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CT Movies has received quite a bit of feedback in recent days about the Harry Potter franchise, from Christians who think the series is harmless fun to those who believe it's straight from the Devil. There are plenty of comments—pro and con—on our review of the latest HP film, and last week's newsletter—which noted that a reader had essentially blamed CT Movies that his 6-year-old daughter was trying to cast spells, a la Harry Potter—sparked many more. Here's a sampling of reader reactions:

Is a child in the back yard "casting spells" any more troublesome than pretending to bein a shootout at the OK Corral (my son will make a gun out of anything)? I think you run into more problems when you suppress imagination. My children understand that Harry Potter is a fictional character. Maybe I am not a very good Christian, because my children run around the house with a dowel rod saying "Wingardium Leviosa" and pretend that things are flying about. I see this as fiction and nothing else. It troubles me that people today cannot make that distinction.

Peggy Duffield

All spellcasting is bad. There is no good spellcasting. We get our miracles, blessings, healings, etc., from GOD. We do not get them from Satan.

J. Buck

I am impressed with the deep meanings in the books. There is such a treasure trove of conversation we've been able to have with our kids. Just a couple of days ago we were on a long hike and had about a two-hour discussion of Harry Potter. My 11-year-old daughter came up with several themes: light over darkness, good over evil, love conquers, self sacrifice, friendship, trust, mercy, the importance of family.

Adele Schneider

Potter is unhealthy spiritually and psychologically as it invariably leads to the type of things children from 5-18 find intriguing and will try to imitate. Satan is just copying God. I'm sorry you don't "get" it. I'm unsubscribing to CT Movies.

Rev. Judy Lang

My husband and I have very much learned from the movies, and have known that it has great spiritual application—warfare vs. evil, dark vs. light, martyrdom. We have become so weary of the legalism, the witch hunts, the criticism against the series.

Colleen Stay

I am a senior pastor and a parent of four children ages 7-13, and I will not let my children read the Harry Potter books. I believe that they are wrong for many reasons—calling evil good and good evil, portraying witches as good, and opening the door for children to get involved in the occult. There is so much good Christian fiction and fantasy literature out there, why would you want to expose even one child to this darkness? Please don't put any more positive reviews about these books and movies on your site.

Chris Jordan

I don't see the harm as I am a mature Christian and I can determine for myself through the word of God what is real and what is fantasy. To me, if the movie or program is well made, then it's just entertainment. It's the job of the parent, not a movie critic, to guide your child through a story like Harry Potter.

Laverne Helfert

I could cry every time I see a Christian commentary stating that Harry Potter is fine. I think we as Christians are getting wimpy about taking a stand against the occult and should take a step back and re-evaluate. Aren't we "sugar coating" witchcraft and calling it safe entertainment simply because Hollywood knows how to engage us?

Jeanine Packett

I have no hard and fast "line" that decides what I and/or my family will and won't see or read. To avoid all media contact with occultism seems to contradict with Paul who looked at the idols (though it provoked him) and quoted pagan works of literature at Athens (finding redemptive or true ideas in the blasphemous, evil and dangerous idolatry of the pagans). To avoid all contact with occultism would seemingly require one to "go out of the world." But, there are definite evil allurements and participations in the occult that Scripture has warned us to have nothing to do with. I have chosen to avoid Harry Potter because it seems so overtly steeped in witchcraft. I know that my standard here is not absolute or necessarily consistent, but people are free (within certain limits) to determine in their conscience before God what they will do with questionable matters.

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