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We have a battle on our hands with the content of many children's and young people's books and television programmes. In this article we will highlight two examples but there are many others that we could analyse in the same way. We do not want to go overboard in our reaction but we do believe that there are dangers concerning this type of media.

 Harry Potter
Harry Potter has literally taken the children's book world by storm. Best sellers often sell several thousand copies in a week, but the figures for the Potter books remain staggering, often exceeding forty thousand sales in a week. The most recent one Goblet of Fire has been something of a phenomenon.

The books have been likened to the works of C.S.Lewis and Tolkien and concern themselves with the rise to fame of a very unlikely, bespectacled hero Harry Potter. Harry lives with his aunt and uncle and his spoilt cousin Dudley, who all hate him and seek to make his life as miserable as possible, even forcing him to sleep under the stairs.

Through Hagrid, the caretaker of Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry, Harry discovers the awful truth that he is in fact a powerful wizard. His parents were killed by the evil Voldermort, a being so awesome that even the witches and wizards dare not utter his name, referring to him as 'You know who' or 'The one who shall not be named'.

The books are totally filled with supernatural happenings, flying broomsticks and potions, but it is claimed that the books are also about other themes such as 'good and evil', bravery, friendship, adolescence, ambition and loyalty.

The most recent of the books, Goblet of Fire concerns Harry's fourth year (out of a predicted seven) at Hogwarts. The Ministry of Magic reopens an old tournament called the 'International Triwizard Tournament' in which three wizard champions compete together. One from England, one from France and one from Germany.

There has been an increase in the amount of books and programmes that use the theme of witchcraft and magic. The current Harry Potter phenomenon especially has caused concern among
Christian teachers and parents in Britain and the States (and presumably many other places). One of the major issues concerns whether or not these books should be placed on school reading lists and in school libraries.

Christian groups who are actively involved in these issues feel that there are three major problems with the books. Firstly, it is felt that the books are misleading. Freedom Village USA Ministries state that,
suggest to any child...that there is a way to escape the unhappy, real life world they live in and to retreat into a mystical fantasy world to find happiness is totally irresponsible and deceitful.

In other words, there is a real concern that young people will swallow this message and become actively involved in the occult to find refuge and spiritual satisfaction.

A second concern is that much of what is said in the books is really pagan philosophy and quite anti-biblical. One example is the references to the spirits of departed loved ones:

You think the dead we loved ever truly leave us? …You know Harry, in a way you did see your father last night. - Prisoner of Azkaban, p.427-8.

Contacting the dead does not sit comfortably with Scripture. In The Sorcerer's Stone, Harry is told that there is no good or evil, only power. This also does not square up with truth; it is also a widely held Eastern belief. It is disappointing that a children's book should be presenting such philosophies. The books are certainly filled with power but the source of the power is not really discussed. One does wonder what conclusions very young children might draw from this.

A third concern is about the similarity of the potions with experiments with drugs. Family Friendly Libraries are concerned that the message of The Sorcerer's Stone is that you need to use drugs to reach your goals in life, and to not do so is to make you a 'dunderhead'. They say,

Parents, children and teachers should be aware of the drug message this popular book delivers.

The main defence of these books is that it is no different to Narnia, Middle Earth, Wonderland or Never Never Land. It is also claimed that Harry Potter is single-handedly creating a generation of book readers. I am not sure that these arguments are compelling and whereas many young people are seeking to find out about witchcraft based on these books, it is not obvious that readers of the Narnia books do so.

It would be naive to think that the reading of these books will not generate some interest in the occult. The books are not really a representation of the new wave of paganism in the west; but they do include a great many occult themes. The books themselves can seem very 'twee' and even 'snooty', but they do not pull many punches.

The books seem to get 'darker' as the phenomenon of Harry Potter continues and so our answer to these questions, especially as Christians might have to be 'no'. I am not one who looks for hidden agendas, but I am depressed that there has to be so much of the occult in material for kids; the alternatives are on the decline.
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