J.K. Rowling came up with the idea for her books in 1990 while traveling on a train. Without any warning, she suddenly just saw Harry "very, very clearly"  in her mind. His visible image actually popped into her thoughts from out of nowhere as a "fully formed individual."2 During one interview, Rowling stated:  "The character of Harry just strolled into my head. . . . I really did feel he was someone who walked up and introduced himself in my mind s eye."3

Rowling confesses that she has no idea why he chose to  come to her  when he did.4 According to her account, Harry just stood there looking very much like he now does on the cover of her books, complete with black hair and spectacles. She somehow perceived that he was a wizard, and knew that he did not know he was a wizard. Soon afterward, she began thinking about how this could possibly be, and before long, was writing about a young boy who did not know he had magical powers.5 Thus, Harry Potter was born.

Most fans of the Potter series believe that nearly everything in the books are mere products of Rowling s fertile imagination. To these Potter supporters, all of the negative and controversial talk about actual occultism being in Rowling s novels is ridiculous. For example, Dr. Christopher Beiting of the Ave Maria Institute (a Roman Catholic institution of higher education in Michigan), feels that Rowling s creation of Hogwarts is harmless because it exists  in a fantasy world.  He continues:  "I have heard the interviews with Rowling; she says she doesn t take any interest in the occult and hasn t studied it for her novels. I feel these are just things she has made up in her own head and it is just a device to tell a story."6

Christianity Today has taken a similar position, forcefully deriding any concerns about witchcraft:  "[T]he literary witchcraft of the Harry Potter series has almost no resemblance to the I-am-God mumbo jumbo of Wiccan circles."7 (Wicca is the name given to the official religion of Witchcraft founded within the last century by Gerald Gardner [1884-1964].)

Sustaining this notion have been the numerous remarks by Rowling about her complete disinterest in witchcraft and her disbelief in magic. In a July 2000 Associated Press article, for instance, she said: "I truly am bemused that anyone who has read the books could think that I am a proponent of the occult in any serious way. I don t believe in witchcraft, in the sense that they re talking about, at all."8 In an online interview, she explained that when it comes to the kind of magic that appears in her series, she  "does not believe in magic in that way." 9 In another online venue, she remarked,  "I don t believe in magic in the way I describe it in my books. I mean, I don t believe in the wand waving sort of magic."10

Many people have completely overlooked the obvious qualifiers in these statements. Rowling says she does not believe in witchcraft  "in the sense"  her critics talk about it, and rejects the  wand waving sort of magic  that appears in her books. The questions arise: Is there another  sense  in which Rowling does believe in witchcraft? What brand, of all the different forms of magic that exist that are not the wand waving sort of magic, might she embrace? Are there any bits and pieces of paganism with which she may agree?

Interestingly, Rowling has stated that she believes the number seven  "is a magical number, a mystical number."11 Her ex-husband, Jorge Arantes, confirmed this in London s Daily Express, saying that Rowling  had planned the full series of seven books because she believed the number seven has magical associations.12 And in the introduction to Beacham Publications  educational resource book, Exploring Harry Potter, Walter Beacham makes a similar remark:  "Ms. Rowling has spoken extensively about her plans for future Potter novels, and stated that the magical number seven will see the conclusion of Harry s education at Hogwarts."13

More significant is the fact that not everything in the Potter series is imaginary. During a 1999 interview, Rowling admitted that she had studied mythology and witchcraft in order to write her books more accurately, stating,  "I do a certain amount of research. And folklore is quite important in books. So where I m mentioning a creature, or a spell that people used to believe genuinely worked of course, it didn t . . . then, I will find out exactly what the words were, and I will find out exactly what the characteristics of that creature or ghost were supposed to be."14 Rowling goes on to say that roughly one-third of the sorcery- related material appearing in her books "are things that people genuinely used to believe in Britain."15

What Rowling fails to mention is that a vast amount of the occult material she has borrowed from historical sources still plays a significant role in modern paganism and witchcraft. Consequently, her writings merge quite nicely with contemporary occultism. This could easily present a spiritual danger to children and teens, or even adults, who are either leaning toward occultism or who may be vulnerable to its attractions. Also, it is noteworthy that some of the information Rowling uses is not widely known by persons other than those who are actually involved in occultism. She, in fact, has an extremely well-developed and sophisticated knowledge of the occult world, its legends, history and nuances.

In fact, Rowling s thorough understanding of occultism s intricacies is so obvious in her books that during one radio call-in interview show, a self-professed "magus"  (a male practitioner of magick) excitedly asked Rowling if she herself was a member of the "Craft"  (i.e., Wicca). When Rowling answered no, the caller seemed shocked and replied,  "[Well], you ve done your homework quite well."  This particular caller went on to express his love for the Harry Potter series not only because it contained so much occultism, but because its positive portrayal of magick had served to make his daughter more comfortable with his own practices as a witch-magickian.16

Rowling seamlessly weaves into her novels countless references to ancient and modern occultism, sometimes hiding them in people s names or disguising them in minor characters. Such inclusions certainly do not teach the precise doctrines of witchcraft, nor do they explicitly instruct children to purchase a step-by-step guide to Wicca. But the allusions could easily stir a child s curiosity about occultism perhaps enough for that child to one day dabble in it.

The very title of Book I, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer s Stone, hearkens back to a set of occultic beliefs about the  Philosopher s Stone.  (Rowling s first volume was originally released in England as Harry Potter and the Philosopher s Stone.) In the Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, the Philosopher s Stone is described as a legendary substance that supposedly enabled medieval alchemists to turn base metals into gold or silver. But unlike the literal stone sought for in Rowling s novel, the stone coveted by real alchemists was an essential powder of some kind, often designated  "Powder of Projection."17 The author of a Treatise on Philosophical and Hermetic Chemistry, published in 1725, wrote:


But alchemists were far more than metal-workers. They were spiritual-minded individuals who pursued their science as a means of purifying the soul and achieving an unclouded understanding of their own divine nature. Transmuting base metals into gold was merely a process used to transform themselves and obtain what they called the "fifth element,"  which was thought to be God s  creative power  by which all things received life.19

Consequently, alchemists also believed that creating the Philosopher s Stone produced a sort of natural by-product of the chemical procedure: the Elixir of Life. As Rowling writes in her book,  "The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal."20 This is not the only parallel between Rowling s stone and the stone sought by medieval alchemists. In Book I, Harry and his friends learn that the Philosopher s Stone they are seeking (the only one ever made) was created by Dumbledore s partner in alchemy, Nicholas Flamel.21

Nicholas Flamel really existed. He was a French alchemist who allegedly succeeded in making the Philosopher s Stone in the late 1300s. According to historical documents and occult tradition, Flamel learned how to make the Philosopher s Stone through the esoteric Book of Abraham the Jew. This text, supposedly written by the Jewish Patriarch, contained various directions in hieroglyphic form. Alchemists throughout the centuries have believed that after deciphering these drawings, Flamel did indeed create the Philosopher s Stone, and by doing so, never died.22

Rowling also mentions Flamel s wife, Perenelle. Again, this is not fictitious. Nicholas  wife, in agreement with the Potter  fantasy  novel, was named Perenelle (also spelled Petronelle). Rowling even correctly identifies the approximate era of their lives. Book I takes place in late 1991-1992 (a school year cycle), a date easily discerned by calculating subtle time markers in Book II (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets). In Sorcerer s Stone, Flamel is 665 years old. This number subtracted from 1991/92 comes to the year 1326/27 for Flamel s birth (as recorded by Rowling). In the real world, Flamel was born in 1330, give or take a few years.23

Book I goes so far as to add some of Flamel s religious beliefs about death. Toward the book s conclusion, after Nicholas and Perenelle know they will die, Dumbledore tells Harry that they are not afraid because to them dying will simply be  "like going to bed after a very, very long day."  Dumbledore continues:  "After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure."24 The book Magicians, Seers, and Mystics reports that Flamel, in fact, felt this way:  "Nicholas Flamel, after his discovery of the Philosopher s Stone, would have had no temptation to evade death; for he regarded death merely as the transition to a better state.25

Such a position echoes current pagan/Wiccan thinking. Anthony Kemp, in Witchcraft and Paganism Today, writes:  "The one who has departed has left for the Summerlands, the fairy realm in the west where he or she will be refreshed before the cycle of rebirth [reincarnation] starts again. . . . Death as we know it is but a transition an initiation."26 Celebrated witch, Starhawk, declares:  "Death is not an end; it is a stage in the cycle that leads on to rebirth. After death, the human soul . . . grows young and is made ready to be born again."27

To Christians, of course, this is an inaccurate and spiritually dangerous view of death. Christians believe that only those who die  "in Christ"  (i.e., those who have received Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior) will enjoy eternal bliss (Romans 10:9; 1 John 5:11-13). Others will suffer eternal separation from God (Luke 16:19-30; John 3:16; Revelation 20:11-15). Reincarnation too stands at odds with Christianity. Hebrews 9:27 says we are created to die once and then to experience our judgment before God. There are no second, third or fourth chances after death. "Now is the day of salvation"  (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Flamel and his Sorcerer s Stone are only two examples of how Rowling mixes reality with fantasy in her series. Book I also refers to Paracelsus,28 a Swiss alchemist who lived from 1493-1541. He was  one of the most striking and picturesque figures  in occultism.29 Another individual Rowling mentions is Adalbert Waffling, author of Magical Theory, which is included on Harry s list of required reading. Again, we have a fictional character having a real-world counterpart: Archbishop Adalbert of Magdeburg (eighth century).

Adalbert was a French pseudo-mystic who claimed he could foretell the future and read thoughts. The Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology reveals that  [H]e was in the habit of giving away parings of his nails and locks of his hair as powerful amulets [charms used to drive away evil]. He is said to have even set up an altar in his own name.  Adalbert eventually showed followers a letter supposedly sent to him by Christ via St. Michael. He also invoked demons using mystical prayers he had composed. The Church convicted him of sorcery in 744-745 A.D., and condemned him to perpetual imprisonment in the monastery of Fulda.30

A sympathetic discussion of Adalbert s plight can be found in the writings of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891), founder of Theosophy, an occult blending of metaphysical thought, spiritualism, channeling, science, Eastern philosophy, Transcendentalism and mental healing. Blavatsky, who greatly helped to spread the concepts of Buddhism and reincarnation in America, wrote the following about Adalbert in her article  "Star-Angel-Worship":


Interestingly, these pro-Adalbert sentiments expressed by Blavatsky sound remarkably similar to those voiced by Albus Dumbledore in a speech he gives to students at Hogwarts  which, coincidentally, was founded at approximately the same time Adalbert and others were being convicted by the Church (i.e., 1991 minus approximately 1,000 years [800-1,000 A.D.]). Dumbledore explains:


An equally odd connection that seems to exist between Rowling and Theosophy can be found in a play on names in Book III (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban). On page 53 Rowling mentions a book titled Unfogging the Future by a Cassandra Vablatsky. Could Vablatsky be an anagram for Blavatsky? I believe so. An anagram, of course, is a word or phrase formed by transposing the letters of another word or phrase. And this is exactly the kind of word games Rowling plays throughout her novels. For example, in one scene from Book II (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), we learn that it was a boy named Tom Riddle who eventually became Lord Voldemort. Riddle unveils this mystery using an anagram to taunt Harry:


Another anagram, this time in Book I, shows up when Harry finds a mirror in which he sees images of his family. Inscribed above the looking glass are these words: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.34 Written backward, they read: Ishow no tyo urfac ebutyo urhe arts desire. The phrase still makes no sense. But splice the letters together in a different combination and suddenly we get: I show not your face but your heart s desire. It is not only an anagram, but a backward anagram! In my opinion, a similar trick is used to disguise Blavatsky as Vablatsky.

Pagan and mythological characters play an important role in Sorcerer s Stone as well. One of Harry s teachers, Minerva McGonagall, is named after the Roman goddess of agriculture, navigation, spinning, weaving and needlework.35 Hogwarts  caretaker, Argus Filch,36 is named after the Greek mythological giant with a hundred eyes. We also have Harry s best friend, Hermione, who shares her name with the daughter of Helen of Troy in Greek mythology.

From Homer s Odyssey, Rowling borrows the name Circe.37 In the Greek classic tale, Circe is a witch who can transform men into animals. Even the first name of Harry s nemesis, Draco Malfoy, is significant. It refers to astrology. Draco, which means dragon, is the ancient astrological term for the constellation that  "used to hold special significance as the location of the pole star, but due to the Earth s precession, the pole has shifted to Polaris in Ursa Minor. The Dragon is usually associated with guardians of the temples and treasures."38

And then there are references to Morgana and Merlin taken from the Arthurian legends. Merlin is Arthur s wizard-mentor. Morgana is the evil half-sister of Arthur. She seduces Arthur in order to give birth to Mordred, who eventual destroys the king. Morgana is said to be heavily based on  "Morrighan,"  an ancient Celtic goddess.  Those who see her washing out bloody linen are normally warriors whose vision of her presages their pending death in battle.39 Morrighan is also known as the battle goddess, queen of witches, the goddess of magick and the goddess of death.40

Perhaps most interesting, though, is Rowling s passing reference to the Druid/Celtic goddess Cliodna,41 who is still worshiped today by contemporary pagans and witches. According  to The Circle of the Ancient Ways (COTAW), an independent group of witches who focus mainly on the Wiccan path,  "the names of Gods and Goddesses in the Celtic beliefs are probably the most well known and often used in modern Paganism and Wicca."42

Cliodna (also Cliodhna) is Ireland s pagan goddess of beauty. It was believed that through her the magic of  blarney  or the  gift of gab  came to the Celts.43 She is a Banshee (also Bean Sidhe), which in Scotland is referred to as the wailing woman spirit (Behn Nighe) who lives in the hills and glens. In Irish folklore, this spirit or fairy foreshadows death by wailing:


Finally, Sorcerer s Stone plainly introduces astrology through the words of two Centaurs named Bane and Firenze.45 (A Centaur is a mythological beast with the torso and head of a man, but the hindquarters of a horse.) Bane says,  "Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of planets?46 Firenze replies,  "Do you not see that unicorn? . . . Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret?"47 Astrology is clearly being discussed, given the fact that Hagrid refers to the two Centaurs as  "stargazers,"48 another name for astrologers.

Such occult themes are numerous in Book I. Also plentiful are Rowling s many references to various demonic entities deeply connected to magic, witchcraft and sorcery. However, before taking a closer look at these demonic beings (see Chapter 4), we must touch upon another set of problems within the Potter series moral ambiguity and ethical confusion.


Countless articles, both Christian and non-Christian, have applauded the admirable morals and ethical behavior of Rowling s characters. According to more than one reviewer, Harry and his companions are brave, true, just, kind, insightful, unselfish and noble. In a January 2000 article written for the Roman Catholic journal First Things, Wheaton College literature professor Alan Jacobs saluted the first three books (the fourth had not yet been published), noting:  "Rowling s moral compass throughout the three volumes is sound indeed, I would say, acute.49 Similarly, a 1999 Knight-Ridder news article reported that Harry Potter is the perfect role model to teach children lessons about endurance, kindness, wisdom and love.50

Harry is far from perfect. The morals and ethics in Rowling s fantasy tales are at best unclear, and at worst, patently unbiblical. It is true that there are fleeting moments throughout her stories where the "good" characters actually behave in a way consistent with being  good.  But on many other occasions, these same characters act quite contrary to the biblical definition of  "goodness."  This is most apparent in Harry.

His image as a "good"  boy begins disintegrating early in Book I when he disobeys Madame Hooch, the instructor hired by Hogwarts to teach students broom-riding technique. She directly tells her students, including Harry, not to ride their brooms while she takes an injured student to the infirmary. But Harry, in reaction to Draco Malfoy s jeers, grabs a broom and streaks into the sky. He is caught by Professor McGonagall, but instead of being punished, is rewarded by being put on Gryffindor s Quidditch team.51 (Quidditch is a wizard s soccer-like sport that is played with self-propelled airborne balls and flying brooms.)

On the same day that Harry ignores Hooch s directive, he breaks two more rules by agreeing to fight Draco in a  wizard s duel  at midnight in the school s trophy room. Fighting, especially fights in which spells are used, are against Hogwarts  rules. Moreover, students are to be in their dorms at night. Nevertheless, Harry sneaks out with his favorite rule-breaking companion, Ron Weasley.

The lone dissenter is Hermione, Ron and Harry s acquaintance. She reminds Harry that every time a student is caught breaking a rule, merit points are taken away from the dorm in which they live. She tries to reason with the two boys:  "[Y]ou mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you ll lose Gryffindor if you re caught, and you re bound to be. It s really very selfish of you."52

But Harry responds:  "[I]t s really none of your business."53

During this scene, we also see Ron casting integrity to the wind as he instructs Harry in the art of wizard dueling. Both Harry and Draco have agreed to the terms:  "Wands only no contact."54 But just before Harry and Ron sneak out at night, Harry asks,  "[W]hat if I wave my wand and nothing happens?  In direct contradiction to the promise given to Draco, Ron answers,  "Throw it away and punch him on the nose."55

Draco never shows up, but the school s caretaker does. In fact, he almost catches Harry and Ron. They manage to avoid capture, however, by slipping into an off-limits corridor that houses a monstrous, three-headed hellhound guarding a trapdoor leading to the Philosopher s Stone. But where Rowling could have demonstrated how breaking the rules can be harmful, she ignores the rule breaking and instead begins the next chapter:  "Harry and Ron thought that meeting the three-headed dog had been an excellent adventure, and they were quite keen to have another one."56

Next a very serious regulation is broken by Harry when he sneaks into the library, yet again at night, to have a peek at the Dark Magic books kept in the school s restricted section. No student is allowed to look at any of these texts unless they have a request form signed by a teacher. But Harry feels he has a good reason to ignore this rule: he must find out about Nicholas Flamel. Again, rather than following any objective standard of right and wrong (i.e., Hogwarts  rules), Harry lets his own self-interests and subjective rationalizations determine his actions.

Something else happens on this same evening. He finds the mirror of Erised (a.k.a. Desire), which shows him movie-like images of his dead family smiling and waving back at him. This is indeed a touching scene. But it only serves to cause Harry s  "moral compass"  to go further awry. He sneaks out of his dorm on two subsequent nights in order to go back to the mirror. On the third night, he gets caught by Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts  Headmaster. Does he punish Harry, or even chastise him for being where students should not be in the middle of the night? No! He simply explains to him about the Mirror of Desire, then sends little Harry scurrying back to bed.57 So far Harry has disobeyed Hogwarts  codes at least seven times without suffering any consequences.

By page 225 of Book I, Harry is doing just about whatever he wants to do, making decisions for himself based on what he feels is best for him. He even follows Professor Snape the Potions teacher into the  "Forbidden Forest"  (a dangerous wooded area beside Hogwarts that is off-limits to all students).58 Only Hermione, an oft-ridiculed student, seems bothered by all the rule-breaking. Again and again she tries to explain why following school directives is important. Harry s responses are consistently negative:


Rowling herself, throughout the narrative portions of Book I, refers to Hermione as  "hissing . . . like an angry goose,"  having a  "bad temper"  and being "a  bossy know-it-all."61

Sadly, Hermione succumbs to peer pressure after overhearing Ron and Harry say she is disliked at the school and that  "she s a nightmare."62 Hermione endears herself to them by telling a  "downright lie"  to a teacher in order to cover up for the boys:  "Harry was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble."63 This morally troubling scene concludes with Hermione and the boys becoming friends.64

In an equally tragic tweak on morality, a small boy named Neville Longbottom tries to correct Ron and Harry and is basically ridiculed for it.  "Don t you call me an idiot,"  Neville says. " I don t think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people."  Ron s answer perfectly illustrates the message Rowling seems to be communicating:  "Yes, but not us."65

When Neville tries to prevent Ron and Harry from again sneaking out of the dorm, Hermione (now as much a rule-breaker as her friends), puts a full  "Body-Bind"  spell on him:  "Neville s arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board."66

In yet another scene, Rowling writes:  "Excuses, alibis, and wild cover-up stories chased each other around Harry s brain, each more feeble than the last. He couldn t see how they were going to get out of trouble this time."67 The option of simply telling the truth never even crosses Harry s mind, but he cannot come up with a lie either. Significantly, this one instance in which Harry s knack for lying does not work quickly enough is the one instance that he and his companions are punished with detention after school hours.

The adults in Book I hardly act any better. They not only break other people s rules, but also break their own rules. Consider Hagrid (Hogwarts  Keeper of the Keys and Grounds). He consistently performs spells even though he is not supposed to do magic. (He was expelled from Hogwarts during his third year, which means he never graduated to the level of full wizard.)68 He also ignores legal statutes applicable to the entire wizard world. For instance, he raises an  "illegal"  dragon against the 1709 Warlock s Convention law prohibiting dragon breeding in Britain.69

Even worse, Hagrid consistently asks Harry and his friends not to tell anyone about his disobedience. On page 64, he makes this request:  "If I was ter er speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin  it at Hogwarts?  Harry replies,  Of course not,  because he is eager to  see more magic."70 Later in the book, Hagrid actually asks Harry, Ron and Hermione to smuggle his illegal dragon out of Hogwarts, with the help of Ron s brother, Charlie (a Hogwarts graduate), and some of Charlie s older, postgraduate friends.71

Professor McGonagall even persuades Headmaster Dumbledore to allow her to break school rules by allowing Harry to have his own flying broom and to play on Gryffindor s Quidditch team privileges not granted to first-year students. Why dismiss these rules? Because Harry is a natural-born broom-rider, and as such, is bound to be an excellent Quidditch player. Since Gryffindor has not won the championship in years, the course of action is clear: put Harry on the team.

The threefold moral message that Rowling presents through her characters is clear: 1) rules are made to be broken if they do not serve one s own self-interests; 2) rules need not be obeyed if no good reason seems to exist for them; and 3) lying is an effective and acceptable means of achieving a desired end. This latter lesson is implied in one student s explanation for why he is half-Muggle: "'Me dad s a Muggle. Mom didn t tell him she was a witch  til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him.'  The others laughed."72

Judith Krug of the Chicago-based American Library Association has stated,


In the real world, parents do indeed  "get in the way,"  especially when a child misbehaves, or when a child needs loving guidance away from harmful activities. But children, because they are children, often do not want to be disciplined. It is no wonder they like the Potter books so much. As one eleven-year-old girl told me, "I like Harry because he can do whatever he wants to do."

Although he may have benevolent motives (e.g., wanting to keep someone from taking the Philosopher s Stone, or trying to keep Draco from hurting a student), Harry ultimately is simply following his own self-interests. This is consistent with modern Wicca, as the Wiccan Creed says:  "If it harm none, do what you will."  The creed would apply to such things as unbiblical sexual encounters, use of illegal drugs and lying. Starhawk, founder of Covenant of the Goddess, plainly says,  In witchcraft, we do not fight self-interest, we follow it."74

Whether Rowling realizes it or not, she is promoting witchcraft/occultism/Wicca in the form of ethical and moral subjectivism.


During a National Public Radio interview with Diane Rehm, J.K. Rowling explained that she did not necessarily write her books for children. She actually penned them as novels that she herself, as an adult, would enjoy reading.75 Rowling also mentioned that she kept in mind the kind of book she might have wanted to read as a little girl. Interestingly, Rowling has stated:  "When I was quite young, my parents never said books were off limits. . . . As a child, I read a lot of adult books. I don t think you should censor kids  reading material. It s important just to let them go do what they need to do."76

Rowling apparently feels that adult-oriented material is perfectly suitable for children, which may explain why forty-three percent of her books sold in 1999 were to readers older than fourteen. And according to the N.D. Group, a leading market research firm that tracks book-buying in 12,000 households, nearly thirty percent of Harry Potter purchases were made for readers thirty-five or older. Some adult readers are so captivated by Harry that they have begun concocting their own  "fan-written"  Potter adult stories.

For example, there is  "Harry Potter and the Paradigm of Uncertainty,"  which can be found on the Internet at e-Groups. Lori Summers, author of this narrative in progress, describes it as a PG-13 story for adult fans of the Harry Potter series. It takes place twelve years in the future, is extremely romantic in nature, and puts Harry living in one big dorm with several other witches (females) and wizards (males). Summers stresses it is not for children.77

But adult Harry Potter fans need not scan the Internet for  mature  material, especially when it comes to scenes involving gratuitous violence, gruesome images, cruelty and humor that often borders on perversity. One of the most grisly characters to come from Rowling is a ghost named  "Nearly Headless Nick"  who lived 500 years earlier and died on a Halloween night by being struck on the neck forty-five times with a blunt ax.78 He first appears in Chapter 7 of Book I:


Then, in Chapter 15, readers are treated to a horrible scene featuring Professor Quirrell, who is possessed  by Voldemort:


Scenes less gory, but equally disturbing, are those wherein cruelty/vengeance are presented as acceptable. Hagrid, for instance, performs an illegal spell against Harry s cousin, Dudley. (He gives Dudley an extremely painful pig s tail that has to be surgically removed.) This is not done because Dudley himself acts improperly toward Hagrid. It is done to punish Mr. Dursley for insulting Dumbledore.81 Rather than attacking Mr. Dursley, Hagrid turns his revenge against Dudley (an innocent individual) as a way of more gravely hurting the father.

Revenge also appears in a Diagon Alley scene, where Harry finds Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly Legs, Tongue-Tying and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian. When Hagrid drags Harry away so they can stay on their time schedule, Harry says:  I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley.  Instead of correcting Harry and pointing him in a better direction, Hagrid replies:  I m not sayin  that s not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances.82

A display of similar attitudes by other  "good"  characters throughout the Potter series creates a running theme that is not difficult to discern: It is appropriate to return evil for evil, and treat others well only if they treat you well. As Rowling herself has stated about her main character:  "Harry wants to get back at Dudley. . . . [A]nd we readers want him to get back at Dudley. And, in the long run, trust me, he will."83 Contrast this approach with what Scripture says regarding enemies and our treatment of them:


In yet another scene, Professor Snape the disliked potions teacher is seen limping due to some sort of injury to his leg. Harry wonders what is wrong with Snape, and Ron bitterly replies:  "Dunno, but I hope it s really hurting him."84 Again, the Bible reads very differently:  "Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth"  (Proverbs 24:17).

Clearly, Rowling s books include a great deal of material that is inappropriate for children as well as inconsistent with Christian values.

Despite these flaws, Book I has become a best-seller around the world. According to an ABCnews.com report, it is because Rowling s books  "show the complexities of children, and the ambiguities of childhood the delights and fears of separation and exploration."85 But as we have seen, these volumes also contain material that is both unsuitable and harmful to children. Rowling s second volume, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, is just as problematic.


1. J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer s Stone (New York: Scholastic Press, 1997), 13.
2. J.K. Rowling, interview on The Diane Rehm Show, WAMU, National Public Radio, October 20, 1999, available online at www.wamu.org.
3. J.K. Rowling, quoted in Reuters,  Harry Potter  Strolled into My Head,    July 17, 2000.
4. J.K. Rowling, The Diane Rehm Show.
5. J.K. Rowling, The Diane Rehm Show.
6. Dr. Christopher Beiting, quoted in Kate Ernsting,  Is Harry Potter s Magic Kid-Friendly?,  Credo, November 15, 1999, available online at www.credopub.com.
7.  Why We Like Harry Potter  (editorial), Christianity Today, January 10, 2000, available online at www.christianityonline.com.
8. J.K. Rowling, quoted in Audrey Woods,  Success Stuns Harry Potter Author  (Associated Press), July 6, 2000.
9. J.K. Rowling, quoted in Judy O Malley,  Talking with J.K. Rowling,  Book Links (Vol. 8, No. 6, pp. 32-36: Online Version), available online at www.northernlight.com.
10. J.K. Rowling, AOL Online Chat, May 4, 2000. Transcript available through America Online.
11. J.K. Rowling, quoted in Elizabeth Nehren,  Upward and Onward Toward Book Seven,  Los Angeles Times, October 25, 2000. Available online at www.latimes.com/living/20001024/t000101702.html; also see J.K. Rowling, radio interview, October 12, 1999, Talk Connection, WBUR (Boston).
12. Peter Fearon,  A Dark Flashback in  Potter  Author s Tale,  New York Post, July 11, 2000, available online at www.newyorkpost.com.; also available online at www.foxnews.com.
13. Walter Beacham, editor s introduction for Elizabeth D. Schafer, Beacham s Sourcebook: Exploring Harry Potter (Osprey, FL: Beacham Publishing, 2000), statement available online at www.beachampublishing.com.
14. J.K. Rowling, The Diane Rehm Show.
15. J.K. Rowling, The Diane Rehm Show.
16. WBUR interview with J.K. Rowling, October 12, 1999, available online at www.wbur.org.
17. Leslie A. Shepard, ed., Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology (Detroit: Gale Research, 1991), 2:1282.
18. Shepard.
19. Kurt Seligmann, Magic, Supernaturalism, and Religion (New York: Pantheon, 1948; 1971 edition).
20. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 220.
21. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 219.
22. Maurice Magre, Magicians, Seers, and Mystics (Kila, MT: Kessinger Publishing, 1997; transl. Reginald Merton), available online at www.alchemylab.com.
23. Shepard, 1:594.
24. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 297. Children are not simply reading such comments and giving no thought to what they mean. In a letter to www.yabooks.com, a fifteen-year-old wrote the following comment in reference to Rowling s books:  They deal with death, but in a positive way in the first book, Dumbledore tells Harry, Ron, and Hermione that death is just like a rest after a very long day  ( Young Adult  Save Harry Potter  Comments: Page 1,  available online at http://yabooks.about.com/teens/yabooks/bl_potter2.htm).
25. Magre, available online at www.alchemylab.com.
26. Anthony Kemp, Witchcraft and Paganism Today (London: Brockhampton Press, 1993; 1995 edition), 129.
27. Starhawk, The Spiral Dance (San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1979; 1989 edition), 41.
28. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 103.
29. Shepard, 2:1250.
30. Shepard, 1:6-7.
31. Helena Petrovna Blavatsky,  Star-Angel-Worship in the Roman Catholic Church,  Lucifer, July 1888, available online at www.blavatsky.net/blavatsky/arts/StarAngel WorshipInTheRomanCatholicChurch.htm (Blavatsky Net Foundation).
32. J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (New York: Scholastic, 1999), 150.
33. Rowling, Chamber of Secrets, 314.
34. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 207.
35. Thomas Bullfinch, The Age of Fable (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1948), Chapter 14, available online at www.bullfinch.org.
36. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 132.
37. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 103 [Note: While the original text refers to Homer s The Iliad, the actual reference should be to another Homer work: Odyssey.]
38. No author.  Draco,  available online at www.astronomical.org.
39. Terry McCombs, (no title), available online at the Pagan Homesite (www.pagan- home.com).
40. Statement available at http://www.cyberphile.net/~taff/taffnet/mabinogion/
gods.html.
41. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 103.
42. Statement available online at http://www.darkcastle.net/COTAW/celtic.htm.
43. Dira s Online Pagan Files, available at http://www.concentric.net/ ~qempa/goddess/cc3.htm#Cliodhna.
44. Statements available online at www.irishclans.com and www.loggia.com/myth/
ireland.html.
45. Astrology, one of the most ancient occultic means of predicting the future, rests on the assumption that the movement and position of celestial bodies (i.e., the sun, moon, stars and planets) not only affect individual lives, but also nations and even humanity as a whole (see Shepard, 1:102). It is an extremely popular belief system. A 1997 poll found that only twenty percent of Americans completely disbelieve in astrology, while forty-eight percent say that astrology is  probably or definitely valid  (Kenneth Miller,  Star Struck,  Life, July 1997, 40). Another 1997 poll published in USA Today gave a slightly lower figure of thirty-seven percent for those who believe in astrology, but also revealed that this percentage had risen dramatically from seventeen percent in 1976 (Matt Nisbet,  New Poll Points to Increase in Paranormal Belief,  available online at www.csicop.org).
46. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 257.
47. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone.
48. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 254.
49. Alan Jacobs,  Harry Potter s Magic,  First Things, January 2000, available online at www.firstthings.com.
50. Quoted in Richard Scheinin,  Harry Potter s Wizardly Powers Divide Opinion,  Fort-Worth (TX) Star-Telegram, December 3, 1999, available online at www.arlington.net.
51. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 148-152.
52. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 154.
53. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone.
54. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 153.
55. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 154.
56. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 163.
57. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 207-214.
58. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 225-226.
59. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 155.
60. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 166.
61. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 155, 161, 164.
62. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 172.
63. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 177-178.
64. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 179.
65. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 273.
66. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone.
67. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 242.
68. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 59, 64.
69. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 230-233.
70. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 64.
71. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 237.
72. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 125.
73. Judith Krug, quoted in  The  Harry Potter  Books: Craze & Controversy,  available online at www.familyhaven.com.
74. Starhawk, 76.
75. J.K. Rowling, The Diane Rehm Show.
76. Michael Hatty,  Harry Potter Author Reveals the Secret to Getting Kids to Read as Children s Book Week Kicks Off,  November 14, 1999 USAWeekend.com, available online at www.usaweekend.com/99_issues/991114/991114potter.html.
77. Laura Miller,  Harry Potter Rumor Watch,  Salon.com, available online at www.salon.com/books/log/ 2000/07/06/potter_rumors/index.html.
78. Rowling, Chamber of Secrets, 123.
79. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 124.
80. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone,  256.
81. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 59, 90.
82. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 80.
83. J.K. Rowling, quoted in O Malley in  Talking with J.K. Rowling,  available online at www.northernlight.com.
84. Rowling, Sorcerer s Stone, 182.
85. George F. Will,  Magical Mystery Book,  ABCnews.com, July 3, 2000, available online at www.abcnews.go.com/onair/thisweek/ tw_georgewill_harrypotter000703.html.