2007-08-30 07:39:02 · 32 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Nope.
The books have NOTHING to do with real magic.They are fiction.
If they are an open door to witchcraft then so are LOTR, Narnia,Mary Poppins etc.
2007-09-02 14:06:10 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Only if you're really, really gullible. Even children know it's just a story, not real.
As a practicing witch, I can tell you first-hand witchcraft is nothing like the Harry Potter series. Even if there really are evil witches, there are evil christians (read: priests that molest children).
Harry Potter, on the other hand, is an excellent tool to get children to read, and to understand core values, no matter what your religious affiliations: truth, friendship, problem solving, thinking for yourself rather than being some brainwashed robot, etc. And it does a pretty good job of reminding grown-ups, too!
If you have an issue with Harry Potter, you have the option not to read the books and not watch the movies. Don't force your own unenlightened opinion on others.
2007-08-30 08:11:21 · answer #2 · answered by moonstorm_j 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ok, people are going to HATE my answer to this one, but I urge you to listen with an open mind.
It is a fact that in the years since Harry Potter has been published that Wicca has grown a lot as a religion and that witchcraft too has experienced a rise in popularity (yes, I am aware that they are different). There is heightened interest in these paths from younger and younger age groups.
BUT by the time the first Harry Potter book was published in 1998, it was already growing quickly:
From religioustolerance.org ---->
"The fastest growing religion (in terms of percentage) is Wicca -- a Neopagan religion that is sometimes referred to as Witchcraft. Numbers of adherents went from 8,000 in 1990 to 134,000 in 2001. Their numbers of adherents are doubling about every 30 months. 4,5 Wiccans in Australia have a very similar growth pattern, from fewer than 2,000 in 1996 to 9,000 in 2001. 10 In Canada, Wiccans and other Neopagans showed the greatest percentage growth of any faith group. They totaled 21,080 members in 1991, an increase of 281% from 1990."
Now, is this due in part to Harry Potter? I don't know. What I do know is that it's extremely doubtful that the credit for that much growth can be placed on one author. Bottom line: they're good books and exciting movies and they appeal to A LOT of people. Several of those people most likely would have chosen that path anyhow had the series never been published.
2007-08-30 08:02:52 · answer #3 · answered by GreySkies 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No. No moreso than Tolkein or Disney movies.
As a witch I can absolutely atest to the fact that what is in the Harry Potter novels has NOTHING to do with real witchcraft. At all. Period.
The closest thing that you will find are mentions of real herbs that are used by herbalist the world over. You will also occassionally find the mention of a real historical figure, such as Nicolas Flamel. Other than that it is all fake.
Do you really think that by saying a quasi-Latin word once you can make something happen? I WISH!
95% of the people who make such ridiculous claims have never even opened one of these books. I know a great many very earnest Christians who absolutely love these books.
Read. Enjoy.
[Edit] To Vicarious Cynic: Awesome!! So very very true.
2007-08-30 07:44:46 · answer #4 · answered by prana_devi 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋
I agree! And all I can say is, It's about damn time! Finally, the old ways are making their way back into the mainstream of western life and thought. Never before (since the rise of Christianity) have witches been able to move and live openly and freely in the western world.
I think Harry Potter has done a TREMENDOUS service to us all.
By the way, do you know what was the first movie to have a MASSIVE recruiting impact on Americans into witchcraft?
STAR WARS! Everything in that series about the force is speaking of Witchcraft!!
2007-08-30 07:47:26 · answer #5 · answered by tempest_twilight2003 3 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Christians are hypocrites. Water to wine, opening up a path in water and other such things are just fine, but witchcraft? No! Of course they are hypocrites on more leveles than one, but I will not name them. Magic is a misconception. It's more like life, magic is the flowing of life from one thing to another. It is love, it is peace, it is what makes the Earth spin around the sun. It's all magic. Take gravity. An invisible force that pulls objects down. That pretty much fits the description of MAGIC. I've always hated when people think that magic is something special. It is the rule, not the exception. Deal with you insecure perv!
2007-08-30 07:52:45 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Harry Potter is a *fictional* book that often presents morals in a much better way than any Bible ever has... and witchcraft is not a problem, the problem is the people who slander it.
2007-08-30 07:46:09 · answer #7 · answered by xx. 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋
It is all fiction.
If anything, it is an old fashioned morality tale using the genre of withcraft and wizardry which is an ironic juxtaposition. The main theme throughout all seven books is love conquers evil. I found it interesting that in book seven, JK finally uses the name of God which she had not done in the previous six books.
2007-08-30 07:58:37 · answer #8 · answered by rac 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Nope, he is a character in a fiction book. It's amazing how often when a "blockbuster" fiction entertainment comes along Christians stand up and cry "foul".... Star wars - "the force is a doorway to Satan!"; DaVinci Code - "Jesus was single, Dan Brown lies!".... you get the drift.
2007-08-30 07:50:01 · answer #9 · answered by Pirate AM™ 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
And Treasure Island is an open door to pirates.
It's just a story for Pete's Sake !!!
2007-08-30 07:44:17 · answer #10 · answered by Alan 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋