Harry Potter and Christianity
Since the second Harry Potter movie is coming out I thought I'd bring out something I wrote last year.
At work we have a guy who hate Harry Potter. He thinks Harry Potter is the work of the devil so he wrote an editorial on it. Just a quick glance at the piece made one thing very clear: He had never bothered to read the books. I questioned him on this and he confessed that he had "read parts of them."
I get quite fired up when people doesn't use rational logic, and the editorial he wrote was greatly lacking there of. If he wants to hate Harry Potter, fine, but that's his business. The idea that Harry Potter should be universally hated is what I object to. So I went home and wrote my own view on the subject. Eventually I gave him a copy of a shorter version* of the following piece. He never brought it up so heaven knows what he thought of it.
Harry Potter and Christianity: A response
On the shelves of most libraries in this country is a book that in one chapter tells the story of a man on vacation with his mistress. While spending the night in the house of a stranger a gang of violent men knock on the door of the house and demand that the visiting man come out so that they can have sex with him. The visiting man and the owner of the house told them no, but gave them the mistress instead. The gang beats the woman and rapes her all night long. The next morning when the man awakens and looks out the front door he sees his mistress in a dead bloody heap on the steps. This man then takes her body and cuts her into 12 pieces and sends these pieces to the far reaches of the land.
This is a book that can be easily obtained by children in most any library in the country and yes, even school libraries. For those who did not recognize the above story it comes from the Bible, Judges chapter 19.
If a film maker were to make an accurate movie version of the Bible it would certainly be rated R, and in some places triple X. The amount of blood, carnage, incest, rape, and all manner of evil in the Bible is staggering, and yet many parents actually give copies of this book to their young children.
To any Christian the reason is obvious, Christians see the message of the Bible, and they see how it puts the violent contents of the book in proper perspective. The Bible shows evil for what it really is, and shows how life should be led.
Why then do some Christians have such trouble when they are confronted with Harry Potter? Why do they react so strongly to the word "witch" while overlooking what the books are really saying?
Too many Christians have criticized Harry Potter using arguments that make it plain they haven't even read the books. These critics quote J.K. Rowlings' writings selectively, twist them out of context and misrepresent the messages of the stories. Their method applied to the Bible might result in quotes from Satan represented as if they stated God's position.
In contrast, other Christians have commented on how strongly the comparison of good and evil in the books corresponds with western-based morals - that is morals that come from the Judeo-Christian tradition. The books promote friendship, bravery, the idea that wealth isn't really important, and the value of family. The books condemn bullies, rudeness, and acts of violence.
While violence is present, it is shown in context. J.K. Rowlings, like all good writers, is honest about what evil really is. Parents who guide children toward the books when they are old enough to understand this conflict between good and evil need not be concerned about exposure to excessive violence.
The books are similar to, and as wholesome as, any other fairy tale. Much of the criticism they have received comes down to the word, "witch." But if we object to the word witch because the stories show some witches in a positive light, are we to tell children that they can't read The Wizard of Oz, because of Glenda the 'good' witch? What about Bedknobs and Broomsticks? What about other words that may be confused in literature? Are we to stop reading Greek myths because they tell stories of gods? Should we avoid Peter Pan because of its references to religious mythology? Furthermore, shouldn't those who object to the word "witch" apply this same concern to other "magical" creatures known by such names as Jedi Knight or Fairy Godmother?
Christians today readily support C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. Yet, Lewis, who uses children's fantasy to illustrate many Christian principles, created good creatures that perform magical acts such as Father Christmas and the Magician on the Isle of the Dufflepuds. In one key scene, the heroine, Lucy, goes into the Magician's house, looks through his book of spells and casts a spell causing the book's "Christ" figure, Aslan, to appear. It is interesting to note that when the Chronicles of Narnia were first published, Lewis was attacked by many Christians who claimed that his stories were filled with witchcraft, gods, goddesses, spirits of trees, and river gods.
Where is this confusion between literary devise and reality to stop?
Christian author Connie Neal explains the idea this way:
"Let's say that maybe your church produces a Christmas Carol, the Dickens classic. What if someone told you, 'Now, I have never read A Christmas Carol, but I have seen enough clips of the film to know it is absolutely evil. I saw Ebeneezer Scrooge conversing with the spirit of a dead man. I saw for myself that he astrally projects out of the window. I saw Scrooge in a graveyard, and that hooded figure with him was a spirit who had taken him into the future and shown him his own grave, and that's divination. Deuteronomy 18 forbids divination. How can you as a Christian say that this has anything to do with Christmas?'
"You may respond by saying, 'Wait, the story is about redemption! It's about loving before it's too late!' The story is good-in every sense of the word-even though it is set entirely within supernatural elements forbidden in the Bible.
"So how would we respond to critics? Would we say, 'Divination and speaking to the dead are no big deal?' No. We say, 'I understand that these spirits and supernatural powers are merely literary devices used by the author to tell a story, not a subtle attempt to lead unsuspecting children into occult practices.' "
~ "Harry Potter and the Disputable Matter," By Anne Morse, an interview with Connie Neal
As a Christian, I fear that others of my faith, by attacking the Harry Potter books, actually confirm the larger world's suspicions of Christianity. Too often we appear to become irrationally defensive when we perceive that someone disagrees with us, or presents a contrary idea. Our troubled world longs to see people of faith model compassion, repentance, forgiveness and humility. Bickering about relatively minor concerns distracts Christians from our larger mission to share hope with a hurting world.
I believe that Harry Potter is nothing more than a modern fairy tale filled with magical creatures, refreshing humor, and a moral at the end of the story. However, I do not wish to impose my view on other Christians who find him offensive. The Apostle Paul in Romans 14 and I Corinthians 8 suggested that Christians would disagree regarding cultural issues. He counseled gracious acceptance of these differences and a renewed focus on the essential matters of faith. His advice is centuries old, but needed as much as ever today. Let each one determine for herself what to make of Harry Potter, and leaving that matter behind, join together to overcome the all too real and tragic evils that fill our present world.
*Note: in case you were wondering the part that I cut when I gave this to the guy was the opening section on the story from the Bible. I was trying to keep it short.
At work we have a guy who hate Harry Potter. He thinks Harry Potter is the work of the devil so he wrote an editorial on it. Just a quick glance at the piece made one thing very clear: He had never bothered to read the books. I questioned him on this and he confessed that he had "read parts of them."
I get quite fired up when people doesn't use rational logic, and the editorial he wrote was greatly lacking there of. If he wants to hate Harry Potter, fine, but that's his business. The idea that Harry Potter should be universally hated is what I object to. So I went home and wrote my own view on the subject. Eventually I gave him a copy of a shorter version* of the following piece. He never brought it up so heaven knows what he thought of it.
Harry Potter and Christianity: A response
On the shelves of most libraries in this country is a book that in one chapter tells the story of a man on vacation with his mistress. While spending the night in the house of a stranger a gang of violent men knock on the door of the house and demand that the visiting man come out so that they can have sex with him. The visiting man and the owner of the house told them no, but gave them the mistress instead. The gang beats the woman and rapes her all night long. The next morning when the man awakens and looks out the front door he sees his mistress in a dead bloody heap on the steps. This man then takes her body and cuts her into 12 pieces and sends these pieces to the far reaches of the land.
This is a book that can be easily obtained by children in most any library in the country and yes, even school libraries. For those who did not recognize the above story it comes from the Bible, Judges chapter 19.
If a film maker were to make an accurate movie version of the Bible it would certainly be rated R, and in some places triple X. The amount of blood, carnage, incest, rape, and all manner of evil in the Bible is staggering, and yet many parents actually give copies of this book to their young children.
To any Christian the reason is obvious, Christians see the message of the Bible, and they see how it puts the violent contents of the book in proper perspective. The Bible shows evil for what it really is, and shows how life should be led.
Why then do some Christians have such trouble when they are confronted with Harry Potter? Why do they react so strongly to the word "witch" while overlooking what the books are really saying?
Too many Christians have criticized Harry Potter using arguments that make it plain they haven't even read the books. These critics quote J.K. Rowlings' writings selectively, twist them out of context and misrepresent the messages of the stories. Their method applied to the Bible might result in quotes from Satan represented as if they stated God's position.
In contrast, other Christians have commented on how strongly the comparison of good and evil in the books corresponds with western-based morals - that is morals that come from the Judeo-Christian tradition. The books promote friendship, bravery, the idea that wealth isn't really important, and the value of family. The books condemn bullies, rudeness, and acts of violence.
While violence is present, it is shown in context. J.K. Rowlings, like all good writers, is honest about what evil really is. Parents who guide children toward the books when they are old enough to understand this conflict between good and evil need not be concerned about exposure to excessive violence.
The books are similar to, and as wholesome as, any other fairy tale. Much of the criticism they have received comes down to the word, "witch." But if we object to the word witch because the stories show some witches in a positive light, are we to tell children that they can't read The Wizard of Oz, because of Glenda the 'good' witch? What about Bedknobs and Broomsticks? What about other words that may be confused in literature? Are we to stop reading Greek myths because they tell stories of gods? Should we avoid Peter Pan because of its references to religious mythology? Furthermore, shouldn't those who object to the word "witch" apply this same concern to other "magical" creatures known by such names as Jedi Knight or Fairy Godmother?
Christians today readily support C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. Yet, Lewis, who uses children's fantasy to illustrate many Christian principles, created good creatures that perform magical acts such as Father Christmas and the Magician on the Isle of the Dufflepuds. In one key scene, the heroine, Lucy, goes into the Magician's house, looks through his book of spells and casts a spell causing the book's "Christ" figure, Aslan, to appear. It is interesting to note that when the Chronicles of Narnia were first published, Lewis was attacked by many Christians who claimed that his stories were filled with witchcraft, gods, goddesses, spirits of trees, and river gods.
Where is this confusion between literary devise and reality to stop?
Christian author Connie Neal explains the idea this way:
"Let's say that maybe your church produces a Christmas Carol, the Dickens classic. What if someone told you, 'Now, I have never read A Christmas Carol, but I have seen enough clips of the film to know it is absolutely evil. I saw Ebeneezer Scrooge conversing with the spirit of a dead man. I saw for myself that he astrally projects out of the window. I saw Scrooge in a graveyard, and that hooded figure with him was a spirit who had taken him into the future and shown him his own grave, and that's divination. Deuteronomy 18 forbids divination. How can you as a Christian say that this has anything to do with Christmas?'
"You may respond by saying, 'Wait, the story is about redemption! It's about loving before it's too late!' The story is good-in every sense of the word-even though it is set entirely within supernatural elements forbidden in the Bible.
"So how would we respond to critics? Would we say, 'Divination and speaking to the dead are no big deal?' No. We say, 'I understand that these spirits and supernatural powers are merely literary devices used by the author to tell a story, not a subtle attempt to lead unsuspecting children into occult practices.' "
~ "Harry Potter and the Disputable Matter," By Anne Morse, an interview with Connie Neal
As a Christian, I fear that others of my faith, by attacking the Harry Potter books, actually confirm the larger world's suspicions of Christianity. Too often we appear to become irrationally defensive when we perceive that someone disagrees with us, or presents a contrary idea. Our troubled world longs to see people of faith model compassion, repentance, forgiveness and humility. Bickering about relatively minor concerns distracts Christians from our larger mission to share hope with a hurting world.
I believe that Harry Potter is nothing more than a modern fairy tale filled with magical creatures, refreshing humor, and a moral at the end of the story. However, I do not wish to impose my view on other Christians who find him offensive. The Apostle Paul in Romans 14 and I Corinthians 8 suggested that Christians would disagree regarding cultural issues. He counseled gracious acceptance of these differences and a renewed focus on the essential matters of faith. His advice is centuries old, but needed as much as ever today. Let each one determine for herself what to make of Harry Potter, and leaving that matter behind, join together to overcome the all too real and tragic evils that fill our present world.
*Note: in case you were wondering the part that I cut when I gave this to the guy was the opening section on the story from the Bible. I was trying to keep it short.