The "Harry Potter" books by J.K. Rowling are a huge hit among children and adults alike, and the latest story in the franchise, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," is no exception.
The book was released the same day the British stage play opened. Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to bookstores and the theatre alike to find out the continuation of The Boy Who Lived's story.
Efrem Graham writes in an article for CBN News that it's always nice to see people get excited about reading. "A celebration of literature is so rare in this day of social media, video games and microwave-minute attention spans," he says. "Kids and adults excited about reading brings a smile to this dad's face."
But as in previous Potter releases, the fictional work is not without critics. And a great deal of the concern comes from some members of the Christian community. One of the concerns aired is that the magical world of Hogwarts is opening doors for children to join the occult.
When CBN conducted a Facebook poll about the book, asking whether Christians should be joining the "Harry Potter" fanfare, only 10 percent answered that it's okay. Majority of the respondents—a whopping 90 percent—think the book is bad for their Christian faith.
"Witches, warlocks, and magic...asking for trouble...our pastor says when you expose yourself to these things you invite demons into your life," commented David-Linda Harrison.
Kevin Willis II had a different view on the matter. "I love how most of the commentators are over 50. This is a pretty bias poll since most older people hate and fear anything they don't understand. They said that Rock and Roll was inviting demons into churches, but look where we are now," he wrote.
Christian author Richard Abanes, writer of "Harry Potter, Narnia, and The Lord of the Rings: What You Need To Know About Fantasy Books and Movies," says the magic found in "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "The Lord of the Rings" are not real and cannot be replicated.
But "Harry Potter" magic, on the other hand, has "references to astrology, clairvoyance, and numerology."
"In fact, that's why real Wiccans, real witches and real occultists are using the popularity of Harry Potter to lure kids toward real world occultism," he says. "They actually have advertisements for their own books that use Harry Potter as their appeal."
