"Dear Ms. Morse," the e-mail began, "You are the handmaiden of Satan, a succubus from the pit of Hell."

What had I done now? Offered my children to General Motors as living crash-test dummies, or shipped them off to Mattel as choking-hazard testers?

The prosaic truth is that I get e-mails like this-dozens and dozens of them-from fellow Christians appalled that I allow my sons to read Harry Potter books. Worse, I recently explained on the website of a Christian ministry why I thought Harry and his friends were good role models for my boys, and why the books taught great moral lessons.

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Ever since, nice, church-going Christians have consigned me to the lowest, hottest regions of Hell. I am a witch, I am evil, and I must be destroyed-or at least have my children removed from my toxic presence, lest Harry lead them to Hell. My husband-unruffled at hearing that his wife is on Lucifer's payroll-only observed that technically, I am a handmatron of Satan.

My children, for their part, are rolling on the floor-not demon-possessed, but convulsed at the notion that their church-going, carpooling, Tater-Tot casserole-making, Buffy-and-Britney-banning mom is a broom-riding witch. (Their housework-phobic mother barely knows where the broom is stored.) "Mom is satanic," might come from their mouths, but mainly because I make them eat broccoli.

But when the hilarity dies down, I have to wonder: What kind of people send e-mails to total strangers, calling them nasty names and labeling them unfit mothers?

Duped people it turns out. Many e-correspondents quote from e-mails they themselves have received-e-mails that have their origins in a satirical webzine called The Onion.com. In a piece titled "Harry Potter Books Spark Rise In Satanism Among Children," The Onion parodies every Christian fear over Potter-mania.

A typical quote: "The Harry Potter books are cool, `cause they teach you all about magic and how you can use it to control people and get revenge on your enemies," said Hartland, WI, 10-year-old Craig Nowell, a recent convert to the New Satanic Order of The Black Circle. "I want to learn the Cruciatus Curse, to make my muggle science teacher suffer for giving me a D." Shocking, if Craig weren't completely made up.

The Onion piece is also the source of such "facts" as:

The Potter books have led to a huge jump in converts-mostly children-to Satanic churches.

Potter author J.K. Rowling refers to Jesus Christ as a "weak, idiotic Son of God [who is] a living hoax."

"Focus on Faith," a Christian advocacy group, warns that the Potter books teach "hundreds of occult invocations."

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Many Christians have forwarded portions of this parody to their friends, spreading the confusion throughout Christendom. "Please FWD to every pastor, teacher and parent you know," pleaded one mass-emailer after quoting The Onion piece at length (warning readers first of "highly graphic descriptions of a pornographic nature"). Connie Neal, author of "What's a Christian to Do with Harry Potter?", says one Dallas radio station tried to find a representative from the fictional "Focus on Faith" to debate her on the air.

Given that Christians are commanded to love the truth ("See to it that no one takes you captive through empty deception," St. Paul warns in Colossians 2:8.), people ought to be more careful.

Some Not Quite Ready for Prime Time religious leaders, including a couple who proudly acknowledge never cracking the cover of a Potter tome, have been heard quoting these phony stats. Those who choose to comment publicly on all things Potter owe it to their audiences to at least read the stories.

Even those Christians who have read the Potter books and sincerely believe that hobnobbing with Harry is dangerous have no excuse for treating their co-religionists like sulfur-belching fiends. In her book, Neal points out that sincere Christians may line up on either side of the Potter debate, but those who engage in personal attacks-whether they're calling Potter lovers "deceived" or dismissing Potter haters as "idiots"-are sinking into sin. Neal's proof is St. Paul's letter to the Galatians: Along with those who practice sorcery, he brackets those who engage in enmity, strife, and disputes-and warns that practicing any of them will keep us out of God's kingdom.

Christians are also warned not to get involved in pointless squabbles over what New Testament writers call "disputable matters"-and now I understand why. Were I not already a Christian, being viciously attacked by those who call themselves followers of Christ would hardly induce me to join them.

And reading Harry Potter books, or viewing the film, are "disputable matters." Within Christianity, disputable matters are points at which spiritual and cultural matters collide. Paul's letter to the Romans describes how first-century Christians argued over whether eating meat that their pagan neighbors had sacrificed to idols was sinful. Paul told them, in effect, to quit arguing about it. Regarding matters of conscience (as opposed to clear Biblical commands), he said, "Let each person be fully convinced in his own mind."

	More Harry Don't Mess with the Occult Pagans on Potter From our boards Science vs. Magic By Alan Jacobs Harry's Star Chart Discussion Satan's Little Messenger?

The Old Testament figure of Daniel shows how Christians might approach reading about sorcery, as opposed to practicing it. Taken from his Jerusalem home as an adolescent, Daniel was placed in King Nebuchadnezzar's court to study the language and literature of the Chaldeans-including astrology, sorcery, and magic. But when the king demanded an interpretation of a dream, Daniel told him flat out that the sorcery he'd been taught was a lot of hooey-that only God in heaven could reveal the mystery. Daniel is great example of being in the world without being it, as Christians are commanded to be.

This suggests that Christians are free to read our culture's literature-including the Potter books. We can also use it to witness to the One we worship, as some Christians are already doing with Rowling's creations.

Some Christians will conclude that it's wrong for them to read Harry Potter or see the film, believing the witchcraft too closely mimics the real thing, or that their own kids are too susceptible to real-life occultism. A loving Church will support their decision. But we should also support those who believe the books will help their children grow in wisdom.

Above all, when it comes to Harry Potter or any other cultural conundrum, we should relax; we know how the ultimate Story ends. God will not triumph over evil; He already has triumphed over evil, on the Cross, 2,000 years ago.

Which is why I hope my fellow Christians will cut me some slack. My kids and I have already bought opening-day tickets to "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," and we can hardly wait to see it-even though saying so will probably result in the faithful clogging my e-mail box (Amorse666@satan.com) with letters consigning me to the heart of Hell. Just as well, I figure, since my Potter-loving kids will already be there. They'll need someone to remind them to floss.