[demnomo]

Actually, I have some Christian friends who refuse to allow Narnia or the Lord of the Rings trilogy in their homes because there are witches, wizards, etc. While I disagree with them, I respect that their own unique walk with the Lord would be compromised by such material.

I worked (and will be working again this fall) at Lucasfilm. Lucas has his share of critics on this forum because they believe the Force is an actual New Age-style religious belief. Some of the people who work for Lucas (one of whom is an Academy Award winner for sound design) are Christians and conservatives. We are surrounded by liberals, but somehow manage to get along.

If some Christians believe I am going to hell because I work for Lucas and enjoy science fiction/fantasy, so be it. It's not worth debating. I've read the Harry Potter series--as has my homeschooled son--and at no time did we forsake our religious beliefs and turn to witchcraft. Of course, both my son and I think that Rowlings' books are no where near the literary level of Narnia and the Ring trilogy.

I decided to read Harry to see what all the fuss was about and make a judgement for myself. I never was a fan of book burning or listening to others who refused to read the material, but somehow knew it would lead to the dark side. (Ooops, sorry, couldn't help myself with that last line--force of habit, you know.) I came to the opinion that Harry Potter is no worse or better than The Wizard of Oz. There is definitely good vs evil within its pages. And, yes, Harry is a good guy--about as good as Glinda, the Good Witch of Oz, if you're into that stuff.

[Cicero]

You posted while I was mulling my post. Yes, I'm bothered by "the dark side of the Force." It's more Manichean or Gnostic than Christian. Fortunately, it's vague enough to slip by most people without much effect. I don't think the intent is malign, as with Pullman.

[null and void]

While I disagree with them, I respect that their own unique walk with the Lord would be compromised by such material.

Perfect! Sadly, for most people in our current society the world of Harry Potter, and it's ongoing struggle of good against evil is a major step up.

It will be a few steps along that walk for not a few...

[miliantnutcase]

I know where your coming from. I'm an animator who just is coming from a school that's wall to wall liberals and I would guess Lucas Film and ILM (my dream job) would be no different. Yet, conservatives like us continue to deal with it and move on.