[QUOTE=lindil]lots of great posts, I am going to throw 2 more cents in [by way of reply] and then disappear for a bit:
Glad to hear that Mithalwen, I enjoy the books alot, but I am no seriuos potterphile, so unless something like that jumps at me...
Of course the above begs the question...what does she mean by 'believe'?
That it does or does not exist in her form as in the books?
That she doesn't believe anyone should mess with it?
If she does not believe that there is anything called magic that has been practiced down through the ages for healing, manipulation, contact w/ spirits, more manipulation, astral travel, influencing events [i.e. manipulation], then I just lot a load of respect for her, but can more easily see why she would treat it in such a cavalier way.
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btw,re: the Osacar Wilde quote: I would def say there are some really well written immoral books out there. Crowley's 'channelled' Book of the Law is certainly one. And it has through Rock and Roll had an enormous effect.
Does that mean all copies should be burned? Not to me, but I certainly would not let my kid near that or any other serious book on real witchcraft, pornography, black or 'white' magic, until they were able to deal with it in a very sober way [and porn does not make even the wait till your older list]. So sorry wilde, I don't go there.
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OK well I would not be so arrogant as to claim to know what JK Rowling believes but my understanding of her comment was that she does not believe you can point a stick at broken glass, utter a Latin imperative and fix it.
Personally while I am aware of the history of the practice of magic I certainly don't believe that it worked, and anyone being more than academically interested today in what frankly seem to me quite ludicrous practices when science is so much more "magical" I find bizarre . Riddikulus as they might say in a certain series of books. Of course people can believe what they want as long as they don't hurt any living thing but really ... I mean I don't believe magic works but if it did it would be immoral to use it.
I used to think differently and it is an episode I regret since I firmly believe that ignorance is so much more dangerous than knowledge. The more you know the less likely you are to be duped and the more widely you read the more aware you are likely to be of manipulative language. The more you can judge what is normal and what is warped.
http://www.zippynet.com/pages/bandhmo.htm
As a literature graduate I have read many books that depict views or behaviour that don't fit my moral code, Sade, Burroughs, Mailer, (not Crowley as it happens despite him being a local author ), and (I hope)needless to say it hasn't turned me into a sado-masochistic, junkie murderer any more than reading Macbeth turned me into regicide. As a child the most disturbing thing I read were a description of how to lay out a corpse a nursing handbook of my grandmother's .... I just think people sometimes need to get a grip and a sense of proportion ... and a realisation of how illogical they are .... to me if there is anything immoral in LOTR it is the the slaughter of the battlefields, the "game" between Legolas and Frodo which is only vaguely acceptable because it involves orcs not humans. Watching violence has been proved to damage children and if I ever become a parent, I will let them read what they like (though I will try to be aware of it and discuss it with them if I think it gives cause for concern) but I will be very careful what they watch.....