Sure, fundamentalists like Movieguide’s Ted Baer have long been opposed to the evils of the Harry Potter book series, but would you believe that renowned atheist RIchard Dawkins agrees with him?

In fact, the author of “The God Delusion” dislikes children stories that incorporate myth of any kind–so much so that he is taking a leave from his position at Oxford University to write his own book aimed at children.

Yes, Dawkins believes not only Harry Potter books but stories of witchcraft and wizardry are having a negative effect on children because their ability to think rationally gets destroyed. His book, on the other hand, will indoctrinate children in the ways of scientific method while debunking fairy tales based on Judeo-Christian mythology.

I thought scientific inquiry was to pose questions that don’t have immediate answers, explore unsolved mysteries, and guard against bias even as you experiment. If scientists didn’t imagine the unknown or take risks in their discoveries, how much would science have progressed over the years? Certainly the rich diversity of fantasy literature from Narnia to Hoqwarts can only encourage curiosity and free thinking.

As Dawkins continues to champion his book, I can only image such close-minded bias would close the minds of any children or teens that could be persuaded to give up their “Harry Potter”, “Artemis Fowl,” or “Twilight” books long enough to read his. Which is to say…I think fantasy story-telling will survive quite nicely for generations to come.