Our son has been reading J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Two Towers a good bit this weekend. I’m proud of him. He’s flying through it, so it looks like we’ll be making a trip to the library because they’re out of school all week for Thanksgiving.

He’s been telling me all about it, and I love where the stories take him. But you know, there’s some controversy going on right now about Christian fantasy. Is it good for children? Is it harmful?

Hmmm…maybe I should start allowing comments on my site because I’d love to hear your opinions! For now, email me your thoughts and I’ll post some here. I’ve discovered a new children’s fantasy book, LANDON SNOW AND THE AUCTOR’S RIDDLE, released by Barbour, a Christian publishing company. Are they leading kids astray with this tale full of magical characters and settings? (No, I don’t think so — I’ll tell you more of my thoughts when I review it next week.)

Here’s what someone wrote to La Shawn Barber’s Corner yesterday:

well i dont watch star wars or lord of the rings or narnia. it is very likely that christians who are seeing this movie havent read their bibles in a long time. dust if off and read it. scoff and laugh if you want but the bible does say that few will find their way to heaven. I see no reason as a follower of Christ for me to align myself with witchcraft. None.

Comment by shari — 11.19.05 @ 1:27 am

What do you think about this? Where does J.K. Rowling stand spiritually? We haven’t gotten into the Harry Potter books yet — a Bible Study teacher I had once told us to keep our children away from them because of the wizardry. She used the example of Saul displeasing the Lord by consulting a medium, and she gave us these verses (from NKJV):

There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer.
Deuteronomy 18:10

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king. 1 Samuel 15:23

If you’re interested in what people are saying about Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and others, then go read the blog comments at La Shawn Barber’s Corner from 11/18— last check, she had 22. It will be interesting if she does get her Christian Fantasy website up because a ton of people will go read it.

Here’s what Lisa Rice has to say to Christian parents in her article at Crosswalk.com this week, “Newest Harry Potter Flick Darkest Yet.”

For those addicted to “Harry Potter” books, no doubt they will see “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” But perhaps this fourth movie, adapted from the popular series written by J.K. Rowling, will be the one that compels us to ask why we would put this material into our children’s heads. As I looked around the theater and saw dozens of little children dressed as wizards and sorcerers, watching one horror after another on the big screen, my heart broke for the sheer lack of parental discernment…

The “Harry Potter” franchise boils down to one issue for parents. Witchcraft, wizardry, magic, spells, and other supernatural “powers” can pull on the strings of our souls, tapping into the natural, God-given desire in us to perform great spiritual exploits. Children, too, have these interests in the supernatural, but often lack the discernment necessary to make wise choices in their selection of entertainment.

So why not teach our children the real deal so that the counterfeit will no longer be appealing? Why not teach them about the School of the Holy Spirit, where ordinary children can be transformed into sword-wielding champions in a real Kingdom of good and evil? It is definitely something worth pondering.

Oh my — when I look at her rating of the movie — she describes the excessive violence, vulgarity, and a scene where a woman exposes herself, I think — why do our precious children need to be anywhere near that?

So, what do you think?