I’ve gone back and forth on this issue for a while. I’ve not read these books yet, though I intend to. Because I haven’t read them, I can’t speak competently about their content. What I can do, however, as a Catholic, is evaluate what I see surrounding them.  

I cringe when I hear Catholics dismiss so quickly those who fear the influence of books glorifying – albeit through fantasy – a life of witchcraft. So many good people who have a sincere faith still seem unwilling to believe the ease with which individuals can become involved with the occult and demonic powers. In a religious vaccuum like the Western world, when something like the Potter books resonate with people in this way, it most certainly facilitates the desire of life to imitate art. And while this may not be the intent of J.K. Rowling, there are many who are more than willing to exploit this desire by assisting individuals who wish to obtainin power through the occult – even children.

I used to work with an exorcist at his parish during the summers, and I’ve had some close friends who were involved in the occult before coming to the faith. I know for a fact that not all the claims about occult powers made by the kooky “ex-witch” Mr. Shea links to are that far out there.

When you’ve heard a human being speak in an unnatural voice in an ancient and unintelligible language, even though they’re sitting in front of the Blessed Sacrament, you come to realize that it’s not just fiction, that not all of the rules of nature apply in individuals who have immersed theirselves in witchcraft of various kinds. While some might characterize these claims as nonsense, astonishing things are certainly more possible than most of us living a day-to-day existence in the normal world might believe. For a stunning look at the true power of those steeped in magic, the Catholic Encyclopedia has this to say about St. Patrick’s face-off with the druids on the Easter Vigil of 433:

The druids and magicians put forth all their strength and employed all their incantations to maintain their sway over the Irish race, but the prayer and faith of Patrick achieved a glorious triumph. The druids by their incantations overspread the hill and surrounding plain with a cloud of worse than Egyptian darkness. Patrick defied them to remove that cloud, and when all their efforts were made in vain, at his prayer the sun sent forth its rays and the brightest sunshine lit up the scene. Again by demoniac power the Arch-Druid Lochru, like Simon Magus of old, was lifted up high in the air, but when Patrick knelt in prayer the druid from his flight was dashed to pieces upon a rock.

I knew a priest in my youth, now deceased, who spent 40 years working in Bangladesh, where demonic manifestations were common. When he went with a group of the faithful to a house that was believed to be infested by evil spirits to pray the rosary, he said that great chunks of earth would be torn up from the ground and thrown down by invisible hands, very near to those who were praying. While God allowed no one present to be hit by these missiles, the scene was a terrifying one, driving home the reality of the unseen war for souls going on around us every day. (It was only after saying a Mass there that the episodes stopped. )

If it is true – as any exorcist will tell you – that a person may come under demonic obsession or even possession through the use of a Ouiga Board, sold commonly as a child’s toy by Parker Brothers (I get an advertisement for Harry Potter on that product page, by the way – I’m sure that’s targeted marketing, not a coincidence), is it any wonder that these books, potentially through no malice of the author, can be particularly dangerous to youth who find an endcap at Barnes & Noble filled with books meant to exploit the desire of these children to have power over nature, a desire stoked by the Potter books?

Books like The Book of Wizard Craft, which among other crafts teaches the reading of tea leaves and palms – both forms of divining, which is forbidden in the Catechism:

2116 All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to “unveil” the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.

2138 Superstition is a departure from the worship that we give to the true God. It is manifested in idolatry, as well as in various forms of divination and magic.

Or how about Whimsic Alley Book of Spells: Mythical Incantations for Magicians of All Ages? Barnes & Noble keeps this in the “ages 9-12″ section of their website, and the “Readers who bought this also bought” section is filled with – you guessed it – Harry Potter books.

How about another from the “9-12″ section? Beauty Trix for Cool Chix: Easy to Make Lotions, Potions and Spells to Bring Out a Beautiful You

There are, of course, many more. And for the adults who read Harry Potter, many serious spellbooks are sold, not just this introductory nonsense.

The Catechism never says that magic does not exist. Rather, it says:

2117 All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one’s service and have a supernatural power over others – even if this were for the sake of restoring their health – are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons. Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another’s credulity.

Why do so many faithful Catholics insist on portraying those who believe in the powers of the occult as delusional? If you’ve ever known a person who has been down that road, who has used so called “white magic” and wound up having to stare down real demons at their conversion, or have to constantly seek the intercession of a priest to be rid of demonic harassment, nightmares, violent temptations, etc. – you know how real it is. Of course, most of these people don’t talk about this stuff, because they know that even their fellow parishioners would think they are crazy.

The odds are good that the Potter books are harmless fantasy, but they strike me as an irresponsible fantasy at a time when everyone is into “spirituality” without discering which spirits, exactly, they are praying to. The fact that the world has never before seen a book light up the fervent interest of so many readers at the same time in all age groups should, I think, concern us. Why is it so addictive? Why does it seem that the only other book in recent times to have anything like the level of popularity of the Potter books was the equally questionable The DaVinci Code? Why have Catholic exorcists spoken out against the Potter books?

I don’t have the answers, but the principle of non-contradiction dictates that either the books are harmless or they are not. They can’t be both. If they are harmless, there are a bunch of well-formed Catholics acting like fools, including Catholic priests whose very apostolate is working with those under the influence of the Devil. If they are not harmless, then too many Catholics have their guard down, and think that just because their children are well formed enough not to be led astray by fiction, that no danger exists there.

Either way, as Catholics, we have to lead by example in the culture, and that means making a sincere attempt to discern in these matters.  Rather than dismissing those who have such fervent concerns about these books, maybe the Potter apologists should look at the correlative (if not causitive) evidence that Potter feeds the growing interest in the occult. 

There is evidence of this:

Today, Wicca is booming. The Harry Potter genre is a mutimillion dollar cinematic and publishing phenomenon. Shortly after the first Potter film was released, Jess Wynn, spokesman for the pagan Federation of England offered thanks to the Harry Potter books because in its wake, his organization recieved thousands of inquiries from teenagers seeking information about “The Craft,” A popular code word for witchcraft.

And witches are gaining political power while simultaneoulsy being in the news for committing crimes.

Call it what you want, but don’t call it nonsense, ignorance, or stupid rubbish. Not everyone who is suspicious of Harry Potter is on the verge of madness. It seems to me that it’s a bit arrogant to think them so.