iMonk has published an incredibly helpful and insightful letter, written by a Christian who ministers to Wiccans to an Anti-Harry fundamentalist who claims that Wicca is growing because of Harry Potter. The whole post, and the links contained therein, are worthy of your attention.  A brief excerpt:
In any case, the current freaking out over Rowling is a sign of serious weakness of the faith as practiced by her detractors. A faith which can be shaken to it’s core by a simple children’s story is a faith with serious problems, wouldn’t you agree? 1600 years ago, Christian philosophers taught the Pagan classics to Christian students, and those were far more threatening to faith than a children’s story. How can one who can’t stomach Rowling dare to introduce his children to Aristotle, Plato, Sophocles, Homer? What does it say of the foundation when even a small pebble like Rowling can threaten it?
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for that link, it’s quite insightful indeed. Suggesting a connection between Harry Potter and Wiccan belief shows a deep misunderstanding of both.
Wow, lots of interesting things to think about. Thanks for the link.
I sincerely agree with Anton as well as the point the brief exerpt you’ve shared with us makes.
In the world and not of the world isn’t a bad philosophy at all, but I think it has been incorrectly understood by too many individuals. By distancing themselves and relying on rumor and inflated/skewered generalizations about Harry Potter and similar subjects they’ve abandoned one of God’s greatest gifts: the ability to experience and think for oneself.
It seems to be a human failing to focus on the negative, real or imagined. Rowling has created a context for discussing real social and moral issues that is detached enough from reality to make it appealing and available to the widest audience. Certainly there are more objectionable ways of presenting humanity’s ongoing struggles that would if fact be real, current and devoid of the fantasy framework Rowling has created. There are so many worthwhile ideas in Harry Potter. Imagine if instead of placing so much focus on magic and witches, we instead focused on another theme in the series such as love, loyalty or self sacrifice.
What? You mean focus on the main themes of the series?
Why would anyone want to do that?
As a Pagan, I can tell you that most ‘converts’ to wicca or other Pagan beliefs, and there are many, are not victims of child abuse. What a load of bollocks. Some of monks other reasons are absurd as well but ’tis not the place to get into that here.
As to Harry Potter – it’s got nothing to do with wicca, paganism or modern witchcraft in any way. They’re just fun books. Some Pagans and witches like them and some don’t – just like regular folks.
NB – We ARE regular folks …
Well, I am a teen, and I certainly haven’t even thought about turning Wiccan.
Me neither. (I’m a teen too.) I think they’re referring to those who don’t yet have a definite faith and are searching for one. However, although I do have friends who fiddle with Tarot Cards and like reading their horoscopes in the paper, I have yet to know a friend who decided to seriously pursue any New Age faith. And not one of my friends who have a mild interest in such things believes that Harry Potter has anything what-so-ever in common with the real deal. The only people who believe that are individuals like Ms. Mallory.
My greatest fear (which, thankfully, hasn’t happened yet) is being angrily confronted by a fellow Christian about my interest in Harry Potter. I don’t like dealing with angry, misinformed people.
I was talking with my brother about the way many Christians have reacted to the series. He thought it was a real indicator of spiritual immaturity. What Mallory and cronies are preaching is a doctrine of fear that Satan can get into you and change you into his creature by reading an imaginative work. Their faith must really be in a perilous position to have a view like this. As my brother said, it’s just as much a doctrine of demons as is what they feel they’re arguing against.
Matthew
Shadowquill, thankfully that most likely won’t happen here, in my church. Harry Potter isn’t as big of a deal. My youth pastor is a big Harry Potter fan (in fact I think he reads this blog). But, there are a few families that are against their children reading HP here, but it is most likely because they have been misinformed and haven’t read the books (like Ms. Mallory).
I, too, wait for the day when I am confronted by someone in my church about my affinity for the HP series. I am curious to see if my current HP themed Myspace page causes a stir with my Christian friends (www.myspace.com/domesticbarbie). Many seem to think it an oxymoron that I am a devout Christian and an avid HP fan. I am not ashamed in any way about my faith or my interest in HP, and welcome people (esp. Christians) to ask me about it. Christians have been VERY misinformed regarding these books, and they need to be set straight. I was introduced to the books by a Methodist minister, and I have enjoyed our discussions regarding the Christian themes in them. Perhaps if more people actually READ the books rather than the propaganda that radicals spread around, then we wouldn’t have this problem at all.
Hi,
Normally i dont leave comments, generally i just sit back and read what others had to say. But i felt quite strongly about this and thought what the hell.
…Once again i feel that some christians (i am a baptist christian) are letting the side down… making something out of nothing. I absolutely love the harry potter books, i have done since i read the first page of PS. However, i also love my faith and i was somewhat troubled when i realised that my love of HP could be a problem. But now i am not troubled because i feel that the christians who are saying this stuff about HP are talking such nonsense, and here is evidence of their stupidity (sorry to be a bit blunt):
I go to a catholic college, where i study Classics… in this subject i study greek gods etc… therefore, if a CATHOLIC college allows students to study other gods in plays and epics etc(various of them quite bad gods) which could consequently cause students to question their faith, how can a book such as harry potter, which doesnt make one reference to any sort of god/s, be deemed as bad? Also, the HP books introduce quite christian qualities such as loving those even our enemies (dumbledore wants harry to love snape) and telling the truth etc.
I’m sorry if i make no sense, but it really riles me when i see christians getting so petty, it makes our faith look weak. Christians should not be threatened by literature, especially not literature which isn’t even mentioning worshipping the devil or other gods or anything like that.
I wish christians would stop slipping into their old ways of preaching what we can and can’t do. What ever happened to free will? I see no problem with enjoying a bit of good old fiction as long as everyone remembers that it is simply fiction. Theres nowhere in the Bible that tells me there is a problem with this.
As for christians saying some people are taking it seriously and are turning to witchcraft etc… it seems the CHRISTIANS are the ones taking the books out of the “fiction” category, making them into something they are not. Harry potter is a fantasy, and all kids and grown ups like to fantasise, we all know its not a reality… so those christians should stop trying to make it one!
P.S i am really sorry for my appalling attempt of making this ramble understandable, it is a bit late! And also i dont want to seem like a christian hating christian… and i certainly am not accusing all christians of the above… There just seems to be a select few who get a bit carried away and take things too literally.
Ok i think its time i stop now!
I’m a bit older than a lot of readers of this site… I’m almost at the matronly age of 36, and I have a ten-year-old reading the series now.
I’m a former literature major from my college days, and I absolutely love Harry Potter. I’m also Pagan and have been since the age of 16, so I thought I might offer some perspective on some of this. Feel free to email me with questions or requests for clarification. No flames, please. 
It really always floors me how some people (none present, thank goodness!) equate the HP series with Wicca. It’s nothing like Wicca. In fact, my husband and I think it’s one of the most palatable *Christian* kids’ book series since Narnia.
Magic in the HP world works nothing like real magick does. Real magick is far more akin to prayer, sometimes with a large element of theatre added in. (Those interested in this topic are urged to read Amber K’s “True Magick, A Beginner’s Guide.” Those uninterested, please just take my word for it.
) Since this is the element of the books many find most akin to Wicca, I think we can safely disregard it.
The young wizards and witches in HP are constantly doing charms and pranks. Some of these would definitely break the Wiccan Rede’s guideline: An (meaning if) it harm none, do what you will. Nor do they take the Threefold Law into account: That which you send out will return to you threefold, good or ill. This is regarded as a natural law, like the law of gravity. Sectum Sempra is an invitation for this law to stomp all over your head. Even a total jerk with an understanding of the Threefold Law would (hopefully) have the sense not to use it!
But what’s more important is that the underlying framework of the story is very Christian. There is good, and there is evil, with some but not a lot of grey. That’s a very much Christian framework. Most Pagans don’t believe in Absolute Evil, and JKR clearly does, or at least posits it within her book.
A couple of other points:
I don’t come from a Christian faith. I was never “into Jesus” growing up, and my family was loosely religious at certain holidays at best. I was also never abused by anyone… my relations with my family and friends remain warm and close. I wasn’t involved in a church to be abused by them. Heck, even my teachers were nice to me.
I came to Wicca because it answers something within me. I hear the Goddess in my heart as some Christians hear Jesus. But because I don’t believe a loving and ominscient God would create a universe and then set His creations up to fall into sin, Christianity will never be a good fit for me. For those who believe that… may you be blessed and live happy lives. Goodness knows we need more loving people in the world! 
But the only really nasty things Christians have done to me have all been well post-Wicca… and in fact a reaction to their inability to similarly live with my faith. 
Perhaps because of this, I don’t have the reactionary anger that the columnwriter on iMonk has seen. But I do get positively befuddled at the overlooking of good, Christian love-thy-neighbor-love-thy-enemy values! That’s one thing Christianity absolutely gets right, and it seems to be in desperately short supply these days. If Hate makes a Dark Lord, and Love saves lives, then maybe we in the real world should take our cues from Lily.
Thanks Devi for your good comment. I’m a 22 year old Wiccan, and I’m always frankly surprised when people link Harry and Pagan beliefs. I don’t see any polytheism in Harry Potter, and no realistic witchcraft either. It does have a lot of moral content about love and friendship opposing hatred and lust for power, but that is appropriate for everyone, be they Pagan or Christian.