Customer Reviews
Very informative 
2007-08-03
I found the book very informative especially the first chapters. Although a lot of people can't see the value in it, I feel parents need to be informed about what their children read. You know the terminology GIGO. Garbage in, garbage out...............
Total Ignorance 
2007-07-25
It is appalling to me that Abanes cannot see the simple truth that Rowling's book are a work of FICTION! It differs no more than the fairy tales of my childhood that included witches and princes and magical places and fairy dust!
This book was the menace 2007-04-11
I had to read this book for a graduate class, otherwise I would not have even bothered with it. In all fairness, the author does make his arguement in the first four sections of the book where he evaluates each of the first four Potter books, which were what was out when this was published. Yet the last half of the book jumps into a tyriad on the dangers and horrors of all branches of occulism and sounds like a mad rant rather than a ordered presentation of interpretations. This is just one in a series of books ...And the Bible, so I'm sure the formula for them is the same, the targeted book and characters just changes.
Hysteria over Harry 
2007-02-09
If you're wondering why Laura Mallory,the housewife in Atlanta,Georgia,is on a quixotic quest to ban the Harry Potter books from public schools,look no further than this book.While the controversy over Harry Potter is can be deemed DOA,this book shows why.
Richard Abanes,in his furious attempt to bring the boy wizard off the bestseller lists,manages to make some otherwise rational arguments,but engages in self-sabotage through his hysteria&far-fetched ideas.
THE GOOD ARGUMENTS
1)The magic in the Harry Potter books resembles occult practices in the real world.Harry reads tea leaves,practices divination;it's no wonder that tarot cards are no longer hidden in bookstores,but accessible for everyone.
2)Harry&his friends are always doing bad things-lying,cheating-for noble reasons.Double effect is supposed to be exception,NOT the rule.It's one thing to lie to save an innocent person's life,but in the HP books,there's constant lying.
3)Worship of power in the books.True,the villain Voldemort exemplifies this.The series is essentially about Harry gaining more&more power to defeat Voldemort.It's "might makes right."
THE BAD ARGUMENTS
1)The story of the teenager who got involved in Satanism as a result of Dungeons&Dragons,and killed his family.The story would've worked elsewhere,instead of as a hysterical cry of "If your kids read Harry,they'll become Satanic murderers."
2)Using mythology.Okay,Minerva McGonagall gets her first name from the Roman goddess of wisdom.There are unicorns.Tying Albus Dumbledore's first name to geomancy(??)is laughable.Tolkien used mythology too.Frodo owes his name to Froda,a derivation of the name of the Norse fertility god Frey,who was often depicted in a state of arousal.
3)Using the Internet as a reference too much.How does he know his sources are reliable?
Richard Abanes,apparently is at Saddleback Church,the megachurch pastored by Rick "Purpose-Driven Life" Warren.This book isn't much in sync with Saddleback's philosophy."Harry Potter and the Bible" is more interesting as a cultural artifact,as an example of what was once the HP controversy,than of having any present-day relevance.
Bad example? 2007-01-05
I find it kind of funny that Harry is considered a horrible example -- both by Abanes and some reviewers here -- because he breaks rules and does bad things without being punished. What should logically follow is for you to say the Bible is not for children because it teaches them bad morals. Let's take a look:
Jacob stole his brother Esau's birthright AND blessing deceitfully, tricking his father and exploiting his brother, and it wasn't even for a good cause. It was all for himself. If you notice, Jacob was always looking out for himself alone. And would you look at that...no bolt of lightning upon him. He wasn't punished for his deceit.
Now, next in line, a little farther down...Moses. Gets mad, kills someone. Not for that great a cause, either, the man was whipping an Israelite and he just got...mad. Unless you count the fact that he had to leave Egypt and become a shepherd (quite a light sentence for a murderer), he wasn't punished either. Lucky Moses.
Now we move on to David, flipping quite a ways in our Bibles. David, man after God's own heart, shepherd and harpist to King Saul...and now King of Israel, the leader of the people, the upstanding and wonderful guy, right? Not quite. He watches a woman bathing, decides he wants her for his wife. Trouble is, she's married...and with child by David. Conveniently enough, her husband gets put in the front lines and killed the next day. Now, you could say he is punished for this by the death of the baby, and I won't argue with you. But adultery and murder...they're pretty serious stuff.
Do you see where I'm getting with this? All three of these men are biblical heroes, leaders of faith who committed huge blunders for no noble reasons and are STILL considered good role models and good examples, and for good reason.
But then you have Harry. He's kind, he's good, he does things for the right reasons even if it's not always within the rules, and he's young. It would be unrealistic and unfair to expect him to always act perfectly (especially when we ALL do bad things) when we don't even ask the same of our Bible heroes.
because people have their own opinions 2006-06-17
In response to the heated controversy surrounding the Harry Potter phenomenon, Christian Publications is excited to present the book "Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace behind the Magick." (The word “magic” refers to stage illusions by sleight-of-hand, where-as “magick” refers to occult practices.) In this timely book, Richard Abanes -- nationally recognized cult researcher -- skillfully answers the questions parents and others are asking about the mega best-selling series by J.K. Rowling.
People like Abanes make me sick!!!!! 2006-05-30
Think about it: Harry Potter is a FICTION book. It has NOTHING to do with the BIBLE. It is not trying to turn you into an evil, blood-sucking, anti-bible vampire, it is not trying to get kids to join devil-worshipping circles. It is no worse than the stupid little cartoons kids watch on TV, only this is more entertaining and thought out.
So, for all you MuggleCast fans, give me a Butterbeer!!
And, by the way, OF COURSE J.K. Rowling doesn't approve of this book!!! That note on the front cover should show readers how stupid this book is!!!
Here's an idea 2006-03-15
How about this: Mr. Abanes goes to the FANTASY section of the bookstore and opens up something by Diana Wynne Jones or another prominent author. Watch him run down the street screaming and howling about occult practitioners and the kids who'll get "taken in".
He doesn't quite seem to realize that nobody else but him and a few other psycho Christian fundamentalists (like the ones who govern my school) actually think ANYONE will be influenced by these books to join Wicca.
And yes, I've heard his points telling people there's been a rise in occultism. Taking a glance at such sources will confirm the "rise" to be less than .1%, and will have the reader throwing down this book in utter disgust.
Nobody questioned Lewis or Tolkien when they claimed Christianity, even though they were -- audience gasps -- FANTASY AUTHORS. Somehow, though, people find it all right to question Rowling's beliefs (and sometimes outright deny them). Someone I know claims the Church of Scotland is a watered-down church (church snob!), but fails to note that one of her favorite authors, C.S. Lewis, was of the Anglican Church of England. Rowling is a Presbyterian of the Church of Scotland.
Hmmmm. Some things to think about.
No, I don't hate Harry-haters. I do, however, think their arguments are fragile and stupid, and can only marvel at their determination and willpower to avoid one of the greatest serieses of the age. 'Tis a feat I, an almost insanely avid reader, could never achieve. Bravo to your determination, but...is it worth it? Really! Try the books with an open mind and see what you hear...If it simply screams OCCULT!!! OCCULT!!! then by all means, put it down and mind your own business. But if it's an enjoyable story about a boy endowed with magical gifts, keep reading!
The saddest thing of all are the hundreds of adament book-burners who have sent hate mail to J.K. Rowling, written angry books such as this, banned the books in classrooms, called students who read them Satan-worshippers (yes, sadly, this actually happened at my elementary school to a young girl by a "Christian" who worked in the office), and created such a wide gap between Harry-haters and Harry-lovers, all without ever reading the books.
And all in the name of Christianity.
No wonder so many people think Christianity is hypocritical. Many Christians are.
Missing the point 2006-03-14
Honestly, you're missing the point. The magic in Harry Potter is a prop in the story line, not the story line. It's not as if the books are promoting the usage of magic (without a "k"). Over the summer I started an article against all the accusations insulting the point of the Harry Potter books. I didn't finish it, due to time and scrambled thoughts, but this may have given me a new fire to do so. Climb out of your box; if you're going to compare something to the bible, compare the world and criticize is. That would be a worth-while mission. The Harry Potter books aren't real. As long as kids (and adults) don't get carried away with them, there is no harm in them. Focus on the larger influences.
HORRIBLE!!!! 2006-03-01
People who villify Harry Potter need to find something better to do with their time. IT IS FANTASY PEOPLE!! You might as well throw out every Disney movie with "magic" like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Aladin, etc. While you're at it just go ahead and classify Star Wars and Lord of the Rings is evil as well. All these idiot conservative American Christians are being laughed at by the rest of the Christian world. If any of these uneducated legalistic morons ever took the time to read even 1 story in Medevial Literature, they would find out that there ARE such things as good wizards and witches. This kind of editorial just gives Christians a bad hypocritical reputation and makes me sick. If kids are reading Harry Potter and jumping off their roof to try to fly on a broom then that is the idiot parent's fault for not teaching them any common sense. My 5 year old girl and I LOVE the Potter series but she knows that magic is NOT real and Potter is no different than Cinderella's Fairy God Mother. If Harry Potter is a sinner and bad example for breaking curfew then so is Cinderella for going to the ball against her step mother's authority.
