[balch3]

I think people shouldn’t be encouraging children to get involved in the occult.

[JenB]

My parents didn’t want me getting involved in the occult, but thanks to Harry Potter I learned how to turn them into newts. They don’t bother me any more.

[Tijeras_Slim]

I think people shouldn’t be encouraging children to get involved in the occult.

It's easier than some other things. I mean, have you ever tried to get 8 year olds to chew tobbacco and appreciate Three Card Monty?

[grellis]

I think you haven’t read the books. The HP series isn’t a guideline or reference manual for witchcraft and wizardry. Witchcraft and wizardry are nothing more than plot devices in the books. The stories could easily take place at soccer camp, but they’d be far less inventive.

[null and void]

I think people shouldn’t be encouraging children to get involved in the occult.

And still madrassas are springing up all over the world...

[Cymbaline]

I think people shouldn’t be encouraging children to get involved in the occult.

Me too. That's why I Dream Of Jeanie and Bewitched are banned at my house.

Geez!

[schwing_wifey]

Too late, my son already knows how to “disapparate”...especially when chores are involved..

As for myself, I’m desperately looking for a wand and spells that make the vacuum cleaner come alive and meals cook themselves...

And a house elf would be nice....

[SuziQ]

I think people shouldn’t be encouraging children to get involved in the occult.

Neither do I, so that's why Harry Potter is so much fun to read. It's FICTION, and most kids are smart enough to understand that. It's an awful lot of fun to IMAGINE, though, that one has those kinds of powers.

[paltz]

The Mystery of Harry Potter - A Catholic Family Guide

WHAT EVERY FAMILY NEEDS TO KNOW...

The adventures of the boy wizard have provoked a vigorous debate among Christians. Whether your children have read the series or are planning to in the future, The Mystery of Harry Potter: A Catholic Family Guide will help you appreciate and address the series' underlying moral and spiritual themes.

Using her natural teaching skills and parenting experience, author Nancy Brown has created a must-read for every Catholic family as she walks you through her journey of discovery:

• Are the stories compatible with the Catholic faith?
• What moral and spiritual issues are addressed?
• What kind of role model is Harry Potter?
• How can I talk about these issues with my children?
• How are the movies different from the books?

  Here is a special word from the author to our customers.

  Dear Readers,

  I want you to know that I struggled with the Harry Potter issue for years. This book is a result of many months of research and prayer; my attempt to discern the facts and determine if Harry Potter was suitable material for my family. I am quite picky about what books our family reads. I either pre-read books or rely heavily on book reviews from sources I trust, usually in the Catholic homeschooling world. We don't watch TV in our house, and I carefully monitor what books our children bring home from the library.

  I was initially afraid of the Harry Potter books. From what I'd read and heard, the books were to be avoided in the Catholic home. There were dangers and we have many other choices in children's literature, so why choose something dangerous?

  However, with the popularity of the books, it was difficult to avoid the topic. After years of banning the books from our home, and with the help of discussions with a trusted Catholic homeschooling mother of seven, I finally decided that I had to do the work of finding out for myself what was in the Harry Potter books.

  What I found surprised me. I found an epic tale of good vs. evil. In complete keeping with fairy tales of old, the Harry Potter stories, I found, resonate with the human heart not because they are evil, but because they are good. It is good for us to read tales where evil must be overcome through difficult means because our lives are like that every day. I found elements that resonated with me, with my faith, with the spiritual life, and, after much research, prayer and thought, decided that despite all I'd heard to the contrary, the Harry Potter books were, in fact, good reading for our family.

  I wanted each Catholic family to be able to decide for themselves if Harry Potter was right for them. I don't think there can be any blanket statements such as "Harry Potter books are evil"; nor should anyone say, "Harry Potter is fine, just let your kids read them." I suggest in my book that if you do want to read them, or to let your children read them, they should be read together, as a family. The books provoked many discussions in our home, and in order to participate in those discussions, the parents need to know the names of the characters, how they act, who is friends with whom and so forth. In other words, the parent must read Harry Potter in order to discuss Harry Potter.

  So, I hope that this book will help anyone who is in that phase of discernment: wondering about Harry Potter or wondering if the books should come home from the library or not. By reading The Mystery of Harry Potter, I hope to give you the tools to decide what's right for your family.

  Thank you,

  Nancy Carpentier Brown

  Reviews

  "Now comes a fine appreciation of Rowling's achievement from a first rate writer, believer, and (to top it off) Chestertonian Catholic. Thanks, Nancy Brown, for doing justice to the greatest Christian fantasy epic of our generation." -- Mark P. Shea, Senior Content Editor, CatholicExchange.com

  "At last, the voice of Christian common sense is heard! Nancy Brown's careful study will provide reliable guidance to Catholic parents who seek to practice, and impart to their children, an attitude to contemporary fiction that is both open and discerning. I warmly recommend this book." --Father Pierre Ingram, CC, S.T.L.