|

The Harry Potter books:Web sites, books and other helpful resources

Sponsored link.


Some Harry Potter web sites:
 |
Reviews of Harry Potter web sites: |  |
Positive portrayals by publishers, a fan club, and others:
 |
"Harry Potter for Seekers" explores the deep spiritual foundation of
Harry Potter. See:
http://www.harrypotterforseekers.com/ |
 |
The American publisher, Scholastic Inc. has a web site featuring a
question of the week, interview of the author, discussion chamber, trivia
section and screen saver. See: http://www.scholastic.com/
|
 |
The British publisher, Bloomsbury has a web site with a FAQ,
excerpts from book reviews, a quiz. It has separate entrances for muggles
and witches/wizards. See: http://www.bloomsbury.com/harrypotter/
If you have problems guessing a password, try the one at the bottom of this
essay.
|
 |
One of Harry's a fan clubs has a web site at: http://www.angelfire.com/
|
|  |
Negative portrayals in conservative Christian web sites who
believe that the Witchcraft in the books and
the Witchcraft in the Bible are related:
 |
G.T. Armstrong, "Harry Potter Books," at:
http://www.garnertedarmstrong.ws/
|
 |
G.T. Armstrong, "Witchcraft, Sorcery, and 'Harry Potter',"
at:
http://www.garnertedarmstrong.ws/
|
 |
Marcia Montenegro, "Harry Potter, Sorcery and Fantasy," at:
http://cana.userworld.com/
|
 |
Berit Kjos, "Harry Potter lures kids to Witchcraft - with praise from Christian
leaders," at:
http://www.crossroad.to/
|
 |
Berit Kjos, "Harry Potter and D&D - Like two peas in a
pod?," at:
http://www.crossroad.to/
|
 |
Berit Kjos, "Bewitched by Harry Potter," at:
http://latter-rain.org/
|
|

Sponsored link:

Books about Harry Potter:  |
Negative portrayals: The following are books written from an Evangelical Christian perspective and
are quite critical of what the authors interpret as dangerous "occult"
content in the Harry Potter books that is a threat to every reader. These authors seem to link:
 |
Wicca, a Neopagan religion based on Celtic pagan symbols, names of
deities and seasonal days of celebration) with
|
 |
Fantasy witchcraft (an alternative universe of unicorns, griffins, magical
hats, talking animals,
invisibility cloaks, flying broomsticks, etc.) |
Reviewers tend to either love or hate these books. They regularly receive
either one (the minimum) or five (the maximum) stars by reviewers at Amazon.com;
few are lukewarm.
 |
Richard Abanes, "Harry Potter and the Bible : The Menace Behind the
Magick," Horizon Books, (2001). Read
reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store. Reviews
range from "These people would be burning withches [sic] if they
thought it wouldn't land them in jail. The same mentality that gave us the
Salem witch trials, the Crusades (mass murder of indigenous peoples), the
Inquistition, [sic] etc..." to "This book is a must read. Finally,
a well-reasoned, rational, thoughtful, articulate, presentation of the
concerns so many people have been trying to express..."
|
|  |
Neutral portrayal:
 |
Connie Neal, "What's a Christian to Do with Harry Potter?," Waterbrook
Press, (2001). Read
reviews or order this book.
Publishers Weekly reviewed this book, saying in part: "Neal navigates a
via media [sic] by offering support to Christians who have decided to
boycott the series, but also giving suggestions to parents who wish to
read and discuss the books with their children. Spiritual discernment,
Neal says, is the key for any Christian and an important quality to help
children develop."
Ms. Neal comments on her book: "Christians are divided over this
issue, but the answer is not to side-step around it. We need to make the
most of the unprecedented opportunities Harry Potter affords us. I show
you how you can, whether you end up pro or con on Harry, while
maintaining unity and civility in the body of Christ."
"If you are firmly set against Harry Potter, I won't try to dissuade
you, as that is one biblically viable position. However, I will offer
you facts to shed light on false rumors, help you protect your kids from
real-world occult, help you understand the stories without having to
read them, and help you explain your decision to your kids."
|
|  |
Positive portrayals: These are reviews by authors who are not
conservative Christians, and who evaluate the Harry Potter books as delightful fantasy
novels.
 |
David Colbert, "The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter," Lumina Press,
(2001). Read
reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store. A
review on Amazon.com states: "J. K. Rowling fills her books with references to history, myths, legends and
literature. Here are the stories behind the stories - - the astonishing
origins of magical creatures, the clues to hidden meanings in names, and
stories of real-life wizards mentioned in the Harry Potter series."
|
 |
AZ Kronzek and Elizabeth Kronzek, "The Sorcerer's Companion: A Guide
to the Magical World of Harry Potter," Broadway Books, (2001). Read
reviews or order this book. Intended for ages 9 to 12. It is very highly
rated by Amazon.com's reviewers. Amazon says, in part: "From astrology to
Grindylow to reading tea leaves to witch persecution, this fascinating
volume gets to the bottom of every magical mystery connected with Hogwarts."
|
 |
David B. Mouser, "Harry Potter's Muggles' Guide to Magic," David
B Mouwse, (2001). Read
reviews or order this book. Two brief reviews: "Absolutely a MUST for a
quick and easy reference to the magical world of Harry Potter!" and "My
school children love the easy to read format and the illustrations are
fantastic."
|
 |
Philip Nel, "J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Novels: A Reader's Guide (Continuum
Contemporaries) - Unauthorized," Continuum Pub. Group, (2001). Read
reviews or order this book. The publisher writes: "It features a biography of the author, a
full-length analysis of the novels, and a fascinating discussion of what has
made them so phenomenally successful."
|
|  | A novel portrayal:
 |
Derek Murphy is a writer and artist from Portland, Oregon, specializing in Christian history. His first book is: "Jesus Potter Harry Christ: The Fascinating Parallels Between Two of the World's Most Popular Literary Characters."
He’s now in Taiwan finishing his PhD in Comparative Literature and working on his second book.
Amazon.com's product description is, in part:
Jesus Potter Harry Christ is a well-reasoned and meticulously referenced (but not overly academic) non-fiction treatise on religious history, comparative mythology, astrological symbolism, and modern culture. How and why Jesus Christ, who is traditionally considered a historical figure, shares anything in common with the modern re-telling of ancient folklore that emerges in the character of Harry Potter, is the basis for this innovative investigation.
After exploring the religious controversy surrounding the Harry Potter series and tracing the similarities between Jesus and Harry, Jesus Potter Harry Christ dives into ancient mythology, astrology, gnosticism, and Christian history, to see if Jesus can be distinguished from Harry based on the claim that Jesus was a real historic figure, while Harry Potter is obviously a fable. Just how much of the gospel accounts of Jesus are based on pre-existing mythology? Can we find the historical founder of Christianity by removing the mythology from around him? Is there reliable evidence that Jesus Christ was a historical person? Discover how the contemporary fictional hero Harry Potter can help us to recognize and explore the symbolism in Christian literature and establish the critical relevancy of the literary Jesus.
Read
reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store. Amazon sells it for $19.95 in paperback and $1.99 in Kindle format.
|
|
Sponsored links:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above
essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
-
Paul Gray: "Wild about Harry: The exploits of a young wizard have
enchanted kids and adults alike and brought a new kind of magic to
children's literature," Time Magazine, 1999-SEP-20. See:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/articles/
-
"Harry Potter," at:
http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/books/
-
Berit Kjos, "Bewitched by Harry Potter," at:
http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/Harry9-99.html
-
Paul Gray: "A primer on Harry's world," Time Magazine,
1999-DEP-20, at:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/articles/
-
"Meet J.K. Rowling," at:
http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/author/
-
Pamela Newby, "Harry Potter Controversy," CBN News, at:
http://www.cbn.org/newsstand/stories/991020b.asp
-
Lindy Beam, "Exploring Harry Potter's world," Focus on the
Family, at:
http://www.family.org/pplace/pi/genl/A0008833.html
-
Article in USA Weekend for 1999-NOV-12, quoted in Ref. 7
-
Book reviews quoted in Amish Country Gifts' web site at:
http://www.amishcountrygifts.com/potter.html They refer to the first
book in the series.
-
Judy Blume, "Is Harry Potter evil?," New York Times, Op-Ed page,
1999-OCT-22. Reprinted at:
http://www.judyblume.com/articles/harry_potter_oped.html
-
"Closing the Harry Potter Divide," The Luddite Reader, at:
at:
http://ludditereader.com/Stuff/other/FindLudd/News/
-
"Muggles for Harry Potter," at:
http://www.mugglesforharrypotter.org/
-
"Family Friendly Libraries," at:
http://www.fflibraries.org/
-
"What is wrong with Harry Potter," at: http://www.fflibraries.org/Book_Reports/HarryPotter/
- Reuters' article from London, UK, 2000-MAR-29
-
"Harry Potter Books Alarm UK Christian Educators," CNS News,
2000-MAR-29, at:
http://www.mcjonline.com/news/
-
"Parents say Harry Potter books promote 'hatred and rebellion',"
The Associated Press 2000-JAN-26. Online at:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/00/01/st012722.html
- Chuck Colson, Breakpoint program for 1999-NOV-2. He was quoted in
ReligionToday for 1999-DEC-1
-
Terry Mattingly, "Harry
Potter 1," On Religion column for 1999-OCT-27. See:
http://news.crosswalk.com/article/0,6777,2731~333,00.htm
-
Audrey Woods, "At the heart of Harry,"
Associated Press, reprinted in Toronto Star, 2000-JUL-7, Page E14.
-
Daniel Zanoza, "The danger of Harry
Potter," Chicago Tribune, 2000-JUL-13, at:
http://chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/voiceofthepeople/
-
Matthew Creamer & Thomas Hackett, "Kids,
booksellers wild about Harry," Daily News, 2000-JUL-9.
-
Johnathan Zimmer, "Harry Potter and his
censors," Education Week, 2000-AUG-2.
-
Pamela Newby, "Harry Potter Controversy,"
Christian Broadcasting Network, 1999-OCT-20, at:
http://www.cbn.org/newsstand/stories/991020b.asp
-
Roger Lynn, "Harry Potter chain letter," at:
http://urbanlegends.about.com/science/urbanlegends/
-
"Protest planned for 'Harry Potter' filming," at:
http://www.mcjonline.com/news/00b/20000818a.htm
-
Stan Josey, "Harry Potter's magic restored by school board:
Notoriety forces Durham to lift classroom limits," The Toronto Star,
2000-SEP-19, Page A1 (Front page)
-
"Harry Potter in trouble -- censorship or legitimate concerns
over the separation of church and state?," AANEWS, American
Atheists, news release 2000-SEP-22.
-
"Wizards and Mubbles," editorial, Christian Century,
1999-DEC-1.
-
Alan Jacobs, cited in Berit Kjos, "Harry Potter lures kids to
Witchcraft - with praise from Christian leaders," at:
http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/Harry&Witchcraft.htm
-
"Harry Potter banned from school," 2001-JAN-26, Religion
Today, at:
http://news.crosswalk.com/religion/item/


Copyright © 2000 to 2011 by Ontario Consultants on
Religious Tolerance
Originally written: 2000-JUL-3
Latest update: 2011-APR-02
Author: B.A. Robinson 

|
| |