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As Potter-passion soars to new heights, it's time to take another look at the young wizard's influence on

Christian beliefs. After all, the sixth book in Ms. Rowling's spine-tingling adventures into the world of the
occult has broken all records. Almost 7 million copies were sold in the United States in its first 24 hours -
averaging better than 250,000 sales per hour! What is happening? Why is Harry's virtual world so
enticing? Could this new mythology become the great equalizer of religions -- fusing Buddhist, Muslim,
Hindu and Christian communities with 21st century paganism?
An anonymous visitor to our website illustrates its enchanting power to deceive "Christian" youth:
"Harry Potter is merely a work created for readers to enjoy. It teaches children to read and to imagine.
Our society has really overreacted to this, especially the church. I myself am a faithful follower who does
enjoy reading.... Harry Potter encourages magic and I hope you all have the good sense to celebrate
what gods gives [sic] us through wonderful stories like Harry Potter.... Are these evil? Are we not to
celebrate halloween? When do you draw the line?"
Actually, our wise and caring God has already drawn some very specific lines for us. To guard us from
dangers we can't even grasp, He has given us clear boundaries that we would be wise to heed.[4] For
example, He tells us that anyone practicing witchcraft, sorcery, spell-casting, necromancy or divination (all
occult skills that Harry learns and practices at Hogwarts Schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry) is an
"abomination." [Deut 18:10-12] What does that tell us about God's attitude toward spiritual models such
as Harry and Dumbledore? How does it relate to His warning in Romans 12:9: "Abhor what is evil. Cling
to what is good."
If those questions offend you, you may want to stop reading right here. I'm not trying to "impose my
beliefs" on you or force you to hear what you don't want to know. But if you want to understand the power
of a tantalizing story and how to guard your children's minds from the almost overwhelming pressure to
conform and compromise, please join me in examining some timeless strategies of the mastermind
behind all the corruption in the world.
Using the imagination to create virtual experience
The human imagination is key to transformation. Impressionable and gullible, it asks few questions and
rarely resists deception. Through it, occult images and suggestions take on life-like dimensions that can
distort and change our values as effectively than can facts or actual reality. It's no coincidence that
educational change agents want to train children to use and follow this popular alternative to rational
thinking. Conditioned to respond to exciting suggestions with their imagination rather than intellect,
children can easily be led and manipulated. [See "Brainwashing in America"]
Dr. Donald A. Cowan, president emeritus of the University of Dallas, summarized the strategy well. "What
will take the place of logic, fact and analysis in the coming age?" he asked. Then he gave the following
reply to his own rhetorical question:
"The central way of thought for this new era will be imagination.... Imagination will be the active, creative
agent of culture, transforming brute materials to a higher, more knowable state."[5]
Our wise Maker is well aware of our imagination's thoughtlessness. He told us that "...the imagination of
man’s heart is evil from his youth." [Genesis 8:21] And in Matthew 5:28, He equates the moral impact of
imagining something with the actual deed. ("...whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already
committed adultery with her in his heart.")
The fact that enthusiastic Potter fans "merely" imagine the spell-casting, hexing, and deadly cursing
doesn't nullify the impact of the mental images. So, for the peace and safety of our hearts, we are told not
to entertain these things in our minds! That may sound intolerant to those who have reinvented a more
positive or permissive god for our times. But our unbelief doesn't change the heart or will of our sovereign
God. It only shuts Him out, leaving us to rely on our own futile resources. [Proverbs 1:27-33]
God has good reasons for warning us to shun virtual as well as actual occultism. Our minds may be able
to separate the two, but our emotions blur those divisions. Think about it. Potter fans are saddened by the
deaths of fictional heroes as well as real-life heroes. In their minds, they cheer each winning spell cast by
Harry -- just as they cheer a homerun by a favorite athlete. In the imagination, fantasy and reality flow
together.
So do the light and dark forces of the occult. Harry's adventures lead you to imagine that the young
wizard's magic is good and Voldemort's magic is evil, but in reality, the seductive power behind both
remains the same. Both rely on (1) a focused, intentional command of the human will and (2) some kind
of occult formula designed to invoke a supernatural force. While the "dark side" seems more deadly, the
"light side" is far more deceptive. People let down their guard, because it feels good, not evil. It seems
exciting, not frightening.
Look with me at the following scenes from the latest book. They illustrate the kinds of encounters that
readers enter into vicariously with Harry and his friends and enemies. What kinds of belief and values do
they plant into "open" minds? What worldview do they seal in the reader's memory?

In the first encounter, you meet Professor Snape, Harry's hostile old "Potions" instructor, who has now
been promoted to teaching "Defense Against the Dark Arts."
“You will now divide,” Snape went on, “into pairs. One partner will attempt to jinx the other without
speaking. The other will attempt to repel the jinx in equal silence. Carry on.”
...A reasonable amount of cheating ensued; many people were merely whispering the incantation
instead of saying it aloud....
“Pathetic, Weasley [Harry's friend, Ron],” said Snape, after a while. “Here — let me show you —“
He turned his wand on Harry so fast that Harry reacted instinctively; all thought of nonverbal
spells forgotten, he yelled, “Protego!” His Shield Charm was so strong Snape was knocked off-balance
and hit a desk. The whole class had looked around and now watched as Snape righted himself, scowling.
“Do you remember me telling you we are practicing nonverbal spells, Potter?”
“Yes,” said Harry stiffly.
“Yes, sir.”
“There’s no need to call me ‘sir,’ Professor.”
The words had escaped him before he knew what he was saying. Several people gasped,
including Hermione. Behind Snape, however, Ron, Dean, and Seamus grinned appreciatively.
“Detention, Saturday night, my office,” said Snape. “I do not take cheek from anyone, Potter. . .
not even ‘the Chosen One.”
“That was brilliant, Harry!” chortled Ron, once they were safely on their way to break a short while
later.
“You really shouldn’t have said it,” said Hermione, frowning at Ron. [179-180]
The key character in the next scene is Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister and Harry's secret love.
Some will remember that in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, she was possessed and controlled
by the evil Voldemort after finding his old diary implanted with a portion of his soul. What kinds of values
might it transmit to the reader?
“How come you ended up in there, Ginny?”
“He saw me hex Zacharias Smith,” said Ginny. “You remember that idiot from Hufflepuff who was
in the D.A.? He kept on and on asking about what happened at the Ministry and in the end he annoyed
me so much I hexed him — when Slughorn came in. I thought I was going to get detention, but he just
thought it was a really good hex and invited me to lunch! Mad, eh?” [147]
Stirring emotions and creating memories
Our minds are far more receptive to contrary values than we like to think. And the more these occult
images and suggestion arouse our emotions -- whether love, laughter, fear, hate or rage -- the more
effectively they plant new values in our minds and seal those values in our memory. As a result, youth
around the world have learned to love evil and despise truth -- just as God warns us: "You love evil more
than good...." Psalm 52:3
The anticipated release of Book 6 illustrated this principle well. The date, July 16, 2005, stirred excitement
and fierce loyalty around the world! At 12.01 AM, huge crowds of children from America to Australia were
lined up at their nearest bookstore to receive their coveted copy of Harry's latest adventures. Dressed in
black capes, glasses and pointed hats -- and with scars on their foreheads and wands in hand -- they
celebrated the Potter domain of tantalizing power and mystical thrills.
'I'm a fanatic,'' announced 14-year-old Ashley, who apparently has read each of the first five books about
five times each. "I love reading them. They get you hooked.'' Her sister Lauren, 10, confirmed Ashley's
zeal. "She takes them everywhere,'' she said.''[3]
Of course, Harry Potter is not the first character -- real or fictional -- who learned how to excite the
masses through evocative imagery and clever words. China's revered leader Mao Zedong knew well the
power of "emotion work." That's why he so effectively won the hearts of the people. He knew how to stir
"bitterness" against landowners, hatred toward Christians, love for communism, and a sacrificial spirit that
would give its all to his totalitarian reign. By identifying and isolating the key "enemy" as the most
threatening evil, the new evils no longer seem so bad.
Some of Mao's strategies, now seen in churches as well as other organizations, were described by
Elizabeth J. Perry in a report given at Harvard University in the spring of 2000. Referring to the
manipulative effects of myth-making fantasy (here expressed through community theater rather than
books, but with similar effect), she said,
"The growth of the revolutionary movement was marked by increasing attention to the importance of
'emotion-raising' in the process of mass mobilization.
"Theater was a critical means of eliciting an emotional reaction that was used intentionally
to solidify popular commitment. ... Staged public performances have constituted the very heart and
soul of the Chinese Communist revolution.... This is not to imply, however, that the emotions expressed in
such contexts are somehow phony or inauthentic. A distinctive facet of human feelings is of course
their ambivalence and malleability; the genius of the CCP approach lay in its capacity to appreciate
and capitalize on this fundamental reality."[6]
When Ms. Rowling wrote the first book, she could neither foresee nor plan the influence she would one
day wield. The story, she said, came to her mind long ago as she was riding the train.'[7] But many others
are intentionally riding on her coattails. Her U.S. publisher, Scholastic, has prepared public school
curricula based on its pagan world view. Churches have designed Harry Potter Sunday school lessons
and small group dialogues -- a growth-producing "carrot' for engaging children and youth in fun "learning"
activities. Much of the learning takes place in small groups through the dialectic process as students
share and blend their feelings about Harry with each other. Led by a teacher/facilitator, they are trained to
think dialectically -- for the sake of unity and tolerance, they practice reconciling relevant opposites.

But how do you reconcile opinions dealing with Christianity versus paganism, unity versus separation,
good versus evil, etc.? What attitudes would the children learn from each other concerning good and evil
in the Harry Potter books?

It would be natural for them to reconcile the conflicts between pagan myths and Biblical truth by redefining
traditional words, find more tolerant interpretations of the Bible, rationalize away Biblical boundaries, and
cheer the group consensus. They might even celebrate their new-found "freedom" to "think outside the
box" of the increasingly offensive Bible. But none of those "solutions" can counter the truth of Scriptures
such as these:
"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness....
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
and prudent in their own sight!" Isaiah 5:20-21
Consider the next example. Harry and his classmates are listening to the effusive Professor Slughorn, the
potions teacher who replaced Professor Snape. He shows them a bottle of golden liquid, which Harry
soon "won" by somewhat dubious means. What similar confidence-building, highly addictive "potion" is
available to thrill-seeking youth today? (This year, Meth has captivated about 1.5 million users, but next
year it could be something else.)
“Well, that one, ladies and gentlemen — is a most curious little potion called Felix Felicis. I take it,” he
turned, smiling, to look at Hermione, who had let out an audible gasp, “that you know what Felix Felicis
does, Miss Granger?”
“It’s liquid luck,” said Hermione excitedly. “It makes you lucky!”
“Quite right....Yes, it’s a funny little potion, Felix Felicis,” said Slughorn. “Desperately tricky to
make and disastrous to get wrong. However, if brewed correctly, as this has been, you will find that all
your endeavors tend to succeed... at least until the effects wear off.” 187-188

[Later in the year] “So, Harry — you going to use the Felix Felicis or what?” Ron demanded.
“Yeah, I s’pose I’d better,” said Harry. “I don’t reckon I’ll need all of it.... Two or three hours should
do it.”
“It’s a great feeling when you take it,” said Ron reminiscently. “Like you can’t do anything wrong.”
“What are you talking about?” said Hermione, laughing. “You’ve never taken any!”
“Yeah, but I thought I had, didn’t I?” said Ron, as though explaining the obvious. “Same difference
really...."476

“Well, here goes,” said Harry, and he raised the little bottle and took a carefully measured gulp.
“What does it feel like?” whispered Hermione.
Harry did not answer for a moment. Then, slowly but surely, an exhilarating sense of infinite
opportunity stole through him; he felt as though he could have done anything, anything at all.... He got to
his feet, smiling, brimming with confidence.
“Excellent,” he said.... I’m going to Hagrid's, I've got a good feeling about going to Hagrid’s.”
“You’ve got a good feeling about burying a giant spider?” asked Ron, looking stunned.
“Yeah,” said Harry, pulling his Invisibility Cloak out of his bag. “I feel like it’s the place to be
tonight, you know what I mean?”
“No,” said Ron and Hermione together, both looking positively alarmed now. ...
"Trust me," [Harry] said. "I know what I'm doing... or at least" — he strolled confidently to the door
— "Felix does."477-478
Sensory immersion
"Sensory immersion helps learners grasp reality through illusion,"[8] wrote Harvard Professor Chris Dede,
a global leader in the development of education technology programs.
Of course, the "reality" these "learners" grasp through "sensory immersion" is not true reality, but a
pleasing illusion -- a pseudo-reality designed to please our human nature and change the way we think.
These illusions seduce adults and children alike. Knowing the difference between truth and fiction doesn't
really matter. We may be perfectly aware that a carrot or piece of chicken will serve our body better than
a piece of candy, yet our feelings drive us to choose the latter. [See The Power of Suggestion"]
Through television, movies, music and ads, most Americans are immersed in a sensory environment that
bombard their minds and emotions. Without any effort of our own, we are trained to be receptive and
"open-minded." Yet, we are poorly prepared to resist these cultural pressures. Today's postmodern ideas
-- which mock facts, truth and certainty -- have stripped away the mental tools needed to make wise
choices. And with each repetition, the deceptions become more believable.
"...till at last the child's mind is these suggestions, and the sum of the suggestions is the child's mind,"
wrote Aldous Huxley over seventy years ago in Brave New World. "And not the child's mind only. The
adult's mind too -- all his life long. The mind that judges and desires and decides -- made up of these
suggestions."[9]
When children are so enchanted by Harry Potter's world that they read each book again and again,
discuss it among their friends, dialogue in classroom groups and write "fan fiction" based on the myth,
they "make it their own." Their minds and emotions are so "at home" in the story, that their old familiar
home might even seem strange and foreign in comparison.
A former student at Clinton's Governor's School in Arkansas, who had happily read and played in an
unreal learning environment isolated from his family, summarized it well: "The students. . . say, 'This is
the perfect place. I never want to go home.' I caught myself saying that several times."[10]
This Governor's school for future leaders had embraced several key brainwashing techniques that help us
understand today's strategies for change:
● Isolate students from family and friends (who cling to the old values)
● Discredit or undermine former authorities (parents, pastors, etc.)
● Reinforce new beliefs and values (those that fit the vision for pluralism and unity)
● Emphasize feeling-based learning
● Immerse learners in a desirable fantasy world
"It would be impossible for me to describe to you just how exciting and unusual this educational adventure
is," said former president Bill Clinton back in his days as governor of Arkansas. That was before one
former student became so depressed that he committed suicide.[10]
Immersing children and youth in a wildly exciting pagan belief system will change their minds, memories,
beliefs and values. "Christian" fans who find the story irresistible will face cognitive dissonance, a form of
mental and emotional confusion. To social and educational change agents, this intentionaldissonance is
an essential step in the process of "unfreezing" minds and "opening" them up to a new way of thinking.[11]
It occurs when the child tries to reconcile the shocking new suggestions with the beliefs they learned from
their parents.
The next scene involves three characters so obviously evil that Harry and other "good" occultists seem
almost saintly by comparison. The three villains serve Voldemort, the ultimate evil in the story. Narcissa is
the mother of Harry's taunting classmate Draco Malfoy. Her sister Bellatrix, a member of Voldemort's
cruel army of Death Eaters, killed Harry's "godfather" Sirius Black and tortured to death the parents of
Harry's friend Neville using an excruciating spell. Consider the impact of the following occult suggestions
on a child who had been learning to see reality from a Biblical perspective.
“Certainly, Narcissa, I shall make the Unbreakable Vow,” he [Snape] said quietly. “Perhaps your
sister will consent to be our Bonder.”
Bellatrix’s mouth fell open. Snape lowered himself so that he was kneeling opposite Narcissa.
Beneath Bellatrix’s astonished gaze, they grasped right hands.
“You will need your wand, Bellatrix,” said Snape coldly.
She drew it... and placed the tip of her wand on their linked hands.
Narcissa spoke. “Will you, Severus, watch over my son, Draco, as he attempts to fulfill the Dark Lord’s
wishes?”
“I will,” said Snape.
A thin tongue of brilliant flame issued from the wand and wound its way around their hands like a red-
hot wire.
“And will you, to the best of your ability, protect him from harm?"
“I will,” said Snape.
A second tongue of flame shot from the wand...
“And, should it prove necessary... if it seems Draco will fail...“ whispered Narcissa... “will you carry out
the deed that the Dark Lord has ordered Draco to perform?”
“I will," said Snape. 36-37
This vow, made early in the book, was fulfilled at the end. The hateful Professor Snape -- who turns out to
be the mysterious Half-blood Prince -- did what Harry's hostile classmate Draco Malfoy failed to do: kill
Albus Dumbledore as the revered schoolmaster lay injured near the top of a staircase. But this fictional
tragedy will probably strengthen Harry's influence in the real world. For -- just as terrorism justifies
increased government surveillance -- this evil deed helps justify Harry's use of dark magic to finish his
unbiblical mission.

Isolation and uncertainty


Though millions of children around the world are now absorbing the message in Book 6, most of them
make this dark and disturbing journey into the occult realm alone. Unless the book is read aloud in a
group setting, each reader encounters Harry, Dumbledore, Snape, and the Death Eaters through their
own minds and imagination. Even if parents discuss the action afterwards, each individual reader must
face the ominous atmosphere, the lighthearted spells, the cutting remarks, and the murderous cruelty
alone. No one else shares their personal reactions as they turn each page.
Once planted in the mind, those memories will continue to color a child's view of God. They will probably
stir cravings for more occult thrills. Each new book and reading will reinforce the person's growing
familiarity with forbidden realms. Few realize that the actual world of the occult is far darker and more
frightening than they can conceive. And few know God and His Word well enough to discern the spiritual
distortions. Vital Scriptures needed for spiritual warfare seem alien to those who have embraced the
postmodern mindset.
I have received many letters from children, youth, parents, pastors and teachers who all claim to be
Christians yet love Harry Potter. Their emotional arguments show that their understanding of God's Word
has been compromised beyond recognition. In many cases, their expressed faith fits right into the spiritual
transformation I described in The Rising World Religion.
They had learned to love the occult and to justify their rejection of Scriptures such as Jeremiah 10:2:
“Thus says the Lord: 'Do not learn the way of the Gentiles.'" That last word refers to the pagan nations
that surrounded His people. They were not to learn the occult beliefs and practices of the heathens who
worshipped other gods and lived in bondage to demonic forces. Yet, Israel ignored that warning and was
destroyed.
Victory
God alone can lead us safely through the tempting lures and illusions that bombard our children in this
thrill-seeking culture. And He proves His faithfulness again and again to those who trust Him.
I was speaking at a Sunday School Convention about 15 years ago on the topic, "The Unholy Power of
Charms and Symbols." Parents and teachers were still crowding into the small auditorium, when I began
showing transparencies of simple symbols such as the yin-yang, the peace symbol, and the ankh. We
discussed their meanings -- and why their popularity has skyrocketed today.
I showed my compound symbols, but had not had time to prepare a transparency with the multifaceted
Theosophical symbol. So I began to draw its many parts on a clear transparency: first, a large circle, then
two overlapping triangles forming a hexagram, then a small pentagram and swastika…. Suddenly,
something large and dark hit me hard in the chest. For a moment I lost both my balance and my breath.
Then, in a flash, I knew what was happening. I had made myself vulnerable by unwittingly performing
what might have been a ritual with mediaeval alchemy and other religious traditions.
Still in front of the crowd and the microphone, I cried out, "Forgive me, Lord! Cover me with your blood. In
the name of Jesus Christ, I declare Your victory over the evil one. In You, we are 'more than conquerors!'
Thank you, Jesus, my Lord and my King!"
As fast as it came, the entity disappeared. I apologized to the startled audience, asking their forgiveness
for foolishly, though unintentionally, opening the door to this evil. Then we all thanked God for His lesson
and protection.
Among the people gathered around me afterwards was a woman who said, "I think I know what
happened to you. While you were drawing that symbol, the man sitting next to me was moving his hands
in strange ways and murmuring something as if he was casting a spell. He may have come to bring occult
interference."
Only our sovereign, omniscient God knows exactly what happened that day. I may not fully understand
the details of the ongoing and intensifying spiritual war operating in the unseen, but He impressed on my
mind three important lessons:
1. The reality and power of the evil one operating in the physical as well as the spiritual world we inhabit.
2. The victory we have in Christ who makes us "more than conquerors" when we know, love and follow
Him.
3. The importance of living each moment in this warring world ready, with "the sword of the Spirit... the
Word of God" at hand to wield against any assault on mind or body.
"Therefore keep watch... be ready," Jesus warned His disciples. "Be on guard! Be on the alert!"
Today, more than ever, we must be alert and ready. We need to be "hidden in Him," wearing His armor --
the protective covering of our Lord Himself. We can't afford to be presumptuous; we must not forget that
whenever we choose our own way rather than His, we "take off" the "breastplate of righteousness" and
stand defenseless in the raging battle. But walking with Him, in His ways, we are safe.
"Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be
able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of
wickedness in the heavenly places.
"Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and
having done all, to stand...." Ephesians 6:10-13

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