AN: Just something I really thought some of you might want to know. I don't mean to cause any controversy. I just read it myself and it caused myself to wake up. Just thought you guys might want to inform yourselves like I did.
9 From Fantasy to Dangerous
Reality
Here's one way a young person can transition from
Harry's world into real witchcraft: Joe Teenager loves Sorcerer's
Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, and all the other
Potter books. As Joe is increasingly hooked by Rowling's intensely
dramatic story-telling abilities, the magical world of Harry Potter
seems awesome compared to his unhappy, boring life in a single-parent
home with an alcoholic mother and mean brother. One dark night (after
another bout with Math and English), Joe quietly sits down before his
refurbished Sony computer, boots up, logs onto the Net through an
inexpensive dial-up connection, and goes to a search engine. In the
blank field he pecks, Harry Potter and clicks, "Find." As the
search engine instantaneously scours the vast world of internet cyber
space, it quickly registers 4,240,000 (I just did it) Potter-related
web sites to surf around in.
Of course, Joe finds Warner Brother's official site filled with fantastic images of Hogwarts and the magical world of the homely, dark-haired, orphaned wizard-boy with big spectacles (whom he can relate to). Yet in the midst of apparently harmless fun, Joe becomes curious to learn about real witches and the actual things his spell-casting hero is into. Returning to the search, he types in, WITCH, which quickly registers 2,310,000 web site options. The very first site reads, "We are the right place for all your Witchcraft, Wiccan, Pagan, Occult, and ritual supplies … receive our free catalog." With a click he enters an online store with 4,000 fascinating occult products easily shipped UPS Ground Services and paid for by Visa, MasterCard, or Pay Pal.
After a bit more surfing, Joe discovers other witchcraft books that specifically target his age group, such as Teen Witch: Wicca for a New Generation by Silver Ravenwolf (Llewellyn Publications, 1998), or Spellbound: The Teenage Witch's Wiccan Handbook (Ulysses Press, 2002). One reviewer commented, "Spellboundis a great book for teens who are still unsure of the religious path they want to follow. It gives a good background of where Wicca originated, tells of ancient traditions and then gives suggestions on how teens can incorporate these ideas into their lives in the 21st century."
Hmm, Joe ponders. After thinking for a few moments, he logs onto one of many online booksellers and orders a copy of Teen Witch which he can informatively read along side of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. After finishing Teen Witch, Joe surfs a bit more. Soon he discovers one of many online "Simple Steps to Becoming a Witch" study courses claiming to offer him supernatural power to cope with his unhappy life, deal with his mother's alcoholism, cast a spell on his nasty brother, and even entice a girl he may like. He chooses one, zips through it, and soon becomes a real initiate, thus joining thousands of other curious and unhappy teenagers intrigued by the idea of becoming powerful wizards-in-training, just like their hero, Harry Potter .
Richard Abanes, author of Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace behind the Magick, warns:
"Ultimately, only a short distance needs to be covered in order to cross over from Harry's world into the realm of real occultism." 27
Linda Beam with Focus on the Family echoes a similar concern:
"Any time the dark side
of the supernatural world is presented as harmless or even imaginary,
there is the danger that children will become curious and find out
too late that witchcraft is neither harmless nor imaginary." 28