| Harry Potter is a Christian… … okay, so I don’t actually believe THAT, but I do believe that the Harry Potter series will one day be looked at like the Narnia series is viewed today. Do you know that C.S. Lewis was strongly criticized for using magic in children’s books when the Narnia series was first published? Hmm… sounds familiar. His rebuttal to this criticism is one of my favorite Lewis quotes: “You and I have need of the strongest spell that can be found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness.” What better parallel is there besides magic to describe the supernatural transformation God has performed in our hearts? Seriously. Now I am not claiming that the Harry Potter series is going to end with Harry dying on a modern day cross or anything like that. The series is not a Christian parable. What I am claiming is that the Harry Potter series contains Christian symbolism, and supports Christian values, themes, and morals, making it an effective tool for communicating Christian living if utilized correctly. J.K. Rowling’s fiction belongs in a small, elite category that few other authors beside herself, Lewis and Tolkein hold claim to. The primary defining element to this category is that the problem to solve throughout her plot is not good guy versus bad guy. The problem is Good versus Evil. Sure, her books are all going to come down to Harry battling Voldemort, but if the bigger picture is taken into consideration, Rowling has successfully communicated that every character has a dog in the race. Even Neville Longbottom, (one of my favorites) who sometimes seems incompetent and talentless, takes great stride for overall good by standing up to his friends when he feels like they are in the wrong. Now I feel that I must at least mention some of the problematic things about the actual characters in the book, such as the way that Harry doesn’t mind breaking the rules if he feels they need to be broken. What you have to remember is that Harry represents Everyman, not Jesus, and who of us doesn’t struggle between wrong and right at times. Consider this quote by John Granger: “…the difference between the good and bad guys in fiction comes down to the choices each makes. Bad guys don’t do the wrong thing after struggling with a decision; they almost automatically do what most advances their individual or group advantage without regard for principle. Good guys often are tempted to do the wrong thing—may even do the wrong thing—but they either choose the right or repent of their error in light of right and wrong.” Harry is a relatable hero, and if approached properly, his bad choices can be a springboard into conversations with children about what he should have done, and what should drive their choices. Finally, I would like to submit some specific examples of scenarios created in the Harry Potter series that can be used to support different ideals and values in Christianity. In Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 23, Pgs. 494-496, Harry is at Number 12 Grimmuald Place for Christmas, and because of the mental connection that exists between himself and Voldemort, he begins to look at himself as a liability, so he decided to run away. As he is packing, Phineas Nigellus, a previous Headmaster of Hogwarts appears in the picture on the wall on Dumbledore’s orders and tells Harry to stay put. “ So that’s it, is it?” he [Harry] said loudly. “Stay there? That’s all anyone could tell me after I got attacked by those dementors too! Just stay put while the grown-ups sort it out, Harry! We won’t bother telling you anything, though, because your tiny little brain might not be able to cope with it!” “You know,” said Phineas Nigellus, even more loudly than Harry, “this is precisely why I loathed being a teacher! Young people are so infernally convinced that they are absolutely right about everyting. Has it not occurred to you, my poor puffed-up popinjay, that there might be an excellent reason why the headmaster of Hogwarts is not confiding every tiny detail of his plans to you? Have you never paused, while feeling hard-done by, to note that following Dumbledore’s orders has never yet led you into harm? No. No, like all young people, you are quite sure that you alone feel and think, you alone recognize danger, you alone are the only one clever enough to realize what the Dark Lord may be planning." What a beautiful passage to communicate God’s omniscience! Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;” is SUCH an incredibly difficult thought to grasp, much less trust in and live by, but from this passage, even a child can begin to understand just that… wow. The second example I have is from Half Blood Prince. Some Christians and non-Christians alike get hung up on the question of free will. “Why would God have given fallen creatures the ability to choose if He is all-knowing and therefore knew that the world would end up like it has?” or “How could a loving God allow such bad things to happen?” The answer to this question is beautifully exemplified through Merope Gaunt’s relationship with Tom Riddle Sr. In Half Blood Prince we learn that Merope puts Riddle under some sort of spell (most likely a love potion) in order to make him fall in love with her. The spell works and this attractive, wealthy, much sought-after man marries the poor, talentless, plain, and odd, Merope Gaunt. Riddle loves, serves, and adores his wife in a way that leaves no complaint to be had, and Riddle is never the smarter that he is being manipulated. Merope has everything that she wants… except for Riddle’s true love. So one day, after she finds out she is with child, Merope tells her husband what she has done. Merope longs for her husband to choose to love her, because only when choice is an option does true love and devotion have the opportunity to exist. Only when that choice is made is the recipient of that given love truly honored and glorified, because what greater gift is there to be given that one’s heart and love?. God would not win a battle every single time that a person chooses to follow and worship Him if that person did not did not truly have the choice to make that decision. Okay, now for my conclusion, I found a true jewel in the form of an interview online last week (my John Granger book led me there). The interviewer had 15 minutes with JKR back a few years ago before Harry Potter was quite as popular as he is now. He chose to use his time with JKR asking for her rebuttal to the then new attack on her books by the Christian realm. This is the highlight of that interview: “Harry, of course, is able to battle supernatural evil with supernatural forces of his own, and Rowling is quite clear that she doesn't personally believe in that kind of magic – ‘not at all.’ Is she a Christian? ''’Yes, I am,'' she says. ''Which seems to offend the religious right far worse than if I said I thought there was no God. Every time I've been asked if I believe in God, I've said yes, because I do, but no one ever really has gone any more deeply into it than that, and I have to say that does suit me, because if I talk too freely about that I think the intelligent reader, whether 10 or 60, will be able to guess what's coming in the books.” If this doesn’t convince you, nothing will. Has the magic in Narnia, Disney, or even the classic Pull-A-Rabbit-Out-of-a-Hat magician made children of generations past rush out to buy tarot cards and crystal balls? I think not. Could Satan be using this ludicrous idea that Harry Potter is evil to prevent Christians from discovering this great tool to teach our children at a young age such difficult-to-understand concepts as, the nature of God, Good vs. Evil, Free Will, trust and faith, and the weight of our choices? Absolutely. I despise Works Cited pages, but I must give credit where credit's due for some of this. Every quote came from one of two places. John Granger's book "Looking for God in Harry Potter" and a website interview transcript http://www.quick-quote-quill.org/articles/2000/1000-vancouversun-wyman.htm. |
