Arguing with the clueless

[hp_lexicon at yahoo.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 29069

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Peg Kerr <pkerr06 at a...> wrote:

> 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?

If you want to read an incredible, balanced, wise, useful discussion 
of the Christian approach to the Harry Potter books, check out 
Connie Neal's _What's A Christian To Do With Harry Potter_ 
(WaterBrook Press, ISBN 1-57856-471-9). It's absolutely marvelous. 

The book includes excellent arguments for all the standard 
objections and clearly takes a balanced, "make your own decision but 
here are the facts" approach. The trouble is, people with a 
fundamentalist philosophy won't accept a reasonable approach to 
things like this. If it says witch or magic, it must be evil. I have 
even encountered a distrust of intelligent discussion, as if reason 
and intelligence are nothing but tools of the Devil to pervert the 
hearts of people. It's scary.

But buy the book. It's well worth the money. You'll find yourself 
reading it and saying "Yes! That's precisely what I've been trying 
to figure out how to say!"

Steve