Deuteronomy 18

I once read an article by a Christian writer decrying the Harry Potter books because of their glorification of witchcraft. As for myself (and I realize I'm going to make enemies when I say this), I'm not the biggest fan of the Harry Potter books because I find the characters annoying (with the possible exception of Hermione), many of the situations contrived, the humor juvenile, and the tone of the writing subtly but insidiously self-aggrandizing. (It's probably a mistake to spend the first three and a half books talking up how horrible and powerful Voldemort is only to have him turn out to be a figuratively toothless and literally noseless clown with only a modicum of menace.) That's more than enough of a rant, but I do think Harry Potter is, overall, a boon because it gets people to read and serves as a gateway to much better books.

Anyway, I suppose Harry Potter and books with references to the occult could influence kids, but I see far more people passionate about the obvious fantasy stuff: waving wands, Quidditch, all the mythical creatures (though I know few of them are original), and the idea that one could attend a school for magic instead of a school of busywork. I don't think anyone would have the sudden urge to throw his or her kid into the fire after reading Harry Potter. But even if Harry Potter or some other fantasy book makes a kid interested in the occult, I'd hope his or her parents would be sensible enough to talk to the child instead of censoring the book. Because we all know that once books (or films, or songs) are banned, people suddenly become very interested in them. (On the other hand, I wouldn't exactly support parents letting their kindergartener watch something like Requiem for a Dream or A Clockwork Orange.)

But real life witchcraft, as God so emphatically states in verses 9-13, is a no-no. As He specifies in verse 12, He will "drive out" the nations that perform such "detestable practices." Astrology may be bunkum, but spirits do exist. And trying to consult any of them other than God is trying to consult an agent of the devil.

The Moses nugget for chapter 18 involves Moses's diction. When talking about occult practices, he uses the word "detestable" no fewer than three times. I think maybe he's trying to drive home the point of just how baleful witchcraft is. Murder is terrible, stealing is terrible, cutting someone off on the freeway is terrible--we all know this. But witchcraft can seem harmless, just a little avocation to take one's mind off work. Fantasy and magic in fiction is all well and good because it's fiction. But in real life, the only magic one should perform is stage magic.