Harry Potter Vs. Christians

Who has never dreamed of witches, broomsticks and full moon light? I always wished, when I was younger, I could turn and do magic like a witch. I even bought little magic kits, but it was nothing like the magic I wanted to produce. In my teen years, a book called Harry Potter caught my attention. It took me to a world I thought could only belong in my head. J.K. Rowling brought words of description to my dreams and brought out the little witch and wizard in many children's lives. I have not been able to find a more descriptive, memorable, imaginative, and well-written books for both children and adults to read and enjoy.

Why do so many Harry Potter fans reread these fantasies over and over again? Are there secrets that gradually unfold? Are there layers and layers of understanding they are peeling away? Does the imagery enrich each time? The magic remains; whatever the reasons, readers are motivated to read, then once more, and once more again and immerse themselves in the enjoyable world of the written word. First as books, but now as movies, video games, and a multitude of toys Harry Potter has become an important feature of modern popular culture.

The Harry Potter books, written by J.K. Rowling, have sustained consistent attack from Christians because of how they portray witchcraft. It has been said that the Harry Potter books encourage children to accept a view of witchcraft that is benign, even good, and thus will lead them to adopt some form of paganism or Wicca. Christians naturally object to this and thus protest the presence of Harry Potter in schools, libraries, and society generally. It is argued that the Bible is unambiguous in its condemnation of witchcraft and demand that followers of God completely disassociate themselves from the practice of magic. The Harry Potter books make witchcraft and the practice of magic seem appealing and fun; therefore, parents shouldn't allow their children to read them.

This particular issue is the source of most Christianity complaints and protests against the Harry Potter books. Christians who express nothing but disdain for the separation of church and state when it comes to the government promoting Christianity, suddenly become defenders of the principle. They are arguing that schools are inappropriately promoting religion when students are encouraged to read Harry Potter.

Even if they are hypocritical, it would matter if they are right because schools shouldn't encourage students to read books that promote a particular religion. Most people tend to regard censorship as a bad thing, but if the Harry Potter books really do promote witchcraft then perhaps there haven't been enough challenges. If the Harry Potter books don't promote witchcraft, but merely include witchcraft as part of the fabric of a fantasy world, then complaints are less about the books themselves. Then the problem must be something else, possibly the larger secular culture, perhaps, where books about witches and wizards are more popular then the Bible or Christian literature.

The six books in the Harry Potter series describe his adventures at Hogwarts, where he meets charming friends and dreadful bullies, and good and evil wizards. Harry and his two friends are portrayed as three ordinary kids with special powers, who get themselves into many scrapes. Through the power of wizardry and witchcraft, as well as their own scheming, they extract themselves from difficulties.

Millions of children identify with this orphaned boy-partly because he's so engaging and partly because he's had such a tough life. So shouldn't parents welcome their children's interest in the Potter series? After all, at least now kids are reading! Further, the books are well written and fun to read, with engaging characters. To many people, this is reason enough to welcome each new book. And since Harry Potter is so engaging, and children enjoy him so much, why not encourage children to read the books?

For Christians, the issue goes beyond readability and heroes; they have a responsibility to help children decide appropriate guidelines for selecting any reading. Because the Harry Potter books are so popular, 140 million copies in 47 languages, we have an opportunity and a need to consider the issues that the books (and films) raise.

The Potter series contains much of the author's philosophy about life. For example, the head of Hogwarts School, Professor Dumbledore, says, "There are all kinds of courage. . . . It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends." This brings up a major theme in Harry Potter: power. How does a Christian stand up to enemies and friends? In the Harry Potter books we see a power struggle between Harry and his friends, between Harry and bullies, between evil wizards, and between good wizards and bad wizards. Whether we are talking about "good" wizards, such as Harry, or bad wizards, such as the evil Lord Voldemort, all either already possess various powers or acquire them in order to control others.

The two major power holders in Harry Potter are Harry and Lord Voldemort, who killed the boy's parents. The interactions between them become increasingly violent. In speaking of the evil Lord Voldemort, Prof. Quirrell, a character in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, says, "He is with me wherever I go. . . I met him when I traveled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power. . .. Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times. He has had to be very hard on me."

The issues of power and the use of witchcraft and wizardry to control other people are problematic. The power to control other people removes their free will. The underlying argument in many instances is this: If you have the power to force someone else to do your will and you are on the good side, then it's OK to use this power.

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, school bullies who have immersed themselves in the dark arts accost Harry and two friends. They make cruel remarks to Harry and his friends. In response, Harry and friends simultaneously cast hexes on them, rendering them unconscious. "Ron, Harry, and George kicked, rolled, and pushed the unconscious Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle-each of whom looked distinctly the worse for the jumble of jinxes with which they had been hit-out into the corridor, then came back into the compartment and rolled the door shut." Then Harry and his friends sit down and play games. This spirit of revenge is diametrically opposed to Jesus' command to turn the