Any psychologist (or critical thinker for that matter) will tell you that many interconnected and separate forces actually influence an individual to make a decision. Apparently, some people do not seem to understand this. Granted, I am not a fan of Harry Potter. I started to read the first book and became bored. I just saw The Order of the Phoenix on Thursday and thought it was a good children's movie. To me, the movie portrayed the power of love against hate in a fun, fantasy context.
Since the books came out, Fundamentalist Christians attacked the books and demanded that they be banned in schools. These Christians contend that the Harry Potter books drag children into the "dark world" of witchcraft. Yes, I am well aware of the warning against witchcraft in the Old Testament, but is this something about which Christians should be seriously worried? It is possible to allow a child to read a book hinting at wizardry and remind them that it is all imaginary. Before Harry Potter, Dungeons and Dragons was the scapegoat. Humans have a tendency to blame a growth in a social group on whatever made them take notice of that group, and religious leaders will attack anything that could possibly lead their personal flock astray.
I think that many (if not most) of the attacks on the Harry Potter books come from laziness. It's easy to attack a children's book as opposed to working on one's own spiritual life. I've been down that road, and I know that self-examination is harder than bashing every work of fiction I don't like.
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