[Aquinasfan]

But with all the real evil in this world, it seems silly to go looking for more where it doesn't exist.

Just walk through the fantasy/sci-fi section of Barnes and Noble and you'll see that Harry is just the tip of the iceberg.

There are lots of kids engaging in occult practices. Read the reviews of the Ouija board game on Amazon. How do they become interested in this stuff?

[LIConFem]

"How do they become interested in this stuff?"

I don't know, but that's kinda beside the point. The question isn't what interests kids, but whether those interests prove harmful. I'm not even sure that kids who have an interest in wizards/magic/the occult/et cetera actually believe in any of it. Seems more likely that it's just childish fantasy. They may talk about it as though it's real, but such is the nature of fantasies.

As for actually engaging in occult practices, I can't really address that because I wouldn't know an "occult practice" from a sinus headache. But again, do a child's interests necessarily congeal into hard belief? Is pretending to be a wizard any more harmful than pretending to be Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman?

I haven't read the Ouija board reviews as yet, but I will and get back to ya.

[LIConFem]

Okay, I just read the Ouija board reviews and I have one question for you... Do you really think that those kids actually BELIEVE anything they wrote of their experiences? Isn't it more likely that they're just kids being kids?

Personally, by the way, Ouija boards have always given me the willies. But I think that's because I watched way too many horror movies as a child :)

[SuziQ]

Read the reviews of the Ouija board game on Amazon. How do they become interested in this stuff?

The same way their parents and grandparents did. Ouija boards have been around for years, and for the most part are harmless. There are some very easily influenced teens, usually girls, who are affected by them, but they are a tiny minority. And if it wasn't the Ouija Board messing with their minds, it would be something else.