Harry Potter: The Controversy

By Chris
Since it's Harry Potter time again, I thought I would chime in on this controversial topic. After all, there are widespread accusations about the books and movies being evil. Many Christians promote this point of view, and I wasn't sure what to make of it as the Harry Potter craze spread to my doorstep. We're Christians. So, the adults of the Green household first explored the books and movies (which is our role, right?) I also checked out a bunch of third party opinions. Here is what I found.

Firsthand, we found there is no denying that Harry Potter is good literature on several levels (I have an English degree, so literature is one of my "things") The books are well written, with compelling characters and imaginitive (and at times, gripping) story lines. The writing, from the thoughtful naming of characters and the use of literary devices, is very good. The genre is decidedly fantasy, so you have to enjoy the ability to venture into a world of flying cars and the like. There are strong storylines of good versus evil, and the sympathetic charecters are all on the good side. The auther, JK Rowling, explores themes of friendship, loyalty and coming of age that obviously connect with kids and adults. In fact, the Potter works are widely cited as the genesis of a new literary awakening for young people all over the world. This is all good literary stuff for kids. With prayers and hearts for discernment, we just did not find the evil in Potter!

I like what Rowling says of her work: "The book is really about the power of the imagination. What Harry is learning to do is to develop his full potential. Wizardry is just the analogy I use. If anyone expects it to be a book that seriously advocates learning magic, they will be disappointed. Not least because the author does not believe in magic in that way."

We also checked out the third party opinions on the Potter craze. After all, there are a lot of people screaming loud about evil witchcraft promotion by Potter. Hearing the craze, one would expect demonic scripture and graphic occultic content, or even subtle endorsement of evil spells (in fact, you actually find Potter and friends celebrating Christmas at one point!). I found many with this point of view had never explored the literature firsthand. They were no help. The wider search found no consensus. For instance, Dr. James Dobson's Focus on the Family has mixed messages, but no strong condemnation, for instance. While there are whole anti-Potter books, there are also very thoughtful Christian authors singing the praises of Potter. One book was even written to help Christian parents defend themselves against the people who were accusing them of promoting witchcraft by allowing kids to read the books. Uhhh. O.K. Christians can be so . .. well . .. un-Christian at times! And, some of the best teachers we know (the ones we who really get kids, and have their best interests at heart) call the series the best thing that has ever happened to kids and reading in their careers. To say the least, there are mixed messages on Potter. So "trust yourself," has been our approach.

So we added it all up, and Harry Potter is welcome here. In fact, several in the Greens' house have been hooked for quite some time. It's caused a spark in our family leading to an explosion of literary curiosity and activity that was not present before Potter. Books are all the rage around here since Potter. Witchcraft? Occult? That's not what the books are about, so, not surprisingly, the reading hasn't sparked that around here. Just reading.