Have you ever written a witch or wizard character in your stories, who is portrayed as a good witch/wizard, who uses their magic for good and not evil?

If you haven't, would you ever write such a character?

If not, why not?

I guess my reasoning for asking is that many people say wizards and witches are bad - in Christian circles especially, probably because of what the bible says about them, and shouldn't be portrayed in a good light.

But I wondered what you guys think. I mean Tolkien managed it with Gandalf. Do any of you have a problem with Gandalf being a 'good Wizard?'

Well, the thing with Gandalf is that wizard is only the name in the common tongue. The Istari aren't wizards in the sense we usually mean. They're Maiar spirits with physical bodies. They are naturally magical beings. Real witches and wizards are people who commune with spirits for the sake of gaining power or magic. The problem with them is that they're trying to give themselves power rather than trusting God to handle things.

I haven't yet...because I haven't achieved the level of skill I require of myself before attempting such a feat.

I would and will if or when I get the idea for it.

And...yeah, Kitra covered that last point. At least for Gandalf. It comes down to how you're defining terms like 'magic' and 'wizards' and 'witches', and what you believe the Bible is actually condemning.

At one time I did, before I'd read the relevant passages of the Law while paying attention or begun to think through the issues. Basically, I used the words I knew for supernatural-but-not-celestial elements. Now that I have terms that don't have the undesirable connotations ("applied metaphysics," "mage," "cobha," etc.), I use those instead.

Let me think... I don't believe I have, but only because I haven't had a reason to currently. Most magic-users I've written recently aren't wizards or witches. They could be considered as such, I suppose, but they're not.

I would most certainly write such a character if I ever had a reason to! I--oh, wait, I think I did write one once. Several, actually. Only I called them (and their apprentices) sorcerers. I just liked the sound of it better than 'wizards'. This was a few years back; I'd just watched Nicolas Cage's version of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and had fallen in love with it. Hence it inspired me.

I don't think it's wrong to write or read wizards and witches at all. It's not like we're practicing witchcraft or actually believing the stuff, so what's the fuss? If we didn't write/read what the Bible said was wrong... well, there wouldn't be any stealing, killing, lying, cheating, gluttony, greed, envy, etc. in our stories, and we would hardly be able to read anything anyone else writes! The list goes on and on. Why should witches and wizards be any different? And why shouldn't we break the mold of 'bad witches and bad wizards' and make them protagonists? Or at least good characters rather than villains?

After all, as you said, Tolkien did a wonderful job with Gandalf (whether he was an actual wizard or not)!