As an ‘ex new-ager’ I am surprised that books like the Harry Potter series are considered OK by Christians

As an ex ‘new-ager’ this is what I want to share about magic in children’s books and films.

One of the things that surprised me after coming to Christ was how many Christian parents weren’t concerned with magic and fantasy in children’s books. There seems to be almost unanimous agreement that books with homosexuality or transexual themes should be avoided. But there seems to be less agreement about the risks of reading/watching films with magical themes.

As someone who practised ‘new age’ spirituality, I became a believer after watching ‘new age to Jesus’ testimonies on YouTube. From these I learnt that God considers the practices of developing psychic skills or manifesting to be witchcraft, something he calls an abomination. ‘There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer.’ Deuteronomy 18.10

Is exploring ‘magic’ in story good?

Christian authors such as C.S Lewis and J.R Tolkien paved the way for magical and fantastical themes to be commonplace in books widely read by Christians. But is exploring magic in fiction any different to reading a book with a gay or transexual character?

The fantasy quests, dragons, and wizarding schools of children’s fiction may appear a far cry from reality. Perhaps that’s why these kind of books don’t appear to be a threat to young people’s faith. LGBT issues are never far from the news, and in some instances are even pushed or promoted, with such events as drag Queen story hour for toddlers.

However, there does appear to be a concerning link between reading fictional magic books and the practise of real-life witchcraft.