Alas, the much anticipated and long awaited Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is finally here. Rowling’s new book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, will be available in bookstores in just a few days. Since everyone else has done it I figured that I should write about how a Christian should respond to Harry Potter. Should we embrace it, reject it, or enjoy Harry Potter with caution?
Although I have not read any Harry Potter books, I know many people who have read them. In fact a survey showed that over half of American children ages 6 – 17 have read at least one Harry Potter book. Harry Potter books span the globe and are read in 40 different languages in 200 countries. Although I have not read the books, I have done some research and will base my comments on articles I have read in favor of and in opposition to Harry Potter.
By all accounts, the Harry Potter books are very well written and are difficult to criticize from a literary point of view. My goal is not to criticize the Harry Potter books, judge the author, or condemn or praise Christians who love the books. My goal is to provide an evaluation of how Christians should respond. I will be looking at the books from four two different perspectives:
1. Should Christians expose their children to Harry Potter?
2. How should Christian adults respond to Harry Potter?
Should Christians expose their children to Harry Potter?
I am going to assume that you have read at least one Harry Potter book or know a good bit about them. I think the answer to this question could vary depending on what ages your children are. If they are young like mine (all below age 10), I think we should protect their minds from Harry Potter because at that age they have a difficult time distinguishing between fact and imagination. Let me give you some reasons why I think young children should not be exposed to Harry Potter.
1. Harry Potter presents something evil (witchcraft) as morally neutral. Parents have the responsibility to teach their children about the spiritual forces Christians are fighting. To say that witchcraft can be used for evil or good is to present it as morally neutral. It is wrong for a Christian parent to teach their children that our spiritual enemy is morally neutral. Here is what the Bible says about this enemy.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12)
2. Parents must make sure what their children are reading is good for their souls.
3. Harry Potter has some intense scenes. Mark Roberts, who read the Harry Potter books with his family, had this to say about the intense scenes in the books.
“Many themes and scenes in the books are somber and intense. Harry Potter is an orphan whose parents were murdered horribly. Harry is often haunted with terrifying memories of their death. He is raised by relatives who treat him abusively. The evil that Harry confronts is not something comic, but dark, dangerous, and truly frightening. Many of the scenes in the books are extremely suspenseful.”
4. Harry Potter books do not have a positive biblical worldview such as the Chronicles of Narnia do. Lying and deception are not condemned but are “justifiably used to accomplish the necessary ends of the characters.” To quote one reviewer, “In The Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry is told that there is no good and evil, only power.” This clearly is not a biblical perspective.
5. Although adults know this is fiction, young children get caught up in the story and have difficulty separating reality from fiction. This is evidenced by the author’s comments in an interview with Newsweek.
“I get letters from children addressed to Professor Dumbledore (headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the book’s setting), and it’s not a joke, begging to be let into Hogwarts, and some of them are really sad. Because they want it to be true so badly they’ve convinced themselves it’s true. – The Return of Harry Potter!, Newsweek, July 1, 2000, page 4”
6. Muggles, those who cannot do witchcraft, are portrayed very negatively in the books. Parents, Christian parents in particular, are part of this group of people who are portrayed as people who narrow-mindedly oppose witchcraft and the occult.
“Their admittedly bad character and opposition to witchcraft (which they see as “weird”) are combined, so that one is left with the impression that opposition to witchcraft and the occult is silly, narrow-minded, cruel and the result of stupidity and ignorance (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, pp. 1-8, 36, 40, 53, 59).”
Certainly the Bible commands us to be a light in the world. We are not to be separated from the world, but we are to be in it but not of it. Does this mean we should let our children read Harry Potter so that they can better engage the lost world? With as many children as have read Harry Potter books, our children will certainly be exposed to it at some point. Does this mean we should go ahead and let our children read it and proactively correct the bad teachings that are in the books? These are all things each Christian parent must decide for their own family. My children will not be reading Harry Potter for quite some time.
How should Christian adults respond to Harry Potter?
There have been many published opinions on Harry Potter and how Christians should respond. There have been those who say it is a great book and commend Christians to read it such as Christianity Today, Focus on the Family, Chuck Colson. There have been some fundamentalists that have said the Christians definitely should not read Harry Potter books and that those whom I just mentioned should question their own salvation for telling Christians to read Rowling’s books. I do not support either of those positions. Before establishing what our response should be, let us look at a few relevant facts about the books that should help us in determining our response.
1. The Bible does not prohibit the reading of or the watching of fictional accounts of witchcraft.
2. The Bible condemns real witchcraft.
“Do not turn to mediums or wizards, do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.” (Lev. 19:31)
“There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or 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 wizard or a necromancer, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. And because of these abominations the LORD your God is driving them out before you. You shall be blameless before the LORD your God, for these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you to do this.” (Deut. 18:10-14)
3. In the Rowling’s Potter books, witchcraft is used either for evil or for good. Rowling presents good and evil wizardry as two form of the same power. An example of this is in the Philosopher’s Stone where Quirrell states,
“… I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it… (211)”
Peter McCarthy and Doug Harris say this about this distinction in the Harry Potter books.
“With this in mind we probably should not be surprised to find that the wands of the ‘good’ wizard Harry Potter and the ‘bad’ wizard Voldemort, both have a feather coming from the same source, the magical phoenix called Fawkes, owned by Dumbledore. One source of power that can be manipulated for good or evil, an accepted fact in much Witchcraft today. “ (The Harry Potter Books and Christians, by McCarthy and Harris)
In the real world witchcraft is always evil. Some, such as Mark Roberts, say that we should be able to distinguish between the two: witchcraft in the real world and witchcraft in fiction. I contend that it is a false dichotomy. Something that is evil and prohibited in scripture cannot be morally neutral just because it is in a fictional story. Would murder or illicit sex be morally neutral in a fictional book because it is fiction? How is this any different?
4. I have had people tell me that all of this witchcraft and wizardry is not real. If it were not real, God would not have warned against it. Hear what a former astrologer has to say about the elements of sorcery, witchcraft, and the occult in the Harry Potter books.
“Some of what is taught at Hogwarts could be part of either sorcery or contemporary witchcraft, or both: studying the movement of the planets, the history of magic, herbology, potions, spells, and charms. Although it is valid to clarify witchcraft vs. sorcery, whether Harry Potter is called a witch, wizard, or sorcerer is irrelevant when looking at the content of these books to determine if they are appropriate.
“Central to the plot (and part of the title) is the sorcerer’s stone-in actuality “the Philosopher’s Stone,” (title changed for books in the U.S. and France). The Philosopher’s Stone is connected to alchemy-an occult practice that combined the exploration of minerals with Gnostic practices of sorcery seeking to turn base metal into gold, and through that, attain an inner spiritual transformation. Alchemy is defined by one occultist as “the process of the transmutation and purification…of the soul via the discipline of purifying and combining physical materials and chemicals which are symbolic of spiritual transformations,” and the Philosopher’s Stone was a “metaphor for the illuminated mind,” and the “First Substance from which all other metals derived” (Whitcomb, 485, 527).
“Further descriptions of alchemy reveal its metaphysical nature: “High magic and alchemy are twin branches of the magical system known as Hermetism …,” and “There is an intrinsic link between alchemy and the Kabbalah … Like alchemy, the Kabbalah sees three planes in nature – the mental, the astral, and the material [...] Thus, the alchemist, a Hermetic magician, bases his physical and spiritual work on the Kabbalah, particularly the Tarot …” (Gonzalez-Wippler, pp. 61 and 63). The Kabbalah is too complex to describe here; suffice it to say that it is an occultic Gnostic perversion of Judaism which “is a complete system of symbolism, angelology, demonology, and magic” (W. B. Crow, A Fascinating History of Witchcraft, Magic, and Occultism, Hollywood: Wilshire Book Company, 1968, p. 82). The Tarot are a set of cards used for divination.
“Rowling refers to Nicolas Flamel in the first Harry Potter book (103, 219) as the partner in alchemy of Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. Harry and his friends search through the library, looking for Flamel’s name to see who he is (197-8) and finally read about him as the “only known maker of the Sorcerer’s Stone” which can turn metal into gold and gives immortality through producing the “Elixir of Life” (219, 220). In Harry Potter, Flamel has achieved immortality because he is 665 years old (220).
“According to Jacques Sadoul in Alchemists and Gold (G. P. Putnams’ Sons: New York; 1970), Flamel was a “Fourteenth century French adept and Public Scrivener” (p. 243) and a key figure in the story of alchemy. An “adept” is a master of esoteric knowledge including occultism. Flamel is also mentioned several times in the well-known Witchcraft, Magic & Alchemy, (Grillot de Givry, Dover publications, 1971, pp. 216, 349, 352, 360, 367, 378, 384) and in a book by the editors of GNOSIS Magazine (Richard Smoley and Jay Kinney, Hidden Wisdom, A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions, New York: Penguin/Arkana, 1999, p. 184).
“Rowling’s book mentions Flamel’s wife as “Perenelle,” and that Flamel and his wife are over 600-years old due to Flamel’s success with the Philosopher’s Stone and discovery of the Elixir of Life, rendering him immortal (220). In Spence’s Encyclopedia of Occultism, Flamel’s wife is rendered as Petronella (there are probably several variations of this name). Spence states Flamel first studied astrology before coming across a book with instructions and pictures of serpents which purported to be an occult book by an alchemist and magician named Abraham, circa 1400 (1-2). This led Flamel to further studies finally achieving the ability to turn mercury into gold and the discovery of the Elixir of Life (162), just as it is stated in Rowling’s book. Flamel gained a reputation as a magician and “his followers believed that he was still alive though retired from the world, and would live for six centuries” (162). Spence’s book devotes over three pages to alchemy (9-12). If Flamel was a partner with Dumbledore, (the fictional headmaster of Hogwarts) then that naturally makes Dumbledore a practitioner of occultism. Dumbledore is fictional, but Flamel and alchemy are part of the history of occult practices.
“Sadoul quotes someone named Claude d’Yge at the beginning of his book, who cautions against seeing alchemy as entirely mundane or entirely spiritual, and urges instead to see that “Alchemy is but a symbol used to reveal by analogy the process of achieving ‘Spiritual Realisation’ – in a word, that man is at once the prime matter and the athanor of the Work – let them pursue it with all their might.” The “Work” refers to the “Great Work” of alchemy. Even more pointed is this description: “In essence, alchemy has to do with the liberation and transformation of consciousness. But it is a transformation of a very specific kind. One might say that the gold of the alchemists is the body of resurrection,” which is a “divinization” and immortality of self (Smoley and Kinney, 192). Alchemy seeks to make man a god-one who can create and transform by his will, secret knowledge, and magical access to forces.
“Sorcery is not a matter of mechanical actions or pretense at power, but is based on underlying occult principles and spirituality. As Rowling plainly tells us, “There was a lot more to magic, as Harry quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words” (133). Indeed, as any book on sorcery will bear out, this is true!”
“At the same time, the whole story is set in an occult context with references to real occult practices and views mixed in with fantasy. The hero of the book is a wizard/witch/sorcerer whose goal is to learn how to use his powers through the occult. Much is made of the fact that the author wrote while on welfare on scraps of paper at a cafe. This makes it sound like everything is totally from her imagination. However, she did not imagine alchemy, charms, scrying, Nicolas Flamel, astrology, the Dark Side, or many of the other occult concepts and information. It is only reasonable to assume Rowling did some research or has had some exposure to occult and magical practices.
“The idea of using sorcery to fight evil (or using “good” magic to fight “bad” magic) is a major component of the plot.
“We are not in a world where witches are crones with black robes and pointed hats, or where wizards and sorcerers exist only in Disney movies. We are in a world where ordinary people seriously practice witchcraft, sorcery, spells, and other occult methods. Many witches, psychics, Neo-pagans, and others involved in the occult were my clients when I practiced astrology. A June 14, 1999 article of Publishers’ Weekly Online, discusses how popular pagan books have become among younger readers. At that point, Teen Witch had sold more than 50,000 copies. Llewellyn’s director of trade sales stated his company (which publishes occult titles) started “repackaging ‘classic’ pagan titles with more youthful covers, and sales often jumped tenfold as a result” (Michael Kress, Bewitching Readers With Pagan Lore). One of the books discussed is a book on “white witchcraft.” Essential to this philosophy is to not go over to the “dark side” and practice “dark” or “black” witchcraft … exactly what is taught in Harry Potter.
“There is a difference between fantasy and the occult. Fantasy can be used in a way that totally leaves out references to the occult. But this is not what happens in this book. Instead, fantasy feeds on the occult and is fueled by it. Yes, this is just a story, but stories can teach and influence. Stories can present ideas and endorse worldviews. Does this book desensitize children to the occult? What happens when they get older and encounter peers who practice magick, cast spells, and attempt spirit contact? These practices are becoming more popular, and are already widespread among adolescents.
“Harry Potter glorifies the occult. God condemns the occult. Should we take lightly a book that endorses what God has so seriously forbidden?” (Harry Potter: Sorcery and Fantasy, by Marcia Montenegro)
5. A compelling argument in favor of reading the Harry Potter books is Christ’s high priestly prayer in John 17:15 which says, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.” Related to this, one Christian writer said this about Harry Potter.
“The problem with this is that we cannot avoid the junk that the world throws at us, unless we cut ourselves off completely from contemporary culture. Hundreds of years ago, serious followers of Christ went out into the desert, or into monasteries, to try to avoid the temptations of the world. But they found they had taken temptation with them, because the problem is not only the world outside, but also the world within me. We cannot isolate ourselves from the world and from its culture pressing in on us.” (http://www.facingthechallenge.org/potter2.php)
6. Lastly, we as Christians are to fill our mind with what is good. As Paul wrote to the Philippians, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Phil 4:8) One must ask whether or not watching or reading Harry Potter is characterized by the things listed in Philippians 4:8.
At this point I was going to discuss the elements of witchcraft in Harry Potter (since so many say it is just fantasy and those things don’t exist in real life) and some additional relevant Bible verses but, due to the length of this post, I have decided to skip them.
So, taking all of these facts listed above into account, how should Christians respond to Harry Potter? Is it wrong or right for us to embrace the Harry Potter books with open arms?
There is an argument to be made in favor of reading the books. After all, we are to be salt and light in the world. How better to be salt and light than to know about the most popular books of our day? What if you have kids? Our children are bound to be exposed to Harry Potter and read the books, whether we allow them to or not? It would definitely be better for us to expose our children to ideas expressed in Harry Potter in an environment where we can teach our kids how a Christian should respond to what is in the books. Christian parents need to know what their children are filling their minds with through the reading of books. These are good arguments.
There is another response that some Christians give. That is, the Harry Potter books are well written books with very good plots that are just downright enjoyable to read. They are fun books. And besides, the books are just fantasy. The witchcraft stuff in the Harry Potter books is not real. I believe whether or not the Bible expressly prohibits reading books on witchcraft is not the issue. Whether or not it is fantasy is not the issue. The Harry Potter books are stories about witchcraft, sorcery, etc., which is prohibited in God’s Word. It is not as if they are stories with passing reference to witches like Disney movies. The entire story is based on wizardry, spells, potions, etc., which God says not to engage in. Let’s look at it another way. The Bible does not say not to read books about worldly sexual activity and orgies but as a Christian would you read them? Why not? Because it makes you think about things that are ungodly and it is disgusting. Because God warns against witchcraft, I would argue that God feels that same way about books about witchcraft.
In Philippians 4:8, God tells us what we should be filling our minds with: “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise.” Do the Harry Potter books fall into any of these categories? If God created man for his own glory and our chief end is to glorify God, where does reading and watching Harry Potter come in? These books are admittedly a gray area for American Evangelical Christianity. However, if we desire to be perfect as our heavenly father is perfect, if we desire to be holy, if we desire to think on things of God, if we desire to glorify God, should we be reading these books?
I’ll finish by saying this. I have chosen not to read the Harry Potter books or watch the movies. At the same time, for my kid’s sake I need to know what is in the books so I may read one of them or watch one of the movies so that I can teach my kids about the unbiblical content and worldview it presents.
Soli Deo Gloria!
I have to apologize to Dr. Dobson and I have misrepresented him in this blog. One of my sources mis-represented his position on Harry Potter. Here is what Dobson says:
“We have spoken out strongly against all of the Harry Potter products.” His rationale for that statement: Magical characters – witches, wizards, ghosts, goblins, werewolves, poltergeists, and so on – fill the Harry Potter stories, and given the trend toward witchcraft and New Age ideology in the larger culture, it’s difficult to ignore the effects such stories (albeit imaginary) might have on young, impressionable minds.
Dr. Dobson and the entire Focus family thank you for your continued interest in and support of our ministry.
[...] A Muggle’s Look at Harry Potter via Excogitating Engineer by excogitatingengineer. By all accounts, the Harry Potter books are very well written and are difficult to criticize from a literary point of view. My goal is not to criticize the Harry Potter books, judge the author, or condemn or praise Christians who love the books. My goal is to provide an evaluation of how Christians should respond. I will be looking at the books from four two different perspectives: 1. Should Christians expose their children to Harry Potter? 2. How should Christian adults respond to Harry Potter? … [...]
It is with interest that I read your arguments here, as I am just beginning to read the Harry Potter series after avoiding them for several years. (I am a 30-year-old father of two small children and an elder in my small Baptist church.) I do have a couple of concerns/questions regarding your post:
1) I am concerned that you have drawn from many obviously anti-Potter sources, but haven’t read any of the books yourself. It seems to me before making such a grand judgment you might actually read what you are judging rather than just taking the words of those who have already judged it. Having read one and one half volumes thus far, I think it is quite a stretch to claim, as Ms. Montenegro has in her quote, that Harry Potter glorifies the Occult.
My challenge to you would be to go read at least a book or two, and then see if you still agree with the condemnations you have quoted here. If so, fine, but at least do some investigation for yourself.
2) How would you respond to or handle books like the Chronicles of Narnia and the Lord of the Rings which both have magic all through them and, especially in the case of LOTR, can be quite dark? Should we avoid them, too, for the same reasons?
Chris,
Thank you for your comments. To be fair, I did my best to read Christian sources in favor of Harry Potter as well. I feel that the sources I used represented both sides and that I was balanced in my study of it. However, in my post it appears that I rely heavily on the anti-Potter sources. This is because my evaluation of the pro-Potter sources used very weak arguments and their positions were usually not derived from Scripture.
Regarding reading the books to develop a better evaulation, I don’t think I need to do that. I have family members who have read it that I can speak with about the books. Also, the point in doing research and using secondary sources was so that I wouldn’t have to read the books now. I don’t think I need to see something first-hand to know that it is bad if I have read many accounts of it by Christians. This is a bit of a stretch, but I wouldn’t need to see an X-rated movie to know it is bad. By the same token, I don’t think I need to read Harry Potter to know that it is bad since I know what it is about. There is the possibility that the anti-Potter sources were biased and did not accurately represent the books. However, the pro-Potter sources agreed with the criticisms of the book. They just didn’t think that the criticisms were worthy of condemning the book.
Lastly, I like Narnia. The Biblical imagery is clear. Even my kids can pick up it. As for TLOR, I haven’t decided. And yes, I have read most of both of those series.
I agree the X-rated analogy is a bit of a stretch. I certainly don’t know any Christians who are arguing that such movies are OK; however, I do know plenty of Christians who recommend Harry Potter, which is why I wanted to read for myself to find out.
I’m happy with agreeing to disagree here – and maybe I’ll change my mind on the series as I read through it. Thanks for responding in any case.
Chris,
Thanks for stopping back by. I am not saying that I can not be persuaded to change my mind on this either. I’m certainly not out to condemn Christians who ‘enjoy’ Harry Potter. It is my personal position that I am not going to read them or watch them right now.
I guess it is like my position on Rated-R movies. I don’t watch them but don’t condemn those who do.
Blessings.
Jonathon,
Your research into this subject is impressive. You have laid out your points quite well and I have all the respect in the world for the position you take. Unlike some, I don’t think you engage in knee jerk reactions. I admire your deliberate thoughtfulness.
We have dissimilar ideas about Harry Potter and children in general. I believe that children do have the ability to separate fantasy and reality. I never believed the Wizard of Oz could possibly be real and I don’t think my children do either.
Frankly I’m much more concerned with entertainment concepts like 24 (yes I watch it) which depict numerous acts of violence, torture, and mayhem of various assortments. Set in a supposed real world, rather than a world which is obviously divorced from any day to day reality, I think the harmful effects on children from that type of programming far outreaches the friendly confines of Hogwarts.
Still as I stated earlier I have great admiration for your thoughtfulness and for your family in general, and for your committment to seeking the glory of our God. I pray that he prospers you greatly in your kingdom service.
Thanks Maurice. You have a valid point about children being able to separate fantasy and fiction. Some can and some can’t. I have one child who can easily do so and I have another who has an extremely difficult time with it.
I agree with you about some of the TV shows as well. We have much to be vigilant about as we are not battling against flesh and blood….
Blessings
I commend you on a well researched and well structured post.
I think you have represented both views fairly and did a good job avoiding emotive writing.
Thank you for your sound biblical conclusion.
children cant read harry potters fight against dark magic (evil) but can read about a man fighting man (evil) and being crucified. the bible is one of the most sexually, good vs. evil book of all time. the bible tells a story of one of the most celebrated and revered man, David, who let us not forget was overcome with lust when watching a woman naked take a bath, sleep with her, impregnate her (meaning slept with her multiple times, then had her husband killed. song of solomon talks about wooing and making love. death, plague, injustice, misery, sorrow, heartache, heartbreak is all through the bible. evil as well in the first few chapters with the bible God kicks it off with brother killing brother. Again let us not forget revelation a very dark chapter, not usually preached on, sadly but still there. to say children/young adults cant read a book about an imaginary world with magic but can read a book about an imaginary world with magical people is ludicrious. i was talking about c.s. lewis’s chronicles of narnia. finally if you were to actually read the books, just in the number 7 book i know of 5 passages, unquoted, but still straight from the bible, the are quoted. these are not prominent verses. these are obscure verses you would only hear from a scholar of the word, whether she is in it everyday or heard it from a pastor, to put that in this “evil, dark, demon-like” book makes no sense, because if i remember correctly the devil fears the word…so why would a book so “evil” like the devil put scripture in it….?
I’m curious if your position has changed now that the final book has been released.
I’m confident that Rowling has a very specific Christian agenda in the books. Years ago she was asked by the Toronto Star about her faith and she said she didn’t want to talk about it becuase if she did, “anyone from age 6 to 60 would know the end of the story” and she didn’t want to reveal the end of the story. She’s actually a committed Christian, a member of the Church of Scotland.
Now, with the end of the story completed, it is hard to imagine anyone doubting her intentions. In fact, most people I know think she compromised her story and characters (a little, perhaps) for the sake of the Christian message.
Just curious on your thoughts.