Having just commented on the other HP essay, I thought I ought to say, Sophie, that you found more in the first novel than I did. I won't repeat what I wrote in the other post, but I do agree that kids like excitement, imagination and action (they like comics on TV, too). It no longer suprises me that there is out there a small army of people who 'disapprove' of what children read. They have done it about Enid Blyton and W. E. Johns, and they do it now about J. K. Rowlings. On the whole, I would urge them to get a life.

Ah, some common sense entering the debate about HP. There were no less than seven adults reading HP7 in my half of the railway carriage this morning.
For those of you who want to read a slightly more sophisticated version try Diana Wynne Jones - a rather underrated author who should have more prominence and who manages to do it successfully for children as well as adults.
And for those of you baby boomers pining for the books of your childhood look up Fidra Press on the 'net...there must be a market for these things...yes, the good old adventure story.

PART I OF II:
The realm of the occult will be "greek" to anyone who doesn't recognize the existence of two kinds of spirits: The Spirit of God, which recognition requires belief that the human race was created by a Creator God (which requires in turn that one read and believe Jesus raised the putrefied (liquifying) body of his friend Lazarus back to life at a command (as only a Creator might) -- and then the other kind of spirit, those kicked out of God's presence because they wanted to BE him (fallen angels).

In the Bible (for those who believe) God warns humans not to tamper or interact with fallen angels. Why? One, they hate humans, but will never tell them this. Two, they are infinitely smarter than humans, and regularly outsmart them, leading some occult "masters" to believe they control these spirits, when it is the other way around.

In the film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry is possessed by a spirit and Harry kicks the spirit out by sheer willpower. This is not possible in the real world of the spirit -- the occult realm. This is only the fallen spirit version (the lie) that the fallen spirit will leave a human body if that human tells it to go. Not so. The fallen spirit can only be commanded by its creator. That's right, Jesus, or a human initiating the order in Jesus's name.

This is the reason why there is a ritual of exorcism using the name of the Lord. The exorcist commands the fallen angel out in the name of
Jesus Christ. The FA must obey. Why? He is being told to leave by the one who created him, who is the only one who can "uncreate"
or destroy him.
It is nothing less than ignorance, or hubris to believe FA are fearful of humans. They are not. What does a spirit with superhuman strength and superhuman intelligence have to fear from humans (unless the latter have superhuman backing)?

PART II OF II

Recall the excerpt from the Bible where the (occult) spirits possessing a man cry out in fear as Jesus approaches, they then remind him that their time is not yet come (not yet time to be destroyed by God), asking Jesus what he wants with them (high anxiety).

The Bible is nothing if not consistent about the occult realm. Why? because there are certain realities that no amount of human denial or ignorance can change. The spirits are created beings. They are very powerful, and they are very unhappy with human beings (who unlike them, are given an opportunity to be saved)-- and they seek to destroy them.

While the Harry Potter novels pretend that humans can control the occult (meaning control fallen angels) this is a lie (told by whom? the fallen angels of course, or those influenced by them). Comments about the harmlessness of the HP books and the idiocy of talk about demonic spirits have no basis in occult reality. Fallen angels have no ethics. They really don't care how many human lives they destroy, or how young those lives might be (witness the advice of "psychic" Sylvia Brown who claims (or her occult spirit does) that committing suicide is "okay" because suicides automatically go to the "other side"). Mislead, then destroy.

Draw an illusory, mistaken map of the supernatural realm, in order that humans who follow that "map" will be destroyed spiritually and physically. That's the true consequence of the Harry Potter novels, from the point of view of God, who knows everything about the supernatural realm he created.

Find a reliable map made by a reliable mapmaker. FA are not reliable because of their unrevealed malice and hatred of humans, young and old. By the way, the "wands" used in HP do not direct human energy. They appear to direct energy, but this energy is supernatural and demonic (yes, that's right, demonic as in belonging to fallen angels). Humans are easy to fool, especially when they feel they lack power, and can gain it with... (wands).

Hawaiilawyer have you ever heard of the terms 'fiction', 'fantasy', 'fun' and 'imagination'? If you have then do you believe they should be denied for some mediaeval man made idea of theology?
HP is fiction. It is meant to be fantastic (in the true sense of the word). The characters in it are not perfect and they make mistakes but the forces for good overcome the forces for evil. They give kids some hope alongside a story which is imaginative and inventive to the last.
Is HP great literature? Probably not...but I sometimes wonder whether we mistakenly venerate Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and even William Shakespeare merely because it is old and has survived. There are undoubtedly passages of great writing in all three - but is all of it great literature?

Hawaiilawyer the Bible is fiction, gods ,angels and spirits are mythological fantasy although are also superstitious fetishes.

I would never let a child read the Bible , it contains hard core violence , incest and racist and mysoginist over tones. In English the Bible is poorely written which sets a bad example to school children.

By contrast what I have read of Harry Potter , Harry Potter is vastly a superior book. The notable thing about Harry Potter is that Children although enjoys the book know it is only fiction. By contrast the Bible is extremely childish and yet there are a few adults who believe it is real.

Thus Harry Potter (inc) is the lesser of two evils.