Harry Potter - To Read or Not to Read?

     There's that stand of books in my family's local library, the one set apart from the others. This series is so popular that it gets its own set of shelves. Books of staggering thickness are set out on these shelves. Behind it is plastered a poster portraying a teenager with dark untidy hair, glasses, and a scar stamped across his forehead - a scar shaped like a lightning bolt. He is clad in a long robe and holds a broomstick in one hand. And jagged letters proclaim his name across the top of the poster.

    Harry Potter. (I bet you already guessed that.)

     A few years ago, at around twelve, I was walking through the library with my dad and a few of my siblings. We hadn't read the Harry Potter books. We'd never really wanted to. But as we passed this stand of books, my dad told my brother and me that if we wanted to, we could read them. I decided I might as well give them a try, so I located the first book, and took it home with me.

     That evening, I picked it up -- and was instantly hooked. My brother and I raced through the rest of the series, borrowing the books from the library and from friends. I'm really not an extreme Harry Potter fan, being more in favor of The Lord of the Rings. At this point, I haven't even seen any of the movies. But, I did highly enjoy reading the series. I'm not sure if I'll still enjoy it as much later, but right now, I still admire J. K. Rowling's ability to spin out a fantastic and spellbinding plot. Um.. puns not entirely intended.

      Then, a little later, I became aware of what a controversy these books can be among Christians, and so today I want to address that question.

       Is it all right for Christians to read Harry Potter?

      The basic plot, for those who may not know: Harry Potter is told on his eleventh birthday, after ten years of torture living with his unpleasant relatives, that he is a wizard. When Harry was one year old, the Dark Lord Voldemort tried to kill him, and for some mysterious reason, didn't succeed. Now Harry will be trained at the wizarding school Hogwarts, where Transfiguration, Potions and Defense against the Dark Arts are taught instead of math, science, and grammar. Harry must be ready to conquer Voldemort before the Dark Lord comes back to try again to kill him.

      First of all, let's identify exactly what is "wrong" with the Harry Potter books. I think it's the magic, mostly. Yes, there's a lot of magic going on. Would a better term for it be witchcraft? I'm not sure that it would. In these books, "witch" is used as a female version of wizard, a term which maybe shouldn't have a positive connotation. But back to the magic. Most of this is spell-casting. A way to get power to do the impossible (like summoning objects to come to you, turn objects into other objects, etc.), in a nutshell. I wouldn't really call that witchcraft. Still, magic in general can be questionable. Deuteronomy 18:10 says, "There shall not be found anyone among you who... practices divination, or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer." But Harry Potter did not influence me to believe that I could do magic, or that anyone else could, for that matter. If you think that reading about magic might influence you to try to practice it, then you might want to stay away from it, of course. But one thing about Harry Potter is that the books make it pretty clear that not everyone can do magic. Only a select number can, and the rest can't. End of story. 

       In fact, Harry Potter is ultimately the story of good versus evil. And also, good triumphing over evil. There's plenty of material in the books that I wouldn't condone. For instance, Harry Potter and his friends have absolutely no problems with breaking any amount of school rules, or even robbing a bank, because it's supposed to help the war against Voldemort. In the last book, even Harry wonders briefly whether "For the greater good" is a worthy reason to do something. There's also some magical elements that I didn't much care for. 

     But there's also much in this series that's clever, funny, and wholly enjoyable. The characters are richly drawn and real, from the strict, no-nonsense Minerva McGonagall to the rollicking, prank-loving Fred and George Weasley to the arrogant Draco Malfoy to the brilliantly smart and fiercely loyal Hermione Granger. Hogwarts is a hilarious school. The students are divided up into Houses based on their character, abilities, and ambitions. The four Houses (Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff) compete fiercely in academics to win points for their teams. There's even a game unique to the Wizarding world, the airborne game of Quidditch. The world invented by J. K. Rowling is richly detailed and stunningly creative. J. R. R. Tolkien writes in an essay on Enchantment/Faerie that every man is a sub-creator:

"Although now long estranged
Man is not wholly lost or wholly changed.
Dis-graced he may be, yet is not de-throned,
and keeps the rags of lordship once he owned:
Man, Sub-creator, the refracted Light
through whom is splintered from a single White
to many hues, and endlessly combined
in living shapes that move from mind to mind. 
Though all the crannies of the world we filled
with Elves and Goblins, though we dared to build
Gods and their houses out of dark and light
and sowed the seed of dragons -- 'twas our right
(used or misused). That right has not decayed:
we make still by the law in which we're made."

         Rowling has created a spellbinding world, and delighted the real world with her stories. The basic plotline is simple -- good versus evil, and the victory is accomplished by a Chosen One mentored by an elderly guide, with a couple loyal companions beside him and an army of freedom fighters behind him. (It may be that Rowling was one of the first to set this pattern, and that she, like Tolkien, has just been copied a great deal. I don't know for sure.) Harry Potter is a fascinating series, and makes for great discussion. 

       But what should we do with this information?

      My personal belief is simply that in general it's all right for Christians to read Harry Potter. However, there are some things to take into account. First, what your parents think of it, if you're not an adult. I was around twelve when I read the series, and I only picked it up because my dad said I could. If my parents had been against it, it would not have been respectful to them to read it anyway. Not only that, but it might have even been outright disobedience.

      Also, just because so many people like it is no good reason to read this series. If you simply don't feel that the books would interest you, or if you're not comfortable with the content, then you don't have to read it. Harry Potter is not the most edifying thing you can pick up to read. Frankly -- sorry, extreme Harry Potter fans -- there are MUCH better books out there.

     And here's something I want to remember about this topic, from the Scriptures. 1 Corinthians 8:9: "Take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak." If you, like me, read Harry Potter and believe that it's all right to do so, then just be careful. Don't urge someone who's convicted not to read Harry Potter to read these books which they feel they shouldn't read. Honor their convictions. Like I said earlier. Harry Potter is not the best book you can pick up. It just isn't. Even among fictional books, I don't think Harry Potter is the most edifying or even the most well written. 

      Well, these are my thoughts on Harry Potter. If you have thoughts, I'd love to hear them. Though, please, let's remember 1 Corinthians 8:9 and honor each others' convictions. 

Public service announcement: Due to an increase of work brought on by the start of another school year, I will be switching to a different posting schedule - every Tuesday instead of every Tuesday and Friday. I might occasionally be able to slip book reviews in between the Tuesdays, although I can't promise it. Well, look out for the next post here on Tuesday, September 13!