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I've noticed a number of Christian Tolkien fans putting a distance between the LotR and HP to keep it from being painted with the same brush (for those who don't know, there is concern HP would lead kids to develop interest in witchcraft). I'm all for that. Anything that keeps the picket lines full of people who haven't read the books from blocking my fifth viewing!
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One of the reasons why I - as an Early Childhood Educator in my church - don't recommend the Harry Potter books to our children is of course for that very reason, that it can cause the children to become interested in real-world witchcraft and occultism. There is that very real danger, which the school boards in England had noticed, and for that very reason, are discussing and debating whether or not to ban the books from school libraries...
I already mentioned above another one of the reasons why I don't like Rowlings "Potter-ethics", and that's because the good are not really good, they are rather small and self-serving. (By the way, this comes from someone who is knowledgeable about the subject, having read all four of the Harry Potter books myself...)
I also agree with your comment, Marileangorifurnimaluim, that parents and people have (at least they should have, and thankfully in most cases do) the greatest influence on the values of our children. However, I also believe that people are influenced (note I said influenced, not controlled) by the music they listen to and the movies they watch, etc. The old adage, "Garbage in, garbage out."
A final thought about the Harry Potter books, they simply pale beside the great authors of fantasy literature like Tolkien and Lewis! It's amazing that they have become so popular, and it is notable that the primary reading audience is children, and not literary critics...
Anyway, having said all that, I thoroughly enjoy and support the Lord of the Rings, both as fantastic literature, and also as an enjoyable movie. (Working primarily with teens in my church, I find more of them have seen the movie than those who have read the books). Well, cheers!
your friendly neighbourhood *River*