[Aquinasfan]

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.

Tarot. Seances. Ouija. Fortune-telling, etc.

But again, do a child's interests necessarily congeal into hard belief?

Not necessarily. But if you have children, you know that children are strongly influenced by the stories that they're exposed to.

Is pretending to be a wizard any more harmful than pretending to be Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman?

Yes, because the occult is real.

[LIConFem]

"Yes, because the occult is real."

And perhaps that's where I'm missing the boat here. I have no real exposure to the occult, and I've never thought of it as anything but a fanciful farce. If I'm wrong in that regard, then I suppose it could change my thinking on the issue. I guess I have some reading to do.