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A Small Sample of What Children, As Young As Seven, Are Reading About

1. The animal sacrifice of a cat *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, p.139

2. Non-magicians like you and I (Muggles) are portrayed as dull, boring, cruel or useless *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, p.33

3. Power is the ultimate moral choice, irrespective of good or evil *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, p. 291

4. Blood sacrifices *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, p.656

5. Cutting off the hand of a living person for a ritual. *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, p.666

6. Boiling what seems to be a baby or fetus alive in a cauldron *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, p.666 (Careful reading of this passage does reveal that the fetus-like creature which is thrown into the cauldron is actually Lord Voldemort. However, many younger children may not get this point (we didn't at first) and it is still an extremely disturbing image.

7. Possible demon possession *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, p. 653-654

8. Werewolves - *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, p.345,381 Vampires - * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, p.147

9. Bringing a evil wizard back from the dead through the shedding of blood *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, p.463

10. Astral project or travel *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, pp. 667-669

11. Casting spells and levitation *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, pp. 344-345

12. Being able to shape-shift into an animal *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, p.534

13. Crystal gazing or divination *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, p. 297

14. A hero (Harry) who tells lies - *Sorcerer's Stone, p.292 steals - *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, p.165 breaks the rules - *Prisoner of Azkaban, p.31 cheats by coping copying another student's homework - *Prisoner of Azkaban, p.146 cheating is OK in wizard ethics - *Goblet of Fire, p.343

15. Approval of astrology *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, p.257

16. Being taught that people can exist without their souls *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, p.247

17. Communion with the dead, dead souls living within us *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, p.427-428

18. Harry takes mood-altering drugs (which are REALL herbs used by witches and shamans) *Sorcerer's Stone P. 137, 286-287

19. Use of the "Hand of Glory," a grisly occult artifact that is the severed hand of a hanged murderer. Its fingers are lit and burned as candles. The hand is placed in a house to make everyone in the house fall into a spell. *Prisoner of Azkaban p. 52

20. Use of magic charms *Prisoner of Azkaban p.118, 188

21. Belief that death is just the "next great adventure" *Sorcerer's Stone p.302

Straight Talk #22 ON Harry Potter By: William Schnoebelen - With One Accord Ministries