Is it really okay for Christians to read Harry Potter?

Of course, you all know my answer is a resounding: YES!

But many Christians, particularly those of the evangelical variety, think otherwise. Here are a few of the reasons they look aghast at the Harry Potter books. Following these statements is a discussion of the merits of their positions.

1. The Harry Potter books are about magic. First, of all I don't quite agree. The books are full of magic, but the magical world is a setting and a plot device. The books are really about growing up, learning to make good choices, and the importance of taking a stand against evil. If, however, people believe they should completely avoid all books/movies dealing with magic, then they will clearly want to avoid these books. Many of the people I have heard make a complaint like this are avid fans of the "Lord of the Rings" and "The Chronicles of Narnia", both of which are full of magic. If a person really thinks that we should avoid all magic in books, then they will have forgo some beautiful Christian classics, not to mention most Disney movies (many of which I despise --but that is a story for another day). For the others, I would say that we should not judge a book on whether or not it contains magic, but on how the magic is used.

2. The Harry Potter books are different from other fantasy books because the children in the story are actively using magic and speaking incantations. In one sense this is true. We do not see Frodo Baggins or Lucy Pevensie shouting spells (although Lucy does use her magic cordial). But is different a bad thing? The magical powers in these books are innate, nearly always appearing before the age of 11. Although the characters must work to develop their abilities, there is nothing a non-magic person can do to obtain magical skills. In fact, I think that magical powers are sort of a metaphor for the talents and abilities each of us has. Just like the characters in the books, we all must choose how we use our abilities. In book 2 Dumbledore tells Harry "It is not our abilities that matter, but our choices" (this is probably not an exact quote).

3. J.K. Rowling is a witch and is trying to intrigue children to witchcraft. This is completely false and slanderous. J.K. Rowling is a Christian, of the Presbyterian variety. And yes, she does actually practice her faith, as people who attend church with her have told as much to the media. She does not like to speak publicly about her faith in part because she believes it will lead people to guess too much about what will happen in the books. She has said though, that anyone who knows the Christian story should be able to make reasonable guess at what will happen in book 7. It is true that she has a wide variety of occultish fields like Tarot reading and alchemy. This is because she is good at research and not because she is out practicing them

4. Children will be interested in real magic and witchcraft because of the stories. This might be true to a certain extent, although the sort of magic in Harry Potter is completely different from real witchcraft. There are certain elements of real occultism worked into the story, but these are generally shown to be either ineffective or wicked. For instance, the whole field of divination is shown as useless, and Professor Trelawney who sits with her crystal ball and Tarot cards is depicted as a fool. I would think the child interested in witchcraft because of the books would soon be disillusioned. However, I think it is important to talk to our children about the occult and to explain what real witchcraft is like. Opening the lines of communication seems to be more called for than banning the books.

5. The books promote moral relativity. Examples include the quotes "There is no good or evil, only power" and "The world is not divided into good people and Death Eaters". I got really riled when I heard this claim. There is no legitimate claim to relativism in these books. In fact they are very much opposed to this philosophy. The first quote was spoken to Harry in his showdown with Quirrell/Voldemort. Harry does not believe it and neither are we. The fact that the big evil guy is making a claim of moral relativity is not the same as the book making the claim. The second quote is misunderstood here as a claim to relativism. A real-world paraphrase would be saying, "Not every bad person is a satanist". The person being discussed, Mr. Crouch, is an awful person, but he is not serving Voldemort. In fact, the story goes on to show how foolish the Ministry of Magic is for trying to fight evil with evil. I truly believe the Harry Potter books are very anti-relativism.

6. The Harry Potter books suck you in so that once you start reading them you feel compelled to read until the end. This is true. But it is hardly the only books this is true for. I like to read a novel that is so good that I can't bear to put it down. I don't see how this is bad. Yes, we should not shirk responsibility to read. However, there is nothing quite like reading a really good book.

In my next post I will talk about the positives of reading Harry Potter.