Among the terrifying images in books two and three were: a disembodied voice repeatedly hissing "kill"; monstrous, flesh-eating spiders; children being attacked and paralyzed; and an apparently dead cat hung upside down by its tail (USA Today, June 15, 2000).

In book four of the series (Goblet of Fire) the evil character named "Wormtail" cuts up Harry’s arm to extract blood in order to bring "Voldemort" (the most evil character) back to life. (This is an occult practice done to supposedly pass mystic power from one person to another during some occult rituals.) Rowling called Voldemort a "raging psychopath, devoid of the normal human responses to other people’s suffering . . ." (Entertainment Weekly, #554, August 11, 2000). Also in the latest epic, Harry’s parents, who have been killed, have to be extracted from Voldemort’s magic wand. What kind of books are these and what inspires Rowling’s work? We believe we know. She said, "It’s important to remember that we all have magic inside us . . ." during an interview being taped for a "Scholastic Book Fair" video. And when asked in an August 2000 Entertainment Weekly interview by writer Jeff Jensen if she felt any sense of social responsibility (for the dark nature of the content of Harry Potter) Rowling answered, "I cannot write to please other people." She then goes on to mention that parents are coming to her saying their six year-old "loved her book"! Perhaps a more important question is, what kind of parents are these?

Is J. K. Rowling a real, practicing, bona fide witch? Our research turned up no overt statement she has made to make us believe so. However, when Ms. Rowling was asked about her favorite holiday, it was Halloween. We realize that many people who are not occultists might respond this way, but we figured her answer wasn’t going to be Valentine’s Day! What makes us explore this possibility further is just the occult accuracy of the texts. She has also intimated that some of the scenes in the books were fashioned out of real life experiences she’s had. While from the materials and interviews we researched Rowling only named some railroad scenes portrayed in her writings as something actually from her childhood. However, it’s not a huge leap to believe that the occult crux of the Harry Potter story could be from personal experience as well.

Whether Rowling herself is a witch or avid New Age dabbler, it is obvious that no one is really trying to veil the tie between the Harry Potter series and the occult, quite the opposite in fact. On the ABC.com web site, there is a page dedicated to Harry Potter information. There, we found a link titled "Divination Class with Professor Susan Miller." The link led unsuspecting kids to famed astrologer Susan Miller’s forecasting page.

While we are aware that much of the world praises Rowling’s stories due to the supposed life lessons and ethical content taught in them, we more than question how a biblical Christian could rationalize around the occult and increasingly more disturbing content in the Harry Potter series. Scripture demands that we have nothing to do with the deeds of darkness (Ephesians 5:11). This is not the story of good vs. evil. Once again, it is the story of white magic (or magick, as it is spelled in the occult) opposed to black.

Go to Part Two

All rights reserved. Copyright © 2000, Eric Barger and David Benoit.