A book review of Harry Potter and the Bible: The menace behind the magick by Richard Abanes and What's A Christian to Do With Harry Potter? by Connie Neal. Included in this is my findings concerning magic in literature.

Answering the rumors. Recently a lot of untrue rumors have been flying around about the Harry Potter books. I have been very surprised at how pervasive some of the wilder ones are in Christian circles. Here is a listing of some of the ones I've come across and how they stack up to the books.

What Rowling has said about the occult. Here are some excerpts from what J. K. Rowling has actually said about the magic in Harry Potter.

Magical Literature. I see great similarity between the magic in Harry Potter and the way magic has been portrayed in western literature. Here is my list of list of literature that deals with magic.

Violent and wiccan quotations. Since everyone believes Harry Potter is full of violence and witchcraft I compiled these quotations so you could decide.

www.cornerstonemag.com/imaginarium/features/muggle.html More on Harry Potter and literature as well as a fuller explanation on what C. S. Lewis meant by superfluous meaning.

http://www.ev90481.dial.pipex.com/harry_potter_granger.htm. Harry Potter and the Inklings: The Christian meaning of the Chamber of Secrets. In general, I hate allegorical interpretations of all forms. However, this article was so well thought out that I just had to sit back and say wow.

http://www.mcstuff.net/. This site is on truth in literature as well as what fantasy literature means. It also covers whether or not a Christian can read books without sinning. Another site along this line is http://www.collegeparkchurch.com/sermon6_24_01.htm

<http://www.nytimes.com/library/books/113099notebook-potter.html How Harry Potter resembles traditional fairy tales, and the messages they convey to children. From the New York Times article by Richard Bernst.

http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0001/reviews/jacobs.html. The opinion of Alan Jacobs, an English professor at Wheaton college, on the Harry Potter books and their magic.

http://www.reality.org.nz/articles/42/42-creegan.html. A theological/religious view of the magic and morals in Harry Potter.

http://www.ptm.org/02PT/SepOct/faithFantasy.htm. This very intelligent site assures me that I am not the only Christian in the world who knows and thinks about the history of magic and western literature.

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An article by William Bates, an Anglican pastor, about Harry Potter. The British perspective on the books is interesting.

The meaning of the names in Harry Potter is what first clued me into the intelligence Rowling has put into these books. For some good lists of name meanings look at https://www.angelfire.com/rpg/towerhp/name.html http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Palace/6997/hidden.html http://www.geocities.com/PhoenixNet2/namemeanings.html http://www.theninemuses.net/hp/

http://www.cesnur.org/recens/potter_069.htm and http://www.cesnur.org/recens/potter_024.htm Anyone who thinks Harry Potter is real-world occultism they should first consider what Wiccans themselves say.

http://www.cesnur.org/recens/potter_039.htm This is a rather funny article. Some anti-Potterists find it highly offensive (including Abanes) but it should be considered in light of it being a satire and nothing more.

<http://www.cesnur.org/recens/potter_mi_eng.htm A very nice article about ethics in Harry Potter and about the relationship between religion and literature.

http://www.snopes.com/humor/iftrue/potter.htm Unfortunately, the article by The Onion that parodied Harry Potter has been removed from their site to be published in a book. However, this site quotes about all of it and is quite fun.

http://www.truthminers.com/truth/harry_potter.htm This site makes the case for Christian stupidity very nicely.

http://www.cesnur.org/2002/potter_004.htm. "The Gospel According to J.R.R. Tolkien" by the Boston Globe.

http://www.prospect.org/print-friendly/print/V13/4/nelson-m.html. "The Gospel According to C. S. Lewis."

http://www.eauk.org/CONTENTMANAGER/Content/press/EA_021122a.cfm. A Scottish viewpoint on ethics and magic in Harry Potter

http://www.americanatheist.org/forum/potter.html. The view atheists have on the Harry Potter controversy and censorship gives an opposite perspective on the issue. The article "A Pagan Opinion about Harry Potter" is a nice review of the history of Merlin. Anyone who has read Harry Potter knows that Merlin is an important figure. Merlin was also of great fascination to C.S. Lewis.

http://www.luchau.org/writing/harrypotter.htm. A writers and teachers opinion on the meaning of the books and how the books are seen by children.

http://www.youth.co.za/theedge/reviews/reviewsPC02.asp. This article goes through all of the charges made against the Harry Potter books and shows whether there is any truth in them.

http://www.cesnur.org/2001/potter/feb_01.htm. An article on wicca by a 13 year old Potter fan.

http://www.witchvox.com/protection/kerr_sc_1c.html. This is a Wiccan website. I include it here because it is a refutation to Jack Roper's Christian anti-Potter article "Harry Potter: The Hero For Modern Witchcraft." The irony of it all is beyond understanding.

http://www.cesnur.org/2002/potter_005.htm.I don't agree with everything in this article about White Magic, but the other opinions appear to be very well thought out.

http://www.cuttingedge.org/news/hpmain.html This site is hilarious. I laugh for hours whenever I read it. See http://home.swipnet.se/~w-49954/English/Potter/cutting3.html for a nice review of their claims. Click here for my roommates also funny refutation.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Rhodes/7895/potter123.html is also hilarious.

http://www.harrypottermagic.org/dark%20World.htm When I have time I'll go through the numerous fallacies and illogical conclusions of this website. But may consider that to be beneath me.

http://www.libertytothecaptives.net/jenkins_on_potter.html What is this? Jerry Jenkins and Beverly Lahaye are now on the side of Satan. Oh dear.

http://rowlingfraud.sphosting.com/index2.html This is a hilarious "anti-Rowling" site.