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'Harry Potter' good for New Age business    
A New Age store owner in Maryland notes that the "Harry Potter" phenomenon has brought customers to his store, adding that more adults than children come in under the "Harry Potter" influence.
Source: Laurel Leader via Wizard News
Posted by grae on Oct 2, 2003 at 10:52 PM

Professor's 'Potter' guide looks at Harry's moral conundrums    
Edmund M. Kern, associate professor of history at Lawrence University in Wisconsin, updates us on the release of his new book, "The Wisdom of Harry Potter: What Our Favorite Hero Teaches Us About Moral Choices."
Source: HPfGU
Posted by Cheeser on Sep 2, 2003 at 3:16 PM

Harry and beyond  
Rabbi Richard Eisenberg offers his take on the 'Harry Potter' series, stating that the books stimulate us to look beyond life as we know it, and remind us that the things we perceive with our senses are not all there is.
Source: New Haven Register via Moreover
Posted by grae on Aug 17, 2003 at 2:55 PM

Community responds to book burning    
You may be familiar with the recent story about the church in Greenville, Michigan that organized a Harry Potter book burning last weekend. It turns out that JK Rowling's books weren't the only items tossed into the bonfire - included in that list were the Book of Mormon and non-King James Version Bibles. Reactions from the community were understandably mixed.
Source: The Detroit News via The Leaky Cauldron
Posted by grae on Aug 7, 2003 at 12:30 PM

Another Harry Potter book burning    
It's not uncommon to see a pastor leading a Sunday prayer denouncing evil. But this past Sunday at the Jesus Non-Denominational Church in Greenville, the congregation was taking action - a Harry Potter book burning.
Source: WZZM TV via The Leaky Cauldron
Posted by Geri on Aug 4, 2003 at 1:53 PM

Torah references noted in Harry Potter books  
Jewish Rabbi David Zauderer found "some of the strangest, almost magical, supernatural things" - like what you'd find in the Harry Potter adventures - in what used to be the bestselling book of all time.
Source: Jewsweek via iharrypotter.net
Posted by Cheeser on Jul 25, 2003 at 5:49 PM

The HP controversy: fantasy or occult?  
Steve Eighinger of the Quincy Herald-Whig writes about the controversial stances arising from the Harry Potter series' mass appeal -- is it an entertaining fantasy read or the first step towards the occult?
Source: The Quincy Herald-Whig via Moreover
Posted by eudaemonia on Jul 24, 2003 at 10:41 PM

Conservative Australian school bans Harry  
"The Potter books portray and promote witchcraft as normal," said principal Bert Langerak of Maranatha Christian College in Australia. "It's a problem because as Christians we would say witchcraft and that kind of thing is not good, and yet Rowling portrays it as being good." His solution: Potter off the shelves.
Source: Herald Sun via iharrypotter.net
Posted on Jul 2, 2003 at 11:44 AM

Religious zealots strike at Harry Potter again  
A sign in a Kentucky town reading "Harry Potter is of the devil" has created some controversy for local residents. Meanwhile in Alabama, things are a little more level-headed, with religious leaders simply urging parental involvement. But over in Australia, one girl says Harry Potter is sucking in young people and misleading them about the awful truth.
Source: WKYT (Kentucky) via The Leaky Cauldron
Posted on Jul 1, 2003 at 6:35 PM

Wizard and witch help religion  
How's this for a change: Yahoo! News has a report on how media such as Harry Potter and "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" are helping UK Paganism grow.
Source: iharrypotter.net
Posted on Jun 19, 2003 at 10:49 AM

Religious attacks muted as Harry Potter 5 arrives  
Harry Potter can breathe a bit easier these days -- the evil Lord Voldemort may still have it in for the boy wizard, but the lawyers, preachers and family groups seem ready to give it a rest. With the arrival of British author J.K. Rowling's fifth novel, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," set for Saturday, opposition to the orphan with the lightning-bolt scar and the high-performance broomstick is muted.
Source: iharrypotter.net
Posted on Jun 18, 2003 at 2:50 PM

Harry Potter: Love vs. hate  
WitchVox.com has an excellent view of the Potter series from the Neo-Pagan perspective.
Source: The Leaky Cauldron
Posted on Jun 17, 2003 at 8:37 AM

Unitarian Universalist Church uses Potter as a teaching tool  
According to Ohio.com, not all churches take issue with the boy wizard.
Source: The Leaky Cauldron
Posted on Jun 14, 2003 at 7:45 PM

A scholarly look at Harry Potter, teens and religion  
A release from AScribe touches upon a new book written by University of Colorado at Boulder journalism professor Lynn Schofield Clark titled "From Angels to Aliens: Teenagers, the Media, and the Supernatural". For teenagers who are skeptical of religious institutions, films and television shows featuring supernatural themes may offer deeper religious reflection than conventional churches. Here, here.
Source: The Leaky Cauldron
Posted on Jun 11, 2003 at 8:46 PM

Commentary: Anti-Potter folk back on the move  
Constant Vigilence. I dislike posting these links because I disagree with what they represent. But the reson I post WorldNetDaily's rabble-rousing that Harry Potter is a method of recruiting for the occult. J.K. Rowling has said time and time again that her story has nothing to do with neo-Pagan theology. It is fiction and is a phenomenal story filled with detailed character development and a wonderful story of good vs. evil. My suggestion? Be watchful but ignore them. Attention only gets them attention be it negative or positive. But if ever there is a move to ban the books in schools or libraries once again or raise false accusations against this or other series, be prepared to speak out against such action. It just....irritates me.
Source: The Leaky Cauldron
Posted on Jun 11, 2003 at 8:03 PM

Harry Potter & Christianity  
An interesting commentary on Christianity & Harry Potter from Christianity Today.
Source: The Leaky Cauldron
Posted on Jun 3, 2003 at 8:50 PM

Harry Potter vs. the evil vicar  
No, it's not some representative of the church trying to ban Potter books. According to snippets from The Express sent to us by a reader, Bloomsbury rival Faber & Faber plan on releasing their own book on June 19th. It's called Shadowmancer, written by vicar Graham Taylor, of Cloughton. The book, allegedly rejected by Bloomsbury, is about an evil 18th-century Yorkshire vicar. More information in this article from February.
Source: The Leaky Cauldron
Posted on May 26, 2003 at 2:14 PM

Resident calls for removal of 'Harry Potter'  
Another religious zealot has struck, this time in Fair Haven, Connecticut: Be careful what you read in the library. That children's book might be the first step toward selling your soul to Satan. At least, that is what Antonio Rivera thinks. At a recent Board of Education meeting, Rivera, a resident of Fair Haven, requested that the popular "Harry Potter" series be removed from city schools.
Source: Yale Daily News via Moreover
Posted on Apr 3, 2003 at 7:01 AM

Religious wrong doings  
Yet again religious misinterpretation threatens books in our schools. When will they understand the Sci in Sci Fi means it's not real? Read the story here
Source: Godric's Hollow
Posted on Mar 31, 2003 at 2:45 PM

Speaker rails against Harry Potter  
Harry Potter teaches children to be a part of the occult and should not be part of the public educational system, according to the featured speaker of the VCY America Radio rally. Citing a witch, the speaker said Scooby-Doo is the "grandpa of all pagan-friendly cartoons" and that there are pentagrams clearly shown in some of the more recent Scooby-Doo animated movies. There are others, he said, including Ghost Busters, Tiny Toons and Captain Planet. Click for more hilarity.
Source: Olney Daily Mail via Moreover
Posted on Mar 21, 2003 at 7:01 PM