Not so very long ago, there was a simpler time when discussion about JK Rowling in Catholic circles was generally limited to a discussion between diocesan exorcists and fans of the Harry Potter books.
Back then, the diocesan exorcists warned Catholic parents against allowing their children to read Harry Potter (or reading the books themselves) because they perceived that the romanticisation of magic presented a danger to the soul and our society.
Fans of the books disagreed. They insisted that magic was metaphor, and that no one would take it seriously, while the moral and ethical content of Rowling’s books were unashamedly Christian and constituted a new Narnia genre for a younger generation.
