Okay, we've all heard about the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling. We've all heard people say how wonderufl they are, and others say how they're Satanic. I'm mad at a couple of people on this, but I won't mention names. Let me get to my point.
I'll start by saying, I think it's good that parents are discerning about what their kids read. This is an excellent trait in a parent. Also, I agree that the term "witch" was probably not the smartest choice in words on Rowling's part. Witchcraft is a terribly virulous, seductive false religion that dupes people every day, and I'm not trying to make it sound good. I'm not arguing that it's evil, in fact I agree wholeheartedly. Personally, if I hadn't grown up surrounded by Christian influences, I would've been taken in long ago, and I thank God that I wasn't. That's not my point. That concept aside...
I've heard people say that Rowling is actually a white witch and all this... well, crap on the subject. I've also read interviews where she has said that she isn't even interested in fantasy to begin with, and that this is just a whim on her part. I trust her on that. If she were really a witch, the neopaganism would show up in her writing, and it doesn't. To quote an article ("Why We Like Harry Potter") by Christianity Today, "...the literary witchcraft of the Harry Potter series has almost no resemblance to the I-am-God mumbo jumbo of Wiccan circles. Author J.K. Rowling has created a world with real good and evil, and Harry is definitely on the side of light fighting the 'dark powers'."
The story is based on love and loyalty, virtue, friendship and self-sacrifice. It's the unending battle between good and evil, where good and love will always win over darkness and hate in the end. Take for example, the scene in The Sorceror's Stone where Harry is told by Dumbledore why his touch burnt Voldemort's skin. He says that it's the mark of love that is his protection because of his parents' sacrifice to save his life. What a beautiful concept! Gee, there's something like that in Christianity too, isn't there? Wow. (Just being a little sarcastic folks. Kidding. :D )
Another quote from Christianity Today, which I think sums up what I'd like to say to the beautiful Christian people that I've heard slandering the books they haven't read and the movie they haven't seen... I think this makes a nice gentle point. "Reporters love the dialectic of first presenting the Christian stick-in-the-mud who objects to or is outraged at something, followed by the 'reasonable' person who demonstrates how to be both more and fun-loving. What remains unreported is that many Christinas- such as Charles Colson and Wheaton College literature professor Alan Jacobs- enjoy and defend the Potter series." Sorry, just had to get that out of my system. I'll just sum up now.
I think these books display virtues that children are being taught in Christian homes everywhere, and they make wonderful reading. Not only are they good from a moral sense, but they're also funny and intelligent. Rowling is a wonderful author, and I'm proud to have her works on my shelves.
