harry potter

Harry Potter



Claim: Harry Potter books are sparking a rise in Satanism among

children.
Status: False.

Example: [Collected on the Internet, 2000]


Harry Potter Books Spark Rise in Satanism Among Children
Ashley Daniels is as close as you can get to your typical 9-year-old

American girl. A third-grader at Lock Haven Elementary School, she

loves rollerblading, her pet hamsters Benny and Oreo, Britney Spears,

and, of course, Harry Potter. Having breezed through the most recent

Potter opus in just four days, Ashley is among the millions of

children who have made Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire the

fastest-selling book in publishing history.

And, like many of her school friends, Ashley was captivated enough by

the strange occult doings at the Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And

Wizardry to pursue the Left-Hand Path, determined to become as adept

at the black arts as Harry and his pals.

"I used to believe in what they taught us at Sunday School," said

Ashley, conjuring up an ancient spell to summon Cerebus, the

three-headed hound of hell. "But the Harry Potter books showed me that

magic is real, something I can learn and use right now, and that the

Bible is nothing but boring lies."



Origins: The
excerpt quoted above about the Harry Potter series of books drawing

impressionable young children under Satan's spell is the opening to a

fictional article taken directly from The Onion, a satirical

publication.

Unfortunately, hysterical religious groups determined to demonstrate

that any children's book dealing with "wizards" and "magic" must be a

pernicious, evil influence upon young minds have not only failed to

realize this article is satire, they've actually cited it as proof

that the ghastly phenomenon of satan-worshipping youngsters is real:


Dear Christian, This is the most evil thing I have laid my eyes on in

10 years . . . and no one seems to understand its threat.
The Harry Potter books are THE NUMBER ONE selling children's books in

Barnes & Noble or Waldenbooks storefront.

Go to Amazon.com and read the reviews. Hear the touting by educators

and even Christian teachers about how "It's great to see the youth so

eagerly embracing the reading experience!"

Harry Potter is the creation of a former UK English teacher who

promotes witchcraft and Satanism. Harry is a 13 year old 'wizard.'

Her creation openly blasphemes Jesus and God and promotes sorcery,

seeking revenge upon anyone who upsets them by giving you examples

(even the sources with authors and titles) of spells, rituals, and

demonic powers.

I think the problem is that parents have not reviewed the material.

The name seems harmless enough . . . Harry Potter. But that is where

it all ends. Let me give you a few quotes from some of the influenced

readers themselves:

"The Harry Potter books are cool, 'cause they teach you all about

magic and how you can use it to control people and get revenge on your

enemies" said Hartland, WI, 10 year old Craig Nowell, a recent convert

to the New Satanic Order Of The Black Circle. "I want to learn the

Cruciatus Curse, to make my muggle science teacher suffer for giving

me a D." (A 'muggle' is an unbeliever of magic.)

Or how about the REALLY young and innocent impressionable mind of a 6

year old when asked about her favorite character: 6 year old Jessica

Lehman of Easley, SC. "Jesus died because He was weak and stupid."

And here is dear Ashley, a 9 year old, the typical average age reader

of Harry Potter: "I used to believe in what they taught us at Sunday

School," said Ashley, conjuring up an ancient spell to summon Cerebus,

the three-headed hound of hell. "But the Harry Potter books showed me

that magic is real, something I can learn and use right now, and that

the Bible is nothing but Boring lies."

DOES THIS GET YOUR ATTENTION?

If not, how about a quote from High Priest of Satanism: "Harry is an

absolute god send to our cause," said High Priest Egan of the First

Church Of Satan in Salem, MA. "An organization like ours thrives on

new blood (no pun intended) and we've had more applicants than we can

handle lately. And, of course, practically all of them are virgins,

which is gravy."

(Since 1995, open applicants to Satan worship has increased from

around 100,000 to now . . . 20 MILLION children and young adults!)

It makes me physically ill, people!

But, I think I can offer you an explanation of why this is happening.

Children have been bombarded with action, adventure, thrills and

scares to the point Hollywood can produce nothing new to give them the

next 'high.' Parents have neglected to see what their children are

reading and doing, and simply seem satisfied that 'Little Johnny is

interested in reading.'

AND . . . educators and the NEA are PUSHING this with NO WARNING as to

the effects or the contents.

Still not convinced? I will leave you with something to let you make

up your own mind. And finally, a quote from the author herself, J. K.

Rowling, describing the objections of Christian reviewers to her

writings:

"I thinkit's absolute rubbish to protest children's books on the

grounds that they are luring children to Satan," Rowling told a London

Times reporter in a July 17 interview. "People should be praising them

for that! These books guide children to an understanding that the

weak, idiotic Son Of God is a living hoax who will be humiliated when

the rain of fire comes ... while we, his faithful servants, laugh and

cavort in victory."

My hope is that you will see fit to become involved in getting the

word out about this garbage. Please FWD to every pastor, teacher, and

parent you know. This author has now published FOUR BOOKS in less than

2 years of this 'encyclopedia of Satanism' and is surely going to

write more. I also ask all Christians to please pray for this lost

woman's soul.

Pray also for the Holy Spirit to work in the young minds of those who

are reading this garbage that they may be delivered from its harm.

Lastly, pray for all parents to grow closer to their children, and

That a bond of sharing thoughts and spiritual intimacy will grow

between them.

Web publications such as WorldNetDaily ran a 26 November article by

Ellen Makkai (ironically described as someone who "began writing

columns 16 years ago in response to what she perceived as the moral

and intellectual laxity among many feminist commentators"), about how

the Harry Potter phenomenon is "definitely draw[ing] kids to

witchcraft" which included (without intended irony) the following

quote straight out of The Onion's parody:

High Priest Egan of The First Church of Satan in Salem, Mass.,

celebrates Harry's contribution, saying, "Harry is an absolute godsend

. . . we've had more applicants than we can handle lately."
Apparently the obvious humor of a High Priest of the First Church of

Satan's calling the arrival of the Harry Potter phenomenon a "godsend"

went right over more than a few people's heads. (The Onion's quote has

since been excised from the WorldNetDaily version of this article, but

it still appears in the original from Creators Syndicate).
Those determined to demonstrate that the Harry Potter's popularity is

an evil influence on children incredibly maintain that even if The

Onion piece is parody, it nonetheless accurately reflects author J.K.

Rowling's attitudes and a real-life phenomenon of a massive

recruitment of children by "satanic cults." Everything here is bogus,

from the phony quotes attributed to Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling

(from The Onion) to the ludicrous "statistics" about "open applicants

to Satan worship having increased from around 100,000 to now . . . 20

MILLION" (from whoever penned the e-mail rant).

As the Associated Press reported:


Scottish author J.K. Rowling calls the accusations "absurd," saying

Harry Potter's world is entirely imaginary.
"I have met thousands of children now, and not even one time has a

child come up to me and said, 'Ms. Rowling, I'm so glad I've read

these books because now I want to be a witch,'" the author has said.

Though more than 50 million copies are in print worldwide, there has

been no evidence of widespread conversions to paganism or witchcraft.

As to the issue of hordes of children willingly flocking to join

"satanic cults," this concept is ably debunked at length in Jeffrey S.

Victor's 1993 book, Satanic Panic: The Making of a Contemporary

Legend. We can't summarize his lengthy analysis in a single paragraph,

but the introduction offers a good overview of his thesis:

Again and again we are told -- by journalists, police, and

fundamentalists -- that there exists a secret network of criminal

fanatics, worshippers of Satan, who are responsible for kidnapping,

human sacrifice, sexual abuse and torture of children, drug-dealing,

mutilation of animals, desecration of churches and cemeteries,

pornography, heavy metal lyrics, and cannibalism.
This popular tale is almost entirely without foundation, but the

legend continues to gather momentum, in the teeth of evidence and good

sense. Networks of 'child advocates', credulous or self-serving social

workers, instant-expert police officers, and unscrupulous ministers of

religion help to spread the panic, along with fabricated survivors'

memoirs passed off as true accounts, and irresponsible broadcast

'investigations'. A classic witch-hunt, comparable to those of

medieval Europe, is under way. Innocent victims are smeared and

railroaded.

Satanic Panic uncovers the truth behind the satanic cult hysteria, and

exposes the roots of this malignant mythology, showing in detail how

unsubstantiated rumor becomes transformed into publicly-accepted

'fact'.

If The Onion's parody has demonstrated anything, it's that we should

be worrying about adults not being able to distinguish between fiction

and reality. The kids themselves seem to have a pretty good grasp of

it.
Last updated: 2 December 2001




The URL for this page is http://www.snopes.com/humor/iftrue/potter.htm
Click here to e-mail this page to a friend
Urban Legends Reference Pages © 1995-2004
by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson
This material may not be reproduced without permission



----------------------------------------------------------------------

----------
Sources:
Breznican, Anthony. "Supernatural Themes in 'Harry Potter'

Continue to Anger Certain Conservative Christian Critics."
Associated Press. 9 November 2001.

Makkai, Ellen. "Harry the Wiz Is the Wrong Biz."
WorldNetDaily 26 November 2001.

Victor, Jeffrey S. Satanic Panic: The Making of a Contemporary

Legend
Chicago: Open Court, 1993. ISBN 0-8126-9191-1.



http://www.snopes.com/humor/iftrue/potter.htm