I have been hesitating to write this blog a little because it is highly controversial within Christianity for valid enough reasons. I just finished reading the last book in the Harry Potter series and I have seen all the movies except for the movies yet to be released on "The Deathly Hallows."
First, I will present the Scripture. Secondly, I will argue for and against Harry Potter. Lastly, I will share what I thought and if I will read these books to my children.
1.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12 "There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son of his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does those things is an abomination to the Lord....."
Ephesian 5:19a, 20a, 21b "Now the works of the flesh are evident....sorcery.....I warn you, as I have warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."
These verses point out the dangers and disobedience to those who practice such things. My question: Are we practicing by reading? I think it is tied up in a whole ball of wax. Obviously I think that practicing witchcraft or trying to contact the dead is wrong. But what was JK Rowlings purpose in writing these books? Once that is established we have to see that JK Rowling wasn't actually writing a "How-To Guide" on Wizardry. She was creating a imaginative playground for people. The way she describes a situation is in such exquisite detail; she is talented. There are forces of good and evil , Rowling writes Harry always having to choose between good vs. evil or selfish desires vs. necessary/sacrificial means. There is something redeemable in this series.
2.
FOR
*Wizardry is not the main focus of Harry Potter, although it is the world that Harry lives in.
*Love is a huge theme that Dumbledore is constantly distinguishing Harry(good) from Voldemort(bad).
* Harry has 2 very loyal friends that are constantly fighting for the good and eventually gain many more willing to fight for the good cause.
*Harry is not held up as a perfect character, actually almost the opposite. He must learn most of his knowledge from special lessons with Dumbledore.
* There is a strong parent-child relationship building through out the books-----
Harry------> Dumbledore, his interest in his parents who are deceased, Hagrid, the Weasleys
AGAINST
*There is some inappropriate language in the books if they are being read by children.
* Harry does show disrespect to certain professors and to his aunt an uncle.
3.
Personally, I love these books. I know that her intent wasn't biblical but I definitely noticed many ties between Harry Potter and our spiritual lives. I think whatever we choose to read we need to read through a biblical lens and to allow the Holy Spirit to teach us. I would not read these books to my children until:
- they were mature enough to know the difference between fantasy and real.
- they are able to understand good vs. bad
- they have an understanding of our sin nature and the ways of Christ
After each chapter I would want to:
- discuss right vs. wrong
- point out examples of how it can pertain to our spiritual lives
- remind them that this is again not real but something that is able to point out truths into our lives at times.
What do you think of Harry Potter?
1 comment:
Hey Ashley...
Got directed here from your FB link and the HP reference caught my eye!
I read these books to my boys last summer/fall. We thoroughly enjoyed the stories themselves, and it drew us together as we anticipated what would happen next and looked forward to the "snuggle time."
However, I could never recommend them across the board for everyone. Because we have a strong biblical foundation, and because I did some research ahead of time to become aware of the occultic themes and danger zones, it was a good experience for us. I told the boys from the beginning that they should expect me to stop often to discuss things from God's point of view. I'll do this anyway with lots of things we read, but I wanted to make it clear right away that we would be using these as a learning experience and that there was potential danger. There was only once or twice where they asked me to stop talking and start reading. :)
The main negatives that stood out to me (in addition to what you listed) and that we spent the most time talking about:
1. The kids rely on magic whenever they're in trouble. There is no place at all for relying on God or submitting to His will in a situation (being led by the Spirit). Instead, they rely on their own learned skills as magicians. There's a whole bundle of dangerous lies wrapped up in this.
2. Evil things are sometimes presented as good. The one that stands out to me is near the end, where Harry uses the Resurrection Stone and speaks to all his dead parents/friends. It's such a wonderful, warm, teary moment, but this is BAD! Communicating with the dead is one of the things specifically listed as an abomination to God.
3. The kids generally have a negative attitude toward school and authority... there are exceptions of course, but very often these attitudes are made out to be desirable or funny (Fred & George!).
One thing that made me almost regret reading these is that, like always, the boys began to act out the stories in their play. I lost a lot of chopsticks over those months! It grated on me to hear them casting spells on each other, and I occasionally questioned them about whether we needed to just quit the stories. We finally agreed that it would be okay for them to "use" the silly spells (turning someone's legs to stone or making slugs come out of their mouths), but they weren't to use any curses or such. This was an important distinction, and by overhearing their conversations later, I think it was a good thing to have it come up.
Along those lines, the absolute biggest benefit to reading these was that it has given them a grid for evaluating other things of this nature. Drew came home with a library book recently and made some comments about it that I KNOW he would not have recognized if we hadn't done HP together. You wouldn't believe how many books there are for kids & teens that are about either magic, dragons, occult, paranormal activity, etc! It's a huge percentage, and I think it would be far more wrong to leave them to navigate the bookshelves alone than it is to lovingly enjoy some good stories together while discussing the underlying implications.
So there's my (sorry so long) opinion!
Brenda
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