Dawkins to Battle the Harry Potter 'Delusion'

Atheist author will write children's book to wean kids from magic

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 25, 2008 9:30 AM CDT

(Newser) – Evengelical atheist Richard Dawkins will take on Harry Potter in his next book, the Daily Telegraph reports. The God Delusion author is working on a book aimed at teaching children not to put their faith in "anti-scientific" fairytales. The professor plans to examine what effect raising children on stories of witches and wizards has on rationality later in life.

Dawkins tells an interviewer that he doesn't dislike magic and fairy tales—he just worries about their impact. And he hasn't actually read any Harry Potter, though he has read Phillip Pullman's books—and loved them.

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (1)]

Author and scientist Richard Dawkins arrives at the Galaxy British Book Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel on March 28, 2007 in London, England. (Getty Images)

Harry Potter fans read copies of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," just after its release at a book shop in Hong Kong, Saturday, July 21, 2007. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

This undated photo, supplied by Warner Bros. Pictures, shows Daniel Radcliffe in a scene from "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." (AP Photo/Warner Bros.Pictures )

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Do not ever call a child a Muslim child or a Christian child—that is a form of child abuse because a young child is too young to know what its views are about the cosmos or morality. - Richard Dawkins

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Dawkins to Battle the Harry Potter 'Delusion'