Watch out for ducks and scales

Apparently, there is a new Harry Potter flick out there, and apparently (horrors?) one of the people on my blogroll has allowed her daughters to see it, and apparently if I were of the hyper-fundamentalist mindset, instead of a mere fundmentalist, I should be horribly appalled and should drop her blog from my blogroll.

Because, of course, if  a book references witchcraft--say the "Bible" in 1 Samuel 27, or C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia--then obviously those who read that book will become witches.  I'm pretty sure a history of New England would have the same effect, and to be fair, the enduring political power of Barney Frank, John Kerry, and the Kennedy family would tend to support this hypothesis.

But that said, I've read all of these, and have also viewed "The Princess Bride" and "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," and am as yet unaware of any witchly inclinations on my part, or that of others in my family who have engaged these literary works, towards witchcraft.  That said, I might just start to get nervous if my neighbors come to my house with a giant scale and a duck.  There is a woodpile near my home already.

And a serious note; the most damning thing I've ever heard about the Harry Potter series is a commentary by seminary professor friend of mine who simply notes that, while being well written and engaging, there simply isn't any point to it.

And as a wiser guy than I once wrote, "it's a fair cop."

Update: here's another review of the latest Harry Potter movie which notes that.....it's simply completely unremarkable.  Perhaps it will become a classic nonetheless, but those who are reading seriously--and have experience with the classics acknowledged today--are saying "meh" about this one.