[Brinniel]

As I strongly disagree with everything the writer Alan Yusko has to say, I am going to attempt to put up a fair argument here:

There is no such thing as a good witch, a good wizard, or good spells.

-During the Middle Ages, witches were referred as local wise women who used herbs to treat illnesses, made amulets to ward off evil spirits, and practiced divination to locate lost property or identify criminals.
-Wizards were known to find lost objects or missing persons, detect criminals, cure illnesses, tell fortunes, and make charms or amulets to ward off natural or supernatural harm.
-It seems to me that neither types of these "white" witches or wizards were evil.
-Also, much of the stories of magic, spells, witchcraft, etc. originated from myths from ancient Greece, before the rise of Christianity.

(Source: The Sorcerer's Companion by Allan Zola Kronzek and Elizabeth Kronzek)

Of course the Bible is forbidden in schools but the wizard, Harry Potter is acceptable.

This is due to the variety of religions that exist in different countries, especially the United States. Harry Potter displays no specific religion (aside from Christmas), so people of all religions may enjoy the books. Though, there are some schools that ban HP and LOTR.

The most foolish argument I've heard is the claim that the writer of Lord of the Rings is a Christian therefore his occult books are OK to read. Let's answer that dumb argument right away! NO he is not a Christian! The man is a lost hellbound Roman Catholic who loved spells, witchcraft, wizardy, and other forms of the occult. His demonic fruit in Lord of the Rings speaks very clearly that he is not one of God's people.

Hearing this makes me rather angry. Tolkien did use wizardry and magic in his books, but not as much as this person seems to think. Tolkien wrote about good overcoming evil. And I don't see what is wrong with that since that is pretty much what the Bible is about. But Tolkien is definitely a Christian and the writer has no right to say that he is not.

By choosing to accept the occult a person is choosing to be enemies with God and friends with the devil!

Oooh, how I hate hasty generalization. I wonder where this person got the idea that we are all friends with the devil, especially when the books are about good overcoming evil. I think LOTR has brought some people closer to God rather than closer to Satan. Sauron is depicted as evil for a reason.

Ten short years ago the rejection of the occult was a non-issue. Christians knew that the occult was evil.

I'm sure there were plenty of Christians who enjoyed reading LOTR and other fantasy novels before 1993. Enough said.

This great move toward acceptance of the occult is part of the last days falling away or the great apostasy. People are growing distant to God and the Bible. Many are losing their discernment about the evils and dangers of the occult. Before the antichrist rises to power there will be a great falling away and rejection of God and the Bible. Many people will reach the stage of utter rejection of the things of God while they accept all the devil offers.

This is quite untrue. More people attend church than those who worship the devil. Yes, evil does happen, but there is always more than one to stop it from happening again. Despite what the news shows, I believe that more good occurs in the world than bad. Majority of people are too close to God to let the antchrist rise to power. And majority does rule.
Also, statistics have shown that teens have grown stronger in their Christian faith these last few years. Christian rock has grown popular. Church and prayer groups have been started in some schools. And most of all, teens have grown more active in their churches.

If you have attended the movies and enjoyed the occult books and allowed your children to do the same, you are an enemy of God. Or if you or your children have read the satanic books and delight in the occult, spells, wizardry, and witchcraft, you are an enemy of God! Then know this: YOU ARE NOT SAVED! YOU ARE NOT A CHRISTIAN! Stop kidding yourself! You love committing a sin that God considers an abomination. Therefore you do not belong to God and have aligned yourself with Satan.

Though I am not very religious, I am a Christian and a believer in God. No one has the right to tell anyone that they are not a Christian because of what they watch or read. This is an insult to my beliefs. I believe God accepts all those who believe and have faith in Him and ask for forgiveness when they have sinned. And I am sure He does not care what we read, watch, or play, just as long as we ourselves do not act against Him or the Ten Commandments.

Honestly, I think the writer of this article is just paranoid. Like most of those who believe that HP and LOTR are work of the devil, I doubt he has even picked up either of these books in his life. He makes assumptions from reviews and pictures he has seen from the movies. I pity people like this writer, because they do not know what they are missing out on. [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]