should read it, but if the reason you're not reading it is because of letters like this one then I would say you might want to give it a chance.
With all that being said, I acknowledge that the time for this kind of post has passed since the debate isn't very prominent anymore, but that letter is easy to find and anyone who has internet can still read it and be influenced by it. I just wanted to put this out there for people so they will be able to see how illogical that letter is if they haven't read the Harry Potter already and are trying to research it to see if they want to.
I hope that this was helpful, and, in all honesty, I do the think the movies place more of an emphasis on the magic than the books do, but I don't think it's enough to lure children into the occult. I don't like the movies, but that's not because I think they're evil, it's because I think they're stupid.
