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Many people have
written a great deal about the Harry Potter books, so my comments may seem like
a poor addition to an already well-worked area. However, in response to a
request for my opinion, I submit the following, and encourage the reader to
look elsewhere for a more comprehensive and detailed review.
A brief synopsis of the first book.
We
first meet Harry in ‘The Sorcerer’s Stone’. He’s a 10-year old orphan living
with parents who despise him. It’s not until his 11th birthday that Harry learns he has magical abilities and a
rather interesting past. When he was only a baby, his parents were both killed
while trying to fight the most evil wizard on earth, Lord Voldemort.
Miraculously, Harry the baby escaped the wicked wizard with only a lightning
bolt-shaped scar on his forehead and little memory of the incident.
After the death of his parents, Harry is forced to live with his
aunt and uncle. They don't want him. They find him to be an irritating
intrusion, and do not like anything associated with Harry or his parents.
Identified as a wizard. Harry is invited to enroll at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and
Wizardry. The Dursleys, Harry's relatives, are more
than happy to get him out of the house. It's here that Harry realizes the
significance of his past.
Hogwarts is an enchanted
place, invisible to Muggles (non-magical people).
Hogwarts offers classes like broomstick riding and care of magical creatures.
During his first year at Hogwarts, Harry begins to develop his skills and
comprehend the depth of his talent. He quickly becomes a top player of Quidditch, a game similar to soccer but played on flying
broomsticks.
But Harry learns more than just the mechanics of wizardry at
Hogwarts. Beyond the spells and potions, Hogwarts is a place for students to
learn the importance of friendship, honesty and loyalty. Harry meets two
friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, as well as
the class bully, Draco Malfoy.
Here, Harry gains self-confidence as he learns to think for himself and make
important decisions. He battles the class bully and eventually comes face to
face with his archenemy Voldemort. In the end, with
great strength and courage, Harry prevails – just as we knew he would because,
after all, he’s the hero.
The next three books in the series, ‘The Chamber of Secrets’, ‘The
Prisoner of Azkaban and the ‘Goblet of Fire’, take Harry on new, sometimes
frightening adventures, and we are allowed a glimpse into the inner struggles
he must go through to develop into a mature young man.
I
have been to the first two Potter movies, and enjoyed them thoroughly. They
were full of fun, humour and visual delights, and the
main characters were all very entertaining, though rather stereotypical. In my
opinion, the Potter stories are on much the same level as the Enid Blyton Famous Five stories. Rather innocuous, slightly
shabby, and uninspiring but a good read for a normal, balanced kid. Their
equivalent is found in the adventure annuals of the past, and the Indiana ones
type stories, Biggles and so on, which have been the
main diet of millions through the years. Full of froth and
bubble, signifying very little.
As a conservative
Christian I was initially concerned about the Harry Potter stories, so
initially I looked for direct or clear occult ‘teachings’ in the movies, but
after some careful examination I had to admit that I could not find any,
although I can see how some other Christians have inferred occult
teaching by interpreting certain scenes that way. The magic I encountered
through both movies was simply a re-run of already stereotyped magic – pointed
hats, spells, magic words, owls, elfish characters, invisibility blankets,
magic mirrors, wands and so on – all the tools of the trade when it comes to
kid’s entertainment.
On the other hand,
if one looks, one can find examples of courage, loyalty, and a willingness to
sacrifice one’s self for another, the bonds of friendship, forgiveness,
reconciliation, and there is always the age-old pattern of evil being
vanquished by good. The heroes always triumph over great odds, and the stories
always have a happy ending. If it was otherwise I would be disturbed. The whole
universe is part of this pattern. God is Good, and His
Will is invincible. Satan and all his followers will one day be destroyed,
leaving goodness to reign – Harry’s stories follow the same pattern.
The author, J.K.Rowling has said she has no intention of drawing
children into the occult. Of the magic and wizardry she says she, “My wizarding world is a world of the imagination. I think it’s
a moral world.” Of course we don’t have to believe her, but the proof is in her
stories, and they certainly seem to verify her words. When we compare what Harry’s books tell us about the occult, with what the Bible
says, the difference is very clear. The Bible warns us against certain things,
which are quite specific, whereas one would have to look very hard to find
these things in Harry’s adventures.
The Bible
definition of a witch.
“There
shall not be found among you anyone that makes his son or his daughter to pass
through the fire, or that uses divination, or an observer of times, or
an enchanter, or a witch” Deuteronomy 18:10
“A man
also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall
surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be
upon them.” Leviticus 20:27
“Or a
charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a
necromancer.” Deuteronomy 18:11
The
Hebrew for ‘witcraft’ is m’khasepah,
or m’khaseph, which means an evil sorceress or sorcerer,
a person who uses spoken spells in secret to harm or kill other people. They
were greatly feared by the Israelites because they believed there was no
defense against the spells.
What the Bible here strictly denounces is the real occult. What
we find in Harry’s books is a low level, stereotypical type of magic.
Magic is not the occult. To confuse the two is to 1. Do J.K.Rowling
a disservice, 2. Reveal a poor understanding of the real occult. I think
Christians who jump in and start shouting ‘occult! without
thinking first, lose credibility. Harry’s world is kid’s stuff. It is full of traditional, and quite silly magic, on par with Santa Claus,
the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, elves, goblins, dragons and other
fantastical characters and creatures that have entertained children for
hundreds of years. When some extreme-view adults come along and find sinister
and occult aspects in Harry’s books, they are following the same inappropriate
path that some people followed a few years ago when they tried to ban Noddy because it supposedly depicted racism and immorality.
“To the pure all things are pure, and to the unclean all things are unclean –
in other words, people tend to see what they want to, and what people see is
usually a reflection of what is already in their hearts. In another useful
illustration, “Two men looked from the prison bars, one saw dirt and one saw
stars.” What we are trying to say here is that sometimes the observations we
make are more a revelation of what we are like rather than what we are
observing. When it comes to Harry Potter the principle holds true – those who
are overly liberal will see no harm in most things, while those who are rigidly
orthodox will see potential danger in almost everything.
An example of the rigid orthodox view comes from a Mr. Armstrong,
“The Harry Potter books are full of enchantments and evil spells. These
enchantments and spells . . .are produced by the aid
of demons which are evil in the sight of God.” And this from a man who said he
has never even read the books. Furthermore, where in any Potter book do we find
Potter calling on demons for help?
A Christian magazine, the ‘Crusader’ said, “I think the Harry
Potter books are an attempt by Wiccans (i.e. witches)
to recruit young children into the practices of witchcraft.”
Another anti-Potter writer put the following words on the
Internet, “Why do we allow our children to wear Potter’s evil lightning bolt
tattoo on their forehead? The lightning bolt represents “a powerful curse.”
This symbol is of the wicked Voldemort. It is
interesting also to note that the lightning illustration is found also in the
Book of Luke as a symbol of Satan – Luke 10:18.”
Frances Donovan, hostess of the About Guide to Pagan/Wiccan Religion, says the following: "First of all,
let me say that witches, Wiccans, and pagans are
absolutely not interested in "recruiting" or converting anyone to our
religion. We believe that all religious traditions have merit and celebrate the
fact that there are so many different ones to choose from. Those who are called
to the path will come when they're ready. I have read one of the Harry Potter
books and found it good fun, but it has almost nothing to do with what witches
actually do. Pagans do not, in general, possess any "special powers".
We certainly don't enchant flying cars or travel through our fireplaces. We
simply celebrate the magic and energy inherent in Creation."
Patricia
Allgeier, a 57year old witch in
A third opinion comes from Chad Anctil
of the Witches' League for Public Awareness. "It (the Potter story)
portrays witches in positive ways ... but it does not portray my religious beliefs,"
"it is difficult for the religion to be taken seriously when books like
this portray it as magic."
Where are the real dangers?
Some Christians keep their children away from books with talking
animals; some guard them from stories where animals wear clothes. I have met
people who reject Rupert the Bear, and Asterix,
because of the magic in the stories, or, in the case of Asterix,
the magic potion. Extreme Christian parents will not allow their children to
watch cartoons, or enjoy anything with fantasy in it, including ‘Fairy Stories’
and Nursery Rhymes. I am not criticizing these parents, because that is their
business, but it seems to me that it is quite unreasonable to reject, in the
case of Potter, what is actually a fake occult, when it is the real occult the
parents ought to be focused on. True occult practices are not found in Harry’s
books. One might as well label the classic
And here is a very curious thing. While it would be most unusual
for a Christian bookstore to place Potter books on its shelves, because of the
so-called occult connection, what do we actually find on the shelves of many
Christian bookstores? We find books about theistic evolution, and books which
attack and undermine the faith – written of course in the best intellectual
language, by professors and the like. We find kid’s books, which portray the
This is such an inconsistent attitude – an untenable duality.
Surely children are not so stupid as to know that animals do not wear clothes
or talk? Surely the context of the magic in the imaginary tales is obviously
spurious? And when it comes to the fantastical rubbish sold in some Christian
bookshops, doesn’t this point out how lazy and apathetic many Christians must
be when it comes to real Bible study?
One sorcerer mentioned in the Bible was called Simon:
“But
there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery,
and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great
one:” Acts 8:9
The
Greek for “sorcery” is ‘pharmakia’ (from which we get
Pharmacy). A sorcerer was someone who used medicine, drugs, spells and
occasionally poisons. These people were criminals in that they murdered people
by administering poisons. Sorcery is listed as one of the “works of the flesh”
in Gal.5:20. Some versions translate this to mean ‘participate in demonic activity’.
Vines says, “In sorcery, the use of drugs, whether simple or potent, was
generally accompanied by incantations and appeals to occult powers, with the
provision of various charms, amulets, etc., professedly designed to keep the
applicant or patient from the attention and power of demons, but actually to
impress the applicant with the mysterious resources and powers of the
sorcerer.”
There
are spells in Harry’s books, but no appeals to occult powers. There are incantations,
but they are silly words, drawn from the Latin, such as “Illuminus”
to make the end of a wand light up, or “Riddikulus”
to make an ogre (a boggart) turn into something
silly. These incantations are as silly as “Open Sesame!” to make a cave door
roll aside.
Witches
There
are many types of witch. Some people call themselves by this name but really
have no idea what it means. They are fake witches who enjoy feeling a bit
special, and different from other people. Then there are ‘witches’ who dabble
with the fun and excitement of the idea. They wear traditional clothes, and
they follow the storybook traditions, but once again, they completely miss the
reality. The third kind of ‘witch’ is also called ‘wiccan’, which is a word carrying the meaning
of ‘wisdom’ – hence ‘wickerwork’ baskets and furniture.
The wiccan religion is
earth-based, and it worships various deities. They follow a rule known as the Wiccan Rede: “Do what thou wilt
shall be the whole of the law.” In modern language, this rule translates to “Do
your own thing.” Some people say something similar, “It’s my life and I’ll do
what I want with it.” Kids say, “I’m the boss of me!” Unlike the true wiccans, or witches, Harry’s stories never show any loyalty
to any deities, or gods, or occult rulers. There is no mention of them, and no
worship of them. Wiccans believe the Rede, so they do whatever they CAN do. There is no
restraint for true wiccans. If they can
do it, they do do it. Harry’s books are
quite different. The Hogwarts school program is designed to teach the young
witches and wizards the proper and responsible use of their powers, and the consequences of misuse.
Wiccans are very interested in the environment. There
is nothing in the Potter books so far) which would indicate environmental
awareness. True wiccans are pantheistic. Potter books
avoid the subject of God or gods. Wiccans usually
never put spells on other people because they believe in ‘The Law of Threefold
Return’ which says that whatever spell they may cast will
also return on themselves with ‘interest’. Potter characters show no such fear.
True wiccans have nothing to do with flying carpets, dragons,
trolls, magic wands, pointy hats, clothes with stars and moons on them, and
broomsticks, as the Potter characters do. But when some Potter characters do
share activities with wiccans, the practices are
ridiculed. For example Professor Dumbledor points out
to the students that the divination teacher makes the same unsuccessful
predictions year after year.
Wiccans believe they are channeling the natural energy
of the Earth and living things. The Potter characters never try to draw power
from the Earth – they have the power in them. They go to Hogwarts because they
need to understand and discipline their powers, and while there they are taught
such things as personal responsibility for their decisions. The school is as
much about character development as training in proper use of power.
So what
does a real witch look like?
I
happen to have met a few true wiccans. They were nice
people – nice in the sense of being intelligent, thoughtful, caring, and
environmentalist. They wore ordinary clothes, they had jobs, they were
interested in the world, they mixed with non-wiccan people. If they had pets, they always cared for
them. You may possibly pass a wiccan
every time you walk through a busy street. They don’t have flying cars, and
they don’t catch trains inside brick walls. One wiccan woman I knew very well was one of the nicest
people you could meet, and though (obviously) not a Christian, had high moral
standards, and was dearly missed when she died because of her benevolence. Her
funeral was just a memorial. Her body was donated to medical science. She was a
vegetarian. Her home was very thin on furniture and possessions but her
treasures were photographs and mementos of people (and places) she had known.
The
purpose of the Potter books.
1.
To
entertain kids.
2.
To make
money for the author.
The
stories so far all follow well-worn ethical paths. They show that it is better
to do good than evil, that evil cannot ultimately beat good, that it is
important to be true to yourself, that courage, loyalty and so on are
worthwhile, that actions have consequences, that to be good at something you
must study and practice hard, that cheats never prosper . . . all these
qualities can be found in all good stories. The Famous Five always demonstrated
these qualities. You’ll also find them in The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, Dumbo, King Arthur, Chronicles of Narnia,
Wizard of Oz, Sleeping Beauty, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Lilo
and Stitch, Jack and the Beanstalk, Monsters Inc, Ice Age, Cinderella,
Pinocchio, Noddy and so on.
Harry
Potter books work on mainly one level only. They are rather mediocre, very stereotypical,
and superficial. Here is not much ‘underneath’ the stories, but that may also
be a strong point. Many kids don’t want to read something which forces them to
see more than just a good story. Harry’s adventures are not allegorical – like
the Chronicles of Narnia. When you finish a Potter
book you go away with a good story – a ripping yarn – and probably a smile.
When you read a Narnia book you start to understand
deeper things, about God, about Christianity, about our place in the universe.
There is no Aslan in Potter’s life, no thrones, no
resurrection, no scenes of Christ breathing creation into being. Potter is just
Potter, and as such he reflects much of the flat, materialistic attitude many
people have about life today. Materialism and hedonism combine to produce an
hour or two of entertainment in a theatre, and everyone leaves with a smile –
no wiser about the meaning of life than when they went in.
Some
real dangers in the Potter books.
1.
Many
kids will spend days and weeks reading them, to the exclusion of better quality
material. Like comics, and TV cartoons, Potter is going to consume large chunks
of millions of children’s lives. This may be a great waste of time compared to
what these kids might have done with the same time. (This is a relative
argument and very difficult to qualify or defend.)
2.
Potter
stories sometimes (but infrequently) depict adults as stupid. Non-magic people
are called ‘muggles’ and as such are derided. This is
unfair discrimination. Magical people seem to be that way by inheritance, not
by sheer training, so there are no grounds for such discrimination.
3.
The
ability, or power within the Hogwarts students seems
to be ‘neutral’, as in the Star Wars ‘force’. This is deceptive in that it
implies that there is no such thing as good or evil, just a ‘neutral’ force
which can be used either way.
As a
Christian father, I have warned my two children many times about counterfeits
and deceptions, and tried to show them the Christian worldview. I believe if
children are grounded in the Scriptures they have nothing to fear from the
world or Satan and his tricks. I have also promoted alternative material, such
as the Chronicles of Narnia and many other good
books, songs, events, productions, trips, movies and so on. After all, life is
short, and if we are going to use it up we might as well spend our time in
company with the best quality input we can find. What we are as people is
partly a result of what we feed into our minds.
Having
said this, I would not heartily recommend the Potter books to children, because
I think there is much better material available to keep them occupied, but if
they must read Potter, then I will not be one of those extremists who shouts
“occult!” at them. As an evangelist I can always find some way of using Potter
to point kids to Jesus, so rather than ruin my chances through ignorant
comments, I will look for ways to build bridges. This essay is one of those
ways.