[*Varda*]

Mornie, you still don't know for a fact Rowling studied the Occult. I'd heard of everything mentioned in her books, which i wouldn't presume to be the Occult. You say you watched a video, did it address both sides, and facts etc? And I've found no quote or anything where Rowling says she studied the Occult.<P>I must admit, I do see in a way what you're worried about. I just don't see what religion has to do with Harry Potter, and I don't see why Harry Potter is any worse than LotR. <P>If you would read the books, your answer would have more credibility and respect. You're using second hand information and single scenes where you don't know the context, setting, what happens before and after and what Harry chooses to do - those are all important to what happens.<P>Anyway, can we not read a simple book without having to worry about all these moral issues? It is extremely unlikely that anyone is particularly affected by HP - kids are smarter than we give them credit for. <P>Personally I think some of the scenes in LotR are more disturrbing mainly because of the way and style in which they're written. Rowling doesn't really seem to have the ability to make it real and bring you into the world of HP as much as Tolkien. This in itself makes scenes like the blood less real and I know it's fiction - It's made clear it's wrong and that you should never do it.