A Christmas mystery -- 12 days worth

Three decades ago, Father Harold Stockert's passion for history sent him digging through stacks of correspondence between French Jesuits and their embattled brethren across the English Channel.

It wasn't easy being a Roman Catholic in Elizabethan England. It was, in fact, illegal and often downright dangerous. This Jesuit correspondence was particularly intense after the 1611 publication of the King James Version, when Catholics in England needed the help of the French in publishing a Catholic Bible.

"You bump into all kinds of interesting things when you read original documents," said Stockert, who now serves at Saints Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Church in Granville, N.Y. "This correspondence included a lot of details about what life was like for Catholics in England. I mean, you did have Jesuits being hanged, drawn and quartered. People can look it up."

One detail fascinated the priest, a reference to English Catholics using many symbolic songs and poems -- some serious, some light-hearted - to help them cling to their faith. One children's song may have been part of a dance or a game and focused on the season between Dec. 25 and Jan. 6, the Feast of the Epiphany.

It began: "On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree."

In the midst of his other research, Father Stockert took a few notes about "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and later wrote an article about the song for friends and parishioners. He posted this article - complete with documentary references - on an ecumenical computer site in 1982, back in the early days of online networks.

"The 'true love' mentioned in the song doesn't refer to an earthly suitor, it refers to God Himself," he wrote. "The 'me' who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge which feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings."

The turtle doves represented the Old and New Testaments, while the three French hens symbolized the virtues of faith, hope and charity. Four calling birds? The four evangelists and their Gospels. The five golden rings correspond to the "Pentateuch" that opens the Hebrew Bible. The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation. The seven swans a-swimming represented the seven sacraments. Eight maids a milking? Eight beatitudes. Nine ladies dancing? Nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. Ten lords a-leaping? Ten Commandments. Finally, the 11 pipers represented the 11 faithful apostles and the 12 drummers the doctrines in the Apostle's Creed.

Today, versions of this article dot the Internet, usually with no mention of the author, including Protestant versions linking the song to "persecuted Christians," in general. And every year, this Christmas lesson circulates via e-mail. Some of these texts are much shorter than his original article and others include material that he did not write. Most importantly, none of these articles include his bibliographical references.

"I've got all kinds of people writing me demanding references for my work," he said. "I wish I could give them what they want, but all of my notes were ruined when our church had a plumbing leak and the basement flooded." Meanwhile, he said, his copy of the original article is on "a computer floppy disk that is so old that nobody has a machine that can read it, anymore."

Meanwhile, the San Fernando Valley Folklore Society's giant site (http://www.snopes.com ) dedicated to dissecting "urban legends" has declared that this account of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is clearly false. This site claims it is a secular song, probably with French roots. This "Twelve Days of Christmas" may also have become confused with a Christian song, which dates back to 1625, that is often called "In Those Twelve Days."

It is also possible, said Father Stockert, that a French song was claimed by English Catholics or that the two songs were blended.

"I'm sure there are elements of legend in this," he said. "But if it is a legend, it's a legend that dates back to the days of Queen Elizabeth. Maybe somebody will go dig this all up again."

The century -- death by 'quasi-religion'

The images are unforgettable, from the faces of the victims to the face of the tyrant who ordered them dead, from the shocking death camps to the spectacular rites of hate that made them possible.

The journalists who cover religion in the secular press have selected the Holocaust as the 20th century's most important religion event.

While the Holocaust stands alone atop the poll, members of the Religion Newswriters Association of America chose as the third-ranked event another example of what happens when political regimes claim god-like powers. This was the Russian Revolution, which led to Joseph Stalin and the Gulag, to Mao Zedong and the Cultural Revolution and on and on.

"It's hard to compare anything to horror of the Holocaust. It is a unique event, in so many ways," said historian Martin Marty of the University of Chicago, America's best-known commentator on religious life. "But when we look at the whole century, we can see the Holocaust as the ultimate example of an even larger trend. It is the unforgettable event that helps us see the entire picture."

When historians add up the statistics, 100 million or more were killed by what Marty called the "quasi-religious tyrannies" of the 20th century. These regimes were secular. But they had charismatic, almost messianic leaders supported by hierarchical structures built on their authority. They produced elaborate systems of myths, symbols, scriptures, metaphysics, rituals, art, history and law. When the faithful in other faiths refused to convert or compromise, these regimes responded with deadly force.

Thus, many of this century's most horrific events shared cult-like characteristics - from Germany to Russia, from Tibet to Cambodia, from Rwanda to the Balkans. They were united by victims, tyrants, death camps and litanies of lies.

Here are the century's top 10 religion news events, as selected by the 30 reporters and editors who responded to a questionnaire prepared by the Religion Newswriters Association.

1. Six million Jews and millions of others die in Nazi camps, a Holocaust that leads to worldwide revulsion and the founding of the state of Israel.

While it's easy to call the Holocaust as a "Jewish event," it is also important to recognize that this event "represented a total breakdown at the heart of what was supposed to be a Christian civilization in Europe," said historian Steven Katz of Boston University, author of the multi-volume "The Holocaust in Historical Context."

"The murderers were supposed to be Christians, but all across Europe many people did not act as Christians. The church did not always act like the church. The Holocaust begins as a failure within Christendom."

2. The Second Vatican Council changes Catholicism's relationship with the world and other faiths. It's work in the early 1960s leads to ongoing efforts to reform the church's liturgies and teachings, sparking an era of creativity and tensions in the world's largest Christian body.

3. The Russian Revolution of 1917 ushers in 70 years of communism. Millions of religious believers are slaughtered in China, the Soviet Union and other nations. Visits to his native Poland by Pope John Paul II lead to a collapse of communism in Poland and, eventually, in the rest of Eastern Europe.

4. The Azusa Street revival in Los Angeles of 1906 launches modern Pentecostalism, which becomes the fastest growing segment of Christianity in the late 20th century. This can be seen as a capstone event after generations of evangelical movements that emphasized the role of personal conversion experiences in Christian faith.

5. The ordination of women begins in Protestant churches in the United States and spreads into Judaism. The United Methodist Church becomes the first mainline denomination to elect a woman bishop.

6. The Dead Sea Scrolls are discovered in 1947.

7. Radical Muslims gain influence throughout the wider world of Islam. Ayatollah Khomeini becomes the leader of a new theocratic state in Iran.

8. Pope John Paul is elected in 1978, becoming the first non-Italian Catholic pope in 450 years. He later survives an assassination attempt and continues his global evangelization efforts.

9. Led by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., the America Civil Rights Movement gains strong support from a broad religious coalition.

10. The non-violent tactics of Hindu leader Mohandas "Mahatma"' Gandhi inspire the world and end England's control of India.

Y2K Top 10 -- Luther meets the printing press

The question is impossible to answer, but that hasn't kept those who study religion and mass media from asking it: Would the Protestant Reformation have happened without the invention of moveable type?

While stopping short of directly linking Martin Luther and Johannes Gutenberg, members of the Religion Newswriters Association of America have selected the Protestant Reformation and the invention of the printing press as the top events in a poll to determine the top 10 religion stories of the Second Millennium.

"There were all kinds of reform movements before Martin Luther and there were other reformers hard at work all around him," said Lutheran scholar Martin Marty, who has written 50-plus books and is, according to Time, America's "most influential living interpreter of religion."

"But Luther is a dramatic leader who comes along and is in the right place at the right time. So, for a lot of reasons, it is the revolt of the junior faculty at the University of Wittenberg that gets the attention. Luther becomes the symbol of an entire era of change."

Luther did more than nail his convictions to a church door -- he published them. His story combines a dramatic personality with dramatic ideas that set in motion dramatic events. He made precisely the kind of history that looks great in print, helping shape modernity and, especially, Western culture.

"When we talk about history, and journalism, too, we talk about great people and great stories," said communications scholar James Carey, best known for his work at the University of Illinois and, now, at Columbia University. "There have been so many great changes in this world that were never really captured as history, precisely because they were not captured in print. Our collective memories are structured by print, and we can see that in this kind of poll."

Here is the top 10 list for the millennium, as selected by the 30 religion reporters and editors who took part in the poll, which was based on a questionnaire prepared by the Religion Newswriters Association.

1. Luther publicizes his 95 theses in 1517. The Catholic hierarchy responds with its Counter Reformation, beginning with the Council of Trent (1545-1563). Meanwhile, King Henry VIII creates the Church of England.

2. The invention of movable type leads to the publication of the Gutenberg Bible in 1455. Soon, many forms of religious material are published for the laity. John Wycliffe translates the first English Bible in 1380 and the King James Version follows in 1605.

3. The great schism of 1054 divides Christendom, separating the ancient churches of the East and West.

4. Six million Jews and millions of others die in Nazi concentration camps, a Holocaust that leads to worldwide revulsion and the founding of the state of Israel.

5. In 1095, Pope Urban II authorizes the Crusades to reclaim Christian holy sites captured by the Muslims. Some of the Crusader armies slaughter Orthodox Christians, as well as Muslims in the Middle East.

6. Muslim invaders crush Buddhism in India at the end of the 12th Century, while Islam also expands into Africa and Asia. Muslim Turks capture Constantinople in 1453, ending the Byzantine Empire. But the spread of Islam fails to sweep into Europe.

7. The Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s changes the Catholic Church's relationship with the world, other churches and other faiths. It's work leads to ongoing efforts to reform the church's liturgies and some teachings, sparking an era of creativity and tensions in the world's largest Christian body.

8. Protestants settle in Plymouth, Mass., in 1620, seeking religious freedom. While establishing Rhode Island, reformer Roger Williams furthers the notion of separation of church and state. Guarantees of religious liberty are later enshrined in the U.S. Bill of Rights, a pivotal moment that helps shape global trends toward religious freedom.

9. Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud - a quartet of titans that Marty called the "bearded God-killers of the 20th century" - promulgate ideas that undercut centuries of belief, helping shape modernity's educational and cultural elites.

10. The Azuza Street revival in Los Angeles of 1906 launches modern Pentecostalism, which becomes Christianity's fastest growing segment in the late 20th century. This is a capstone event, coming after generations of evangelical movements that emphasize the role of personal conversion experiences.

Yes, there is a St. Nicholas

Father Constantine White was ready when his young son asked the big December question: "Is Santa Claus real?"

Instead of answering "yes" or "no," the Orthodox priest responded with another question: "Well, what is the name of our church?"

That would be St. Nicholas Cathedral, named after the 4th Century bishop of Myra in Asia Minor. Nicholas has for centuries been one of Eastern Orthodoxy's most beloved saints, the patron of orphans, merchants, sailors and all those in distress. His feast day is Dec. 6.

St. Nicholas is a saint. The church insists that saints live on, in a heavenly "cloud of witnesses." So, yes, there is a St. Nicholas.

"I tell people who are touring our sanctuary: 'We never have to tell our children that there is no St. Nicholas,' " said White, dean of the Orthodox Church in America's cathedral in Washington, D.C. "There is, in fact, a St. Nicholas and he gives us his love and his prayers. These gifts are much more precious than anything people get at a mall."

The secular superman called Santa Claus will be nowhere in sight, when parishioners at St. Nicholas Cathedral gather for weekend services honoring their patron. They will chant ancient prayers and send clouds of incense into a small, but glorious, five-story limestone vault. As in most Orthodox parishes, and some Eastern Rite Catholic churches, the feast day will be moved to the closest Sunday.

The hymns are solemn, befitting a shepherd known for fasting and self-sacrifice. These lines are typical: "With what songs shall we praise the holy bishop Nicholas? O holy father Nicholas, Christ has shown you to be a model of faith. Your humility inspired all your flock. You are known as the protector of widows and orphans."

The sanctuary's interior is covered with iconography, the work of Russians who began working in the fall of 1991 and finished three years later. The main images are of Christ triumphant and of Mary with the infant Jesus. The Russian saints soaring over the choir include martyrs huddled behind barbed wire in Soviet prison camps. The north wall features six rows of large icons -- 34 images in all -- depicting the life of St. Nicholas, the Wonderworker.

The ninth scene is called "Charity of St. Nicholas" and shows the bishop visiting the home of a poor family, carrying a bag of gold. As the story goes, the father could not provide dowries for his three daughters, which meant they could not marry. Nicholas rescued them from slavery or prostitution by dropping gold coins through a window. The gifts fell into stockings, hung up to dry during the night.

This story is actually quite logical, said White. The church at Myra recorded that Nicholas was born into a wealthy family and apparently gave most of his inheritance to the poor. He participated in the Council of Nicea and, when theological debate was not enough, reportedly punched the heretic Arius, who argued that Jesus was not fully divine. Nicholas was imprisoned under the Emperor Diocletian and released under Constantine. He died on Dec. 6, 343 A.D.

The image of the white-haired saint in red robes, bringing gifts in the night, grew in popularity through the centuries -- especially with children.

Sailors spread his fame along the European coast. Over time, traditions linked to St. Nicholas blended with other legends. The result: Father Christmas, Kriss Kringle, Pere Noel and many others, including Sinter Klaas, who came with the Dutch to the American settlement that became the media capitol called New York City. Then poet Clement C. Moore, cartoonist Thomas Nast, Coca-Cola and legions of ad agencies got a hold of him.

But the true home of St. Nicholas is the season of Nativity Lent, or Advent, which precedes the 12 days of Christmas.

"St. Nicholas is supposed to be the very image of charity and concern for others, especially the poor," said White. "There is some link there to gift-giving, but nothing that resembles what has happened with Santa Claus. I can guarantee you this, any man in a red suit who shows up at this church around Christmas is going to be dressed like a bishop."

Should a Christian do a nude scene?

One by one, the summer flicks have faded from theater screens, entering the brief purgatory that precedes rebirth on video and cable television.

Most are forgotten sooner rather than later.

"The Thomas Crown Affair" was one typical piece of Hollywood eye candy, focusing on a filthy-rich hunk who commits crimes as a hobby and the femme fatale that stalks him. This was not the kind of movie that normally inspires discussions in a seminary or in churches.

Then again, this steamy thriller featured a star-turn performance by 40-something actress Rene Russo, a born-again Christian who bared both her emotions and her body. It raised serious issues for believers who frequent pews and Bible studies in Hollywood.

"I see no sign that the questions she raised are going to go away anytime soon," said evangelical theologian Robert Johnston, who teaches the "Theology and Film" course at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif. "Movie people always have a lot to talk about, when they get together to discuss the issues that affect Christians who work in this town. But it seems like somebody always asks: 'Would you ever do a nude scene?' It's such a symbolic question."

Russo faced this agonizing issue during promotional interviews, explaining that she spent hours in prayer and turned to a therapist. She discussed her role as wife and mother. She described her charismatic, slain-in-the-Holy Spirit conversion as a teen and her return to faith as an adult in Bible classes at the famous Church on the Way in Van Nuys.

The ultimate issue, she said, was not nudity. "I don't know where in the Bible it says, 'Don't be nude in a motion picture,' " she told Los Angeles magazine. The question was whether she should, as a Christian, accept the challenge of playing a fictional character that is amoral, manipulative and, at times, plain old nasty.

"It was like, whoa, this is a woman who totally leads with her sex," said Russo. "Here is a character who is European. She doesn't know if she has her top on or not. She doesn't care. She is a different kind of woman and it's not who I am. And it was really scary for me."

This line of defense only raises more questions. Would her critics have approved if she played the same amoral, sexy character, yet managed to keep more of her clothes on? Why?

What if she played the same role, but allowed the use of an anonymous "body double" to take her place in nude scenes?

Or how about this somewhat theoretical question: What if a Hollywood director asked Russo to play a loving wife, shown in a romantic nude scene with an actor playing the role of her husband, in a film that defended faith and virtue? Was nudity acceptable in the wedding-night scene in "Braveheart"?

Meanwhile, asked Johnston, why aren't moral conservatives asking as many tough questions about roles that involve other deadly sins? Can Christian artists depict war criminals, tyrants, bigots and crooks? Should a Christian actress think twice about playing Lady Macbeth?

This behavior issue leads to another question: If it is wrong for religious believers to play these kinds of characters, especially in nude scenes, is it just as wrong for other religious believers to watch these entertaining images in theaters or at home?

"We get so upset about issues of nudity and sex in art and entertainment, while issues of violence and killing don't seem to bother us as much," he said. "We Protestants, in particular, have a special problem with body and with images of the body. This affects painting and dance and theater, as well. ... Meanwhile, Rene Russo is right on target when she said that the real question was the behavior of her character."

The actress admitted that her choice raised disturbing questions. She told USA Today that she soon developed a spiritual answer for this essentially spiritual question.

"Did I do the right thing?", asked Russo. "I always say to Christians who say I'm wrong, 'Well, you know what? Pray for me. Just pray for me.' "

A Catholic zeal for souls?

It wouldn't be a proper baptism rite without someone taking a photograph of the priest and the new members lined up for the service.

Anyone who studies these images from Catholic life during the 1940s and '50s will be struck by an obvious fact, said Bishop John H. Ricard of Pensacola, Fla. The center aisles in those urban churches were awfully full during baptisms, including rows of adult converts.

Somebody was doing something right.

"It was just expected of a priest in those days that he would bring into the church at least 40 or 50 people a year. It was also the expectation of the parish that this would happen," said Ricard, during this week's conference of the U.S. Catholic bishops. "I know that times have changed, our culture has changed and attitudes have changed, which makes this a great deal more challenging. But, somehow, we need to recapture that spirit that we had in the past. We need to regain that sense of expectation."

There are a lot of Roman Catholics in America already - 61,207,914, according to the 1998 statistics. Last year, 69,894 adults were baptized and 92,155 converted from other churches. But while those numbers are rising, church leaders are wrestling with basic questions of Catholic identity, such as the spiritual health of the faith's schools and why so many Catholics live on the fringes of church life or have joined other flocks.

Thus, Pope John Paul II has called for increased efforts to reach lapsed Catholics and the unchurched. Almost every gathering of the hierarchy will include one report or workshop focusing on what Catholics call "The New Evangelization."

This week's Washington, D.C., conference was no exception. The bishops' evangelization committee said parishes must find creative ways to be more welcoming, to add new outreach ministries and to offer beautiful liturgies with better preaching and "appropriate music."

"There's so much more to do," said Archbishop Michael Sheehan of Santa Fe, N.M. There are "so many people who are spiritually hungry. We must have a kind of renewed enthusiasm for sharing the faith. We need a kind of a good old-fashioned zeal for souls."

Part of the problem is that "evangelization" sounds like "evangelism" and, in this day and age, that word is almost exclusively associated with evangelical Protestants. Plus, if clergy and laity develop a "zeal for souls," this will almost certainly lead to divisive discussions of heaven, hell and saving souls.

This is controversial territory for modern Catholics. During his recent trip to India, the pope upset many religious leaders - including some bishops - by insisting that Jesus is the savior of the whole world and that it isn't enough for Catholics to do good works and dialogue with those in other faiths. John Paul II stressed that "there can be no true evangelization without the explicit proclamation of Jesus as Lord."

But the pope also said, in a proclamation about mission work in Asia, that non-Christians don't necessarily have to become Christians in order to save their souls.

Echoing the Second Vatican Council's efforts to modernize Catholicism's views of other faiths, he wrote: "From the first minute of time to its end, Jesus is the one universal Mediator. Even for those who do not explicitly profess faith in him as the Savior, salvation comes as a grace from Jesus Christ through the communication of the Holy Spirit."

Thus, Ricard said Catholics no longer believe that the main motivation for evangelization is to save lost souls. But this doesn't mean that priests are supposed to stop reaching out to lapsed Catholics and to non-believers. It is still good to make converts. It is still good to see people lining up in the church during baptism services.

Priests must be taught that this remains part of their vocation, he said.

"I guess that, in your typical suburban parish, we are consuming so much of priest's time in all these ministries with the people we already have," said the bishop. "There's so much for our priests to do already and, most of the time, they are simply not finding the time to lead others into faith in Jesus Christ."

Take the 'family' -- please.

The following quotations come from modern leaders in the Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Confucian traditions. Here's the big question: Who said what?

* "The family is the basic social unit in society, and marriage is the fundamental institution."

* "The family is the original cell of social life. It is the natural society in which husband and wife are called to give themselves in love and in the gift of life."

* It is "the family, more than any other unit in society, which constitutes a solid base for national life."

* "Throughout the centuries, the family has always occupied the central place as the primary social-religious institution."

For the curious, the answers are Muslim author Abdel Rahib Omran, the authors of the 1994 Catechism of the Catholic Church, Chinese scholar Chang Chi'i-Yun and Jewish sociologist Benjamin Schlesinger. The point of this exercise is to note that the world's major religions have for centuries maintained a remarkably degree of harmony when it comes to the role of the family.

Like it or not, religion remains a powerful force in world affairs. So it wasn't a surprise when traditional definitions of controversial terms such as "marriage" and "family" drew a hearty "Amen!" in a survey done in preparation for the second World Congress of Families, which meets Nov. 14-17 in Geneva. The Wirthlin Worldwide survey recorded the opinions of 2,900 adults in 19 countries in five regions - the United States, Europe, Asia, Latin American and the Middle East and Africa.

"Religion and family are the opposite sides of the same coin," said Allan Carlson, president of the Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society in Rockford, Ill. "Religion and family life feed off each other everywhere. When the level of religious faith declines in a culture, then that culture's views of marriage and family life begin to change, as well. The obvious example is Europe."

Researchers found that 84 percent of those polled worldwide agreed that, "marriage is one man and one woman." Meanwhile, nearly eight in 10 respondents worldwide (78 percent) agreed that, "A family created through lawful marriage is the fundamental unit of society." However, only 54 percent of Europeans agreed with that statement. On a related issue, 86 percent of those polled agreed that, "All things being equal, it is better for children to be raised in a household that has a married mother and father." Only 66 percent of Europeans agreed.

Meanwhile, 39 percent of those polled worldwide gave the strongest possible affirmation when asked to rank the importance of religious faith in their lives. It was 16 percent in Europe.

When asked how often they attend worship services and other religious events, 36 percent of global respondents said, "Once a week or more." In Europe it was 13 percent. And what about those who never darken the door of a church, synagogue, mosque, temple or shrine? Ten percent of those polled worldwide said they never attend religious meetings of any kind. In Europe, that number was 26 percent.

The rising secular tide in Europe is more than a statistic. European educators, artists and politicians have historically played pivotal roles in shaping world opinion, especially at the United Nations and in elite U.S. cultural institutions such as Hollywood and the Ivy League. In response, conservative religious leaders in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East have begun forming interfaith coalitions focusing on social issues -- including breakthrough efforts between Muslims and Christians.

Conservative activists who gather next week in Switzerland will disagree on many political, cultural and religious issues, said Carlson. But they will have at least one uniting goal: to find definitions of politically charged words such as "marriage" and "family" that transcend the particulars of their cultures and these changing times.

"To be human is to be familial. That is the critical point we want to make," he said. "You can believe that we were created that way or you can refuse to believe that we were created that way. But anyone who studies marriage and family has to face this question and it is an essentially religious question."

Harry Potter and free will, Part II

Harry Potter had just triumphed in another face-to-face showdown with the forces of evil -- represented, logically enough, by a gigantic serpent.

But the young wizard also discovered darkness, as well as light, in his own soul. His ordeal in the Chamber of Secrets revealed that he truly was free to have embraced evil and the house of Salazar Slytherin, rather than the noble house of Godric Gryffindor.

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities," says Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

This kind of scene is typical of the vaguely moral, "good versus evil" plots in many fantasy novels, said literary critic Kathryn Lindskoog, who is best known for her books about the Christian apologist C.S. Lewis. Yet the Harry Potter books also specifically address the complex and confusing world of modern childhood. The characters are tempted to do what is wrong, as well as challenged to do what they know is right. They face real choices.

"The Harry Potter books are cute and naughty in that us-versus-them sort of way that kids like so much and I guess it is true that they contain some moral ambiguities," said Lindskoog. "Welcome to the real world. The question is whether these books tell children that they are supposed to choose good over evil. It seems to me that, so far, they are doing just that."

One thing is certain: millions of people are choosing to invite Harry Potter and his friends into their homes. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," "Harry Potter and the Secret Chamber" and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" recently grabbed the top three slots on the U.S. hardback fiction bestseller lists at the same time. British author Joanne Kathleen Rowling has promised four more books in the series.

The books have their critics. Some worry that they are too violent and, since Rowling has said future volumes will be darker and more complex, they are likely to become bloodier and more distressing. Others believe that the books may popularize witchcraft, in an era in which the principalities and powers of public education and popular culture would certainly reject, let's say, "Harry Potter and the Rock of Ages."

Nevertheless, evangelical activist Charles Colson and his radio-commentary researchers have concluded, "the magic in these books is purely mechanical, as opposed to occultic. That is, Harry and his friends cast spells, read crystal balls and turn themselves into animals -- but they don't make contact with a supernatural world." Meanwhile, the characters learn "courage, loyalty and a willingness to sacrifice for one another -- even at the risk of their lives. Not bad lessons, in a self-centered world."

Fantasy fiction often causes controversy, stressed Lindskoog, because it blends powerful emotions and messages with symbols and stories that are wide open to different interpretations. But there are common themes that grace the classic fantasy novels. In an updated edition of her book "How to Grow a Young Reader" - which surveys 1,800 works of children's literature -- Lindskoog and co-author Ranelda Mack Hunsicker note that these works consistently:

* Emphasize the importance of personal choices.

* Focus on the "heroic thoughts and deeds of seemingly ordinary characters."

* Recognize the "presence of evil in the world and the need for vigilance on the part of those who love truth."

* Help the reader achieve a "clearer understanding of oneself and society without resorting to preaching."

* Provide a sense of hope.

The jury remains out on Harry Potter, said Lindskoog. But this frenzy is typical of the media fads that sweep through youth culture, including children's literature. Meanwhile, researchers continue to find increasing numbers of adolescents with cable-era television and VCRs in their rooms and, in 1998, 66 percent of American movies were rated R or worse.

"There is real evil out there and parents need to stay on guard," said Lindskoog. "So I hope parents are out there reading the Harry Potter books for themselves and discussing them with their kids. Anything that pushes parents to get more involved in the lives of their children can't be all bad."

Harry Potter -- Is he safe?

It was the kind of proclamation that mayors sign all of the time - with a twist.

"WHEREAS, Earth Religions are among the oldest spiritual systems on the planet; and WHEREAS, Followers of many earth-centered religions live and worship in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina."

Thus, Asheville Mayor Leni Sitnick declared the last week of October "Earth Religions Awareness Week," in a rite attended by local witches and scores of singing children, led by a priestess in a long, black robe. A few days later, a witch read one of her favorite books to elementary schoolchildren.

No, it wasn't a Harry Potter book, one of those supernaturally popular novels about a youngster at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But a lot of people are having troubled welcoming witches into the public square - period.

"This is precisely the kind of thing that keeps happening these days and more people are getting concerned," said Joel Belz, publisher of World, a national evangelical newsmagazine based in Asheville.

After all, Harry Potter-mania is everywhere. The books recently held the top three slots on the U.S. hardback fiction bestseller lists and the top two slots on the paperback lists. British author Joanne Kathleen Rowling's books have been translated into 28 languages and she has promised four more books in the series. Hollywood is gearing up, too.

What's a parent or pastor to do?

"We know that what's in the Harry Potter books is not all bad and that lots of Christian families will read them and enjoy them," said Belz. "No one wants to be reactionary. But we have to take issues of good and evil seriously and we just can't endorse the kind of moral ambiguity that we see in these books."

Thus, the book division of God's World Publishing has stopped selling "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," "Harry Potter and the Secret Chamber" and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." Customers made their concerns very clear, said Belz. Also, the editors at World magazine had decided to reverse course.

A May review focusing on the first Harry Potter novel said: "Magic and wizardry are problematic for Christian readers. Mrs. Rowling, though, keeps it safe, inoffensive and non-occult. This is the realm of Gandalf and the Wizard of Id, on witchcraft. There is a fairy-tale order to it all in which, as (G.K.) Chesterton and (J.R.R.) Tolkien pointed out, magic must have rules, and good does not - cannot - mix with bad."

But a new cover story argues that Rowling's work has evolved and now resembles the "tangled terrain and psychology of Batman." While the Harry Potter books may seem innocent, this "safety, this apparent harmlessness, may create a problem by putting a smiling mask on evil. A reader drawn in would find that the real world of witchcraft is not Harry's world."

Others are just as worried about the violence in the books. Earlier this month, the South Carolina Board of Education agreed to review the status of the Harry Potter books. In a quotation featured in news reports from coast to coast, Elizabeth Mounce of Columbia told the board: "The books have a serious tone of death, hate, lack of respect and sheer evil." These debates are not merely a Bible Belt phenomenon. Critics are speaking up in states such as Michigan, Minnesota and New York.

Meanwhile, Rowling has been touring the United States and offering this blunt advice: Anyone who is worried about the content of her books shouldn't read them. But she also has repeatedly warned her readers that the tone of the Harry Potter books will become increasingly dark and potentially disturbing. She is committed to portraying evil in a serious way, with characters that are more complex than cardboard cutouts.

"If you ban all the books with witchcraft and the supernatural, you'll ban three-quarters of children's literature," she told the Washington Post. "I positively think they are moral books. I've met thousands of children, but I've never met a single child who has asked me about the occult."