Harry Potter and witchcraft

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I saw the link in Random Babblings (thank you, Mathetais) and I wanted to reply, but my rant on this subject tends to be so large that I decided to make a new topic dedicated to it. I have decided that this whole "Harry Potter inspires witchcraft" thing is complete and utter rubbish. First off, if there is a child out there who decides to turn to witchcraft because they've read Harry Potter, then I have a strange feeling that they would have eventually found something that would make them decide to change. If you have the desire, the outlet will come. Secondly, have you noticed that there are TONS of fantasy books and such out there-not to mention things like D&D-but nothing has raised the outcry that this simple little story has? Why? Because it's popular. There are plenty of parents or realtives or neighbors who tell kids "You know, that Dungeons & Dragons stuff is blasphemy" but they never get media attention for it. D&D is only popular to a certain spectrum of people, and as long as things stay in that spectrum, people are not going to get the New York Times to care. But Harry Potter is popular to a WIDE range of people, and if you're going to dump on something, there's nothing better than that. Even the Tolkien movies haven't been getting this kind of attention, for different reasons perhaps. And my third and final point is that witchcraft as it exists today is NOTHING like Harry Potter. Nothing. No wands, no brooms, no trolls or unicorns. And while there are factions who believe and CAN do things like conjure fire or wind or something onlong those lines, It is almost 100% agreed that you have to be a witch for a loooooong time before you can accomplish something like that. For the most part, witchcraft involves sitting in the forest with a group of witches (the coven, yes) and chanting. They worship nature. They heal. Things like that. And the witches credo is something along the lines of "never interfere or attempt to change another persons life. With or without magic." I can't remember the exact wording, but the "handbook", if you will, is Drawing Down the Moon. But my point is that it is not at all akin to the magic done in Harry Potter, like it is not akin to the magic done in D&D. Ugh does this piss me off.

[ November 19, 2002, 16:57: Message edited by: dragonjewel13 ]

 

Um, I think that you are "preaching to the choir!"

Besides, they said the same stuff about LOTR, too.

 

Shouldnt they arrest the people who wrote the bible, since lots of people who read that got paranoia and burned would-be witches.

Oh, yeah I used to be on a christian school and one day when I was 11 or 12 I wore a t-shirt with a large Pentagram on it, that was fun

 

Oh, I know that a majority of people on a site called "Sorcerer's Place" are probably going to somewhat agree, but it's been bugging me for so long that I had to say it somewhere. At the very least, I feel better now.

 

I agree with you Dragonjewel one hundred percent (though I know nothing about witchcraft save for bits and pieces of things I've heard here and there.
In the right places here in Texas saying the words "Dungeons and Dragons" is very likely to get you in to a great deal of trouble with people (I'm not going to get in to that though right now.) Maybe someone has an exact reason that people like to slander Hary Potter or Dungeons and Dragons, or anything else in that same genre or theme.

 

What amuses me the most about them lunatics that wants to ban this and that is that in their world demons and monsters seem to exist. Man if I believed in something so much that I feared it like they I sure as hell wouldnt complain and wanting it banned, I would go out practice it until I figured out that it didnt work and feel like a fool and return to being a normal sane person that can see the difference between fiction and reality.

 

Nothing is wrong in believing in Witches, magic, demons and the what. It's *how* you belive in it

If anyone dislikes witches and stuff - do you want to burn Tal?

 

Atreides (Paul or Leto?), I take exception to your characterization of Texas. Nearly everyone in the world has the wrong idea about that place, and there's no need to throw more fuel into the fire...

I grew up in Dallas and Houston, where I played D&D to my heart's content. Naturally, if you head out to some place in East Texas like Vidor, there are a lot of things that can get you in trouble...owning a Japanese import, for instance. Or voting Democrat. Or being black. Or literate.

But given the fact that the president of the student body at the University of Texas was (though isn't anymore...this was some time ago now) a black Jamaican immigrant lesbian (I'm not making this up), people should not be surprised to learn we are decidedly more progressive than our reputation suggests.

[ November 19, 2002, 23:40: Message edited by: Gonzago ]

 

Is this the one where there is a person claiming that she was once a witch and is making plently of inaccurate arguments such as witches worshipping Satan and the like?

 

If you look at country lore then witches were just people who knew how to use the land around them. they had learnt that certain plants could be used for certain things and that moving things in such a way can help. Basically they were like unofficial doctors using what they knew. This would probably mean that they would be older and tell a few people what to do but not just anyone. Then people turned to religion and yes, a few of them would be barmy and follow Mr. D and think their chickens were possesed and lay marble eggs to sell to tourists. So they decided to kill them all off. Or did they?

I think in Britain - South Wales, North Scotland and many islands and South England there are still people who follow the old ways.