# I pit all those who say Harry Potter is evil..(Warning: Whininess.) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 27, 2004, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-all-those-who-say-harry-potter-is-evil-warning-whininess/276895 "2004-11-27T17:08:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![dare\_devil007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@dare\_devil007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dare_devil007)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-all-those-who-say-harry-potter-is-evil-warning-whininess/276895/81 "2004-11-30T03:21:18Z")
I really want to subscribe, but I don’t have PayPal or a credit card. And I don’t think my parents will be too happy. But, I shall find a way! I have until December 27th. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-all-those-who-say-harry-potter-is-evil-warning-whininess/276895/82 "2004-11-30T14:47:30Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Of course, **before** you ask that question, you need to be sure that they are not adherents of [this web site’s](http://www.blessedquietness.com/journal/homemake/cslewis.htm) odd authors. Wow! Who knew? That’s quite a cite (and those are quite some ideas - love the Narnia in Italy connection.). That’s funny **asterion** , because the fundie church I grew up in _loved_ Lewis. And it seems that he’s more than acceptable to most of the churches/people associated with my more religious/fundamentalist/baptist relatives. Admittedly, it’s a small sample size - I’d be interested to hear more about your take. ---
**Author:** ![Priam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/77aa72/32.png) [@Priam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Priam)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-all-those-who-say-harry-potter-is-evil-warning-whininess/276895/83 "2004-11-30T15:03:09Z")
> [@dare\_devil007\_](#): > > There’s another friend of mine, who’s a strong Christian. She also told me that JKR got the spells from an actual witchcraft book and how Harry Potter is a withcraft manual and that more and more people are becoming wiccans because of Harry Potter. Tell your friend not to use [The Onion](http://www.onion.com) as a source. See here: [Snopes is your friend!](http://www.snopes.com/humor/iftrue/potter.htm) ---
**Author:** ![dare\_devil007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@dare\_devil007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dare_devil007)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-all-those-who-say-harry-potter-is-evil-warning-whininess/276895/84 "2004-11-30T16:01:43Z")
Ah, yes. The infamous [Onion](http://www.onion.com) . She probably typed in “Harry Potter and Christianity” on Google and found that piece on Harry Potter on that site and failed to realize that everything on the Onion is satire. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-all-those-who-say-harry-potter-is-evil-warning-whininess/276895/85 "2004-11-30T16:07:09Z")
> [@Dung Beetle](#): > > My Grandma is the sort of Baptist who believes anything any TV preacher says without needing any further information. So the other day she started her crap about Harry Potter being evil because it has something to do with witchcraft, and I asked her why the Wizard of Oz was acceptable. She boggled, actually took a step backward as this new thought struck her, and weakly said, “Well, we didn’t know what the Bible said in those days.” I can’t say for sure, not having been alive at the time, but I’m almost positive I heard somewhere that the bible was translated to english _before_ 1939. If anyone has a cite, I’d appreciate it. BTW, it’s rude to point and laugh at your grandmother. So, sorry about that. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-all-those-who-say-harry-potter-is-evil-warning-whininess/276895/86 "2004-11-30T16:24:00Z")
I try not to point and laugh at Grandma, either, but she sure makes it hard sometimes. I think what she meant to say was, “That was back in the days before I had entirely thrown away the concept of thinking for myself.” By the way, love the sig! ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-all-those-who-say-harry-potter-is-evil-warning-whininess/276895/87 "2004-11-30T18:51:41Z")
> [@dare\_devil007\_](#): > > I really want to subscribe, but I don’t have PayPal or a credit card. And I don’t think my parents will be too happy. But, I shall find a way! I have until December 27th. 🙂 You might want to open a thread in MPSIMS or some such and, politely, as if any dopers would be willing to help you pay to subscribe. Such things have happened before. ---
**Author:** ![dare\_devil007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@dare\_devil007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dare_devil007)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-all-those-who-say-harry-potter-is-evil-warning-whininess/276895/88 "2004-11-30T18:57:11Z")
Thanks for the suggestion, **FinnAgain**. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Izzybella](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e56c9b/32.png) [@Izzybella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Izzybella)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-all-those-who-say-harry-potter-is-evil-warning-whininess/276895/89 "2004-11-30T22:49:17Z")
> [@dare\_devil007\_](#): > > Ah, yes. The infamous [Onion](http://www.onion.com) . She probably typed in “Harry Potter and Christianity” on Google and found that piece on Harry Potter on that site and failed to realize that everything on the Onion is satire. :rolleyes: Thank you for the laugh! This cracked me up because I once had a friend–need I add a fundamentalist friend–forward that particular Onion article to me and everyone else in her address book in all seriousness. She had absolutely NO idea it was a satire and honestly believed Harry Potter was helping convert the world to satanism. When I emailed her to tell her it was a satire, she was a little miffed. She thought she’d finally found a legitimate article to back up her belief that HP is a tool of the devil. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-all-those-who-say-harry-potter-is-evil-warning-whininess/276895/90 "2004-11-30T23:34:25Z")
> [@dare\_devil007\_](#): > > She probably typed in “Harry Potter and Christianity” on Google and found that piece on Harry Potter on that site and failed to realize that everything on the Onion is satire. :rolleyes: It’s a constant source of amusement to the people at the Onion that so many idiots took that piece seriously… ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-all-those-who-say-harry-potter-is-evil-warning-whininess/276895/91 "2004-11-30T23:35:09Z")
> [@dare\_devil007\_](#): > > Ah, yes. The infamous [Onion](http://www.onion.com) . She probably typed in “Harry Potter and Christianity” on Google and found that piece on Harry Potter on that site and failed to realize that everything on the Onion is satire. :rolleyes: Well, The Onion does have a non-fiction arts and entertainment section (“The AV Club”) that features real interviews with real actors, musicians, and authors. So you can’t automatically dismiss anyone who cites an Onion interview. But in this particular case, a brief skim of the article in question _should_ have made it apparent to anyone of normal intelligence that it was all a joke. ---
**Author:** ![dare\_devil007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@dare\_devil007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dare_devil007)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-all-those-who-say-harry-potter-is-evil-warning-whininess/276895/92 "2004-11-30T23:38:11Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Well, The Onion does have a non-fiction arts and entertainment section (“The AV Club”) that features real interviews with real actors, musicians, and authors. So you can’t automatically dismiss anyone who cites an Onion interview. But in this particular case, a brief skim of the article in question _should_ have made it apparent to anyone of normal intelligence that it was all a joke. Well, apparently, the world does NOT have enough people of normal intelligence because **Izzybella** ’s fundamentalist friend was another victim of the Onion and that makes it’s two people I’ve heard of who was stupid enough to fall for it. That’s just totally unacceptable. When is God going to put us out of our misery? ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-all-those-who-say-harry-potter-is-evil-warning-whininess/276895/93 "2004-12-01T00:03:31Z")
Count me in as another one who has dealt with enormous gullibility. Not from The Onion (which ought to be her next stop – bwahahaha!!), of course, but my mother about had a fit reading some stuff off of Landover Baptist and had to have it, patiently, explained to her. Not sure if that was before or after she sent them an email. (Oooh, I should check to see if it’s listed! I’d know that lousy spelling anywhere.) I wonder though where she got _that_ link? 😉😛 ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-all-those-who-say-harry-potter-is-evil-warning-whininess/276895/94 "2004-12-01T23:40:08Z")
> [@dare\_devil007\_](#): > > Well, apparently, the world does NOT have enough people of normal intelligence Believe me, I know it. > [@](#): > > _because **Izzybella** ’s fundamentalist friend was another victim of the Onion and that makes it’s two people I’ve heard of who was stupid enough to fall for it. That’s just totally unacceptable. When is God going to put us out of our misery?_ About a year ago a woman actually wrote in to _Reader’s Digest_ saying that Rowling’s books were Satanic. Then she wrote in again to complain that they’d omitted the part where she provided evidence for this claim…you got it, _The Onion_ article. The _RD_ editorial staff ran the letter, but accompanied it with an explanation that _The Onion_ is a HUMOROUS publication. ---
**Author:** ![kimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f0a364/32.png) [@kimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kimera)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-all-those-who-say-harry-potter-is-evil-warning-whininess/276895/95 "2004-12-01T23:45:55Z")
I’ll pay for you if no one else will. I tried to send you an email, but you don’t allow it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f0a364/32.png) [@kimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kimera)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-all-those-who-say-harry-potter-is-evil-warning-whininess/276895/96 "2004-12-01T23:57:49Z")
Ok, I did it. ---
**Author:** ![dare\_devil007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@dare\_devil007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dare_devil007)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-all-those-who-say-harry-potter-is-evil-warning-whininess/276895/97 "2004-12-02T01:47:12Z")
Whoa, whoa, whoa, **ava**!! I received an e-mail saying, “Thank you for your subscription.” Did you just pay for me?!?! I don’t even know if I’ll be able to pay you back because I don’t even have a job! ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-all-those-who-say-harry-potter-is-evil-warning-whininess/276895/98 "2004-12-02T02:50:06Z")
My favorite Potter/Onion encounter occured when someone forwarded the link to everyone in her address book, with the demand we forward it to everyone in our’s, etc. After replying with the obligatory Snopes/Onion link, she replied that it didn’t matter if it was satirical or not, as it was true anyway. :dubious: Then she said she didn’t need to investigate the matter, because the old expression that you can’t judge a book by it’s cover didn’t apply here; she could tell they were evil just by looking at the cover of the dust jacket. :eek: [Pure Evil](http://www.webwombat.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/images/potter_stone.jpg) [Good Christian Reading](http://mag.stage.co.il/img/narnia.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-all-those-who-say-harry-potter-is-evil-warning-whininess/276895/99 "2004-12-02T03:13:10Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > Two more: Poison Ivy. :eek: Three more: ticks and chiggers ---
**Author:** ![SusanStoHelit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@SusanStoHelit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SusanStoHelit)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-all-those-who-say-harry-potter-is-evil-warning-whininess/276895/100 "2004-12-02T06:49:38Z")
From **tomndeb’s** [website](http://www.blessedquietness.com/journal/homemake/lewisfrt.htm) (a little long, but obviously written by a 'Doper): > [@](#): > > This is perhaps the most sinister letter we have ever received > Editor’s note: This writer knows all the vocabulary of the Christian experience as to coming out of darkness, but he has used it to provoke us, either to wrath, or in the hope that we would fall for it and respond in a serious manner. Read it and contemplate what answer this person will give to God one day. > > Dear sir, > > I’m so glad you have taken the time to write about CS-lewis and Satanism. This page was so well researched! Just think after all these years, so many Christians have been fooled into thinking he was such a Godly man. I can just imagine how many people have been led astray…just like me. I’m living proof to the lies of CS-lewis This is my story. > > After I read the narnia series when I was a child, I became curious about fauns and centaurs and nymphs. I learned that they were characters of ancient greek mythology and that men of old such as Homer, Aeschylus, and Euripides wrote all about these legends. It started as an innocent facination and being a child prodigy, I studied greek so I could read about fauns as they were written about in the original langauge. > > I read all about the sexual practices of the greek gods and I thought that these must be normal. I thought it was Ok for a woman to have intercourse with a bull! > > I can rememember the time when my dad read “The Silver Chair” to me as a bedtime story. It was then that I became interested in beer because, all the narnian characters drank beer. I became an alcoholic because of narnia! \>From there it was a down-ward spiral, I became a wizard at the age of 13, and one time in a rage I cast a spell on my mom so she would get breast cancer. I really miss mom! As a result of reading about the bad-guys the “Calormans” ( which are really just his way of portraying Arabs) I became deeply racist. As a young child I would yell out to anybody wearing a turban. I called them ragheads and sometimes I tried to pee on them (pardon my language). > > I became addicted to cocaine shortly after reading about Edmund’s “Turkish delight”, I figured it was some kind of drug and if Edmund could eat it so could I. I talked to another guy who was in the coven with me and he said that his Dad had this white powder and it made him feel good… which reminded me of Edmund’s turkish delight. > > After reading about how prince Rillian hacked off the serpents head, I thought I’d try it too. So I went into the backyard and cut off a snakes head. I really enjoyed it and it became the start of my disgusting habit of cruelty to animals. > > I became sexually active at the age of 14 after reading about the “Nymphs”. A kid from school told me that nymphomaniacs like sex, and I remembered that there were nymphs in Narnia. I contracted HIV at the age of 15 as a result of a promiscous life-style. > > After reading about Puddleglum’s burning his feet I started inflicting pain on myself. I would regularily cut and burn myself in a sadomasochistic pleasure. Finally at the age of 16, I read the “Screwtape letters”, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Right then and there I knelt on the floor and gave my life to Satan. > > But now, praise the Lord, I’ve since been saved from the deceit of CS-Lewis. I’m now 17 and just started going to a catholic church…but I don’t understand why they eat the body of Christ or worship Mary!!! > > I haven’t read any good books in a while I’m thinking of reading a book… I think it’s called “Harry Potter”… do you happen to know anything about it? I hear it’s really good. > > Thanks, > > Jimmy I also noticed that the link for “what you will become if you read the evil filth of CS Lewis” leads to the Episcopalian website. Horrors! Thanks, **tomndeb** , for giving me both a good laugh and the desire to put the human race out of its misery. Or slit my writsts. I don’t know. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-all-those-who-say-harry-potter-is-evil-warning-whininess/276895.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-all-those-who-say-harry-potter-is-evil-warning-whininess/276895.md?page=6)