Author Warns Witchcraft, Occultism permeates popular children's books
Pastor Dale Morgan
*Author Warns Witchcraft, Occultism permeates popular children's books*
Posted: June 27, 2007
Within 24 hours after its July 2005 release, "Harry Potter and the Half
Blood Prince" had sold 6.9 million copies in the United States alone –
287,564 books per hour – making it the fastest selling book in recent
history.
If early buzz proves accurate, however, the whirlwind of Pottermania
accompanying the July release of J.K. Rowling's seventh and final
installment, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," will catapult the
series to new heights in the world of literary accomplishment.
But, contends author Steve Wohlberg, what many people don't know is that
when Harry Potter and his Firebolt whoosh off the shelf, he's not alone.
A victory for Harry Potter means a victory for Wicca, a religion that
practices various forms of witchcraft.
And the acclaimed DVD program, "Harry Potter: Witchcraft Repackaged,
dramatically documents Potter references to evolution, reincarnation,
sorcery, divination, spells, curses and other occult factors.
Wohlberg's new book "Exposing Harry Potter and Witchcraft: The Menace
Beneath the Magic," asserts that "Harry Potter" purchases are often
accompanied at the sales counter with materials on Wicca. Increasing
numbers of young readers also frequent Wicca websites, cast "Love and
Money Spells," and practice "white magic."
Why the "magical" upswing? One obvious source is right between the lines
of Rowling's pages, says Wohlberg.
"In the midst of fun and fantasy, J.K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter' novels
make witchcraft look 'cool' and exciting," he said. "It doesn’t matter
that these novels are only 'fictitious stories.' Stories are powerful."
Riitta Leinonen, noted witchcraft expert and owner of "Hexeria" affirms
that the books have pushed the once-occult practice into the
entertainment sphere. "The Harry Potter phenomenon shows that there are
also positive, and not only malicious, forces in sorcery and that
innocent magic can be a good thing," she said. "Witchcraft is benefiting
from the Harry Potter effect."
The Potter readership is comprised of a wide demographic, from children
well under eight years old to adults, but Rowling's use of juvenile
themes specifically markets witchcraft to a young, impressionable
audience, Wohlberg says.
Witch training centers have sprung up online modeled after the
"Hogwarts" school, where children will "be like Harry Potter, go to
Hogwarts, take classes, interact, get into trouble, and earn points."
Everything looks like a game, one training description reads, but
"things start to get real."
Wohlberg feels allowing children to read Potter just isn't worth the
risk. "There are much better things for our kids to read," he said. "My
wife and I have a three-year-old son who loves stories. Daily we read to
him stories that teach lessons about honesty, purity, truth-telling,
respect for parents, faith, and obedience to God. In 'Harry Potter,'
young Harry lies a lot, break rules at school, curses, throws temper
tantrums, and even drinks 'firewhisky' (he's an underage drinker)."
"There's a big difference," said Wohlberg, between Harry Potter and
other children's fantasy fare. "J.K. Rowling has publicly admitted that
at least 30 percent of her novels is based on real occultism. The 'Harry
Potter' novels are a unique blend of fantasy and reality."
"They refer to real places, real occultists (Aldabert Waffling and
Nicholas Flamel), real practices (astrology, palmistry, fortune-telling,
divination), and real occult philosophy. Based on my research, the
extent of real occultism embedded into 'children's literature' is
unprecedented," he continued.
But while children may be Potter's targets, they're not the only takers.
One highly visible adult internet witchcraft school credits Rowling as a
promoter of Wicca in a press release, stating, "Harry Potter has
rekindled interest in beliefs that were already growing in the United
Kingdom and United States for more than fifty years, and that belief is
a faith called Wicca."
This "rekindling" prompted Wohlberg to write his book warning young
people, especially, and their parents to avoid "dabbling" in witchcraft,
and, more specifically, as emblazoned on his website, to "avoid Harry
Potter."
But while he is quick to discount the value of Harry Potter, Wohlberg is
equally quick to note that he is not "an unfeeling, judgmental, rabid
anti-Wiccan lunatic." "Exposing Harry Potter and Witchcraft" refers to
Wiccans respectfully, he said, because he cherishes religious freedom
for all.
"People have a right to read Harry Potter if they wish, or to be Wiccans
if they choose," he tsaid "I also have a right to express my concerns.
Based on the explosive popularity of real witchcraft among young people,
such a warning is urgently needed."
After reading his book, Wohlberg hopes that readers will "respond with
an open heart, take warning, and avoid both Harry Potter and real
witchcraft in all of its forms."
"Dabbling in the occult is dangerous… but I want my readers to begin (if
they don’t already) to communicate with Wiccans respectfully, viewing
them not as blood-drinking evil monsters (which they aren't), but as
real human beings who need additional enlightenment," he said.
Rev. Gabriele Amorth said: "You start off with Harry Potter, who comes
across as a likeable wizard, but you end up with the devil. There is no
doubt that the signature of the Prince of Darkness is clearly within
these books."
Filmmaker and occult expert Caryl Matrisciana tells about her
documentary covering Harry Potter's influence on children.
Her DVD, "Harry Potter: Witchcraft Repackaged," details numerous
similarities between the spells and magic used by Harry Potter and those
used in the witchcraft of the Wiccan religion. Such striking similarity,
said Matrisciana, is evidence that the author, J.K. Rowling, has
meticulously researched Wicca and included its tenets in her children's
books.
Some children who read the books, often more than once, may find
themselves attracted to the magical world Harry lives in, she said. In
attempting to create their own spells and charms, kids may turn to other
books that teach witchcraft.
The "Witchcraft Repackaged" DVD explains how young readers today, more
than any other time in history, have an abundance of occult resources
easily available to them. It also shows how they can explain the series
to family and friends.
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