Yesterday, I skimmed through a book review in the newspaper. It was yet another book written on how reading Harry Potter will turn your child into an evil, spell spinning satanic minion.

The author of the book, whose name I can't remember nor do I care to find out, and the author of the review seem to place great importance on the fact that Tolkein is okay because he was a Catholic. Lewis (of Narnia) is okay because he was a -gasp- atheist, but found Jesus through reading Tolkein.

JK Rowling, however, "claims" to be a Christain, but is "non-practicing" and she has done -gasp- "extensive research in the occult". Triple gasp.

Really, I don't get this. If you are so fervent in your beliefs that you feel that reading a fantasy book (and I don't care that it is set in present time, it IS fantasy) will destroy your indoctrination of your children in to those beliefs, then hey, don't let them read the books.

Most of us, however, including most children can differentiate between fantasy and reality. Most of us do not panic when our child says, "Wouldn't it be cool if we could use wands and fly on broomsticks?"

Because it would be cool.

It's this not-so-little thing called imagination at work. It's not the beginning of a life of evil. I mean, don't you sometimes imagine, what if? What if I won the lottery? Then you have a nice little daydream, IMAGINING all the things you would do. You don't then go out and rob a bank to make it come true, do you?

But you deny your children the pleasure of "what if".

Whatever.

And besides all that, I really don't see what is so bad. I mean, Harry and his pals represent good, love, hope, family and Voldemort represents hate, fear, distrust and isolation. Good vs. evil if you will. That's pretty standard to almost every epic tale, is it not?

Including the Bible?