Arguing with the clueless

[Peg Kerr]

No: HPFGUIDX 29061

Hi: I haven't been on the board or posted in awhile.  I hope you all
still remember me!

I was having a conversation at work about the HP books with a coworker
who is a part-time missionary.  She had indicated some worry in earlier
conversations that the books were associated with Satanism, so I sent
her the Alan Jacobs First Things First article, which is the best answer
I've ever found to that line of thinking.

In this latest conversation she said again that the books were Satanist,
esp. because of the scene at the graveyard where "somebody uses flesh,
blood and bone in a spell" (of course, she still hasn't read them).

"No, no, no," I said in some exasperation. "You're entirely missing the
point of the books."

It occurred to me later that I could have argued, "To say that the HP
books are Satanist is like saying that The Lord of the Rings advocates
lobbing nuclear bombs at people because Sam and Frodo travel through a
blasted barren wilderness at the end of that book."  Is this a useful
analogy?  What I'd like to know is, what arguments have any of you found
to be helpful/useful in shooting down the theory that the books are
Satanist--or do you find it utterly hopeless to argue with people like
this because their heads are buried too deeply in the sand?

Cheers,
Peg